Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours and Repetition

[hondafan37]

Originally Posted by GasperG

Perhaps no MJ limit hybrid? You could run engine as generator and use only electric motors for drive. Such a engine would have to produce 15 kWh electiricty over a lap at LeMans, so it could run at constant 260 kW, that would make it a smaller engine.

I know the sound would be a constant annoying thing, but it would be something new not tried before.

It would be interesting to see a similar system to the Jaguar C-X 75 with electric motors in each wheel and gas microturbines as generator.

[billy bleach]

Story on Autosport End of McLaren GT?

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Story on Autosport End of McLaren GT?

Nah, in the usual Autosport manner they've left an important bit of information to a single sentence at the end - if this happens, it's to move the project in house. Strakka were brought on to run the GT3 cars and it was said that was to prepare them for running McLaren GTE cars. So I don't see the project being binned.

[MagVanisher]

Originally Posted by hondafan37

It would be interesting to see a similar system to the Jaguar C-X 75 with electric motors in each wheel and gas microturbines as generator.

And let's not forget that the gas turbine should run on hydrogen fuel in order to make it more environment-friendly.

Now then, I was wondering if there would be more privateer LMP1 cars for next year? Sure that having 3 more cars on the grid would be nice, but will they stay for 2019?

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Nah, in the usual Autosport manner they've left an important bit of information to a single sentence at the end - if this happens, it's to move the project in house. Strakka were brought on to run the GT3 cars and it was said that was to prepare them for running McLaren GTE cars. So I don't see the project being binned.

Doesn't CRS own the IP?

[Akrapovic]

Not sure they own the IP. I imagine McLaren Automotive own the IP, they just license it to CRS. But I'm just guessing at that, someone here will surely know more. It'd be an odd time to end it, unless McLaren now have the facilities ready to do it in house.

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Not sure they own the IP. I imagine McLaren Automotive own the IP, they just license it to CRS. But I'm just guessing at that, someone here will surely know more. It'd be an odd time to end it, unless McLaren now have the facilities ready to do it in house.

McLaren Auto license to CRS, McLaren retain ownership of any IP

CRS are essentially contractors for McLaren.

This sounds like a mere formality, I imagine a lot of CRS staff will be retained in any new efforts, but under the McLaren Auto company...

If anything, I'd say this signals a future increase in GT activity, as the actual manufacturer want to be directly involved

Zak Brown said they are looking at GTE, and the addition of Dan Warmsely from Strakka points towards that end.

With the new 720s out, I imagine we will see that as the new GT platform soon, over GTE and hopefully GT3 too. I'd say 2019, question is could McLaren handle launching a GTE and GT3 at once as well as setting up a factory effort for the WEC

The 570s GT4 still has a plenty more life in it

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

McLaren Auto license to CRS, McLaren retain ownership of any IP

CRS are essentially contractors for McLaren.

This sounds like a mere formality, I imagine a lot of CRS staff will be retained in any new efforts, but under the McLaren Auto company...

If anything, I'd say this signals a future increase in GT activity, as the actual manufacturer want to be directly involved

Zak Brown said they are looking at GTE, and the addition of Dan Warmsely from Strakka points towards that end.

With the new 720s out, I imagine we will see that as the new GT platform soon, over GTE and hopefully GT3 too. I'd say 2019, question is could McLaren handle launching a GTE and GT3 at once as well as setting up a factory effort for the WEC

The 570s GT4 still has a plenty more life in it

Retain the staff? I gather it is one of the most unhappy places on earth to work. This list of former staff is long......

[chernaudi]

I don't know how seriously to take this but John Dagys posted a tweet that there's potentially some ominous or weird news to come out of Le Mans in the coming days. He gives no hints as to what it is, so it should at this stage be taken with a grain of salt. But given the unexpected Audi Sport pull out of the WEC at the end of last season, and if the news is indeed bad or strange, there are some possibilities (note, I'm definitely not an optimist when it comes to the goings on in racing):

Toyota or Porsche scaling back or pulling out of the WEC

LMP2 top speeds getting capped

Strange goings on in GTE-Pro BOP

LMP1 privateer prospects taking an unexpected hit for next season

Goings on with the 2018 WEC schedule

Or it could just be John embellishing something he heard to make it more click-baity, since SC365 is funded, like many websites, by the number of clicks it gets based on ads/sponsorship.

As mentioned, I tend to be negative about stuff in racing because ever since I got access to the internet I've seen projects either come and go quickly or never materialize. And hence, it's hard for me to be optimistic about stuff in racing. But it could be something bad, something good, something indifferent, or nothing at all at this stage--the bad thing with rumors, especially when the person starting them gives no details.

