Le Mans: Will New Cars Be The Fastest in The 24-Hours' History?

Leading-Edge Motorsport Technology Since 1990
Le Mans 2017
Will new cars be the fastest in the 24-hours’ history?
CONTENTS
I
t wasn’t so long ago that the WEC was growing 2016, and nearly 26s faster than the GTE times. To
rapidly, with more races, Nissan’s LMP1 joining ask teams that have invested in the technology to
4 Lap time analysis Audi, Porsche and Toyota in 2015, while drop to a lesser category, or not to race at Le Mans
We crunch the numbers from rumours of BMW joining for the 2020 season at all, leads to a whole new world of problems.
the first two rounds of the WEC were refusing to go away, and Peugeot was also So, what is plan B? Clearly, it could involve
to evaluate form for Le Mans interested. The future looked extremely healthy for the American model of Daytona Prototype
12 LMP2 2017 the hybrid prototype category, while in the GT class, International, LMP2 cars with manufacturer-funded
Unravelling the intricacies of this convergence was the talk of the town. engines and bodies. Customer teams Penske and
season’s all-new P2 and asking How things change. The Nissan LMP1 Joest are also looking to compete with Honda and
the question: is it now too fast? programme was a disaster, and needed another Audi engines respectively, both apparently with
year of development before it could even begin to ORECA chassis. However, to integrate that class
16 Auto BoP
show what it was supposed to do. However, had into Le Mans means that the top class is balance of
The ACO and FIA have devised
it been delayed by a year, it probably would never performance racing in what should be an unlimited
a new automatic BoP for the WEC’s
GTE category. But will it work? have happened. BMW seems to have walked away development format. Perhaps there is a way to
from the new regulations – it had been hoping to reduce interference by the governing bodies, but
20 Jerome Mondain introduce new hydrogen fuel cell technology – that leads to a further problem, as evidenced at
Michelin’s man in the WEC and Audi has withdrawn from LMP1. Peugeot has the test. The LMP2 cars are homologated for four
spills the beans on all things yet to commit any resources pending a decision years. The Dallara was a quick car in a straight line,
black and round at Le Mans that would see a significant reduction in costs to but ORECA chassis dominated the times. In terms
22 Porsche LMP2000 compete, a move that is being opposed by Porsche of outright pace, the ORECA is the chassis to have,
The greatest LM prototype never to and Toyota. Meanwhile, in GTE, rumours abound and rivals say that they must have an option to
race? The untold story of the car that that McLaren is about to finally enter the fray upgrade for the 2018 season in order to level terms.
might have changed Le Mans history after its aborted effort before convergence talks This magazine staunchly riles against control, as it
caused cold feet in the company. A decision on does not save money. However, the cyclical world of
28 LMP2 tyre testing
Lamborghini is expected soon, while Aston Martin endurance racing is once again evolving and there
How Dunlop Motorsport got to grips
with the demands of the much and BMW are both bringing new cars in 2018. is no clear path forward. I hope that good people
quicker new 2017 P2 racecars That has led to calls for the GTE class to become will find a stable way ahead for the future.
the premier category, but this cannot happen. The At the moment, I cannot see one.
new LMP2 class cars have the top speeds to match,
Produced by ANDREW COTTON,
MIKE BRESLIN and DAVE OSWALD or even exceed, LMP1 in a straight line and at the ANDREW COTTON
Le Mans test they were eight seconds faster than in Editor
LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 3

LE MANS 2017 – WEC LAP TIME ANALYSIS
Best in
l’Ouest?
Despite regulation changes both
Toyota and Porsche have improved
lap times over last season, but which
LMP1-H has the outright pace to win
the big one? We crunch the numbers
By ANDREW COTTON and PAUL TRUSWELL
4 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

T
here is an argument to suggest that
Le Mans rule makers have made a
mistake this year in trying to slow
down the cars. New regulations
that have reduced the downforce front and
rear, new tyre regulations that encourage an
endurance rather than a sprint philosophy, and
a reduction in the number of bodykits for the
year do look on paper to be sensible decisions.
Yet the reality is very different. The cars are
faster now than they were in 2016 and we could
see record lap times at Le Mans. Of course, there
is the possibility that the cars would have gone
through a natural evolution anyway and had
the changes in regulations not taken place they
would be close to the limit of performance that
could be stood by the circuit, despite its recent
upgrades that has seen SAFER barriers installed
at the entry to the Porsche Curves. Peter Wright
once described the performance limitation as
approaching the edge of the table, and that if
the cars get too close, they face the danger of
falling off. That happened in 2008 when the
cars started to demonstrate a characteristic of
performing low-level rolls that were combated
by the introduction of a single tyre gun that led
tyre suppliers to consider longevity over speed.
Top speeds
The regulation changes this year appear
to point to a rise in top speeds rather than
cornering ability, but there is another worrying
trait at Le Mans in 2017, and that is the
performance gap between the LMP1 hybrid
cars, and the new generation LMP2s. Both
have taken a step forwards in performance
this year, as evident at Silverstone in April, and
Spa in May. However, the LMP2s have taken a
bigger step in terms of overall lap time, and the
LMP1 drivers are particularly concerned as to
what this means for lapping cars at Le Mans,
particularly in the hours of darkness. However,
without Audi, there are three fewer hybrids on
the grid, which means less traffic for the LMP2s.
The new regulations limit the number of
aero packages to just two over the course of the
season. Once a package is homologated, it does
not mean that it’s not adjustable. Although the
size and location of the rear wing, for example,
is fixed as part of the package, its trim – along
with the positioning of turning vanes and fins
on the nose – can be adjusted.
Porsche prep
This means that a ‘low-downforce’ aero
package – such as that which has been used by
Porsche in the first two WEC races of the season
– can be adjusted, and equally importantly
balanced, to provide more downforce as suits
the requirements of the circuit in question. So
by choosing to run the same aero package at
Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans, Porsche has not
only bought itself time before homologating
its second package, but it is also learning how
to adjust, adapt and balance the requirements

Silverstone 2016: LMP1 analysis Toyota won at Silverstone and Spa. At Spa it ran
Porsche Toyota Audi two TS050s in high downforce trim and one in low
downforce (pictured). The differences between the
Top speed (km/h): 293.5 296.7 294.2
two cars was smaller than many had expected
Best lap time: 1m 40.303s 1m 40.657s 1m 40.461s
Average of best 20% laps: 1m 41.367s 1m 42.053s 1m 41.290s
Silverstone 2017: LMP1 analysis kit from the second half of 2015, and was two cars in high downforce trim and one in
Porsche Toyota therefore running in high downforce trim. In low downforce, never expected the third car
2016, with the two bodykits, it took the option to compete for the overall race win and was
Top speed (km/h): 295.9 283.5
to run only low downforce trim. Not only is satisfied with its single lap performance.
Best lap time: 1m 40.676s 1m 39.656s
Silverstone the circuit that most demands a Since Spa, however, the Toyota team
Average of best 20% laps: 1m 41.376s 1m 41.070s high-downforce kit, but the low-downforce kit re-arranged its driving line up. With Jose
will also not work the tyres as well as a kit with Maria Lopez crashing after just three laps at
for downforce and drag on the fast sweeps, more downforce. With the new tyre regulations Silverstone, and being forced to miss Spa
slow corners and long straights found in that demand effective tyre management, this due to an injury sustained in the accident,
Northamptonshire and in the Ardennes, in could also have been a factor in Porsche not he has switched to the number 9 car with
preparation for the Circuit de la Sarthe in June. increasing speed as much as Toyota. the similarly inexperienced Yuji Kunimoto,
Despite changes limiting the effectiveness sharing with Nicolas Lapierre.
of aerodynamic parts for 2017, the LMP1 lap Spa pace The change in LMP2 regulations from last
times have not been any slower than last year. At Spa, where the difference over a single lap year to this could be very significant, leading
In the opening round of the WEC at Silverstone, actually leans in favour of the package with to much faster LMP2 times from those seen
Toyota’s best lap was a full second quicker less downforce, the improvements are more in 2016. The cars have around 100bhp more
than last year, and a look at average lap times, noticeable still: Porsche eight-tenths quicker than in 2016, are lighter, narrower and so top
(average of best 20 per cent of green laps) than last year and Toyota two seconds quicker, speeds are expected to rise significantly at Le
shows Porsche within a hundredth of its time comparing both the best race laps from 2016 Mans. For more than a year now engine supplier
from 2016. This deserves some qualification; in to 2017 and also the average lap times. Again, Gibson has stated that it is gearing its cars for
2016, Porsche carried over the high downforce it must be noted that the Toyota, which ran more than 330km/h, while at the test day, the
Once an aero package is homologated it doesn’t mean it’s not adjustable

