Tag Archives: le mans

Weissach. The new Porsche LMP1 sports prototype, which will compete in the sports car World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2014, successfully completed its first rollout today on the Porsche test track in Weissach. Before the eyes of the entire Board of Porsche AG, Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard took his new ‘wheels’ through its initial function check.

The LMP1 racer turned its first laps on the circuit several weeks earlier than originally planned. “We are well on schedule,” says Fritz Enzinger, Head of LMP1. “Our newly formed team has worked with utmost concentration on getting this highly complex vehicle on the track as soon as possible. This allows us a few additional weeks for more testing and further development. From 2014, the regulations are primarily based on efficiency. This makes the competition amongst engineers more interesting and presents us with completely new challenges.”

Since the decision in mid-2011 to return with the LMP1 racer to top motorsport as a works effort, the Motorsport Centre at Weissach has grown significantly. A workshop and an administration building were built and accommodate around 200 employees who are responsible for the design, assembly and deployment of the LMP1 car. From the 2014 season, the racer will be fielded by a Weissach-based works squad.
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Bentley

BENTLEY’S SPEED MACHINES PRIMED FOR GOODWOOD’S FAMOUS HILL

March 22, 2013 Tony Dewhurst Leave a comment

speed 8
Bentley will unleash some of its fastest and most powerful cars at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. The flying Bentleys include the 616 bhp (625 PS) and 202 mph (325 km/h) Continental GT Speed Convertible (the world’s fastest four seat convertible) and two of Bentley’s 2003 Le Mans-winning Speed 8 race cars.

Instantly recognisable with their iconic British Racing Green livery, cars No. 7 and No. 8 secured a famous first and second at Le Mans, and are set to make a special reunion ten years on at Goodwood. Brian Gush, Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, said:

“Goodwood’s atmosphere is unique and this summer we’re bringing even more speed to the Festival. The 202 mph GT Speed Convertible is set to turn heads in the supercar paddock as will our Speed 8 Le Mans cars marking the tenth anniversary of Bentley’s 2003 victory. It is also the ideal scene-setter for Bentley’s return to top-level motor sport with a GT3 race car later this year.”
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Bentley, News

2001 Bentley Speed 8 Le Mans Prototype Racing Car – Auction

August 17, 2012 Tony Dewhurst Leave a comment

Well here is another auction for a more recent Le Mans racer, this time its the 2001 Bentley Speed 8 and has the following racing pedigree.

• First Team Bentley to finish on the podium at Le Mans in 71 years
• Third Place at 2001 24 Hour of Le Mans
• Last raced at Road America in 2007

The inspiration for the successful Bentley Speed 8 program belongs to Dr. Ferdinand Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who designed the Audi’s “Auto Union” Grand Prix cars in the 1930s.

As chairman of Volkswagen, Piech directed the acquisition of Bentley in June 1998, but he had been the guiding force on the Porsche 917 program, which had won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Piech also worked on the formidable Audi Quattro rally car and thought that Audi should enter sports car racing.

In 1998, Piech commissioned Italian contractor Dallara to build a sports racer to use the Audi 3.6-liter turbocharged V-8, mid-mounted in a carbon fiber tub. The car became the Audi R8 roadster, which would enjoy a spectacular competition record, losing only 16 races in which it was entered, between 2000 and 2006.

Piech decided that Bentley’s racing heritage should be revived and it should have a parallel course to Audi, competing in the closed LMP GTP class at Le Mans, while Audi would contest the LMP 900 open division. The Audi R8C Coupe would evolve into the Bentley EXP Speed 8 Coupe, the car which is on offer today.
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Honda, News

Honda NSX Past to the Future

February 5, 2012 Tony Dewhurst Leave a comment

The Acura NSX, or Honda NSX, is one of my favorite sports car that was originally produced between 1990 and 2005 by Honda. It was a mid engined affair mated to a rear-wheel drive layout, powered by an all-aluminium V6 engine featuring Honda’s Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) system.

The video shows its prowess on the likes of the Nordschleife in Germany’s Eifle and also at Le-Mans.

Now after many years of rumour about a second generation NSX and the concept shown in Detroit, Honda are starting to tease us with the prospect of a new NSX reaching us in 2015.

Hopefully some prototypes will be showing up soon as there is usually a 3 year development cycle.

Porsche

2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is ready to race

November 6, 2011 Tony Dewhurst Leave a comment

The new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is ready to race. The top model of Porsche Motorsport’s customer racing vehicles will head into the 2012 season with extensive modifications. Particularly striking at first glance are the changes to the body: the width of the new GT3 RSR has grown by 48 millimetres. Built to conform to the A.C.O. “LM” GTE regulations, the 911 represents the crowning pinnacle of a range of successful customer sport race cars that are based on the 997 type 911 GT3 RS street sports car.

