How fast are Brazilian Prototypes vs Hypercar, LMP2 and LMP3

This weekend, with the 24 Hours of Daytona and the São Paulo City 1000 Miles Grand Prix, it’s time to answer a recurring question from the public during broadcasts of Brazilian Endurance races: how do the cars competing in Brazil compare to the Endurance categories in Europe and the United States? For the GT3 and GT4 classes, the answer is obvious, with the cars and nomenclature being the same as the global standard, and in recent years also adopting Balance of Performance (BoPs) closer to those of IMSA, ACO, and SRO.

Among prototypes, the situation becomes more complex, as in Brazil there is a specific division into four classes as defined by the Endurance Brasil regulations for the 2019 season:

P1: Prototypes with turbocharged or high-displacement engines, 18” wheels, equipped with traction control, ABS, and possibly using DRS;
P2: Prototypes of older design with turbocharged or high-displacement engines, or Sigma and AJR prototypes with specific homologation, always without DRS;
P3: Prototypes with engines with more than 2 valves per cylinder, up to 2,300 cm³ naturally aspirated;
P4: Prototypes with engines with 2 valves per cylinder up to 2,300 cm³.

But before moving on, a distinction must also be made in the P1 class, since from 2025 onwards in the Campeonato Gaúcho de Endurance, the Sigma and AJR cars in P2 homologation, in addition to the DTR01, became part of a regional P1 class, while the older cars were classified as P2.

To complicate things even further, the P1 class accepts FIA LMP3 class prototypes, but without engine restrictions and with a series of performance modifications compared to the standard FIA regulations, which we usually call LMP3+, or improved LMP3, here on the site.

This leads to the misconception that Brazilian P1 cars are similar in performance to an LMP3, and it doesn’t help that the media often makes the same analogy, claiming that LMP3 models competing in Brazil are similar to those competing abroad, in an attempt to simplify understanding for the general public. Understanding is achieved, but information is lost…

To answer this question, we analyzed lap times from qualifying sessions in the main categories of world endurance races (WEC, IMSA and ELMS), and the conclusions we reached are impressive.

First, as a basis for our analysis, we considered lap times at Interlagos from the WEC and Endurance Brasil series, to establish a comparison between Hypercar/GTP and P1 cars, as well as between GT3 cars abroad and in Brazil.

Next, we compiled lap times from the Imola and Spa races of the WEC and ELMS to gather data on the “pure” LMP2 class and the restricted LMP3 prototypes. Since both ELMS races in 2025 had qualifying sessions held in rainy conditions, we used data from the 2024 races.

We also used data from the IMSA Sebring test to compare the restricted LMP2 configuration of the IMSA.

Category	Percentage	Lap Time	Notes
Hypercar / GTP	100,00%	1m22s570	Cadillac Pole at 6 Hours of São Paulo de 2025
ELMS LMP2	101,93%	1m24s162	LMP2 without restrictor (600 HP / 930 kg)
IMSA LMP2	104,40%	1m26s204	LMP2 with restrictor (540 HP / 950 kg)
Metalmoro JLM AJR	104,18%	1m26s022	AJR record at Interlagos
Sigma P1 G5	104,87%	1m26s594	Sigma record at Interlagos
Ligier JS P320 TD	105,77%	1m27s334	Ligier record at Interlagos
Ginetta G58	107,72%	1m28s943	Ginetta record at Interlagos
LMP3	109,77%	1m30s639	LMP3 as per ACO Regulations (455 HP / 950 kg)
P2 Brazil	114,90%	1m34s873	MCR Grand Am with Ford V8 engine
GT3	114,12%	1m34s227	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.1)
P3 Brazil	117,07%	1m36s664	Metalmoro MRX
P4 Brazil	123,53%	1m42s000	Metalmoro MRX