The World Endurance Championship's new Hypercar class could soon attract another prominent name. Swedish supercar builder Koenigsegg is still very interested in racing at Le Mans, and the finalized rules have done nothing to quash the interest of CEO and founder Christian von Koenigsegg.
Road & Track reported on the firm's continued interest in the Hypercar class and a race program on Thursday. Previously, Mr. Koenigsegg made his feelings very clear: he wants to go racing with his supercars. He told Top Gear last year he'd "love to" go racing at Le Mans, and R&T reported the CEO had similar things to say ahead of the Jesko's reveal at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. The magazine once again caught up with Mr. Koenigsegg now that the FIA has finalized the rules for the class.
Per its discussion with the CEO, the final regulations look "feasible" on the surface, but the company needs more time to evaluate them. However, the "interest from our side persists," he said. That's not much of confirmation, but at least the company isn't ready to shut down the idea of Koenigseggs racing alongside the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 007, Toyota's upcoming hypercar and others.
The Hypercar class will replace the LMP1 class, which had only one factory-backed program this year; that program was run by the race's winner, Toyota. Each race car in the new class will have a hybrid system and all-wheel drive. Crucially, the regulations make it much cheaper for teams and automakers to participate compared to the outgoing LMP1 class. The new class will kick off with the 2020-2021 season, and the first chance to race at Le Mans will come in 2021.
For those looking for a little more hope to go on, R&T provided it. Without citing sources, the magazine said a Koenigsegg Jesko race car for the Hypercar class has already been rendered. More and more, it seems like Koenigsegg is preparing to go racing.