AUDI ON TOP IN ELECTRIFYING HYBRID DEBUT

A dream debut Audi's new hybrid e-tron R18 as the #1 car driven by Fässler, Lotterer and Treluyer, the winning trio of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011, setting the fastest time of day one in the lead up to the Spa 6 hour race this weekend. Audi dominated taking the top four places in a dry practice. Former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld in the Lola-Toyota #12 of Rebellion Racing was the quickest of the petrol powered cars but he was well off the pace set by the dominant Audi team. Olivier Pla led the way in LMP2 with the Morgan-Judd #24 of OAK Racing with a time of 2'10'058, improving by nearly six tenths of the time achieved by Soheil Ayari before the lunch break. The Lola-Judd of Status GP occupied second place, (as it did in the first free practice session), before leaving the track. Third was the Oreca-Nissan #26 of Signatech-Nissan driven by Nelson Panciatici, a rookie in endurance racing who has adapted quickly to his new discipline.

TOYOTA RETURN TO TESTING AS AUDI DEBUT AT SPA

Although they won't be at Spa for round two of the World Endurance Championship the Toyota TS030 hybrid will be a the track this weekend. The team will complete a functionality test of its new chassis at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. Following the accident at Paul Ricard on 4 April, which damaged the monocoque of the first TS030, the team has worked hard to accelerate production of a second car. This will be completed directly before transportation to the one-day functionality test. A total of seven test days were cancelled in April as a result of the testing accident, giving the team no opportunity to validate the aerodynamic and hybrid system specifications intended for its first race. So the team had no choice but to miss the WEC Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps event, which takes place on 3-5 May. Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “I would like to express my thanks to the staff members at Toyota Motorsport GmbH who have worked so hard to deliver our second monocoque ahead of schedule. Now we have a very intense testing programme to prepare for Le Mans, beginning with an initial functionality test to shakedown our systems.”

TOYOTA TESTS TERRIFIC TS030

TOYOTA Racing has completed a successful first full test of the new TS030 HYBRID car which will compete in the LMP1 category in selected races of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team spent three days at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France for the first full test of the TS030 HYBRID, following a three-day roll-out at the same circuit earlier this month. Using the a configuration of the track which includes the complete Mistral Straight, all three race drivers - Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima - had the opportunity to test the new car, which features the THS-R (TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing) power-train. The test programme built on the positive work already achieved during the TS030 HYBRID’s roll-out, when systems checks and basic set-up analysis was carried out.

REJECTED INDYCAR DESIGN TO RUN AT LE MANS

The DeltaWing project, rejected by Indycar, will get a new lease of life with the announcement that Highcroft racing intend to run a two seat version of the car at the 2012 Le Mans 24 hour race. The Project 56 group brings together the design talents of DeltaWing Racing Cars LLC, the manufacturing capabilities of Dan Gurney's All American Racers and back-to-back American Le Mans Series championship winning racing team, Highcroft Racing. American Le Mans Series founder Dr. Don Panoz has also joined the project as a key advisor. Le Mans organisers the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) have announced that the controversial new design will be given special dispensation to run as an additional 56th entry. The Project 56 Group is in discussion with engine partners to provide a 1.6-litre turbocharged power plant for the project producing only 300 horsepower. Key to the car's speed will be its light weight of only 475 kg and a low drag co-efficient of 0.24. The car features an extremely narrow front track – minimising the horsepower required to push the car to estimated speeds of 200mph.

PEUGEOT UNVEILS NEW LE MANS HYBRID AT GENEVA

Following the launch in Paris of the Peugeot 908 in February, a diesel-hybrid version of the new car has now been unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The new Peugeot 908 has been designed to comply with the latest Le Mans endurance racing regulations and will play a major part in the Brand’s 2011 environmental [...]

2010 FORMULA SAE AUSTRALASIA

PORSCHE UNVEIL 918 RSR AT DETROIT

Porsche is continuing to extend its performance in the field of hybrid technology with an exciting new release at this years North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The two-seater mid-engine coupé the 918 RSR clearly reveals what happens when the technology fitted in the 911 GT3 R hybrid and the design of the 918 Spyder are transferred to a modern, innovative super sports car. The 911 GT3 R hybrid racing car proved to be an attention magnet during competition racing on the Nuerburgring Nordschleife circuit, during the American Le Mans Series races (ALMS) in Road Atlanta/USA and the ILMC run in China's Zhuhai. It demonstrated its massive performance potential under realistic motor racing conditions against top competitors. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid, referred to internally as the “Race Lab" actually surpassed the high expectations of Porsche Motorsport. Competitiveness, high reliability and exemplary fuel efficiency combined with top performance under-scored the Porsche technicians' basic idea of generating additional power in an intelligent manner. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid obtains its additional power from its own vehicle dynamics when braking. Porsche is now transplanting this technology into the mid-engine coupé 918 RSR, the motor sports version of the 918 Spyder concept car.

SEE & HEAR (or not as the case may be) THE CITROEN SURVOLT

LE MANS CLASSIC LOOKS TO THE ELECTRIC FUTURE

The Le Mans classic is a bi-annual event featuring a stunning collection of classic sportscars from Le Mans legendary past. But this year, the classic will see the on-track debut of what many believe will be the racecar of tomorrow. French manufacturer Citroen will debut the "racing" version of it's Citroen's all-electric concept car, The Survolt. Appropriately the car will be driven by one of the most famous surnames in all Le Mans history.  Vanina Ickx, daughter of multiple Le Mans winner (and one time Bathurst winner) Jacky Ickx will be behind the wheel of the new car when it makes it's international on-track debut.

ELECTRIFYING GULLWING FROM MERCEDES AMG

The push towards high performance all electric vehicles takes another step forward as Mercedes Benz announces the SLS AMG E-CELL. With 392 kW and 880 Nm of torque, the car offers exceptional performance. The gullwing with electric drive is part of the company strategy entitled "AMG Performance 2015" which aims to continually reduce fuel consumption and emissions. With the SLS AMG E-CELL, Mercedes-AMG is providing a glimpse of its latest development project – a powerful and locally emission-free super sports car. Finished in fluorescent "AMG lumilectric magno" paint, the gullwing offers the prospect of a possible small series production run and at the same time reflects the innovative strength and development competence of the AMG performance brand. "We take social responsibility very seriously and with the SLS AMG E-CELL we are demonstrating a further milestone in our "AMG Performance 2015" strategy. It is our goal to continually reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of new models in the coming years, while at the same time enhancing the core brand value of performance", explains Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.