Ian Dawsons Radical LMP1 V10 Diesel for Sebring

[isynge]

After the PLM withdrawal does anyone know if the Radical is going to go to Laguna Seca or are the heat related problems insurmountable in this regard?

If so have we seen the last of the diesel powered Radical or is there any prospect for 2010?

[Canada ALMS fan]

It's too bad they withdraw as race day was much cooler than Friday. The engine would have been generating more power with the lower temps. It was nice to see this car at least turning laps after seeing it just sit in the paddock at Sebring in 2008. It seems now though they have made made three trips to the USA and have only taken one green flag, surely that can't help when pitching to sponsors. A member of the team told me they intend to run full season ALMS next year but had not found funding yet...

[Canada ALMS fan]

A nice little surprise... They are on the entry for Laguna Seca! Got to admire their spirit.

[isynge]

Ian Dawson being interviewed on RLM has basically drawn a line under the diesel engine. It's reliable but not quick and they didn't want to be in the way, especially when championships for others were at stake.

Have to respect his candour and overall class.

They hope to be back next year with a petrol engine. As ever wishing them the best of luck.

[MJ_N_09]

That's actually a wise decision, and they'll do better with petrol I bet.

[ger80]

Just not sure if the GT2 based engine will be competetive in 2010 - but its a good preparation for 2011 LMP2. Only not sure about the classes in ALMS in 2011. Dont think that we will see 2011 P1, 2011 P2 and LMPC.

[pablocomics]

They had too much problems to solve, the engine had no power enouth, they have a big overweigh (more than 1 ton was said by mulsane corner), the Radical chassis is old and isn´t very fast....

Probably next year they will be slow too but faster than the GT2, the radical needs a chassis power up.

[Bentley03]

An in depth interview with Ian Dawson on DAILY SPORTSCAR reveals that the ECO programme has been terminated. The team are looking for partners/funding to run the Radical as a conventional petrol prototype in 2010.

[The Badger]

Now , that sounds like a more practical idea to me .

Wonder how much wedge was wasted over the last few years on a white horse !!!

[isynge]

I'm reminded of the response of the SAS to the failed US attempt to rescue hostage in Iran in 1979/80.

Instead of joining the carping hordes, they made sure the American troops, when they staged through Oman, were met with a crate of beer with a simple message basically saying 'congratulations - for having the guts to try'.

It would be all too easy to point and say 'told you so' about the whole ECO project, but throughout it seems to have been professional, and the class they showed in withdrawing at Laguna Seca painted them in a very positive light. Okay, it didn't work, but how much more interesting have Ian Dawson and his crew been than than another mid-grid off the shelf customer would have been.

So - to all involved from my perspective, congratulations, commiserations, and sincerely hope to see you on the track in 2010.

[Dead-Eye]

Originally Posted by isynge

So - to all involved from my perspective, congratulations, commiserations, and sincerely hope to see you on the track in 2010.

Hear, hear!

[The Badger]

Congradulations for what exactly , please ?

[Mike_Wooshy]

what I liked about it wasnt the body work made from hemp or something ? and other inotive/"Green" things not just the engine being a diesel, I wonder if these things will continue ?

[isynge]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Congradulations for what exactly , please ?

I guess we see things differently.

From my perspective the whole ECO project was very ambitious in what it tried to do, not just running a production based diesel, but also taking other steps towards building and running an ecologically sustainable racing car. Bearing that in mind there were so many potential points of failure, especially given the limited resources behind them, that actually putting together a car that they showed could run reasonably reliably, if not particularly quickly for an LMP1, is an achievement in its own right, and that's something that I figure is worthy of congratulation.

In short, I salute them for having the guts to attempt something that was hard.

[cmk]

Originally Posted by isynge

I guess we see things differently.

From my perspective the whole ECO project was very ambitious in what it tried to do, not just running a production based diesel, but also taking other steps towards building and running an ecologically sustainable racing car. Bearing that in mind there were so many potential points of failure, especially given the limited resources behind them, that actually putting together a car that they showed could run reasonably reliably, if not particularly quickly for an LMP1, is an achievement in its own right, and that's something that I figure is worthy of congratulation.

In short, I salute them for having the guts to attempt something that was hard.

Agreed. Especially if you followed their project on DSC, you know that they tried a lot of out-of-the-box things when testing the car. Their technological development in the name of sustainability is to be commended.

[betablocker]

hi can i say ive been involved in this project, and i would like to say thank u for the praise from some of you guys. ive been reading this for sometime now so its been quite interesting everyones comments and hilarious the rumors that get churned up every now and again!!

now we wont be powered by a 'chelsea tractor' engine, albeit a good one, we hope to prove that we can at least show you how reliable this car actually was and worry some of the more 'experianced teams' come the end of the racing.