Friday marked the annual ACO Press Conference from the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and saw the new regulations defined for the race’s top class.

The breathtaking but expensive LMP1 class will run through the end of the FIA World Endurance Championship “Super Season,” and then be replaced by cars built to a new set of regulations.

Per the ACO, these are the targets of the new regulations:

• Sleek cars with distinctive branding, for a new generation of supercars and hypercars
• A single hybrid system, front-axle KERS
• Estimated Le Mans lap times of 3:20
• Significantly more affordable, targeting one quarter of a current LMP1 budget
• No restrictions on engine suppliers

Here is IMSA’s statement, which was agreed upon in collaboration from the ACO:

“We would like to congratulate the ACO and FIA on their release of the conceptual details of the technical regulations for the next generation of prototype race cars. Creating new regulations for a vehicle of this level of sophistication is an enormous task and today’s announcement marks an important, positive milestone.

“This is a work in progress. And while a lot of progress has been made there is much still to be done. We look forward to continuing to work closely in the coming months, collaborating with the ACO and FIA and our existing prototype partners, to confirm a viable cost structure for competing in the Prototype class. IMSA continues to be focused on providing attractive opportunities for manufacturers and teams to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a sustainable economic business model. The priority for IMSA is for future regulations to be consistent with the core elements and philosophy that has enabled our existing platform to become so successful.

“We remain committed to our strategic partnership with the ACO for the future growth and success of professional sports car racing worldwide.”