The range of pure electric vehicles still being limited (especially in race conditions) GreenGT has chosen to develop race specs fuel cell vehicles, to allow longer driving session but also quick change of the gas cylinders at the pits.
The GreenGT H2 develops 544hp for 4000Nm of torque! Transmission to the rear wheels is managed without clutch or gears and thanks to a patented torque vectoring technology.
The two cylinders can hold 160litres (4kg) of hydrogen and for safety issues, they have a structure able to withstand impacts three times higher than those of FIA approved chassis!
The 2012 H2 weighs 1240kg and can reach 300kph but for GreenGT for development is not over yet, they want to go below 1000kg for 1h of range to participate in the 24h of Le Mans in 2013!
Taman nakon mature, nije moglo bolje 8) 8)8) 8) 8)
SRT has announced plans to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with two Viper GTS-Rs.
Set to enter the LM GTE Pro class, the model will attempt to recreate the remarkable string of victories that occurred in the late 1990's. Starting in 1998, the Viper placed first and second in GTS class for three consecutive years.
In a statement, SRT CEO Ralph Gilles said "Historically the Viper GTS-R has enjoyed great success at Le Mans, so we couldn’t be more excited and proud to accept the challenge to return to France and continue composing the next chapter in the history of Viper racing at such an historic venue.”
As we have previously reported, the Viper GTS-R was jointly developed with Riley Technologies and features an aerodynamic body kit with new bumpers, a revised hood and a prominent rear wing. In American Le Mans Series spec, the cars have to weigh at least 2,745 lbs (1,245 kg), produce 450-500 hp (336-373 kW) and have a limited top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).
Lotus, yet another comeback!
In 2012, the Lotus Racing team entered a Lola chassis with a V8-Judd engine rebadged Lotus for the Le Mans 24 Hours. This year the Bavarian-based squad managed by Colin Kolles is back with two brand-new cars bearing the famous Lotus name designed by the technical studio ADESS in Munich. The links between ADESS and Kolles’ team go back to Formula 1 when the latter was in charge of the HRT squad. These very pretty machines will be powered by the same V8 Lotus engines as in 2012 and shod with Dunlop tyres. The first drivers named are Kevin Weeda and Thomas Holzer. After the disappointing performances of the completely underpowered Evora in LM GTE two years ago, and the LM P2 that went out with a broken gearbox last year, the new cars seem to have what it takes to be among the front-runners in this extremely competitive category.
What had taken place is that Ferrari’s Mauro Forghieri, in a revengeful and spiteful move possibly engineered by a telephone call from Maranello, had lodged an unofficial protest to the racing direction, pointing out that while the Miles-Hulme car had indeed crossed the finish line 15 yards ahead of the McLaren-Amon identical car, it had started the race 40 yards behind it so had covered a shorter distance, and did not win.
Kamui Kobayashi confirms Ferrari WEC deal with AF Corse
By Gary Watkins Monday, March 11th 2013, 18:21 GMT
Kamui Kobayashi Ferrari WEC 2013
Former grand prix driver Kamui Kobayashi has joined Ferrari's factory World Endurance Championship campaign.
The move, predicted in AUTOSPORT magazine last month, means that the former Toyota and Sauber Formula 1 driver will race a Ferrari 458 Italia in the GTE Pro class for the factory AF Corse team.
Kobayashi joins a select band of Ferrari factory GT drivers, which includes Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarolo Fisichella and Toni Vilander.
Kobayashi, 26, said: "It's an honour for me to become part of the Ferrari family. I will work hard and give my all in this new chapter of my career.
"I can't wait to start working with AF Corse and really hope I can aim for the title."
The Japanese tested for Ferrari at Aragon in Spain last month along with another F1 refugee, Karun Chandhok.
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The identity of Kobayashi's co-driver for the eight-round WEC is not expected to be announced until next week. Finn Vilander, who is on Ferrari's roster of factory drivers, is among the candidates.
Bruni and Fisichella, who led the driver line-up that took AF to the teams' title and Ferrari to the manufacturers' crown, are expected to remain together.
Olivier Beretta, who was nominated by AF for its #71 car, is racing for the Risi Competizione Ferrari squad in the American Le Mans Series and will not be part of AF's full-time line-up.
Nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb's team is set to withdraw its entry for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.
Sebastien Loeb Racing was due to contest the 24 Hours for the first time this season with an ORECA-Nissan 03 LMP2 alongside an assault on the European Le Mans Series with the same car.
It is understood that the team has been unable to raise the necessary finance for the programme.
