World Endurance Championship 2015

[TzeiTzei]

It's time to look at the next season. Toyota were very strong this year. They were clearly the only one who really had the whole package sorted. The chassis was good and the hybrid system worked. Porsche had fair amount of trouble keeping their pace through the race and Audi's power train simply lacked grunt. I have a feeling it will be closer next year. Porsche will be better prepared and Audi will hopefully find a way to make the jump to the higher MJ classes.

In LMP2 there will be more of new coupes coming. Strakka Dome, HPD, Oreca and SMP will all hopefully join the Ligier which seemed to be a clear step forward from the older open top LMP2s. Atm I'm not quite sure what is going on with Gibson (Zytek). I wonder if there will be any open tops left in WEC next year?

GTE will probably continue to be the same BoP mess it's been for a while now.

Calendar: all races are 6 hours except for Le Mans ofcourse.
1. 12.4 Silverstone
2. 2.5 Spa
3. 13-14.6 Le Mans

A gap way too long.

4. 30.8 Nürburgring
5. 19.9 Circuit of the Americas
6. 11.10 Fuji
7. 1.11 Shanghai
8. 21.11 Bahrain

And then some food for thought: could Nissan's new LMP1 be a front engined one? http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsnov14.html

[MadMatt]

Nissan with a front engineed LMP1 car and a combined power of 2000bhp?

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsjan15.html

[bdr529]

I read that yesterday and I couldn't stop looking at the drawing and thinking someone should dust off the old Panoz Esperante GTR-1 and put a new motor in it. (only if it were that easy)
It would be nice to see a "front" engine car in the top class again

1997 Panoz Esperante GTR-1 road car

[Sombrero]

It looks to me as it will be the most interesting racing car since a long time (Tyrrell P34/2 ?) !

It should be great fun for the designers and engineers to reinvent the wheel so to speak and to work on totally new ground.

I could think that they found a better concept aerowise with better aero and weight balance than the current "classical" LMP1 concept but what about the rate of development, the reliabilty, the special rear tyres and the position of the driver ? Will that car be performing on all tracks or only at Le Mans ? An inverted transaxle design with the gearbox and powershaft at the front (front drive) and the engine still in the back with the energy recovery system on the rear axle would be something astonishing... far more exotic than the Panoz's.

[henra]

I could think that they found a better concept aerowise with better aero and weight balance than the current "classical" LMP1 concept ...

Better Balance?
Possibly.
Better aero?
No way. The bulky Cockpit section needs to be as far away from the rear end in order to enable as good an aiflow to the upper side of the diffuser and rear wing as possible. Also for minimising drag you want as much pressure regain as possible. Therefore you don't want to have too steep rear ends with too high an adverse pressure gradient which will cause separation.

For the latter reason I somehow slightly doubt that they really go for a front engine concept. The other Top LMP1 are aerodynamically too refined that you can succeed with below average aerodynamics.

[MadMatt]

Don't forget they might get away with not running a rear wing, so the penalty is not THAT bad if they can really reduce drag.

[ajprice]

Don't forget they might get away with not running a rear wing, so the penalty is not THAT bad if they can really reduce drag.

I've seen in a few places that its front engined/front wheel drive, with hybrid rear drive combining to give 2000bhp, with a narrow rear track and no rear wing. Normally, I'd dismiss that as a load of rubbish, but Ben Bowlby is involved, he designed the Deltawing, so anything goes.

Google Translated article:
https://translate.google.co.uk/translat ... t=&act=url

[PlatinumZealot]

Nissan with a front engineed LMP1 car and a combined power of 2000bhp?

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsjan15.html

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/NissanLM ... -MF1a.jpeg

Very interesting. Maybe I should continue where I left of with my WEC design that i started in 2011?

[MadMatt]

Nissan with a front engineed LMP1 car and a combined power of 2000bhp?

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsjan15.html

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/NissanLM ... -MF1a.jpeg

Very interesting. Maybe I should continue where I left of with my WEC design that i started in 2011?

Do you have pictures of your design? I am interested to see it!

[FW17]

Are Nissan ever going to us the Renault Energy F1 unit?

There seems to be a mention of a Cosworth unit

[ajprice]

Porsche 919 2015
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117379

[Morteza]

[FW17]

Front wheel pod cannot get any uglier

[MadMatt]

First shots of the new Nissan:



http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/exclusive ... 1680363700

[RicME85]

From AMUS