Rebellion Planning LMP1 Return

Rebellion just cannot compete with the high-dollar manufacturers who have developed pollution spewing diesel powered cars

Despite what's been a challenging season, on a number of levels, Rebellion Racing is planning a return to the FIA World Endurance Championship next year in LMP1 Privateer, although a switch to IMSA competition for 2017 has not been ruled out.

The Anglo-Swiss squad began its 2015 WEC campaign at Le Mans, following a late switch to AER powerplants for its pair of Rebellion R-Ones, which have since struggled with reliability issues, although still managing to collect three class wins in the last five races.

Team manager Bart Hayden said they fully intend to be back for a two-car full-season effort with the ORECA-built prototypes, looking to build on its first season with the Rebellion-AER package.

"This is the whole point of continuing with in the WEC; we get the reliability [sorted] so we can go into next season on the front foot rather than the back foot," Hayden told Sportscar365.

"This year we were late; we missed the first two races. The year before that we were mid-change because we did the first race with the Lola chassis.

"We've had for the last two seasons a kind of behind schedule, less-than-ideal start and we want to start '16 more prepared and ready to go and build on what we have now."

While Rebellion has already locked up the LMP1 Privateer's Trophy, following a string of class wins for Nico Prost and Mathias Beche, Hayden feels the three-car subclass has lost any hope of being able to fight with the P1 factory teams for overall wins.

"The factory cars have moved ahead six seconds [in Shanghai] while we've moved ahead one [second]. What does that say about the gap? It's gotten bigger," he said.

"I don't know what the solution to that is, really. Toyota were ahead last year and they're third of the bunch now. The pace of development and the power the bigger factories have is incredible.

"From a pure technological standpoint, it's fantastic. I think it's a credit to all of those guys for what they've done. But from a position of being there as a privateer, it's somewhat disheartening.

"I can't see a huge change next year because although the regulations are going to take some energy away from the factory cars, I think they'll take a step forward and probably overcome that. I can only see the gap being as big, if not more.

"It's difficult. But having said that, you go to Le Mans and if we're prepared as we're hoping to be by continuing the program that we've got at the moment, things happen.

"The first year running the R-One we were fourth, so who knows." Sportscar365.com