Loeb's squad will instead concentrate on twin campaigns in the FIA GT Series and French GT Championship with a pair of McLaren MP4-12C GT3s and its attack on the French Porsche Carrera Cup.
No comment was available from the team.
A withdrawal by Loeb would move the Swiss Race Performance squad up from the reserve entry list for Le Mans and also leave former Peugeot factory man Franck Montagny out of a drive.
Loeb started his team ahead of last season, running in both the ELMS and the Carrera Cup. It also took part in the Le Mans test day with the ORECA as a precursor to its proposed assault on the 24 Hours this year.
The rally legend will be racing full-time for his team this year in the GT Series, which has replaced the GT1 World Championship.
Loeb will compete in 4 rallies for the 2013 season: Monte Carlo, Sweden, Argentina and France.
Toyota will be unable to challenge Audi at next month's Le Mans 24 Hours unless there are changes to the engine regulations in time for the race, according to the Japanese manufacturer.
Technical director Pascal Vasselon explained that his team's analysis from Spa showed that the current Balance of Performance significantly favours Audi's turbodiesel powerplant over its own normally-aspirated petrol engine.
"We are not happy with the situation and if we are not happy it is because we know we cannot fight them," he told AUTOSPORT. "As it is, our chances at Le Mans are very, very small."
The comments are in contrast to Toyota's official post-race press statement from last weekend's Spa round of the World Endurance Championship, which carried the more optimistic line that it was 'back in the game'.
Vasselon called on the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the FIA, which jointly write the rules for the WEC (of which Le Mans is the blue-riband round), to adjust the BoP ahead of the 24 Hours.
"We consider that an evolution of the BoP is needed," he said. "The process [to change it] exists, it is underway and we will have to see what it delivers.
"We do not underestimate how difficult it is for the FIA and the ACO to do it right, but we believe that they want to do it right."
Vasselon estimated that the latest Audi R18 e-tron quattro now has a power advantage over the Toyota TS030 HYBRID in the region of 70-80bhp.
ACO sports manager Vincent Beaumesnil said: "The process is ongoing; we always analyse all the data. I cannot tell you more, except that it is the case with all classes."
Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich argued that the results of Spa cannot provide sufficient evidence that a change is necessary.
"How can someone come to the first race without their new car and then bring one to the second race and complete only half the race [the 2013 Toyota retired in the fourth hour] and ask for a change in the BoP?" he said.
"The new Toyota, which was doing its first race, was at least comparable to our Le Mans car."
ECONOMY TURNED INTO POWER
Toyota and Audi, Spa WEC 2013Toyota believes that a mistake was made over the winter when the engine air-restrictor diameter for turbodiesels was reduced by three per cent but the fuel capacity was left unchanged.
"What was wrong last year was to concentrate only on the power side and leave the fuel," said Vasselon. "If we leave one of the two open, then diesel technology can exploit this."
Vasselon argued that Audi had turned a significant fuel economy advantage in 2012 into power for this season. That is an option that is readily available to the German manufacturer courtesy of the greater efficiency of the diesel combustion process over that of petrol.
"Last year, they were running three or four more laps than us; this year they are running two laps less," he explained. "We are looking at an increase in consumption of more than 20 percent."
AUDI SANDBAGGING
Audi Spa WEC 2013Vasselon also claimed that Toyota's solo 2013-spec TS030 looked more competitive in the race than in qualifying at Spa because Audi did not show its true hand, particularly with the third-placed long-tail R18.
"We looked better in the race but it was entirely related to the engine settings [of the Audi]," he said.
Asked if that meant he believed that Audi had chosen to run less power for the race, he said: "Exactly; it is a clear conclusion."
Audi finished one-two-three in the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday. The new Toyota led the race but failed to finish, while the 2012-spec car ended up a lap down in fourth.
Toyota and the other petrol-engined LMP1 prototypes have been handed a performance break ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours next month.
Petrol-powered P1s have been granted an extra three litres of fuel capacity by the FIA endurance committee, which brings the Toyota TS030 HYBRID up 76 litres and non-hybrids entries such as Rebellion Racing's Lola-Toyota B12/60s up to 78 litres.
The move follows the domination of the opening two rounds of the World Endurance Championship by the turbodiesel Audi R18 e-tron quattro, which has not been affected by the latest Balance of Performance changes.
Toyota argued in the wake of this month's Spa round that Audi has been able to turn the fuel consumption advantage it enjoyed last year into horsepower.
Pascal Vasselon, Toyota Motorsport GmbH's technical director, said that it had been a mistake to only adjust the size of the engine air-restrictors over the winter.