Powering the new 911 GT3 RSR is a particularly efficient six-cylinder boxer engine with a four-litre capacity. With a mandatory air-restrictor, it generates 460 hp (338 kW) and drives the 310 millimetre wide rear wheels. The diameter of the front wheels has increased by 30 mm to now measure 680 millimetres. The Porsche sequential six-speed gearbox is operated via paddle shifts on the steering wheel.

The nose and rear panels are adapted to the flared front and rear wheel arches, as are the door sill and the wheel arch coverings. The aerodynamic concept is complemented by a new ducting of the intake air. Openings in the rear side sections, as known from the turbo variants of the Porsche 911, replace the air scoop on the engine hood, which is very similar to the 911 GT2 RS street sports car.

The new 911 GT3 RSR can be raced at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Le Mans Series, the American Le Mans Series as well as the International GT Open and in other series and races.

Audi

Audi R18 Le Mans Prototype Revealed

December 11, 2010 Tony Dewhurst Leave a comment

Audi has unveiled its latest sportscar which Britain’s Allan McNish hopes will enable him to score his third and the German manufacturer’s 10th Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race victory next June.

Audi aims to continue its string of victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a completely new R18 prototype displayed in Ingolstadt on the 10th December 2010 .

Le Mans 24h have reduced the engine size allowed for the endurance race and Audi have opted for a 3.7-liter V6 TDI unit, mated to a new 6 speed gearbox which has been developed along with the smaller capacity engine.

The carbon fiber monocoque of the R18 does not consist of two halves but features a single-component design. This saves weight and increases stiffness.

The chassis and aerodynamics package contains a lot of know-how from the R8, the R10 TDI and the R15 TDI whereas the fitting of identically sized front and rear wheels is new to an Audi Le Mans sports car. This configuration allows a more balanced weight distribution.

The R18’s headlights, which are the first to completely consist of LEDs with optimized amount of light, are a technical highlight. The new generation of headlights was developed in close cooperation between Audi Sport and the Technical Development (TE) division of AUDI AG and by using at Le Mans, will be prepared for future use in production vehicles. Audi’s light designers had the chance to make their mark on the development as well: The LEDs of the daytime light form the shape of a “1” which is intended to inspire associations with Audi’s historic brand logo.

The development of the new Audi R18 started in mid 2009. The V6 TDI engine has been running on the dynamometers since the summer of 2010. The R18, with Allan McNish at the wheel, completed its first test on a racetrack at the end of November.

The racing debut of the Audi R18 is planned for the Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) 6 Hours on May 8. Prior to the event, the new prototype will be able to do its first laps on the race track at Le Mans during the official test day on April 24 and gather important data for the race on June 11 and 12.

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BMW

BMW Premiere the 17th Art Car and Le Mans 24h Entry

June 6, 2010 Tony Dewhurst Leave a comment

Paris:. At the premiere of the 17th BMW Art Car Jeff Koons unveiled and signed his car in front of 300 international VIP guests on June 1 in the Centre Pompidou, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions for modern and contemporary art.

It is the same place where Roy Lichtenstein back in 1977 first presented and signed his Art Car.

As part of his creative process, the artist collected images of race cars, related graphics, vibrant colors, speed and explosions. The resulting artwork of bright colors conceived by Koons is evocative of power, motion and bursting energy.

Its silver interior along with the powerful exterior design, the Art Car will impart a dynamic appearance even when it’s standing still.

“These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,” said Koons. “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy.

There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power”.

Koons has been in an intense collaboration with BMW’s team in Munich for months – melding his skill with sophisticated BMW engineering – to ensure that the 17th BMW Art Car will be race-ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The BMW M3 GT2

Derived from the BMW M3 high-performance sports car, the BMW M3 GT2 boasts a 4.0-liter V8 engine with a maximum output of 500 bhp, an upgraded chassis, racing-caliber brakes, and extensive use of lightweight materials.

Able to reach 100 mph in 3.4 seconds, the BMW M3 GT2 is rapidly emerging as a real first year contender at this Le Mans 24h after victory at the Nürburgring 24h last month.

For the Comeback at 24 Le Mans BMW Motorsport is supported by numerous successful partners. This is why the BMW M3 GT2 will be labeled with the logos of Castrol, Crowne Plaza, Dunlop, Randstad, Sympatex, LuK, H&R, BBS and NGK for the race on the “Circuit de la Sarthe”.

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