Pre-2017 LMP2: Surprisingly Missing in Sim Racing

Modern sportscars are great to have in sim racing. But there is a class and era that deserves more attention both from the community and developers. What is your favourite pre-2017 LMP2 car?

LMP2, Hypercar, GTE and GT3. Sportscar racing is becoming one of the most popular forms of motorsport around the world, and that growth is reflected in sim racing.

Seemingly every week, we hear stories of the latest GT3 model joining various simulators or a title getting first dibs at a brand-new Hypercar. Meanwhile, take a look at player numbers online and, omitting the popularity of entry-level single seaters, every server fit to burst with participation features at least one of the four aforementioned categories.


AMS2 represents many sportscar eras. Image: Reiza Studios

But zoom out from the modern sportscar fixation of recent times and you may notice that even classic content is far from lacking. A plethora of Assetto Corsa mods provide the best of 1960's sportscars whilst Automobilista 2's Group C and GT1 content is brilliant at shining the spotlight on the 1980s and 1990s.

There is one era however, or one particular class that is, that perhaps is not quite getting its five minutes of fame. Current LMP2 is a fantastic class with the formulaic ruleset and hot competition. But prior to 2017, the amateur-based prototype category was a different animal that deserves its moment in the spotlight.

Post-2017 LMP2 - A Set Formula​

Today, the LMP2 class is pretty much a single-make category with the exception of a single outlier Stateside in the form of Sean Creech Motorsport running a Ligier JSP217 up against a pack of Oreca 07's.


The Ligier JSP217 was a popular LMP2 car in its inception. Image: Dunlop on Lulop

But this narrow scope is nothing new. Ever since the current ruleset began in 2017, just four manufacturers were homologated to build models for the class. That is in fact the same quartet now licensed to put together LMDh chassis for the Hypercar/GTP class; Oreca, Ligier, Dallara and Riley-Multimatic.

Back when the modern day LMP2 era launched, teams had the choice of purchasing a car from either of those four with the Oreca 07 and Ligier JSP217 picking up most of the pieces. Dallara's P217 was a semi-popular model for the first few years whilst the Riley-Multimatic Mk30 saw but a handful of outings.


Even in 2018, LMP2 did not have variety. Image: Alpine on NewspressUK

Not only was the new class rather shut off to newcomers, it also featured far tighter regulations. Gone were the open top models of the past, making for far more similarly styled racers. In addition, the rulemakers' desire for greater parity between the models made for limited design opportunities and a single engine, the now famous Gibson V8.

Pre-2017 LMP2 - What An Era​

By contrast, the second highest class on the prototype ladder just a few years prior was a mish-mash of differing looks, fantastic sounds and a great variety of shapes thanks to a very open ruleset. From the very serious, closed top Ligier JSP2 to the open top Morgan and Zytek Z11SN - cars were vastly different.


Take your pick for your favourite LMP2 car shape. Image: Honda Racing on Newspress UK

In total, 18 different chassis were homologated in-class between 2011 and 2016 when the class finally packed up, all of which were eligible for competition until that very last race. That being said, no one would have recommended strapping into an original HPD ARX-01 up against the likes of the all-conquering Ligier.

The new regulations brought into place in 2011 were all about cutting costs from the previous models known for being able to run in either LMP2 or LMP1 specification. The Porsche RS Spyder was one of the first to do so, instigating a development war amongst more serious manufacturers.

The result was a category that even the most unknown of manufacturers like BR Engineering could put together a chassis for, fit it with one of the many engines available from the likes of Judd, Nissan, Honda, BMW or Mazda, and get to work.


The Nissan engine ruled LMP2 pre-2017. Image: Nissan on Newspress

But the wide scope of chassis and engine options never harmed competitiveness within the class. Sure, the Ligier and Oreca options were the go-to whilst Nissan was by far the winningest engine manufacturer, but even the likes of a Mazda-powered Lola had a shot at race wins, especially Stateside.

2011-2016 LMP2 in Sim Racing​

Despite being such an interesting time in sportscar racing's history, this specific period in the LMP2 class' lifetime is lacking representation in sim racing. Spend enough time scrolling your favourite search engine and you may find the odd Assetto Corsa mod, or if you fancy a real throwback, some GTR2 mod packs. But rarely will you spot a prominent passion project featuring the cars.

Most frequently when you do spot a recreation of the era, it will be the infamously fast Ligier JSP2 or Alpine-branded open-top Oreca 03. But the truly fascinating models from the time are the oddball creations like the Strakka Racing designs or Morgan's foray into the category. Seldom will you be able to drive these rarer models in sim racing, let alone with accurate and satisfying physics and sounds.


Strakka Racing was one of many teams to create its own LMP2 car. Image: Strakka Racing on NewspressUK

How to integrate LMP2 in sim racing​

Ultimately, capturing the category's essence will be crucial to accurately integrating it into a game. This would require highlighting the shear number of engine and chassis combinations available across the class' existence.

Automobilista 2 does this fantastically with its 1990's CART - sorry, Formula USA - models and various F1 recreations. With LMP2's rather generic looks, the Brazilian studio could fare well in showcasing the period's spirit without the faff of going through licencing deals with each chassis manufacturer from the time.

Now Is The Time​

In the real world, the LMP2 class is in a rather static situation at the moment. The Oreca 07 is very much the go-to for competitive teams and thanks to its ease of use, the current ruleset has been extended for operation until the end of 2027. Yes, the new class that was meant to provide a base for the LMDh cars released last year will now not hit the track until 2028 - just one year before those LMDh models' homologations come to an end.


The Oreca 07 will remain the go-to LMP2 car for another few years yet. Image: Dunlop on Lulop

With the formula working well from a competition standpoint in the likes of ELMS and IMSA, racing games are rushing to integrate the current standard that is the Oreca 07. Le Mans Ultimate has it and Automobilista 2 is looking set to get it in its next update.

But once these games have the car, what is next for LMP2 in sim racing? Clearly, we will not be seeing any brand-new models hit the virtual track for another four years. So now is surely the perfect time to take a look back in time and begin work on implementing LMP2 cars from years gone by. AMS2 with its fabulous historical tendencies is surely the title to pick up on the trend and put together the likes of a Ligier JSP2, Oreca 05 or 03 or even a more obscure Caterham, Acura ARX-03 or Strakka.

And we would not say no to some period-correct multiclass competition to be added, either.

Would you like to see previous generations of LMP2 car hit the virtual track? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!