Promec Engine Change

[Tim Northcutt]

I decided to start a new thread on this because it raises many questions in my mind....

Promec has decided to go either go back to the BMW 5.0 L engine that they originally tested in the car last year, or to go to another BMW engine (are there any others that fit the displacement guidelines for LMP 900s?) to replace the Sodemo Peugeot 3.4 L Turbo, and this is why they will not race at Spa this weekend....

I'm assuming that they are going back to the 5.0L engine since they have the gearboxes and other hookups they need from last year....please correct me if this is wrong....

This raises many questions for me:

1. Why would they run the Sodemo engine in the first place after testing the chassis last summer with the BMW engine when they had to know that the Sodemo engine was not competitive with other engine options, like the Judd or the Ford-derived engines based on racing results over the past couple of years?

2. Others have raced the BMW engine in the past, but have abandoned it for other options....why would they return to the BMW, when they apparently didn't like the results or would not have switched to the Sodemo in the first place for this year???

3. Does anyone know how this 5.0L BMW engine compares in physical dimensions - length, width and height - to a Judd 4.0L or 5.0L, or even to the Mugen engine (which didn't race too badly in the Kondo at LM this year...it showed decent speed....) and if they compare in size with the BMW, why wouldn't Promec look at something different for power that might give them an edge?

4. Why wouldn't they make that change AFTER Spa, unless they felt that the Sodemo power at that circuit would be a waste of time when they were planning to make the change????

On the surface, they obviously have data from their tests with the BMW, have a cowling that will fit over the engine that has been tested for aero and other factors, and have a good baseline to build from based on last year...it also has to be cheaper, since they already have the engines and don't have to buy anything up front with this change...at least they won't be starting from square one with this change...

Personally, I was expecting them to run the BMW from the beginning this year, because that was what they originally started with as they developed the car....now they have wasted five races with an engine that wasn't going to give them the horsepower they needed to run with the Judds and will miss Spa when they could have learned even more for next year by running the BMW from the start of this season...

Yes...they finished 2nd at Donnington...but that was due to the other front runners dropping out with mechanical issues...they were 3 laps off the pace....

Final Question:

Does anyone know of any helpful links where info can be gotten on the particulars of this 5.0 L engine (the racing version of it???

I didn't see it listed in Mike's site index...

Your thoughts and your guidance on these issues would be most appreciated....