ALMS » LMP1 hybrid ready for debut

Unfortunately, at Le Mans, the start is just a very small part of the race and it's easy to overtake.

In F1, we've seen so far that KERS is only beneficial at the start of the race and for defending on the shorter straights, but that won't help at Le Mans.

And that the fuel economy in a hybrid would be better is a croc of **** in a race.

So they let them carry a charge in the batteries for the start? I didn't realize that.

As for increasing fuel economy during the race...a longer event like Le Mans should exploit small efficiency gains far better than short events like Grands Prix.

The increased economy assumption, however, would seem to be dependent on the overall weight of hybrid being the same as or less than a non-hybrid and the rotational inertia of the drivetrain also being the same as or less. That's a lot more equipment to carry, and electric motors and batteries aren't light.

Do non-hybrids carry ballast, or do hybrids get a break somewhere else to let them carry the extra weight?