The 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship may be over but its intense action rests heavy on the mind. Here is our rundown of our favourite moments of the year, simulated in Le Mans Ultimate.
With Bahrain's 8 Hours over and champions crowned, the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship has come to an end. But with over 72 hours of racing to look back on from the past 12 months, there is no denying that it was a fantastic year for action.
And with that, we thought we would look back on the best moments of the year, but with a twist. At our disposal nowadays is the official WEC game, Le Mans Ultimate. And so, how better to look back on a tremendous year than by replicating some of these memorable events ourselves in-game?
In the game's current state, there are several limitations that mean we cannot quite re-enact some of our top moments from the past ten months or so. From McLaren's surprise LMGT3 pole at Le Mans thanks to event invitee Inception to Manthey winning the GT championship with a race to spare, the current lack of GT3 machinery in LMU does make pretending to be the likes of Brendan Iribe and even the great Rossi impossible. Luckily, the first batch of GT3 cars is set to arrive in December.
In addition, Safety Cars, true strategic decisions versus the AI and even running longer races are all challenging to replicate due to the game's early access presentation. Nevertheless, here are three of our favourite 2024 moments simulated in LMU.
But with its surprising turn of pace following smart strategic decisions, the bewinged Peugeot 9X8's run to P4 at Fuji has to be our top underdog story from 2024.
As we all remember, Fuji was yet another chaotic round for the FIA WEC in the Hypercar category, namely for Toyota's downfall and Cadillac's yo-yoing of fortune. But it was Peugeot that got us on our feet and yelling at our TVs for the team to bring a good finish home.
Peugeot's #93 went on to claim P4 at Fuji in 2024. Image credit: Peugeot Sport Media
The 6-hour event in the Land of the Rising Sun kicked off like any other WEC round for the Roaring Lions, both the #93 and #94 sitting steadily towards the back of the field, losing ground to the cars ahead. But come the second and third stints, a slow upheaval began with both cars climbing closer and closer to the points.
Throughout the race, the pair of 9X8s executed a strategy of tyre saving that may or may not pay off towards the end of the race. But thanks to the late-race safety car following the Earl Bamber's crash in the #2 Cadillac, the field was bunched up and reset with little time to go.
What ensued was an impressive performance by both Peugeots, but especially the #93 that pulled off a slew of overtakes on its way to fourth overall, just seconds behind its French stablemate Alpine.
In LMU, the setup needed to recreate this is minmal. The 2024 grid preset, scattered clouds at first becoming overcast later on, the Fuji Circuit and the aforementioned winged version of the 9X8 will do - have fun trying to battle to the sharp end of the grid in this French prototype!
In fact, it only took three races for the newly formed #12 outfit to reach the top step of the podium in the FIA WEC. In the midst of a dramatic and frankly chaotic Spa 6 Hours, an astonishing airplane-like crash involving the #99 Proton Porsche, #2 Cadillac and #31 WRT BMW caused a lengthy red flag.
Winning Spa in the Jota will be a fun challenge. Image credit: Motorsport Games
By the time the track was cleared and the green flag flew once more, the sun was very much setting and Ferrari lead the race but needed a pitstop. One of the few teams lucky enough to have pitted moments before the stoppage was the #12 Jota Porsche 963, giving them the lead not long after resumption.
But the win was far from an easy task as an hour and a half of torment from a chasing Penske Porsche behind piled the pressure on all the way to the line.
In Le Mans Ultimate, Spa sees the Toyota and Ferrari boasting strong balance of performance over the rest of the field meaning a win aboard the #12 is equally just as tough as it was in real life. But get your strategy right over your chosen race length and run a low downforce setup to avoid being passed by the faster cars down the Kemmel and you may just do it. Good luck!
It was around the halfway point in the six-hour contest that hints of the weather turning began to show themselves, but with just over two hours to go, a heavy shower transformed the race that once was a Ferrari podium lockout. Deciding not to pit at the right time and then abandoning the slick-shod strategy in favour of pitting for wets just as the rain stopped, the Prancing Horses lived up to their typical F1 tricks leaving Toyota to pick up a crucial victory, but only after an exciting battle with the #6 Porsche Penske entry as the clock wound down.
Now, in LMU you could very easily attempt all sorts of situations in keeping with the race's theme: retain the lead for Ferrari, challenge for the win in the latter stages of the race for the chasing Porsche or make the most of the situation aboard a newer model like a Lamborghini or Isotta. But we think simply experiencing the challenging start-stop nature of the weather pattern is fun enough, regardless of the cars.
In fact, this is the perfect opportunity to find out how the GTE machines present in the title fare against the newer LMGT3 selection soon for release. Sure, the GTE cars are faster in the dry and you will very easily beat the LMGT3 pole laptime at most circuits. But in the wet, with the new class's ABS and softer chassis, can you actually match the real race's average lap times across a stint in variable weather?
We think the ideal way of setting the Imola 6 Hours up in LMU is to utilise the full five weather slots starting out the first two in full sunshine and warm temperatures. The third slot must feature heavy clouds and far cooler temperatures whilst slot four should be medium rain. For the fifth slot, copy your third slot and watch strategies go insane in changeable conditions.
What was your favourite moment of the 2024 FIA WEC Season? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our motorsport forum!
With Bahrain's 8 Hours over and champions crowned, the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship has come to an end. But with over 72 hours of racing to look back on from the past 12 months, there is no denying that it was a fantastic year for action.
And with that, we thought we would look back on the best moments of the year, but with a twist. At our disposal nowadays is the official WEC game, Le Mans Ultimate. And so, how better to look back on a tremendous year than by replicating some of these memorable events ourselves in-game?