Porsche has introduced a new system where Spa 2016: LMP1 analysis
the wheel nut is retained in the wheel. It’s a Porsche Toyota Audi
performance gain, yet Toyota seems to be matching
Top speed (km/h): 312.0 312.0 309.9
Porsche in terms of tyre change times at pit stops
Best lap time: 1m 58.431s 1m 59.740s 1m 59.952s
Average of best 20% laps: 1m 59.997s 2m 00.662s 2m 01.375s
cars were recoreded at 340km/h, while the the first two rounds of the season, compared to Spa 2017: LMP1 analysis
fastest speed clocked at Le Mans over the 2016 nine this year. In terms of the average lap time, Porsche Toyota
weekend was by an Audi at 343.4km/h, and the there has been a 2.5 per cent improvement from
Top speed (km/h): 315.0 315.9
fastest speed recorded during the race was the last year to this in LMP2. In 2016, the average
Rebellion R-One at 338.1km/h. So, how does the delta between an LMP1 and an LMP2 car was 8.2
Average of best 20% laps: 1m 59.181s 1m 58.602s
data garnered from the start of the 2017 season per cent (in terms of lap times) at the first two
match up to the test day performance? rounds of the championship. In 2017 this delta
has reduced to 6.6 per cent. Silverstone 2016: LMP2 analysis
Closing the gap However, lap times alone do not tell the Best Average of best 6
The tyre regulations have limited the number whole story. Looking at the recorded top speeds
Top speed (km/h): 264.7 263.9
of sets for the P2 teams per 6-hour weekend, of the Gibson-powered cars shows a 6.4 per cent
although the allocation for Le Mans is increase in top speed through the speed traps at
unchanged year-on-year. However, the limit will both Silverstone and at Spa. The best LMP1 top
affect the overall lap time over the course of a speed recorded improved by just 0.7 per cent at
Silverstone 2017: LMP2 analysis
stint, as drivers look after the rubber, and will be Silverstone, and 1.3 per cent at Spa.
circumspect in traffic with an eye on possibly Comparing the LMP2 times through sector Best Average of best 6
flat-spotting their tyres if they are forced to dive- 2 at Spa-Francorchamps (fast corners, no Top speed (km/h): 282.0 279.0
bomb another competitor to get past. straights) shows an improvement from 2016 Best lap time: 1m 46.256s 1m 46.720s
The tables show the comparison between to 2017 of just 1.5 per cent, compared to Average of best 20% laps: 1m 47.658s 1m 48.042s
both best and average lap times, again using the improvement through sectors 1 and 3,
the average of the best 20 per cent of laps. Also which were 4.2 per cent and 3.8 per cent
by looking at the best six LMP2 cars, we can see respectively. Remember, Spa’s first sector
how the improvements have been across the includes the Kemmel Straight (and a big stop
class: in 2016, there were 11 entries in LMP2 in at La Source) and the third sector includes the

Spa 2016: LMP2 analysis Porsche has raced its 919 at both Silverstone (pictured) and Spa with its Le Mans aerodynamic package so
Best Average of best 6 should be familiar with it. Our analysis suggests Toyota and Porsche will be more closely matched for the race
Top speed (km/h): 281.9 278.5

fast Blanchimont section (and a big stop at the it easier to negotiate traffic, although again, the
chicane). So it is reasonable to conclude that GTE drivers will have to watch out not just for
most of the new LMP2 cars’ improvement has the LMP1 drivers making last minute dives to
come from their top speed and braking abilities pass, but they may have less experienced drivers
Spa 2017: LMP2 analysis rather than speed through fast corners. in equally fast cars making those same lunges.
Best Average of best 6 From the LMP1 drivers’ point of view this As a side-note, it will be interesting to
means that getting past LMP2 cars on the see how the LMP2 cars are configured for Le
Top speed (km/h): 300.2 298.1
straights is now significantly more difficult than Mans. In the US, teams have more freedom to
Best lap time: 2m 05.950s 2m 06.191s it was last year, and being (or at least feeling configure the electronics of the DPi cars that
Average of best 20% laps: 2m 07.671s 2m 07.744s as though you are being) held up in the faster are the same as LMP2 in all but the engines,
corners will be more of a problem. It also looks ancillaries and bodywork, and subsequently
like the stopping power of the LMP2s is pretty there have been some major problems in terms
Despite changes limiting good, so an LMP1 car will have to be that little
bit closer to make an overtaking move. This
of reliability. While the LMP2 teams have had
reliability problems, they have been fewer than
the effectiveness of could be a significant factor in the race; the
LMP1 drivers will have to take care overtaking,
in the US as teams don’t have the same freedom
to programme their electronics; their systems
aerodynamic parts for particularly at night, with the gentlemen

drivers that race in LMP2. The LMP2 cars are
are more closely (although not completely)
configured by the chassis manufacturer.
2017 the LMP1 lap now travelling at speeds that are similar to
those of LMP1 not long ago in the hands of all- Tyre concerns
times have not been any professional driver line ups. Any mistake on the
part of a gentleman driver not noticing an LMP1
However, in terms of tyre set-up, there are
significant concerns. Dunlop has noticed that
slower than last year car catching it, and with just five LMP1-H’s this
year, it could be that the race is decided this way.
tyres are coming back to it showing evidence
of an improperly set up traction control system
and it is working with its partner OptimumG and
P2 configurations with Cosworth to figure out a solution. However,
There is another point to make here; the speed there are other issues that have manifested
difference between the LMP2s and the GTEs themselves both in the WEC and in GT racing in
should mean that the prototype drivers will find Europe. These concern teams’ knowledge of

The high top speeds of the LMP2s means that hybrid

LMP1 cars, particularly at the end of a straight when they
are lifting and coasting, could find it tricky to lap them
Read all about them … pre-heating tyres, using the correct pressures
when doing so, how to manage the pre-heating
In terms of the technology of the cars,
Toyota has gone for a new aero concept with
ovens, and how to set up the racecars to cope its TS050, a new engine and a new battery.
Technology Since 1990
Leading-Edge Motorsport
with the high speeds that were seen at Spa, Porsche has been more conservative, although
Racecar Engineering
6
and will be seen at Le Mans. it has introduced a major upgrade to its engine.
Volume 27
Tyre management could also be a key Whether or not this will prove to be a decisive
6 • www.racecar-enginee
ring.com • UK £5.95
• US $14.50
factor at Le Mans and there is no doubt that factor is as yet unknown. Porsche has also
Le Mans
June 2017 • Vol 27 No
9 770961 10910
the manufacturers, both Dunlop and Michelin, introduced the retained wheel nut for its LMP1
4
will be working to ensure the stability of the car, which seems an innocuous upgrade worth
06
Will Toyota’s new TS050 products that are in hands of customers. a second or two at each tyre stop (although in
finally bring 24-Hour glory? practice, Toyota has almost matched the pit stop
Toyota Prius GT300 Toyota
Le number crunch times to Porsche at Silverstone and Spa), but

Racecar Engineering
Leading-Edge Motorsport Technolo

TS050 IndyCar 2018
gy Since 1990
What is clear from the data from Silverstone and there is a factor here that could be significant.
Spa is that Toyota has the upper hand in terms The sets of tyres should be kept together, but if
7
Volume 27
of pace on the track – at least with its ‘high- a wheel nut is cross-threaded they will be split.
EXCLUSIVE July 2017 • Vol 27 No 7 • www.racecar-en
gineering.com • UK £5.95 • US
$14.50 downforce’ car versus Porsche’s ‘Le Mans-spec’ This is more relevant for the shorter six hour
Porsche at Le Mans
9 770961 109104
variant. Toyota’s step forward would seem to be races where the allocation is tightly controlled,
• Techn ology transfer in the spotlight due to engine development, as the car had a lot but at Le Mans fatigue could set in and mistakes
• InsightMano
intor R&D
June 2017
facility
Formula 1 at Weissach
07
IndyCar makeover
Track side support Porsche 919 Hybrid
Prius Super GT How US series will improve

What might have been for of drag at Silverstone and was still fast. What the could be made. Porsche hoped pre-season that
The LMP1-engined hybrid plucky British race team
car looks and racing in 2018
GT300 that’s wowing Japan 25/04/2017 13:30 data also shows is the improvement that it made it would make up seconds on the opposition
3
Cuv_June_MBAC.indd
between Silverstone and Spa. At Silverstone, with such a system and it must be a source
Technology firsts
Porsche’s pace was 0.3 per cent away from of frustration that, having taken the risk to
at Le Mans
Toyota. At Spa, the gap was 0.5 per cent. introduce the technology, Toyota is matching
To put this into perspective, the gap them in pit stop time (although it is losing
between the no. 9 Toyota (which ran in out slightly in refuelling time).
Le Mans-configuration at Spa) and the other After Le Mans, of course, attention will
two Toyotas was 0.6 per cent. It is reasonable turn to the remainder of the WEC season.
July 2017
DTM tech focus Race track firsts

We reveal how BMW and Haas Formula 1 to conclude that a Le Mans-configured Porsche Porsche will unveil its new aero package at the
How Le Mans became a test GP team’s unique approach
Merc deal with 2017 regs bed for future innovation to chassis development
05B_Cuv_July-AC.indd 3 may be right with the Toyotas at Le Mans. Nurburgring, and those who remember 2015
22/05/2017 10:29
For full details on the LMP1 cars from Toyota and Porsche Such is the pace of development that will know what a game-changer that turned
at this year’s Le Mans follow this link and download the Le Mans could be about reliability, though, out to be. Toyota’s lead in the World Endurance
June and July issues of Racecar Engineering and with only two cars entered in the 24 Manufacturers’ Championship is only 8.5
Hours Porsche may need to run its cars more points (partly as a result of Lopez’s Silverstone
conservatively. It will be a fascinating battle. crash), hardly a comfortable cushion.
Such is the pace of development that Le Mans could be about reliability

