Sports car racing technology

Le Mans series race car engineering reached a high-water mark in 2002, but will likely recede in 2003.

The 2002 sports car racing season included Volkswagen's Audi division reaching its goal of three successive dominant wins at the La Sarthe circuit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also saw the third straight season of frustration and disappointment for General Motors' Cadillac division. The third consecutive victory earned the Audi team the right to keep the trophy in Wolfsburg rather than returning it after a year. Despite achieving nearly opposite results over the last three seasons, both factory teams reached the same conclusion after the 2002 campaign-time to stop. The independent Panoz team has soldiered along with variations of the same car since the 1997 season, but it still manages the occasional race win.

With the withdrawal for 2003 of the two primary factory programs, sports car racing technology will probably not advance again until 2004, when fresh rules take effect. The new rules, which permit underbody ground effects, are meant to reduce the incidence of accidental flight that has plagued the current flat-bottomed generation of cars.