A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car. As of 2023, there are two classes within Le Mans Prototypes, designated LMP2 and LMP3.
The All Japan Sports Prototype Championship (全日本スポーツプロトタイプ選手権), abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japan Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years. Class A and Class B for production cars which were defined by the FIA and the lead category, Class C would be for cars that are similar to IMSA's Camel Lights and the WEC's C2, whereas Class D was for C1/GTP cars.
Richard Lloyd Racing (RLR), originally named GTi Engineering, was a British auto racing team created in 1977 by driver Richard Lloyd. Originally named for the Volkswagen Golf GTIs that Lloyd raced in the British Saloon Car Championship (BSCC), they went on to become a successful Porsche privateer in the World Sportscar Championship (WSC). Richard Lloyd Racing eventually folded at the end of the 1990 season due to the increased cost of the World Championship.
The 6 Hours of Fuji is a sports car race held at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan. The race was held for the first time in 1967, and in 1977 became part of the new Fuji Long Distance Series. In 1982 a second 1000 km race known as WEC in Japan was run as a round of the World Sportscar Championship. The All Japan Sports Prototype Championship was formed in 1983, and since then co-sanctioned this event. The World Championship left after 1988, but the JSPC carried on both races until 1992. The race was revived in 1999 as an attempt to gauge interest in an Asian Le Mans Series; the series never materialized. The race was revived again as a part of the short-lived Japan Le Mans Challenge in 2007. The race returned again as part of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship season, but changed to a 6-hour race, with no distance limit.
The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup which began in 2010 and is the first endurance series of world championship status since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship at the end of 1992. The World Endurance Championship name was previously used by the FIA from 1981 to 1985.
The 1992 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship was the tenth and final season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, which would be replaced by the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, as sportscar racing in the early 1990s changed drastically with the decline of prototypes. The C1 class champion was the #1 Nissan Motorsports Nissan R92CP driven by Kazuyoshi Hoshino and the C class champion was the #7 and #36 TOM'S Toyota TS010 driven by Geoff Lees.
The 1991 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship was the ninth season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1991 champion was the #23 Nissan Motorsports Nissan R91CP driven by Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Toshio Suzuki.
The 1990 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship was the eighth season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1990 champion was the #24 Nissan Motorsports Nissan R91CP driven by Masahiro Hasemi and Anders Olofsson.
The 1983 All Japan Endurance Championship was the inaugural season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The series champion was the #1 Trust Racing Team Porsche 956 driven by Australian Vern Schuppan, who earlier in the year had won the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 1984 All Japan Endurance Championship was the second season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1984 champion was the Auto Beaurex Motorsport Lotec M1C-BMW driven by Naoki Nagasaka.
The 1989 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship was the seventh season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1989 champion was the #25 Advan Alpha Nova Porsche 962C driven by Kunimitsu Takahashi.
The 1988 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship was the sixth season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1988 champion was the #27 From A Racing Porsche 962C driven by Hideki Okada.
The 1987 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship was the fifth season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1987 champion was the #1 Advan Alpha Nova Porsche 962C driven by Kunimitsu Takahashi.
The 1985 All Japan Endurance Championship was the third season of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The 1985 champion was the #25 Advan Sports Nova Porsche 962C driven by Kunimitsu Takahashi.
The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the fourth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series, co-organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars meeting four ACO categories. World championship titles were awarded for Le Mans Prototypes drivers and for manufacturers in the LMP1 category, and several World Endurance Cups and Endurance Trophies were also awarded in all four categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and ended at the Bahrain International Circuit in November after eight rounds, and included the 83rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the fifth edition of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars meeting four ACO categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and ended at the Bahrain International Circuit in November, and included the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This season was also the last WEC season for Audi Sport Team Joest as they decided not to race in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Season.
The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship was the sixth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and will end at the Bahrain International Circuit in November, and include the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. World championship titles will be awarded to the leading prototype drivers and manufacturers, while for the first time in the World Endurance Championship the leading grand touring drivers and manufacturers will also be awarded a world championship.
The 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship was the eighth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. World Championship titles were awarded for LMP drivers, LMP1 teams, GTE drivers and GTE manufacturers. With the new winter scheduling format, the series began at Silverstone Circuit in September 2019 and ended with the 2020 8 Hours of Bahrain in November 2020.
The Nissan LM03C is a Group C race car developed by Le Mans Garage for the 1983 All Japan Endurance Championship and Fuji Long Distance Series.
The Nissan LM05C is a Group C race car developed by Le Mans Garage for the 1985 All Japan Endurance Championship.
Kenji Seino