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LE MANS 2017 – LMP2T
New generation
Have the much faster new LMP2 cars taken the category beyond the
capabilities of gentleman drivers and privateer teams?
By ANDREW COTTON
I
n the early 2000s Henri Pescarolo was professional drivers. It is not hard to see why, or These new racecars are narrower than their
adamant that he should be able to take how, the regulations have led to this. predecessors – from 2000mm to 1900mm – and
on and beat the factory Audis at Le Mans. The idea to restrict the number of chassis the front wheels are larger to accommodate
If he could not win, he should at least be manufacturers to four was first revealed in the extra downforce that was predicted. That,
given a chance to win, he maintained. The ACO 2015, and the tender then went out. Two French in turn, has led to the cornering speeds being
was robust in its defence; the P1 category is for manufacturers, Ligier and ORECA, one Italian slightly raised. A wider rear wing has helped
manufacturers, and for privateers that want to (Dallara) and one American (Riley Multimatic) to balance the racecar, but extensive wind
compete in the top class. The rightful place for a were awarded the contract. The engine contract tunnel work has still had to be undertaken to
customer team, and amateur driver, is in P2. went to British company Gibson Technologies accommodate the new regulations.
However, the new LMP2 regulations, (using a 4-litre V8 version of its 2011 Nissan The initial plan was to limit the gearbox to
introduced for this year, have produced racecars LMP2 engine), while Cosworth was signed up a single supplier, Xtrac, but that soon changed
that have set lap times that are vastly quicker to supply the electronics. Gibson warned early and Ligier will run with a Hewland gearbox for
than last year’s cars, and taken the performance on that the top speeds of the cars would reach the homologation period of the car; the next
level to that of a professional team, with more than 330km/h at Le Mans. four years during which time spec may change

Gibson warned early on
that the top speeds of the
cars would reach more
than 330km/h at Le Mans
The European Le Mans series (above) has more variety in the

LMP2 class with three of the manufacturers represented (ORECA,
Dallara and Ligier) while In the WEC ORECA is the only P2 marque
Dallara’s chassis has found instant success in the US where

Cadillac has dominated the opening races of the year, thanks in
part to the Caddy engine, but also extensive pre-season testing
just once. Brake material was also supposed the Sebring 12 hours. So, IMSA’s desire to keep in the US the manufacturer would contribute
to be standard, but that too was opened up to manufacturers in its top class had put it on an largely to the development of the car, while
other suppliers. The brake material is now fixed opposing path to the WEC, which had designed in Europe, it was more likely that the chassis
for the duration of the homologation of the car. the category just for privateers. constructor would have to foot the bill.
Ultimately, there was middle ground, and
Disunited sportscars while the ACO’s specification is largely fixed, Market forces
In the US, meanwhile, the IMSA United Sportscar with a lovely-sounding NA V8 in the back of The chassis constructors concentrated on their
series had announced that it would take the the car, in the US Cadillac, Mazda and Nissan own particular markets. Multimatic had Mazda
new LMP2 chassis as the basis for its premier produced engines and aero kits that suited their that wanted to run, while Riley wanted to do a
prototype category. Immediately, there was needs. Based on GT3 engines, Nissan partnered chassis, and that was an easy marriage of the
a problem, because a manufacturer would with Ligier, Mazda partnered with Multimatic three entities. Dallara was already very closely
now be able to compete for overall wins at and Cadillac with Dallara. Clearly, there was a associated with Cadillac, and conducted more
some of the biggest endurance races in the push from the Italians to concentrate on the pre-season development testing than anyone
world, including the Daytona 24 hours and Daytona Prototype International (DPI) class as else. ORECA already had strong links in the WEC,

LE MANS 2017 – LMP2
IMSA’s desire to keep its manufacturers put it on an opposing path

to the WEC, which had designed the P2 category just for privateers
with teams such as Rebellion Racing and enjoys more miles of testing under its belt at the start Rebellion car was nearly on pace within about
a lock-out of entries in the series, while Ligier of the season than its opposition. 0.2s on a weighted average lap, which is the
had the most work to do. It has partnered with The first race of the new generation cars, methodology that we use,’ said Geoff Carter,
Nissan in the US, although the deal was late. the Daytona 24 hours, was something of a IMSA’s senior director Technical Regulation and
Ligier launched its car early, at the ELMS disaster, as the single tyre from manufacturer Compliance. ‘They were 0.2s, and then 0.8 to
race at Spa mid-2016. It was the first car to Continental, designed to run for the whole the next DPi, and then another 0.6 to the back,
be unveiled and it was clear even then that IMSA season, struggled to cope with the near so [those cars] were struggling.’
the team had worked hard on the aero. It freezing, wet conditions during the night.
concentrated on improving cooling, and There were electrical failures, too, as the New challenges
therefore reducing drag, and used exotic Cosworth system had to cope with the Bosch- Teams that were used to running more
materials in the chassis of the cost-capped car. developed performance balancing system, traditional racecars, with fewer electrical
The French manufacturer had enjoyed more and notably the throttle bodies also failed features than on the new prototypes, were
than two weeks in the wind tunnel ahead of its on the Rebellion car. That was replaced by suddenly tasked with programming them
launch and more than 220 configurations of Gibson in the next generation engines, but at and running them. In Europe, the electronics
bodywork had been tested. Sebring once again there were failures with package was more prescriptive, giving teams
gearchanges, and Rebellion suffered a series of less room in which to work. However, there
Balancing act alternator problems as everyone continued to were still problems. The cars were still extremely
In the US, IMSA’s team led by British engineer get to grips with the new technology. fast, and the tyre suppliers, Dunlop and
Ben Wood brought together the available data Cadillac won both races handsomely, Michelin, realised that the teams in Europe were
and produced its own P2 car for aero testing. to the point that IMSA was frustrated at its struggling to set the cars up properly for the
While in Europe the manufacturers would have performance compared to the other cars. high speeds. The difference in the experience of
just one engine supplier and therefore only The American manufacturer countered that it the teams, from the front of the grid in the WEC
needed one bodykit per chassis, in high and low had completed 24-hour testing ahead of the to the back of the grid in the ELMS, was stark,
downforce trim according to circuit type, in the Daytona 24 hours, while teams such as ESM had and yet teams are running these cars at the high
US the different engines and different cooling only received their car at the pre-Christmas tests speed Le Mans circuit. Cosworth, Dunlop and
requirements meant that there would need at Sebring and Daytona, and were ironing out Dunlop’s partner company OptimumG, have
to be different bodies, and therefore the cars installation issues with the GT3-derived engine. been working hard to develop set-up packages
needed to be performance balanced. to help the customer teams, and to ensure tyre
IMSA mandated that only the high- Penalty taker management throughout the 24-hour race in
downforce bodykit from Europe could be used, Nevertheless, the Cadillacs have been penalised the various different temperatures.
if a car was to run in IMSA’s series with the with a reduction in their acceleration, thanks
Gibson engine, in order to make balancing of to a change to their gearing, and the series Extra stints
the racecars much easier. However, it was clear may yet also change their maximum throttle Tyre warming and tyre preparation are still a
from the outset that Cadillac had many, many to further balance the cars if necessary. ‘The major factor in the overall tyre performance
in the races. At Le Mans, with just 16 sets for
the race, double stinting will be a minimum
requirement and the teams will also be looking
to triple stint during the night when the
temperatures are cooler.
At Silverstone, the opening round of the
WEC, the LMP2 cars were five seconds faster
than in 2016, and at Spa they were nearly
six seconds faster than the previous year,
closing the gap to the P1 cars by almost three
seconds at Silverstone and almost four seconds
at Spa. As Paul Truswell has noted (page 4), this
is largely due to the increased top speed of the
cars, and it will be interesting to see where they
sit through the speed traps at Le Mans.
So, the argument is there that the new
generation cars will do one of two things; either
drive out the gentleman driver and the privateer
teams, or it will improve the standard of both
driving and car preparation. Either way, the
change to the regulations has brought cars
that are extremely fast, complicated and a
challenge to drive. It remains to be seen how
the four new LMP2 cars stack up against each
Rebellion raced its ORECA at Daytona and Sebring before the WEC. It showed good speed but had some technical issues other at the Le Mans 24-hours.

