Porsche LMP2 proto racer for 2006 Options

[Jeroen]

3.4 90 deg V8 - 480bhp (with ALMS restrictor)
sequencial 6 box
since this is a customer car, they kept the exotic materials to a minimum to reduce the cost of the car
750kg (appr. 1650#)

Penske will run it for the 2006 ALMS season but the first outings will be on Road Atlanta (oct 1st) and Laguna Seca (Oct. 16th)

I hope they made the right choice, cause LMP2 didn't look even close to being competible at LeMans last weekend...

Sure looks nice
I wouldn't mind having one (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/laugh.gif)

There's a link on the porsche site...
http://www3.us.porsche.com/usa/

[Rough_Rider]

Weren't they talking this would be a LMP 1 & 2 class car?

Customers could buy the car in LMP2 spec while the factory could campaign against the big boys in LMP1.

Lola or Ligier is also taking this stance as new prototype rules allow for same chassis with different engine (restrictor) specs. The Radical guys are even talking about a LMP car. Lovely :-)

Sod F1, i'll take endurance racing anyday.

[davep]

QUOTE (Rough_Rider @ Jun 21 2005, 07:30 AM)

Sod F1, i'll take endurance racing anyday.

Absolutely!

[Jeroen]

Anyone know why LMP2 was no where near competitive last weekend?

Previous years the LMP2's were pretty much up to speed with the LPM1's

Last weekend, the best LPM2 finished 21st, while the best GT2 (porsche GT3) finished 11th (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/screwy.gif)

Maybe because 2005 was an "in between year" where both new and old regulation cars could run?
Or because there were no big teams in LMP2?

[URY914]

Look what tires it's running. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

Paul

[groot]

From what I recall, when there are decent teams in LMP2 they can challenge for the lead based on fuel economy, but not on outright pace.

As I understand it, they don't stand a chance on the shorter races, but if the race is over 4 hours, it's possible.

[Rough_Rider]

QUOTE

Anyone know why LMP2 was no where near competitive last weekend?

LMP2 guys seemed to be in a mode of last man standing. I think every LMP2 car had some form of mechanical which sidelined them for good chunks of time.
The GT1 & GT2 boys seemed to have fewer problems this year. Just think how much track time has been put under the wheels of Porshe 996 RS's & RSR's in the past years. You'd hope they'd be reliable by now.

In contrast the prototypes are one-of's. I'm hoping the new rules will hold for a few years. Whereby the LMP2 guys can get their act together & ligimitally (sp?) aim for the outright win.
Its always possible a LMP2 can win as there lighter, thus easier on tyres & brakes. Less power also means less fuel consumption. So in theory given the right race they'll beat the LMP1 guys.

You gotta love endurance racing as there's always an underdog, always someone trying to treat it as multiple sprints. The tactics just make it way more enjoyable.

[maf914]

QUOTE (Jeroen @ Jun 21 2005, 08:31 AM)

Anyone know why LMP2 was no where near competitive last weekend? Previous years the LMP2's were pretty much up to speed with the LPM1's

That looks a lot like the Courage C65 LMP2 to me. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/idea.gif)

This past year several teams have gone to LMP2 in the ALMS, but so far their ability to finish races has not been very good. The first three races this year have seen few LMP2's make it to the finish. I think it comes down to budgets, which are tight in prototype racing in general. Lack of testing, lack of resources. I love the cars, but LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes are expensive. On the other hand, it's interesting to see the growing number of Daytona Sports Prototypes in Grand Am. They are not my favorites, but they do put on a good show and I do go to a race occassionally. The DSP's remind me of spec racers, not very exciting, no soul.

BTW, almost all of the top teams in ALMS and ELMS run Michelins. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/laugh.gif)

[Brett W]

QUOTE

Lack of testing, lack of resources. I love the cars, but LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes are expensive. On the other hand, it's interesting to see the growing number of Daytona Sports Prototypes in Grand Am. They are not my favorites, but they do put on a good show and I do go to a race occassionally. The DSP's remind me of spec racers, not very exciting, no soul.

Except when they run at Barber. That whole race sucked.

[Jeroen]

So, who thinks Porsche will slap a bigger engine into this chassis and will race it as a factory entry at LeMans 2006 in the LMP1 class?
They're denying it now, but it's not the first time they made a last minute announcement...

[Brett W]

You gotta wonder if this motor might be a production type piece that could end up in some production vehicle. MAybe Porsche would dump the 911 and finally come back to planet earth where sports car engines are in the middle or front.

[maf914]

I wonder if Porsche actually built this car or if it was secretly farmed out to one of the specialty builders like Dallara or Lola? Dallara has been involved with some great cars, like the Lancia LC1, Lancia LC2, Ferrari 333SP, the Dallara LMP and, according to rumor, the Audi R8. And TWR was behind the Jaguar XJR-14 based Porsche LMP which won Lemans in 96 and 97.

Does anyone know if Porsche built the carbon fiber tubs for the GT1-98 or the open prototype LMP they built with the V-10 that was tested but not raced? Or was there someone else behind the scenes?