Replicating the WEC in Le Mans Ultimate
Multiple classes races across immense distances, the number of memorable moments from this year's FIA World Endurance Championship are obviously too many to count. But in this article, we are looking for the top scenarios we can feasibly replicate in the series' official game, Le Mans Ultimate.In the game's current state, there are several limitations that mean we cannot quite re-enact some of our top moments from the past ten months or so. From McLaren's surprise LMGT3 pole at Le Mans thanks to event invitee Inception to Manthey winning the GT championship with a race to spare, the current lack of GT3 machinery in LMU does make pretending to be the likes of Brendan Iribe and even the great Rossi impossible. Luckily, the first batch of GT3 cars is set to arrive in December.
In addition, Safety Cars, true strategic decisions versus the AI and even running longer races are all challenging to replicate due to the game's early access presentation. Nevertheless, here are three of our favourite 2024 moments simulated in LMU.
Peugeot's Fuji Run
Those of us that feed off an underdog story had a lot to enjoy throughout the 2024, especially towards the tail end of the year. Once the likes of Peugeot, BMW and Alpine finally got their acts together, surprise podium finishes came out of the woodwork in rapid succession.But with its surprising turn of pace following smart strategic decisions, the bewinged Peugeot 9X8's run to P4 at Fuji has to be our top underdog story from 2024.
As we all remember, Fuji was yet another chaotic round for the FIA WEC in the Hypercar category, namely for Toyota's downfall and Cadillac's yo-yoing of fortune. But it was Peugeot that got us on our feet and yelling at our TVs for the team to bring a good finish home.
Peugeot's #93 went on to claim P4 at Fuji in 2024. Image credit: Peugeot Sport Media
The 6-hour event in the Land of the Rising Sun kicked off like any other WEC round for the Roaring Lions, both the #93 and #94 sitting steadily towards the back of the field, losing ground to the cars ahead. But come the second and third stints, a slow upheaval began with both cars climbing closer and closer to the points.
Throughout the race, the pair of 9X8s executed a strategy of tyre saving that may or may not pay off towards the end of the race. But thanks to the late-race safety car following the Earl Bamber's crash in the #2 Cadillac, the field was bunched up and reset with little time to go.
What ensued was an impressive performance by both Peugeots, but especially the #93 that pulled off a slew of overtakes on its way to fourth overall, just seconds behind its French stablemate Alpine.
In LMU, the setup needed to recreate this is minmal. The 2024 grid preset, scattered clouds at first becoming overcast later on, the Fuji Circuit and the aforementioned winged version of the 9X8 will do - have fun trying to battle to the sharp end of the grid in this French prototype!
Privateer Win at Spa
In 2025, the mighty Jota will no longer be the plucky independent privateer we all know and love today, making its move to Cadillac machinery as an official factory team. But its lowly status far from limited the gold Porsches over the past 12 months.In fact, it only took three races for the newly formed #12 outfit to reach the top step of the podium in the FIA WEC. In the midst of a dramatic and frankly chaotic Spa 6 Hours, an astonishing airplane-like crash involving the #99 Proton Porsche, #2 Cadillac and #31 WRT BMW caused a lengthy red flag.
Winning Spa in the Jota will be a fun challenge. Image credit: Motorsport Games
By the time the track was cleared and the green flag flew once more, the sun was very much setting and Ferrari lead the race but needed a pitstop. One of the few teams lucky enough to have pitted moments before the stoppage was the #12 Jota Porsche 963, giving them the lead not long after resumption.
But the win was far from an easy task as an hour and a half of torment from a chasing Penske Porsche behind piled the pressure on all the way to the line.
In Le Mans Ultimate, Spa sees the Toyota and Ferrari boasting strong balance of performance over the rest of the field meaning a win aboard the #12 is equally just as tough as it was in real life. But get your strategy right over your chosen race length and run a low downforce setup to avoid being passed by the faster cars down the Kemmel and you may just do it. Good luck!
Downpours In Imola
If you race for over 72 hours throughout the year, chances are you will encounter some wet weather and in 2024, the WEC grid certainly did. At Le Mans, we had over six hours worth of stoppage due to torrential rain whilst Ferrari's win at home was cruelly taken away by sudden downpours at Imola.It was around the halfway point in the six-hour contest that hints of the weather turning began to show themselves, but with just over two hours to go, a heavy shower transformed the race that once was a Ferrari podium lockout. Deciding not to pit at the right time and then abandoning the slick-shod strategy in favour of pitting for wets just as the rain stopped, the Prancing Horses lived up to their typical F1 tricks leaving Toyota to pick up a crucial victory, but only after an exciting battle with the #6 Porsche Penske entry as the clock wound down.
Now, in LMU you could very easily attempt all sorts of situations in keeping with the race's theme: retain the lead for Ferrari, challenge for the win in the latter stages of the race for the chasing Porsche or make the most of the situation aboard a newer model like a Lamborghini or Isotta. But we think simply experiencing the challenging start-stop nature of the weather pattern is fun enough, regardless of the cars.
In fact, this is the perfect opportunity to find out how the GTE machines present in the title fare against the newer LMGT3 selection soon for release. Sure, the GTE cars are faster in the dry and you will very easily beat the LMGT3 pole laptime at most circuits. But in the wet, with the new class's ABS and softer chassis, can you actually match the real race's average lap times across a stint in variable weather?
We think the ideal way of setting the Imola 6 Hours up in LMU is to utilise the full five weather slots starting out the first two in full sunshine and warm temperatures. The third slot must feature heavy clouds and far cooler temperatures whilst slot four should be medium rain. For the fifth slot, copy your third slot and watch strategies go insane in changeable conditions.
What was your favourite moment of the 2024 FIA WEC Season? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our motorsport forum!
