It is very much part of the unpredictable ebb and flow of motorsports that most racing series go through periods of dominance at some time or another, where one team or one particular driver seems to be constantly a step or two ahead of the completion. On two wheels, Giacomo Agostini staked his claim to being the greatest motorcycle rider of all time by winning seven back to back world championships from 1966 to 1972. Sébastien Loeb and Citroën’s nine year stranglehold over the WRC is a feat that will probably never be surpassed, whilst in Formula 1 Michael Schumacher led Ferrari through an era of such dominance in the early 2000’s that fans actually started to accuse the sport of becoming ‘too boring’.
And so the same has come to pass in the oldest race of them all, the 24 hours of Le Mans. Audi, thanks largely to a perfect recipe of revolutionary diesel engineering combined with the unparalleled talents of Danish racing mastermind Tom Kristensen, have reigned supreme over the endurance classic for the best part of a decade. However, rule changes for 2014 will test their resolve to the maximum as other manufacturers grow ever hungrier to topple them from their perch.
This season, Toyota will be one of the teams in pole position to do just that. The car on which they will be pinning their hopes will be named the TS040 Hybrid and has been unveiled to the public in the South of France ahead of the official championship testing season. In order to take the fight to Audi’s recently released R18 WEC, Toyota’s new machine can call on a total of 986bhp via the combined 513bhp 3.7 litre V8 petrol engine and a 473bhp all-wheel drive hybrid motor. This represents a significant evolution from last year’s 3.4 litre TS030 Hybrid which managed second place. New regulations limit teams to using 25 per cent less fuel than in 2013 and therefore place greater emphasis on hybrid power and energy recovery systems. Indeed, Porsche’s claim that they will be able to harvest up to 8 megajoules per lap through a two-pronged kinetic and thermal energy recovery system has already laid down a significant marker to the rest of the field.
The Japanese outfit retains the same squad of drivers for 2014, with Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima sharing the No7 car and Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi piloting the No8 machine.
The TS040 Hybrid has already completed 12 days of testing across Europe and will now enter the final few weeks of preparation in the run-up to the start of the 2014 World Endurance Championship season on 20 April at Silverstone. The main event itself at Le Mans gets underway on 14 June.
Audi have dominated the world of endurance racing for over a decade. The Germans have won the famous Le Mans 24 hour 12 times and it would have been 9 times in a row if it were not for pesky Peugeot in 2009. Audi want to retain their Le Mans crown but with strong competition from Toyota and now Porsche, their 2014 Audi R18 WEC has to be one of the most capable cars racing has ever seen.
Audi revealed to the world their new car in race trim complete with updated livery. However, they have decided to backtrack on a technology that regenerates energy lost through heat. The system, MGU-H, is just like that found on the 2014 specification Formula One cars, but the team will not use it as planned due to reliability issues. Instead they will stick with their tried and tested kinetic energy recovery system that can harvest 2 megajoules over a lap. Their competitors, and in particular Porsche, are expected to be recapturing 6 to 8MJ per lap. This potentially puts Audi at a disadvantage but they say that the increased reliability and fuel efficiency of their new turbocharged 4.0 litre V6 diesel engine will prevail.
The 2014 Audi R18 WEC reignited tradition as it was driven through the streets of Le Mans before being shown to the media.
The Le Mans 24 Hour race is one of the worlds most gruelling and dangerous motorsport events. A true test of both man and machine, pushing on through the darkness until dawn. Endurance can be seen as one of the most relevant forms of racing to the development of road car technologies. The never ending quest for reliability and fuel efficiency is what gives one car an edge over another. Looking like something Batman would bring to the track, the Nissan ZEOD RC is one of the most technologically advanced cars in the world.
ZEOD stands for Zero Emissions On Demand meaning that this spaceship is a hybrid. Powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors, the ZEOD puts out 300BHP. Over 11 laps during the race this car can collect enough energy through braking to complete a lap on electric power alone, thus spending less time in the pits refuelling overall. Nissan say that the ZEOD RC is faster over one lap than LMGTE class cars.
We look forward to seeing this racer roll out of the famous garage 56.
Mark Webber is no doubt one of the top drivers in Formula One. His consistent results and experience make him a valuable asset to any team. In 2010 he came very close to becoming world champion only to be pipped to the post by his younger team mate, and at that time rising star, Sebastian Vettel. There have been plenty of “disagreements” between these two with cars colliding and team orders being ignored. This could well be a big part of why Mark Webber is leaving Formula One.