There have also been minor changes to the Balance of Performance in the GTE Pro class for Le Mans: the Aston Martin Vantage GTE has had its minimum weight raised by 10kg and the new Porsche 911 RSR has been granted a larger restrictor.
The team behind the GreenGT hydrogen-electric prototype racer due to take up the 'Garage 56' entry for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours has withdrawn from the event.
The GreenGT H2 is powered by an emissions-free hydrogen fuel cell and had run on track for the first time in April, but will not follow through with its Le Mans entry.
Managing director Jean-Francois Weber believes the 2013 event would come too soon for the car to be run properly.
"The GreenGT H2 is already showing great potential and has great scope for improvement," said Weber. "However, the complexity and cost of this unique model requires the use of extremely rigorous methods and very time-consuming new procedures.
"We are only at the beginning of this adventure, and it is essential for us not to cut corners and continue the development of the GreenGT H2."
The car's place will be taken by the ProSpeed Porsche.
Vincent Beaumesnil, sports director of the ACO, added that the organisation would still promote the GreenGT during Le Mans week and hinted at a World Endurance Championship appearance for the car.
GreenGT"The technology of the GreenGT H2 is perfectly in line with the spirit of innovation that ACO intends to promote with Box 56. It works, and the ACO was right in believing in the technological merits of this project," he said.
"But the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a high endurance event, and it is premature for the GreenGT H2 to take up this challenge.
"However, we will continue to support this initiative and, together with GreenGT, we will soon announce a worldwide demonstration tour which will take place during the same week as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and, possibly, an unranked presence at the start of a World Endurance Championship race, as the regulations allow the presence of this type of vehicle on the starting grid."
Caterham has announced plans to participate at this month's 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category.
For the 90th edition of the race, Caterham will use the #41 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan in the LMP2 category with Caterham F1 Team Reserve Driver and Caterham Racing GP2 driver Alexander Rossi, along with Tom Kimber-Smith (LMP2 class winner) and Lotus F1 Team co-owner Eric Lux.
The LMP2 prototype is actually based on Greaves Motorsport's design but with modifications brought by Caterham's team. Caterham Technology CEO Mike Gascoyne declared "we have the tools, the talent and the heritage to do the job in a marketplace that is currently light on existing players so it makes sense for us to go and see first-hand how we might take advantage of business opportunity that fits with our capabilities."
Caterham's LMP2 car will be seen on track at Le Mans this weekend for the official ACO test, followed on June 22/23 by the race itself.
Porsche's first challenger for outright honours at the Le Mans 24 Hours for 16 years has run for the first time ahead of schedule.
The new Porsche LMP1 hybrid was given a rollout today on the German manufacturer's Weissach test track at its research and development facility by factory driver Timo Bernhard.
The shakedown for the coupe, which has been built to the 2014 energy-based LMP1 rulebook for next year's World Endurance Championship, was described as "several weeks" ahead of schedule. It had been indicated by Porsche that the car would hit the track in July.
Fritz Enzinger, head of LMP1 at Porsche, said: "We are well on schedule. 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 and present us with completely new challenges."
Bernhard, who won Le Mans in 2010 while on loan to Porsche sister marque Audi, said that he was "very proud that I was the one to take our baby through its paces today".
"Already the car feels great," he continued. "I look forward to testing the vehicle in the coming weeks and months with my friend and colleague Romain Dumas [the only other driver confirmed for Porsche's 2014 WEC line-up]."
Porsche has yet to reveal technical details or a name or type number for its new LMP1 coupe. It has only stated that it will be powered by a petrol engine.
ZEOD RC - the world's fastest electric racing car that will reach speeds of more than 300km/h with electric technology at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
A car of the same specification was located in Italy, and leased to Krohn Racing for the 24 hours. The car had to be stripped and rebuilt to ACO / GTE Am specification, and the team did so in 9 hours.
Bit če tu svega,a mischelin ima "novu" intermedi gumu koja izgleda kao slick,nema brazdi nekakav "spužva sistem" ;D
Bogami, i biciklizam je zabavniji od ovoga ::);D ;D ;D
Cekaj, ono sa starta samog, prvi krugovi? Strasno, bas strasno.
"Lotus - Lots of trouble, usually serious" ;D ;D
Bio je treči u trenutku sudara.....mada se teško izljetanje može pripisat vozaču imo
ostao im je još #97....a novi SRS je opet u vodstvu
Bio je treči u trenutku sudara.....mada se teško izljetanje može pripisat vozaču imo
ostao im je još #97....a novi SRS je opet u vodstvu
Ma Porsche ce to uzet sada sigurno... Steta