12.12.2017 - 17h43
The LMP classes: Some facts and figures from 2017
With 50 FIA World Endurance Championship races complete, here’s a brief overview of some key statistics for the LMP classes. Stats on the GTE categories to follow.
- It was Porsche’s third consecutive Manufacturers’ world championship, and Porsche LMP Team took three consecutive Le Mans outright victories plus its drivers won the World Endurance Championship title on three occasions.
- Since the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s debut in 2014, the tally from 34 races was 17 wins with 7 of them being 1-2 victories. In addition, 20 pole positions and 13 fastest race laps were marked in the history books.
- The 5 wins in the 2017 season for the No.8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID of Buemi, Davidson, Nakajima marks the most wins in a single WEC season for one crew. Victory came at Silverstone, Spa, Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain.
- This equalled the Japanese manufacturer’s number of wins in 2014, the year they won the World Endurance Championship.
- The 50 races have seen 27 drivers from 12 different countries/4 different continents win overall.
- Great Britain and France are each represented by 5 winning drivers (overall wins) and Germany by 4.
- The 4 wins this year for the No.31 Vaillante Rebellion on the way to the LMP2 championship title equalled the most ever in one season (ADR – 2012, G-Drive – 2013/14/15, Signatech Alpine – 2016). No LMP2 crew has ever achieved more than 4 wins in one season.
- It was Bruno Senna’s first title of his motor racing career after a stand-out season, and Julien Canal’s second (2015 with G-Drive Racing).
- Jackie Chan DC Racing took 3 wins in the first 4 rounds including an overall podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and an LMP2 class 1-2. It became the first Chinese class winner at Le Mans.
- Signatech Alpine is the only LMP2 team so far to win 4 races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and go on to take the WEC title in the same year.
- Signatech Alpine Matmut claimed class pole position 3 times in 2017 – the first time in WEC history that two different teams, the other being G-Drive Racing, have each had 3 poles in one season. G-Drive = Silverstone, Spa, Le Mans; Signatech Alpine = Mexico, USA, Bahrain.
- Each LMP2 podium this year has featured a unique line up of cars (even if the same three cars were represented in COTA and Shanghai, the order was different).
With grateful thanks to Alex Harrison (@WECDATA on Twitter) for his considerable contribution.
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