Porsche
progress
T
he GTE balance of performance will
be largely based on last year’s Le
Porsche’s first mid-engined GT car since its
Mans results, except that Porsche has 1998 overall Le Mans winner looks set to
introduced a new, mid-engine GTE car
for the 2017 season. The water-cooled 4-litre flat star in GTE. Racecar investigates
six is now mounted ahead of the rear wheels,
By ANDREW COTTON
with the gearbox behind it, which means that
the company could introduce a much larger and
more effective rear diffuser, where before the entity that continues to be housed in the nose. seat also means that the safety hatch in the roof
space was taken by the engine and gearbox. Strangely, Porsche has moved the tank even is always in the correct position for the driver.
Porsche chose to run a normally aspirated further forwards, although that allowed it to As well as consulting with Corvette on the
engine rather than the turbo chosen by drop it slightly, leaving the fuel tank, driver and side impact protection system, in the interests
its competition at Ford and Ferrari, which engine as low down in the chassis as possible. of futher safety Porsche and other competitors
introduced their new racecars in 2016. For The changing of the weight distribution is have also taken the Bosch radar system that
reasons of weight and reduced complications, supposed to help particularly the rear tyres to detects an approaching faster car from behind
the non-turbo solution was favoured early on. cope with the rule change that restricts the and alerts the driver where it is and on which
The company introduced direct injection into its number of tyres that a car can use in each six- side it is overtaking. That also works in the
new GT3 engine in 2016, and that technology is hour race, and at Le Mans. wet, a particular advantage at Le Mans, and
in the new GTE engine for 2017. The location of the driver has changed in the fog, which can also affect the race.
The gearbox is completely new, and favours slightly, with the seat moved closer to the centre
electronic shifting ahead of pneumatic or
hydraulics. The housing is now magnesium in
of the car, around 50mm, while improving
the side impact protection. The drivers’ seat is Porsche chose to run a
order to help with the stiffness and the weight,
although the actual weight of the gearbox has
actually fixed to the floor, rather than being on
runners as are its competitors’ seats. That may normally aspirated engine
increased, compared to its predecessor. slow down the pit stop times slightly as drivers
can no longer loosen their belts by moving the rather than the turbo
Weighty issues
chosen by its competition
seat backwards, but Porsche believes that is the
However, as with all racing 911s, the main issue safer of the two options. Instead, the pedals are
at Ford and Ferrari

for weight distribution lies in the location of adjusted by a mechanical lever, and the steering
the fuel tank, a rapidly depleting and refilled wheel can also be adjusted. The fixing of the

LE MANS 2017 – WEC BOP
There is now a new Balance of Performance system

for GTEs in the World Endurance Championship. It
relies on race data being fed in to a complex algorithm
Sense
of balance The ACO and FIA have addressed the thorny old
issue of a workable BoP in the WEC with a new
automated system. Racecar investigates
By ANDREW COTTON
T
he continuing Balance of Performance The Le Mans 24-hours is outside the auto BoP.
(BoP) saga in the WEC has taken its For Le Mans, the BoP is based on the evidence
next step as the ACO and the FIA of last year, with some modification. The only
have released more details of the new exception to that is the performance of the
automated system. Race by race, data will be fed Porsche GT3 RSR that debuted at Daytona and
into an algorithm that is available to all teams, then raced at Sebring under the IMSA BoP system,
allowing them in effect to check the BoP. which in turn was determined following tests
Opposition to the new system took two forms; at Ladoux, France, in September and during the
one was that this was confirmation that the ACO winter months in the United States. The final
and FIA had no control over the BoP in 2016 as BoP takes into account the Le Mans test day, and
suspected, and the other was that the success of maybe even qualifying.
the system was absolutely dependent upon there Race performance, particularly at the Spa
being an accurate starting position for the BoP. 6-hours race in May which was dry throughout,

The FIA will use race data from the opening round of the WEC at
Silverstone (pictured is a Ford GT at this race) and the second
round at Spa to implement this season’s new auto BoP system
will also be fed into the system to complete understanding of the cars, there is a ramp of car is not at a reasonable level, it is not eligible.
the picture ahead of the 24-hours. The BoP progress,’ Chevrier says. ‘The knowledge of It is not possible that you are so bad. It is not a
is dependent on analysing the 60 per cent the car and management of the tyres [will be human input, it is automatic. In comparison with
fastest laps of a race, if the right conditions seen], which will be integrated in Le Mans an average car, yours is outside the capability.’
are met for that race. The FIA was unwilling 2017 BoP, and the challenge [will then be]
to hand out a copy of the algorithm, but says to enter within that a new car.’ Florida key
that it is comprehensive and was developed in To reach that all-important starting point, the
conjunction with the manufacturers. There were Sandbagging FIA and ACO worked closely with IMSA, which
more than 20 versions of the algorithm before The auto BoP is clearly designed to avoid the itself had pre-season tests before Christmas and
it went live,and there is potential for more if sandbagging for which manufacturers have after the New Year before 36 hours of combined
anyone notices a glaring error in the system. become known, but the system was designed racing at Daytona and Sebring. It was not one-
‘The fact is that what is decided through with the car makers and the FIA to also way traffic; IMSA also wanted to know what the
this auto BoP is to consider first of all some recognise when a car is not performing to its FIA had done to the new Porsche.
conditions of eligibility of a race itself, to be full potential. If one car is seen to be performing The two series have different styles of racing.
suitable to provide some good view of the badly, it will be struck out of the system and it In the WEC, cars are deliberately given more
performance of the car,’ says the FIA’s Denis will be clear to all who have the algorithm to power than in the US, but while the US system
Chevrier. ‘That depends on the conditions, see why. ‘What could be done by a competitor is largely based on the last hour sprint to the
climatic conditions, some expected lap times intentionally to hide some performance during
and everything, so there are some conditions
to say that this race is eligible, to say that the
the first two races, will be known by everybody,’
says Chevrier. ‘If some people are desperately ‘The system was designed
to recognise when a
auto BoP will be applicable.’ slow, they go out of the eligibility of the
The first two races of the auto BoP system, performance of the car itself. We have talked
racecar is not performing

at Silverstone and Spa, were used solely to about the eligibility of the race, but there is also
gather data, and then the first auto BoP change the eligibility of the fastest car of the model of
will come at the Nurburgring in July. ‘We car, which is the one taken into consideration.
see that from one stage of development, or If, for any reason, the fastest of one model of to its full potential’
LE MANS 2017 – WEC BOP
The new auto BoP algorithm is applied to a 60 per cent sample of fastest laps so anomalies due to driver errors, mechanical issues or lost time in traffic should not muddy the water
flag, in the WEC, with the virtual safety car, any on the leader lap until the last hour of the race. 10kW, and a 20kg, adjustment window. The plan
time lost from the green flag onwards must Typically it is a sporting difference.’ is to not have a pendulum effect of weight and
be made up on performance alone. In terms of tyre usage there is another power going on and off race-by-race. With the
‘We have some relationship first by the way difference; in the pit stops US teams can change different nature of the circuits, and the different
the ACO is linked with IMSA, and the FIA, and tyres and refuel at the same time, meaning that tyre usage by teams, the system is already
we exchange data and points of view and have there is no loss to teams for single stinting their retrograde enough. What happens, for example,
regular conversation between us,’ says Thierry tyres. New rules in the WEC, which limit the if a car is more than one second off the pace and
Bouvet, international technical delegate of tyre usage to four sets for qualifying and the requires a large adjustment?
the ACO, who works closely with the FIA. ‘In race, mean that double stinting is necessary in ‘Is there potential for that deficit?’ asks
America with a full course yellow, it is more of the shorter 6-hour races in the championship. Bouvet. ‘After last year, with all the analysis that
a sporting thing, but here we have six hours of Corvette, which competes in the US only, had to we have done, plus Sebring and Daytona for the
sprint racing and there is no need to wait for the spend the Le Mans test day further evaluating Porsche as a new car, we need to level this car as
final hour; everyone pushes from the beginning the new tyres after one test on them in the US. a competitor. Everyone brought this year new
of the race, while in IMSA the game is to stay ‘If you do not take into account the way that tyres, so that is an unknown factor, but if we
they are capable of keeping the tyres consistent, are talking one second, if you want to translate
The team acknowledges you miss this, so that is why the amount of laps
taken into account is better to distinguish a car
one second to kilogrammes, how much would
that be? When we did the simulation and
the political pressure that that is capable of maintaining performance,

despite the tyres getting old,’ says Chevrier.
needed to add 100kg to a car to balance it, how
many times did you see in the GT category that
manufacturers are under Window addressing magnitude of change? Never.

‘What we try to do with the chassis
to gain a cheap advantage point of the system, the FIA has limited itself to a
If there is a large discrepancy in the starting manufacturers, we try to integrate that one track
would suit one car, for example, and we try not

Ford (left) is expected to introduce an update kit for its GT next year and this will be treated as a new car for Balance of Performance purposes, with a performance
estimation to be based on the current car. Completely new GT racecars will be much harder to quantify, though, as there will be no previous data to work with
to overreact, otherwise it will be plus 100kg, or ‘It could come from a manufacturer who FIA and ACO to change it. The idea was to
minus 100kg; you need to temper that range.’ had a car before, it is capable of knowing the rebuild some lap times without any BoP to
In the spirit of cooperation, the BoP for performance of its car compared to its previous give a starting point for the auto BoP and test
Le Mans in 2016 has been distributed to the car, but you can also have a completely new it. Everybody built the system together.’
teams and they have been invited to comment. competitor, such as BMW, and it cannot tell us
However, the BoP team acknowledges the what percentage better than a previous racecar The jury’s out
political pressure that manufacturers are under the new racecar will be, simply because they ‘We started to have meetings with the ideas,
to gain a cheap advantage, but it says that it don’t have one,’ says Chevrier. ‘And that is why Auberg continues. ‘And because we had the
is protected from outside influence. But where we need the Le Mans test.’ opportunity to test the 2015 and 2016 years,
the major problems lie is not in what it can As with all algorithms, there is the potential it was able to do as good as we did last year,
see, but what it cannot see. for making a mistake. ‘It will happen,’ says even though we were not the best for BoP. At
‘What is clear is the consideration that there Nicolas Auberg, technical delegate of the that point, everyone started to think that it was
will always be a new entrant, with either one or FIA. ‘The algorithm works well, and we won’t robust, looking at a difficult season with the
two more cars compared to the previous year, make any big mistakes because we tested tyres and sandbagging. The auto BoP was able
so you cannot make everything as if it was a it and everyone had the opportunity to say to give good results that were even better than
consistent field of competitors,’ says Chevrier. that they are happy with it. In the end if there what we had. [But] we don’t know how the
is a mistake, all the manufacturers know the manufacturers will behave with the auto BoP.’
New car issues philosophy that we have, and we have a lot of This is a long game and the ACO and
If an entrant brings an update kit, as Ford is meetings, and if the algorithm doesn’t show FIA won’t know until the last race of 2017
expected to do in 2018, it will be treated as a what we want it to, we have the power in the whether or not their system is a success.
new car. Ford will be invited to estimate the
improvement over the current car, giving the
FIA an idea of what to expect. The real problem Where the major problems lie is not in
what it can see, but what it cannot see
comes when a manufacturer arrives with a
completely new car, with no previous data.