[Jeroen]

It's very unlikely that Porsche produced those tubs themselves
They don't produce the c/f chassis of the Carrera GT either
(I can't remember who does, but I *think* it's an Italian company)

Actually, Porsche doesn't produce much at all.
Basically, they design and assemble
Pretty much all of the fabrication is farmed out...

[maf914]

A couple more photos.

[maf914]

I like this view.

[maf914]

One more.

[Cap'n Krusty]

More info and pix at www.autoextremist.com

Enjoy! The Cap'n

[VegasRacer]

Will Porsche go beyond the ALMS?
2005-04-27 ALMS LEMANS BUSINESS
Bill Oursler

When Porsche announced that it would not only build its first prototype of the 21st century, but had hired Roger Penske to oversee and run it, many within the racing community asked the same question that once was asked by the great singer Peggy Lee: "Is that all there is?"

In fact, the press release issued by the German manufacturer revealing its new LM Prototype category 2 spyder for the American Le Mans Series left more questions unanswered than it answered. While most companies would have at least held a press conference in similar circumstances, Porsche almost seemed to want to hide the fact that it had gone back into the prototype business after an absence stretching back to its last Le Mans 24-Hour triumph in 1998 with its carbon fiber chassis 911GT1 LM98 coupe.

Throughout the winter and into the early spring rumors had been circulating that the Zuffenhausen-based firm would build a LMP2 spyder. The natural follow-on rumor was of a more potent LMP1 version to compete against the reported 2006 diesel entries from both Audi and Peugeot, which are expected to battle it out at the Sarthe a year from now. What was a shock was Penske Racing's role in the mix.

Indeed, there were many within the Porsche universe itself, as well as those connected to Penske, who did not know of the agreement between the two until it was made public just prior to the ALMS Road Atlanta weekend. So tightlipped has Porsche been about the project that sources have said the company only announced it when it did because it wanted to contain the rumors and regain some control over the information making it to the public forum.

That fact was clearly evident in that Porsche only said the LMP2 entry was a 2006 effort on behalf of the North American market, declining to reveal further specifics such as the engine to be used, the drivers and the location where the program will be based. Since Road Atlanta, it has become known that the effort, after a brief initial stay at Penske's Reading, PA, Indy Car shops, will move to Penske South in Moorseville, NC, where Penske's NASCAR operations are housed in a splendid new facility.

In addition, it has been learned that the first car will arrive in June for testing in preparation for an expected debut at Road Atlanta in September for the ALMS' signature Petit Le Mans. The drivers for this effort are expected to be former Porsche ALMS GT class titlists Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr. Still, perhaps the most important revelation is the configuration of its engine, which will be a purpose-built 3.4-liter V8 that has been two years in the making.

And why is that important?

Two reasons. First, ever since it quit racing as a factory after the 1998 season, Porsche's top management has made little secret of the fact that it believes motorsport to be "a black hole" in terms of the financial investment needed to support it. Only because it can sell between 200 and 300 units a year has the factory supported the customer-driven 911 GT3 coupes upon which have rested its recent competition fortunes. Given the fact that for LMP2 it would have been more than adequate and far less expensive to utilize a destroked version of the 4.5-liter V8 currently used in its Cayenne SUV, one must ask why the approval to spend money on a new "for-racing-only" unit to do the same job.

Second, and more to the point, "Why Penske?" The Captain historically has not involved himself in "Second Cabin" projects, which the Porsche LMP2 most definitely is. So now comes the Peggy Lee part. What is it that has brought both Porsche and Penske to this point? What more can we expect?

One obvious possibility is the development of a LMP1 spyder. Clearly that would be an attractive proposition for Penske who has only once seriously attacked Le Mans, and who many think is a road racer at heart. If Penske were to win at the Sarthe it would mean that he has won not only in Formula One, Indianapolis and NASCAR, but also the most important event on the sportscar calendar. Still, there are no guarantees that Porsche, even though the bulk of the engineering for a LMP1 spyder exists in the LMP2 car, will actually commit to such a project. In fact, insiders have said that the company most likely will eschew entering the premier prototype division of the Sarthe and the ALMS in the near future, preferring to sell customer versions of its LMP2 entry instead in 2007.

Thus, if the LMP1 avenue is closed to Penske, what's left? The answer is intriguing, for about the only place left is the IRL, which in 2007 is expected to change its engine regulations, or at least implement a new version of its current powerplant rules. Further, there are strong suggestions that Toyota, which presently supplies Penske with his IRL V8s, may quit Tony George's single-seat series for a full-time NASCAR Nextel Cup effort. Moreover, even though some insiders have said that George and the IRL are considering including NASCAR-type stock blocks in the new '07 scriptures, most believe that there will still be a place for 3.0-liter non-turbo V8s now in use.

If that happens, it is not a far leap in logic to think that the 3.4-liter LMP2 Porsche V8 could well undergo a transformation into an IRL contender, giving Porsche the best shot it has ever had of winning North America's most prestigious motorsports race.

Will that become reality? Could it become reality? The answer to the second question is a definite yes. The answer to the first is a definite maybe. In the meantime, we all will be waiting for the response to Ms. Lee's plaintive inquiry.