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

I don't know how seriously to take this but John Dagys posted a tweet that there's potentially some ominous or weird news to come out of Le Mans in the coming days. He gives no hints as to what it is, so it should at this stage be taken with a grain of salt. But given the unexpected Audi Sport pull out of the WEC at the end of last season, and if the news is indeed bad or strange, there are some possibilities (note, I'm definitely not an optimist when it comes to the goings on in racing):

Toyota or Porsche scaling back or pulling out of the WEC

LMP2 top speeds getting capped

Strange goings on in GTE-Pro BOP

LMP1 privateer prospects taking an unexpected hit for next season

Goings on with the 2018 WEC schedule

Or it could just be John embellishing something he heard to make it more click-baity, since SC365 is funded, like many websites, by the number of clicks it gets based on ads/sponsorship.

Chassis BoP in LMP2 as a result of the Oreca domination on test day is a very real possibility as well.

[Akrapovic]

Yeah the LMP2 regs do actually allow for a BoP, it's just never been used. Given how it's played out, I could believe they'd do it.

[chernaudi]

BOP in a way is useless because everyone's running the same engine. However, there's a fairly big descrepency in performance between Oreca and everyone else that's shown up at LM that hasn't really been evident elsewhere.

[canaglia]

agree, won't be surprised to see ligier, dallara and the lonely riley pushed down to 900 or 915kg. But honestly, very likely it won't change anything.

Dallara LD package is crap.... basically dallara lmp2 without any downforce...

Riley seems to don't have a LD package at all, having always been the slowest lmp2 in fast tracks like daytona. HD package is nothing special as well...

Guess ligier lmp2 is the only package as competitive as oreca, just a bit more draggy maybe... main difference is that top lmp2 teams use orecas

[deggis]

I'd exclude any kind LMP1/GTE manufacturer pullout or scale back: who would announce such bad news just before _the_ race? Not to mention that these sort of decisions are usually made in at the end of the year.

And here is the original tweet:

https://twitter.com/johndagys/status/873202632999010304

I have a feeling it’s going to be a very crazy news week at Le Mans, and not for good reasons. I sure hope I’m wrong.

[Scorchess]

I don't think the 'feelings' of John Dagys should count for anything.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Scorchess

I don't think the 'feelings' of John Dagys should count for anything.

He's gotten a little better since the "Ferrari lmp1" debacle

[Scorchess]

Must have missed that, but I still remember the 'Audi considering DPi' headline that had an article underneath it where it said 'Audi is not considering DPi'.

[seanyb505]

Originally Posted by TF110

He's gotten a little better since the "Ferrari lmp1" debacle

Lol nah

[Articus]

What are the odds that brands like Mercedes, Mclaren, Honda enter LM24 in 2020? Mercedes has already achieved everything possible, Mclaren are lacking identity outside of F1, and Honda look out of place in F1


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[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Articus

What are the odds that brands like Mercedes, Mclaren, Honda enter LM24 in 2020? Mercedes has already achieved everything possible, Mclaren are lacking identity outside of F1, and Honda look out of place in F1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

McLaren are always talking about a GTE entry. That's apparently why Strakka have the works GT3 cars at the moment - to prep for that car being a GTE car in it's next generation.

Honda...with hybrids? They barely last 24 minutes.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

McLaren are always talking about a GTE entry. That's apparently why Strakka have the works GT3 cars at the moment - to prep for that car being a GTE car in it's next generation.

Honda...with hybrids? They barely last 24 minutes.

Honda, maybe. HPD? Infinitely better at it and importantly can admit oops, we need to try again

[Akrapovic]

HPD Would be awesome, but I imagine they'd need support to do the hybrids. That's if hybrids stick around of course. But I imagine the top brass would want it run out of Japan tbh. I'd think HPD would do a better job though.

[StueyB83]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

McLaren are always talking about a GTE entry. That's apparently why Strakka have the works GT3 cars at the moment - to prep for that car being a GTE car in it's next generation.

Well at this rate, at least they can bypass a number of FIA crash testing simulations.

[Adam43]

The Panoz has its own thread. Who'd have thought?http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150639

I'll move the spots from that over to there...

[FormulaFox]

IMSA possibly considering a PFV(Performance Factory Vehicle) class for Weathertech series? Sounds like wishful thinking to me, but the rumor's making the rounds with the contacts I talk to.

But I won't lie... I'd love to see it. I think that's the only class IMSA could add that could actually improve things. (not to mention a PFV class could make a great fallback should Stateside interest in LMP2/DPi falter)