LE MANS 2017 – INTERVIEW
Michelin’s star
Jerome Mondain, Michelin’s endurance racing maestro, talks us through
the company’s approach to the new WEC tyre regulations and Le Mans
By ANDREW COTTON
Michelin tyres are used by all the LMP1 teams

(Toyota pictured) while in LMP2 tyre supply is
split between the French firm and Dunlop
J
erome Mondain is Michelin’s these may be used in a race. The number of sets RE: How have the regulation changes affected
endurance racing programme for qualifying and the race is limited to four sets the tyre design for 2017?
manager. He was also part of the (16 tyres), with a further three for practice. Mondain: To adjust the target to the strategy
discussion group that agreed to For the GTE categories the tyre it is something different, but that is not the main
reduce the amount of tyres for the LMP1 and manufacturers must declare up to three thing. The big thing was going from single stint
GTE Pro categories in the World Endurance specifications of tyre for the season for each to double stint on the tyre. We started to design
Championship six-hour races for 2017. For Le model of car. Two of these must be declared last summer, right after Le Mans, while normally
Mans, however, the limit remains the same as in before the first event, and a third may be we start in September or October, this time it
2016, but the tyres themselves have changed introduced before Le Mans. In GTE Pro, four was July and August last year.
considerably from last year. sets are available for qualifying and the race,
For the six-hour races in the LMP1 category, three sets for practice and in GTE-Am, six sets RE: What about the high degradation circuits
the number of tyres used for each race (which are available for qualifying and the race, a on which the teams have been allowed to use
includes qualifying) is limited to four sets (16 further four sets for practice. more tyres in previous years?
tyres), plus two ‘joker’ tyres. An additional 12 For Le Mans the teams have seven sets for M: There is no possibility to have more tyres.
tyres are available for practice. For LMP2 the practice and qualifying, and just 16 sets of dry- It is fixed to four sets in GTE and LMP1. It is just
tyre manufacturers may declare three tyre weather tyres for the LMP1, LMP2 and GTE-Pro hard work to succeed at this task. We knew the
specifications for the season, and only two of categories to last the 24 hours. regulation change so the idea was to work and

Jerome Mondain is in charge of Michelin’s WEC
programme. He played a role in the talks that led to
a reduction in the tyre allocation for six-hour races
take into consideration that aspect. That [was]

the [design philosophy behind] our range. At Le Mans teams have seven sets of tyres for practice and qualifying and 16 sets of dry tyres to last the 24 hours
RE: Describe the range of WEC tyres that you M: We did a standard development on race as good as possible. We will also come back
have introduced this year. compound and structure, the same as before, to something simple to understand with a soft,
M: We have kept the same philosophy as last but we had a different target. We will end up medium and hard compound, even if in our
year. We can have a different spec for every with a different range of tyre. We started with knowledge it will be slightly different, it is first
race track but that is not the aim of Michelin. the same baseline for everyone, and based on to have something very easy to understand, and
We aim to have three or four different kinds of the feedback of the driver and the engineer, [we then to see also the different strategy on the
tyres for the year. After the design of the tyre, it were] able to do it a different way, but there was tyres. That is something a bit different.
is how you use it and manage it. It is also very no change in the Michelin policy.
important to know the operating window of RE: Is the LMP2 class too fast this year and, if
each tyre … [so] you can use it as best you can, RE: The tyre manufacturers had expected so, what problems will that present at Le Mans?
which is the job of the tyre engineers. that there would be some confusing strategies M: The cars are not that far off LMP1 from
in the six-hour races at the start of this year’s a few years ago. The comments that I have
RE: What are the operating temperature WEC. Has this been evident? heard from the gentlemen [drivers] is that
windows and how has that affected the M: That is something new, but something they are very happy because they have a great
design of the tyre? interesting that we will see. That is what feeling. In terms of tyre performance or safety,
M: They are similar to last year. Basically we happens when there is a big regulation that is something that we had in the task
expect the same kind of temperature. After, it is change. It can change from time to time, that we had to do. We start with safety and
to adapt to the development of the car because and from circuit to circuit. then find performance. As we talked with the
[of] the car change from last year to this year, to We saw last year, depending on the manufacturers quite early in the preparation
target this new philosophy and so that is a big consumption, for some it was eight full stints, for the car, we expected the speed and the
part of the development. We have played with others six and a half, others seven stints, so it is downforce and that was[designed] into the
the stiffness of the compound, but the aim for one more parameter to take into the strategy tyre. We saw that there was no issue with the
us was to keep the same grip level. The aim is and it will change race after race. That is the tyres during the ELMS prologue, even on the
to be as fast as last year, but do a double stint. same thing for the GT. They have two double very fast track like Monza, so it should be okay.
Our target [in the short races] is to do 300 miles stints. In addition, they will have the choice It was the first thing, to put [in] the safety, and I
per set, so two stints, plus a bit if necessary. to put their longer stints where they want in am sure that for our competitor [Dunlop] it
We need to take into consideration the the race. It will be interesting to see that, and was the same thing, because it is a fast car.
qualification, because that is part of the to see [how they] manage the tyre that they
allocation for the race, so there is no change to will use in the qualifying.
last year for the regulation. For Le Mans, which
will be more four or five stints [on each set RE: The tyre strategies will be clearer at Le ‘We expected the speed
of tyres], at least do five in terms of wear and
consistency, and the teams can do their own
Mans this year for the television viewers with
RFID on the tyre, and the information on the and performance of the
new LMP2, so that was
strategy, and not be limited by the tyre. screen. Do you think this will work?
M: That is more to have the spectator in the
RE: Have you changed the actual construction
designed into the tyre’
race, and to compare the strategy from the
of the tyres you use in the WEC? different teams and help them to follow the

LE MANS 2017 – PORSCHE LMP 2000
Pulled
Porsche
Porsche’s LMP 2000 might just be the greatest
sportscar that never raced. Here’s the inside
story of the prototype that could have changed
the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours
By MARKUS EBERHARDT
M
any who were there remember the crown. However, a radical re-think was necessary LMR in 1999, and then to Audi’s R8, which went on
1999 Le Mans 24-hours as one of the if Mercedes was to be beaten in 1999. Porsche to dominate endurance racing between 2000 and
truly great races. BMW was victorious evaluated the potential of a GT car and an all-out 2005? Perhaps so. Certainly, the indications are that
after a wonderful battle with Toyota, prototype, and settled for the latter, eventually the car had enormous potential.
while Mercedes made headlines with its CLR – creating an all-new racecar powered by a 5.5-litre
examples of which flew spectacularly on three V10 engine for the 2000 season. But the programme Open 24 hours
occasions during the course of the race weekend. was cancelled on November 22 1999 by Porsche’s The car was designed from the ground-up as a
Audi started a new era of its racing heritage with the CEO Dr Wendelin Wiedeking. Wiedeking’s philosophy racing car by Porsche, for the first time since the 956
new R8R and R8C models that year, too. But there was to make money, and endurance racing was, in and 962 era. The legendary Norbert Singer guided
was a name missing from the line up that many had his eyes, a drain on finances. The racing department the process, working with Wiet Huidekoper, who
expected to be there: Porsche. no longer had a top-line factory programme and it was responsible for the design of the Lola T92/10
In 1998 Mercedes turned up with a mid-engined was not until the RS Spyder campaign in 2005 that Group C car and who was also involved in the LM-GT
CLK, a ground-up racing car, and used it to win Porsche returned to prototype racing. car – based on the Dauer 962 road car programme
every round of the FIA GT Championship. Never The burning question is: could the stillborn in 1994 – and the 911 GT1 programme in 1998. The
the less, Porsche won at Le Mans, the jewel in the Porsche have taken the fight first to BMW’s V12 LMP 2000 project was green-lighted in the October