Mark has signed for the new Porsche World Endurance Championship competing team and shall pilot this car in 2014. Porsche could clearly see Webber’s value in his experience not only in F1, but also his previous involvement’s in sports car racing. Obviously this leaves a vacant seat in the dominant Red Bull Racing team, but as to who will take that place, all we have to go on is speculation. Mark Webber said “I am very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula One. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sports cars in the world.”
Porsche are to take on sister team Audi at events such as the Le Mans 24 Hour next year.
The World Endurance Championship, or WEC, is an event a growing number of manufacturers are looking to join. The technology involved in winning races has direct relevance to road cars in their light weight materials and fuel saving measures. The crown jewel of these races is the legendary LeMan 24 hour, an event of prestige and great history. Porsche set their sights on the top step.
2014 shall see Porsche’s return to LeMan as they shall field a top tier LMP1 prototype race car. The car itself turned its first wheel weeks earlier than expected. Head of the LMP1 effort, Fritz Enzinger, said “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.” Though clearly enthusiastic, the question is will the Porsche team be allowed to challenge the dominant fellow VW group member Audi? The answer is yes according to the VW Group motorsport boss.
With Toyota being a real challenger to Audi last year and an innovative effort from Porsche in 2014, endurance racing is hotting up!
Nobody truly knows what the future holds for the motor car at this point in time. Will it be hybrid drive or electric? The eventual outcome may be neither as scientists continue to innovate with hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant source of fuel in the universe and so ecologically speaking it would be great news for Freddy polar bear if we were to use it. Aston Martin are to prove the new fuels advantages at the legendary Nürburgring 24 Hour endurance race.
The specially prepared Aston Martin Rapide S is equipped with a twin-turbo 6.0 litre V12 engine that is capable of running on petrol, hydrogen or a combination of the two. 0-62MPH can be achieved in 4.9 seconds and it will continue onto a top speed of 190MPH. This car will be the first of its breed to run in an endurance motorsport event. As organisers continue to pursue ”greener” avenues when it comes to motor racing, Aston Martin could well be giving us a glimpse into the future.
Some people say that motorsport is a huge waste of time, money and resources. Burning fuel unnecessarily, torturing tyres, what is the point? Well, the truth is that despite what these people say motorsport has brought about almost every big innovation the industry has seen over the past century. Everything from power steering, lightweight constructions, and even the seatbelt came from technological advances made in racing. These days entering and funding a season in almost any discipline is a costly affair and as a result we have seen many big teams shutting their pit lane doors. Toyota may have pulled out of Formula One a couple of years ago but now armed with their new GT86, they are going racing again.
Following up a brilliant endurance effort, the Japanese firm are entering the GT86 into the Britcar 24 Hour. The car sports a livery that echoes back to its AE86 ancestor that competed, and won twice, the British Touring Car Championship. The 197BHP boxer engine remains standard but inside this machine receives all the usual FIA safety equipment. The GT86 racers debut in this class is set for September, winning the event would be quite the boost to an already impressive cars reputation. Can the GT86 triumph over the pack whilst pounding the tarmac of Silverstone for 24 hours? We shall have to wait and see.
We are just a day away from the most prestigious motor race the world has ever hosted. It tests both man and machine for 24 consecutive hours, covering thousands of miles in changing conditions. The Le Mans 24 Hour of 2012 is set to be explosive despite the lack of key competitors Peugeot. Filling the void and taking on the might of Audi is the Toyota team. Qualifying proved that Audi will have to work hard if they want to take the victory.
Making history, Audi did indeed take pole but it wasn’t the dominant Audi R18 Ultra diesel that was the fastest out there. The history making was done by the E-Tron Hybrid Audi of Andre Lotterer becoming the first car of its specification to claim the number one grid slot. The Germans may have locked out the front row of the grid but thanks to ex-F1 pilot Anthony Davidson wringing the neck of his Toyota he begins third, clocking a lap less than a second behind the Audi. The second Toyota starts 5th proving that despite this being their first competitive race, the new team have a real shot at winning.
Factor in the fascinating Nissan Delta Wing prototype that is running and you can quickly see how 2012 is set to be a great year for Le Mans.
The Nürburgring 24 hour has been and gone but what of the Ferrari P4/5 racer. Though ridiculed by Ferrari themselves and debadged, the F430 based car finished 40th overall and 3rd in class.
Endurance racing not only tests the machine but also the man behind the wheel. Fatigue is a major contributor to many DNF’s and was likely the cause of this pit-lane crash at the Spa 24 hours. Nobody was hurt which is lucky considering the vicinity of a marshal to the crash.
