Ferrari to Debut Le Mans Hypercar on October 30

The new Ferrari LMH racing car will debut on October 30, Ferrari announced Wednesday. The debut will take place during Ferrari's annual Finali Mondiali event, which celebrates the end of the motorsports season and this year will be held at the Imola Circuit in Italy.

Ferrari first unveiled the car in July, and several tests have been conducted since then, always under tight camouflage. Ferrari has not provided any information, but rumors point to a V-6 and hybrid setup similar to that found in the 296 GTB as the power source. Regulations call for a peak output of 670 hp.

As an LMH racer, the car can compete in both the existing hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the new GTP class, which will start next year as a new top class in the IMSA sports car championship. While Ferrari has so far only committed to competing in the World Endurance Championship, which is highlighted by the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the LMH could appear in some rounds of the sports car championship, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Ferrari's entry in the hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship next year would mean a return to the top level of endurance racing for Ferrari for the first time in half a century, with the 312 PB being the last.

Next year will also be the first year that LMH cars will compete against cars developed to meet LMDh regulations; LMDh cars will be able to compete in both the Hypercar and GTP classes, with a balance of performance used to ensure a level playing field.

Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Alpine have committed to participate in LMDh, while Bicoles, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Toyota, and Ferrari have committed to LMH. Audi had agreed to join the LMDh in 2023, but announced in August that it had canceled that plan to focus on its planned F1 entry in 2026. Lamborghini will compete in LMDh in 2024.

Ferrari is not campaigning alone. Ferrari's sports car racing division, Competizioni GT, has teamed up with AF Corse to form a new team, "Ferrari-AF Corse" AF Corse was founded in 1995 by former racing driver Amato Ferrari (no relation to Enzo Ferrari or his son Piero) An independent Italian racing team, AF Corse has worked closely with Ferrari since 2006 and in recent years has represented Ferrari in the GT Championship, especially in the GTE class of the World Endurance Championship

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Following a prologue event at Sebring International Raceway in Florida on March 11-12, the first round of the 2023 World Endurance Championship will kick off at the Sebring 1000 Mile on March 17.

Note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct debut date.