A version of the V10 engine was later used in the Carrera GT.
Porsche’s existing race engine, the flat six that had seen service
in its GT1 98, was thought to be too heavy for this application
The project had already been cancelled

by the time the car was given a run at the
Weissach test track. Bob Wollek, pictured
here in the cockpit, believed he could The aerodynamics were developed by Norbert Singer with 1:3
have won Le Mans with the LMP 2000 models in the rolling road model wind tunnel at Weissach. It was
old tech but Singer knew it well and could get useful data from it
of 1998, with the CAD design work on the racecar which helped straight line speed, was more The 1998 engine was heavy, at 210kg, and required
starting that very same month. aerodynamically slippery thanks to the smooth more cooling compared to the typical V8 race
The project focused on an open-top design, lines over the cockpit, but problems with the doors engines, and by the end of November, 1998, a V10
as this had several advantages in terms of the was a major issue during the test weekend, and development of a never-used 1992 Formula 1 unit
regulations. Open cars ran wider tyres, which motorsport director Dr Wolfgang Ullrich was clear was chosen instead, a lighter and better design later
generated more grip, while there was no that, even with the limited running of the R8C, the developed for road use in the Porsche Carrera GT.
requirement for a windscreen which could lead way forward for Audi was with an open car. The engine was designed by Herbert Ampferer
to visibility problems, as well as needing extra (1998 head of motorsport) and his team under
functions such as a windscreen wiper. The cockpit Formula 1 power the direction of Horst Marchart back in 1991, as a
of the car could be kept cooler, too, while open cars So, Porsche had made the correct decision on the 3.5-litre which was to be used by Footwork in F1.
also tend to have better overall aerodynamics. chassis, but what of the engine? Here there was The unit was quite capable, with an output of at
In 1999 Audi ran the open R8R and the closed a choice between the 3.2-litre water-cooled twin least 700bhp and a weight of only 170kg – without
R8C to establish which was better, and it was turbo boxer 6-cylinder engine that powered the 911 the use of any exotic materials. This included the
no surprise to see that it, too, opted to develop GT1 98, with around 550bhp at 7200rpm and 630NM intake-manifold, exhaust, secondary pipes, end-
the open car. The closed R8C ran narrower tyres at 5000rpm, or a new Formula 1 based V10 engine. pipes and the clutch. This power unit was never

The tail of the LMP 2000 was not

quite as low as on some of the The indications are that the
LM900 cars of the time. Its Le Mans
aero package was never revealed car had enormous potential
used by Footwork and the full race version has

been kept under wraps ever since.
Singer had already talked with Herbert
Ampferer and made some calculations, to see
whether or not this engine was usable for the
new LMP car and, with development, they
considered that it could be suitable.
But for endurance racing the pneumatic
valve system was not right, the engine needed
more torque. After discussions with the engine
department it was decided to up the capacity
from 3.5-litre to 5.5-litre by increasing the stroke.
The pneumatic valve system was replaced
with a conventional layout, but the engine
largely retained its architecture.
Mounting rescue
The decision on which engine would be used
was taken just six weeks after the programme
was given the go-ahead, and this meant
changes to the car’s design, including the
engine installation – which mainly meant
The suspension was conventional at the rear with double wishbones and pushrod operated spring/damper units horizontally changing the mounting points, which had
arranged on top of the gearbox. The front was the same but with the spring/dampers located vertically in the bulkhead been designed with the flat six in mind. The
bellhousing was narrower for the V10 than the
The engineers were allowed to finish one flat six, and the cooling layout was very different,
with intercoolers not required for the V10 as
car and do a small two-day test at

they had been for the turbo 911 GT1-98.
A new transmission was required due to
Porsche’s own test track at Weissach

the lower crank height of the V10 engine,
although the front and rear suspension layout

The V10 started life as
an F1 engine originally
destined to propel the
Footwork in 1992. This
project was cancelled
Air was split by a raised and wide centre section towards cooling ducts on
either side of the cockpit. Unlike Audi Porsche did not opt for an F1 style nose
The monocoque and bodywork was supplied by Lola Composites while the
twin element rear wing was made up of a main blade and an adjustable flap
remained largely unchanged. The old style tunnel at Weissach. Compared to other facilities, diffuser were not vertical but curved outside,
gearbox was too slow, anyhow, and had to be the Weissach wind tunnel was not the most up which was then also a feature not seen on any
redesigned – Porsche opting for a longitudinal to date, but Singer knew it well and was able other racecars at that time.
transaxle 6-speed sequential. to get meaningful data. He opted for a limited The tail was not as low as on some rival
The new LMP 2000 (internal code 9R3) front overhang length and a raised splitter in racecars and the trailing edge of the rear fenders
was designed with a carbon fibre monocoque the middle section to get a more stable aero showed a rounded top shape and were open at
with aluminium honeycomb cores. It was a platform and to reduce pitch sensitivity. the back, although the Le Mans configuration
high-sided design, with a fully raised floor at was never seen. The twin element rear wing
the pedal area, pushing everything up as the Splitter difference with a main blade and an adjustable flap
minimum footbox requirement dictatated The LMP 2000 also featured a front splitter with overlapped the tail trailing edge and was fitted
minimum height and width inside the only a small overhang to the bodywork with on two struts at maximum height. Small end-
monocoque. It consisted of a lower and upper radiused edges and a raised middle section. The plates were fitted to the wing.
half bonded together. The car featured a difference to all other cars at that time was that The front of the car did not feature an F1
narrow roll cage ahead of the driver, as was the top of the middle section was wing-shaped style nose as the R8 did in 2000. The air was
common among the new generation of with two deeper venturi tunnels on either side split by a raised but much wider centre section
LMP900 cars. Unusually, the airbox was of the centre. The splitter in front of the front of the nose towards the cooling ducts located
integrated into the roll over structure. The wheels was low and flat but rounded off with on either side of the cockpit. The water cooler
monocoque, as well as the carbon fibre an upward radius in front of the front wheels. was arranged in a V-shape (pointing forward)
bodywork, was supplied by Lola Composites. This radius connected nice and smoothly to the on either side of the engine with the hot air
The suspension was conventional at the rear inner front wheel arch surfaces. directed out of the car at the back.
with double wishbones and pushrod operated The rest of the underbody was completely
spring/damper units horizontally arranged flat as required by the regulations. At the rear Pulling the plug
on top of the gearbox. At the front there were axle the rear diffuser swept upwards at an angle The car was further developed until the end of
also double wishbones with pushrod operated of nine degrees. The first version, as on the CAD 1999, when the then Porsche CEO Wendelin
spring/damper units. But the arrangement screen in April 1999, was full width with several Wiedeking stopped the programme definitively.
was quite unique as the spring/dampers were strakes inside. After more wind tunnel tests the He wanted to transfer the money and the
located vertically on the front bulkhead, which diffuser was narrowed by using fill-ins closing engineers to the first Porsche SUV project – the
gave advantages in the aerodynamic packaging the outer sections. This should have reduced the Cayenne – although this was not known at the
as well as lowering the centre of gravity. negative influence of the tyre wake (turbulent time. It was just stated in the press releases then
The aerodynamics were developed by Singer air) into the diffuser. It now featured only two sent out that Porsche needed the development
with 1:3 models in the rolling road model wind strakes inboard. The outer walls of the rear capacities, such as the people and the money,

IMAGES COURTESY OF ULLI UPIETZ AND PORSCHE ARCHIVE
The trailing edge of the rear fenders

had a rounded top and were open
at the back. The car had a flat floor
leading to a rear diffuser that rose
up at an angle of nine degrees
to move to production cars, which in the end

turned out to be the truth.
However, none of the LMP 2000 engineers
then worked on the Cayenne programme,
and so the rumour took hold that Audi simply
didn’t want a fellow VW company to compete
at Le Mans. But it is more likely that Wiedeking
simply didn’t see the economic value in
competing against Audi, or maybe a high up
decision maker – perhaps Ferdinand Piech –
saw the advances that Audi was making with
its programme, with the development and
introduction of technology such as TFSI?
Untapped potential
Whatever the truth, the Porsche engineers were
at least allowed to finish one car and do a small
two-day test at its own test track at Weissach
with Bob Wollek and Allan McNish at the wheel.
The car proved to be quick out of the box
and Wollek later said that Porsche had taken
from him his last chance to win Le Mans. The car
was stored in a hall under the Weissach facility
A new transmission was required due to the lower crank height of the V10 engine and Porsche opted for a traditional after that, and Porsche quietly hoped that
longitudinal transaxle 6-speed sequential layout. Its older gearbox, as used in the GT1 98, was deemed to be too slow interest in the car would fade over time. Some
in Weissach still believe that the car should be
After discussions with the engine department kept a secret, others that the details should be
made public. But without even racing, the car
It was decided to up the unit’s capacity from has reached a legendary status, and could be
regarded as one of the greatest racecars never
3.5-litre to 5.5-litre by increasing the stroke

to compete. Of course, we’ll never know for
sure if it could have beaten the Audi.

LE MANS 2017 – TYRE TESTING
Black art
The first group test of the LMP2 cars at Sebring gave Racecar
the chance to gain a rare insight into the world of tyre testing
By ANDREW COTTON
T
alk to any racing engineer and they invited Racecar Engineering to its first test with
will tell you that tyre development is the 2017 LMP2 cars in December, 2016, which
a ‘black art’. Ultimately, racecars are was its first sight of the new machinery.
set up to manage the one part of the Present at the P2 test were ORECA, Dallara
car that is in contact with the road, which is and Ligier. The IMSA test at Daytona a few short
effectively a living organism that degrades with hours away was compulsory for the Daytona
wear. Tyre management and development is Prototype International cars, and with a late
critical to not only improving the performance, delivery time this was the only place that the
but also the life of the tyre. Riley Multimatic could run. Dunlop’s partner
The FIA World Endurance Championship has team, Aston Martin, was also on hand at
mandated a reduction in the number of tyres Sebring to prepare for the new GTE regulations
that can be used over a race weekend, both in that will demand more double stinting and
LMP1 and in GTE (see sidebar), forcing teams fewer new tyres for the 2017 season.
to double stint their tyres more regularly. With The Sebring Raceway in central Florida
testing limited, this means that pre-season the provides an ideal basis for the test. It is cheaper
work has to be methodical and accurate, with to rent than many circuits in Europe, the
clear trends visible to enable improvement weather is pretty much guaranteed to be good
through the season where permitted. Dunlop and consistent from morning until sunset,

ORECA brought its brand new LMP2 car to the
test and ran its own programme alongside that
of Dunlop in preparation for the new season
It is possible to gather a lot

of different information very
quickly at Sebring, and to test
for a wide variety of tracks

New Dallara spent the first day completing set-up work, with Jan Lammers at the wheel, before the tyre
testing programme began the next day. It is one of four manufacturers allowed to build cars for new LMP2
Rebellion brought new tyre blankets to Sebring to replace the

ovens that are more traditional in endurance racing. It wanted to
use the test to establish the warm up times for the new season
and the circuit offers a variety of surfaces

on which data can be collected. Even with
shipping and flights, the cost of the Sebring
test is comparable to a European venue, which,
in December, might not provide the stable
weather so sought after for testing purposes.
Success story Pipo Derani was on hand to test the new Ligier LMP2. Lap times were not distributed amongst the teams to
Dunlop had a successful season in 2016. In prevent any direct comparisons between them as this was really about testing the rubber rather than the cars
the World Endurance Championship its first
season as technical partner to Aston Martin
yielded titles for both drivers and team, while
in the European Le Mans Series the top seven
teams ran Dunlop rubber. The company also
contested the VLN series, which has open tyre
regulations for GT3 cars, and has single-tyre
supply deals with categories such as the British
Touring Car Championship. Now it is looking
to prove that the success in the 2016 WEC was
no accident, and that it has a clear direction
forwards to improve its product still further.
To this end, and with the help of American
company OptimumG, Dunlop is now far more
involved in the technical set up of the car, as
well as using its own tyre modelling software to
improve both structure and compound. Dunlop uses HH Timing at tracks to help it and its teams with strategy, and also for post-race tyre analysis
The new season will see a dramatic change
with the LMP2 cars and so a new baseline for at Le Mans, and more downforce. But the drive Silverstone. A third may be declared later in the
the tyre manufacturers to work with. Four to prevent tyre development continues. season. By agreement, Dunlop and Michelin
chassis manufacturers were selected by the FIA Three models of tyre are permitted for the are permitted to ask for each other’s tyre post
to provide cars for the 2017 season. These new season, with two declared by the ‘prologue’ race and check that it is, in fact, one of the
cars have different characteristics to the 2016 pre-season test, held on April 1/2 at Monza, three models nominated. In the GTE category,
cars, including an anticipated higher top speed just two weeks ahead of the opening round at however, there is a proposed limit of two or

PROUD SUPPLIER TO
EVERY
TEAM & MANUFACTURER
ON THE LE MANS GRID IN 2017
GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS!

ATL LTD. atlltd.com ATL INC. atlinc.com
three models, plus one ‘joker’ specification

should one of the three not be fast enough.
For Dunlop, the work started early, with
modelling of the new cars and a prediction for
what tyre characteristics would be necessary
for the season. While Dunlop does not supply
tyres to cars that race at Sebring (the Daytona
Prototype International cars run on Continental
tyres), the Florida circuit was selected for a
week in the run-up to Christmas due to its
constant temperature range and the fact it
has the most abrasive tarmac alongside very
smooth concrete, so it’s possible to gather a lot
of different information very quickly, and to test
for a wide variety of tracks.
Test aims
‘This week we are looking at 2017, and a
change of regulation in LMP2 and we are
looking at two different things,’ says Sebastien
Montet, R&D Director at Dunlop Motorsport. ‘In
LMP2, we are focussing more on the car side,
and on understanding how the three different
chassis will impact the tyre performance,
because they all run the same tyres [as each
other], while in GT the car is the same but we
have to change the tyre to fit the regulations.
We will look at things differently.
‘From a track point of view we have looked
at a track characterisation system, which for
every car that we work with, we calculate the
level of energy, which is generated by the track
and its configuration,’ Montet adds.
In preparation for the tests, Dunlop also
operates seven-post rig testing as part of the
evaluation tests. This helps to make sure that
what the company sees on the F&M (force and
moment) testing can also match to the cars’
damper spring set-up that has been seen in
simulation. The Multimatic rig has played a
major part in Dunlop’s development process
over the past eight years.
OptimumG
Since Dunlop first started to work with BMW
in the American Le Mans Series in 2009, it
partnered with data specialists OptimumG in
order to develop its software and deliver a more
consistent approach to its tyre development.
Multiple titles were won and representatives of
OptimumG are now embedded not only within
Dunlop, but also within the teams themselves
on Dunlop’s behalf, to help set the cars up so
as to make the tyres work.
‘We use software to look at all parameters,
including tyre dynamics, camber and things
like kinematics,’ says Kevin Marion, Vehicle
Dynamics Engineer at OptimumG, who works
with Aston Martin. ‘We look at it all in simulation
so we can look at tyre fitting, kinematic
study, lap time simulations and look at every
parameter of the car, such as power, downforce
and so on, and then the track attitude, dynamic
Slip angle, slip ratio and friction ellipse graph from OptimumTire from OptimumG. This software package camber, kinematics, geometries … The full
allows Dunlop’s engineers to perform very advanced tyre data analysis, visualisation, and model fitting package to how we can set the car to the tyres.

Sebring’s challenging Turn 1 is bumpy, slippery and fast, and is a true test for
both the tyre and the racecar set-up. Every one of the new LMP2s adopted this
Dunlop pre-event report give all the info teams will need. This page shows previous year’s lap inside-front lifting attitude around this particular corner on the first day of the test
times, the circuit averages and the way the energy is distributed to each corner of the racecar
This page of the pre-event report show the overview of the WEC tracks for the season and Dunlop Motorsport’s R&D director Sebastien Montet in the pre-test briefing with
where they rank in overall circuit energy, plus the graining risk compared to the other tracks Rebellion. The former P1 team ran the brand new ORECA during the five-day test
We can do our process and understand before front likes, what the rear likes, high-speed success through the years, the first thing that
the test what is going on.’ stability, degradation from the start to the finish we did is to work from the existing P2 tyre. We
Pre-test, the tyres are tested on a flat track and so on. This is then fed into the computer tried to already learn from where we were in
machine that can monitor the tyre before it is and if it matches, then we are confident that the 2016 to improve on specific areas already for
taken to a track. ‘We use a flat track machine testing went as we expected.’ 2017 with a new optimised rear tyre and with a
as opposed to a drum, and the tyre is fitted new size front to match the regulation and the
to the machine and we change the speed, New challenge same kind of construction compound, and then
pressures, everything live,’ says Marion. ‘It is a With completely new machinery in LMP2, the some iteration to create a preliminary spec,
six-axis machine that measures the moments process was a little more complicated than which we then released to the teams to use
of the tyre. We fit a model to the data, which is in GTE. While the track could be mapped, the during the development of their cars.
a steady state model for the moment and we racecars were pretty much unknown, although
can overlay and compare grip, load sensitivity, Dunlop had worked with the British Rebellion Learning curve
camber sensitivity, and pressure sensitivity, team and the German ByKolles team in LMP1 ‘It is all about finding stability in the
every parameter of the tyre and what is its in 2016, and so had an understanding of the development,’ Montet adds. ‘You are going
influence. There are a few key parameters such downforce levels for this year. to have something which is 90 per cent of
as corner exit, peak grip, and we have a good How each car used the tyre, however, could what we will have in 2017, but for the test [at
understanding of what they will do in vehicle be completely different. Therefore, Dunlop Sebring], we need to explore several things. We
performance and balance, and then we put it started with a development of its successful need to understand the level of aero of those
into a matrix, and define our solutions including LMP2 tyre from 2016 as a baseline and worked cars, what impact that has on compound, on
balance, stability, response from the steering from there. As part of the preparation for the construction, lateral and vertical loads, which
and so on, and we use a tyre model to do this. new season, Dunlop tested at Sebring in July, change the behaviour of the tyre.
2016, with a Ligier tuned up to 600bhp to give ‘Then, we also needed to understand
Mathematical model the company the best chance of choosing the the tyre warm up process, the double stint
‘The next step is to fit a mathematical model,’ right direction for the new tyres. where you have to run the stiffer side of the
Marion adds. ‘After every short run, the driver ‘Every product is different and will be compound, which by definition means that
will have a rating sheet of warm up, what the treated differently,’ says Montet. ‘With all the the tyres will be harder to warm up,’ Montet
‘There are a few key parameters such as corner exit and peak grip’
While the track could be mapped, the cars were pretty much unknown
says. ‘We are really trying to get this triangle of The link up with OptimumG not only helps ‘For some specs the potential was there, but
consistency, warm up, and the aerodynamic before a test and running live data during not exploited on the day with the car set-up
impact on the tyre construction. the races, but it also speeds up the post race whereas running the simulations, we know that
‘For LMP2, we try to look at everything analysis. ‘We generate a data pack that we will spec A on the set-up as it is, is okay, but for spec
because we knew that the baseline from the give to Aston Martin. We run the simulation on B, you may need to change the ride-height,
old P2 was pretty good. We had something our side, and we know where the set up will go camber, or other variables. We try to do that
that was good, and so we fine-tune around it. for every type of tyre,’ says Montet. to optimise the solution for the tyre, based on
If you come here with brand new concepts, we ‘Before, you would throw the tyres on from the simulation, [this way] we save the time,
would not want to race them next year. If the spec one to ten, put it into the car, run it for and we have more options.
regulation would allow we would run the tyres seven laps; the driver will give his comment, ‘For the drivers it is important because they
at the end of the year, but in LMP2 with the new the lap time will speak for itself, and we will can feel the difference in the tyres, and the
regulation it was not possible for 2017.’ miss out on some good specs,’ Montet adds. progress, and you discover the car as much as
PHOTOGRAPHY: CLEMENT MARIN/DUNLOP MOTORSPORT
It was not all LMP2 at Sebring, Aston Martin was also there with drivers Nicki Thiim and Jonny Adam. The regulations for Kevin Marion is the Vehicle Dynamics engineer at
GTE will change for 2017 to reduce the number of specifications of tyre and also the number of tyres allowed per event OptimumG and works with Aston Martin Racing
The programme
S
et up day on Sunday saw the made into the tyre as a wear gauge, of seven laps on each of the tyre sets, We have a programme for the short
Dunlop team unload 1000 the hand cutting ensures that the hole and in addition to the data gathered runs, but not for the long ones. We
tyres in preparation for the goes to the canvas to ensure wear can from the systems within the car, the have the different options of tyres.
test, mark them up and prepare the be accurately measured. This is done drivers are given a data sheet and It could be that all the three chassis
schedule for each of the cars. with the development tyres only, so asked to mark out of 10 parameters will be on spec one, two, three, four,
Using a bar-coding system, the as to ensure that all the necessary such as balance, front end and rear because they are clearly the best, but
engineers know which tyre compound data is gathered before the spec is end grip and peak grip. it could be that one chassis prefers one
and construction they are dealing with released for production. ‘The cars complete short runs spec and another a different one. We
for each set, and purposefully keep on Monday and Tuesday, and then need to be sure that when we leave on
that private from the teams. The tyres It’s not a race on Wednesday we sit in front of the Friday night, we have a solution that
are then put into sets, but great care Meetings are held with the teams to computers looking at all the data, and works on all three chassis.’
is taken to ensure that each model ensure that they know not to try to try to understand how to build up on Once these have been established,
of car goes out on different tyres, to compete with another car. Although Thursday and Friday when we do the the team will then retire to base and
prevent teams locking horns in terms teams can time each other around long runs,’ says Montet. begin the build process ahead of
of outright pace. T1, therefore, will be the lap, and Dunlop can map each car Thanks to the simulation packages another test in Aragon, Spain, early in
the first compound and construction through its GPS system, the idea is produced in advance of the test, car the new year. There, customers will be
used for each of the manufacturers, not to compete, particularly with such set-up is also considered between the invited to try out the 2017 range
but they will be different for each new cars. In order to create as stable a runs, including ride-height changes of tyres for themselves before the
car, and even the teams will not be platform as possible, the cars are given that may be necessary to make the racing starts in earnest.
told which is which. two sets of tyres to set up a good tyres work. ‘We may need to change Any dramatic changes that are
After unloading and checking, balance before the test programme the car set-up to be able to physically required can still be made, but the
each tyre is hand cut to the canvas. begins, and are run on full tanks. run it,’ says Montet. ‘The idea is to look idea is to finish the winter test with a
While in the tyre mould, cuts (TWIs, They then are given a test at the data on all three chassis, and clear picture of what will be required
tread wear indicators) are deliberately programme, that includes short runs rebuild our test programme. throughout the 2017 season.

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Racecar Engineering
6
Volume 27
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June 2017 • Vol 27 No 6 • www.racecar-eng
Le Mans
9 770961 109104
06
Will Toyota’s new TS050

finally bring 24-Hour glory?
Toyota Prius GT300 Toyota TS050
IndyCar 2018
Drivers fill out a form that rates 10 parameters of tyre performance including the balance and the front and
rear end grip and peak grip. Here Nicolas Lapierre completes his comments after his run on the fourth set
the tyre when you do that so it is key to do it, it in detail, it will take two or three weeks and
June 2017
IndyCar makeover Manor Formula 1

Prius Super GT What might have been for
How US series will improve
The LMP1-engined hybrid
GT300 that’s wowing Japan car looks and racing in 2018 plucky British race team and you understand whether or not the tyre time is always against us. At least we know
Printtoarl
25/04/2017 13:30
Cuv_June_MBAC.indd 3
has the potential. If there was one negative that we can read the data with confidence
comment, you don’t discard it. This small extra because we have done most of the work
digi ss work that you do preparing the event is work with it. The post processing is made better,
acce
that you don’t have to do afterwards. You and has much more quality.’
don’t have to question the data. With all the
megabytes of data, if you have to go through Understanding data
With so many data channels on the racecar, up
GTE tyre wars to 60 measuring sensors, collecting the data is
actually not that difficult. It is analysing it and
acting on it that makes it valuable.
T
he World Endurance Championship was thrown ‘Obviously you can generate megabytes of
into something of disarray in 2016 as Dunlop and data, but that is where the processing comes
supave%
Michelin engaged in a perceived tyre war, the former in and that is where OptimumG has come in,
having signed a deal with Aston Martin to develop its GTE creating some KPIs,’ says Montet. ‘The whole
44
tyre. The company started with its first specification, that idea is that when you run 10 to 12 specs, and
saw it through the first three races, including Le Mans, and maybe 50 to 60 channels, and you multiply that
to then brought a new rear profile tyre to Mexico, and then a by the number of tyres, the number of corners
new front to match it. There was a new compound range in in one lap, you have so much data in the
Austin, and then another new specification in Bahrain. engineering field, and what do you do when
Falling outside the scope of the Balance of Performance, you look at that? It is unreadable, so you extract
Get the latest product this meant a whole new area of performance that could the KPIs and you can tailor those to low speed
developments, technical disadvantage the runners on one tyre brand and has led to corners, medium speed corners, high speed
insight and performance questions being asked at the FIA as to how to fix it. corners, entry, mid-corner, exit or whatever
analysis from the leading A development tyre may not necessarily bring the you want, and depending on where we feel
performance that it is designed to do, and Dunlop’s rivals the gap is or where we need to improve
motorsport technology believe that the rate of development will slow in the future based on the driver feedback, we focus on
publication every month. and that it is natural to make so many changes in such a the KPIs and focus on that and run the
new partnership, but the FIA has reacted by limiting the comparison there. The KPI is usually one
number of tyres for the 2017 season to prevent a war. number, with a calculation behind it.’
In the six-hour races the number of tyres has been
To order, go to: reduced, while at Le Mans, teams can use seven sets of Passing the test
chelseamagazines.com/CRCELM17 tyres for practice, 16 sets for the race. In LMP2, Dunlop Applying a more mathematical approach to
and Michelin are responsible for monitoring each other’s the system of development may seem to be
customer tyres through an agreed system of swapping obvious, but Dunlop’s successes clearly indicate
Or call: tyres post-race. However, LMP2 is not a tyre development that the route it has chosen is a very productive
+44 (0)1858 438 443 category, and so there is limited confidentiality in the tyres. one. Ultimately, the results in the 2017 season
And quote CRCELM17 for print, However, for the GTE category, there is no such will show whether or not it has given them the
or CRCELMD7 for digital. restriction, and so it is unlikely that Michelin or Dunlop competitive edge in the WEC and ELMS. Either
would be willing to share their data. It is therefore down to way, though, the team at Dunlop knows that
the FIA to monitor the situation, and this could turn out to regardless of the results, its understanding of
be both expensive and complicated. the tyres has improved dramatically.

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Le Mans: Will New Cars Be The Fastest in The 24-Hours' History?

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Leading-Edge Motorsport Technology Since 1990

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 3

By ANDREW COTTON and PAUL TRUSWELL

4 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 5

Once an aero package is homologated it doesn’t mean it’s not adjustable

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 7

Top speed (km/h): 281.9 278.5

aerodynamic parts for particularly at night, with the gentlemen

8 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

The high top speeds of the LMP2s means that hybrid

Le number crunch times to Porsche at Silverstone and Spa), but

Leading-Edge Motorsport Technolo

Prius Super GT How US series will improve

DTM tech focus Race track firsts

Such is the pace of development that Le Mans could be about reliability

For full kit solution details visit our website or contact us

12 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

The European Le Mans series (above) has more variety in the

Dallara’s chassis has found instant success in the US where

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 13

IMSA’s desire to keep its manufacturers put it on an opposing path

14 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

at Ford and Ferrari

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 15

There is now a new Balance of Performance system

16 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

racecar is not performing

the political pressure that that is capable of maintaining performance,

manufacturers are under Window addressing magnitude of change? Never.

18 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 19

Michelin tyres are used by all the LMP1 teams

20 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

take into consideration that aspect. That [was]

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 21

22 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

The project had already been cancelled

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 23

The tail of the LMP 2000 was not

used by Footwork and the full race version has

car and do a small two-day test at

Porsche’s own test track at Weissach

24 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 25

The trailing edge of the rear fenders

to move to production cars, which in the end

3.5-litre to 5.5-litre by increasing the stroke

26 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

28 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

It is possible to gather a lot

LE MANS 2017 www.racecar-engineering.com 29

Rebellion brought new tyre blankets to Sebring to replace the

and the circuit offers a variety of surfaces

30 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS!

three models, plus one ‘joker’ specification

32 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

34 www.racecar-engineering.com LE MANS 2017

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Motorsport Systems Ltd, are a UK based dealer of Bosch Motorsport

ineering.com • UK £5.95 • US $14.50