Race Tech 09.2021

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POWER TECH 51

BELOW Delta produced sensible route for most categories at present. Dowson says he expects this OEM involvement to
its own road-legal four- “I think the work that TOCA has done with the be the driving force in bringing electric and hybrid
seat electric coupé, the powertrains into motorsport: “It’s the OEMs and the
Delta E4, to showcase BTCC hybrid system is exactly the right approach,” series promoters that are really pushing the move
its whole-vehicle he comments. “It’s shown tangible benefits to towards electrification at the moment, and I think
engineering capabilities performance and efficiency, but it’s still relatively that will remain the case. Motorsport is likely to
affordable. Moving to a fully-electric powertrain follow the mainstream automotive industry.”
would be a far bigger step.”
Nonetheless, he says there’s the potential for
Electrification has proved a big draw for OEMs in technology transfer to flow both ways as electric
recent years. Following a number of high-profile and hybrid powertrains become more common in
defections from Formula 1 and sports cars to motorsport. And it’s all about focusing on the right areas.
Formula E, we’re now seeing growing interest in the
LMDh hybrid category. Meanwhile, Audi, one of the Although it is theoretically possible for small
brands returning to sports cars with LMDh, is also specialist suppliers like Delta Cosworth to produce
working on a range-extended electric vehicle (EV) to their own cells, Dowson doesn’t see it as an
compete in the Dakar Rally. economically viable approach. When it comes to cell

Keep an open mind: some people put

all their efforts into one technology,
only for it to fall by the wayside”

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52 POWER TECH Delta Cosworth

manufacture, even automotive OEMs can struggle cylindrical cells are down to a particular size, the ABOVE Whether
with buying power compared to the consumer designs are often not far from changing again. We through hybrid or
electronics giants. Instead, he says, the best option is draw on our motorsport background to help us EV propulsion, data
to keep an eye on the next-generation technologies adapt to new technology very quickly and make the connectivity or
that are approaching production. Every type of most of whatever is the best fit at the time. It’s also automation technology,
cell has its own operating range and packaging important to keep an open mind on what’s out there; Cosworth is well placed
constraints (the three main formats being pouch, we’ve seen some people put all their efforts into one to solve new challenges
prismatic and cylindrical cells). technology, only for it to fall by the wayside.” with mobility solutions
of the future
“For a company like us, it’s all about being reactive,” Delta already has many years’ experience of
he notes. “At the point where you think that, say, harnessing the latest cell technology to create LEFT Delta MD Simon
bespoke battery packs. This includes work on Dowson believes the
battery design and systems integration for fuel acquisition by Cosworth
cell vehicles. Likewise, the company has already will take the business to
produced its own electric machine for a micro the next level
turbine-based catalytic generator designed for
applications such as range extenders.

This opens up the possibility of the Cosworth group
producing its own motor generator units to complete
the capabilities required for an electrified powertrain.
Cosworth CEO Hal Reisiger acknowledges that the
acquisition of Delta marks “a pivotal moment”
for Cosworth as it advances its offering in the

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POWER TECH 53

electrification space. ABOVE Vehicle-level that are losing. Standardising parts of the
“We are pleased to welcome Delta into control systems design also frees up budget for the teams
are one of Delta’s to innovate in other areas.”
the Cosworth Group, and to integrate development streams
their expertise and patented intellectual When it comes to motorsport, in
property into our portfolio, alongside BELOW Delta’s recent years, the Cosworth name has
our existing capabilities,” he says. “As a experience with appeared most frequently in connection
growing business, we continue to explore battery design to electronics. But its engines once
additional opportunities to accelerate our would be a good fit dominated US open-wheel racing with
roadmap to electrification and increase with the fledgling nine consecutive CART championships;
our technology portfolio.” Electric GT series and the company is still only bested by
Mercedes and Ferrari when it comes to
Fixed cell design its incredible 176 grand prix victories
during the Ford-Cosworth era. With the
So, with so many new electrified series enhanced capabilities brought by Delta,
on the horizon, which one has caught it’s just possible that we could see the
Dowson’s eye? “What the FIA is doing Cosworth name returning to the winner’s
with the Electric GT Championship is rostrum in the new electrified era.
really interesting,” he replies. “I think
the approach there is good with a fixed
cell design, which the teams can build
into packs. Our experience with battery
design and vehicle-level control systems
would be a good fit, so that’s something
we’re keen to get involved with.”

He’s in favour of a degree of
standardisation across powertrain
designs, he explains: “We need to reduce
the costs by making parts of the package
similar or the same, and we need to
ensure healthy competition by closing
the gap between the teams that can
afford all the engineering support and
those that can’t. Otherwise, the ones at
the top who are winning all the time can
get bored every bit as quickly as those

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54 LE MANS Glickenhaus

AS a former film director of some repute Adrenal Media/WEC
– who has ‘The Exterminator’ on his
CV among many other movies – Jim
Glickenhaus loves a good story.

The American’s career on the silver screen (he’s an
actor too) could have been even more spectacular
had he moved to Hollywood, as was suggested many
times, but he never wanted to give up living in New
York: it’s his home and where all his friends are.

It’s also home to his incredible car collection and
his Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus squad (often
shortened to SCG, with Cameron being the name of
his wife) which is taking on Le Mans this year. And
in that, Jim was inspired by a true story that also
became a movie: Ford versus Ferrari.

REWRITING
LE MANS
HISTORY

A career on the silver screen taught Jim Glickenhaus
to recognise a great script when he saw it. Beating
the reigning champions, Toyota, at Le Mans would
be the best yet... By Anthony Peacock

True, the situation isn’t in any way similar, but the RIGHT The
storyline does have a few broad themes in common. Scuderia Cameron
Little-known American racing team takes on Glickenhaus
established giant at Le Mans, using a car they’ve built 007 Hypercar is
themselves specifically for the 24-hour epic. The odds developed at a
are massively stacked against them, and yet… fraction of the
budget of its
Underdogs manufacturer rival

But there’s even more of a twist. Back in the 1960s,
there’s no way that you could have really called
Ford a David to Ferrari’s Goliath (after all, Ford
had just attempted to buy Ferrari) but these days
Glickenhaus is genuinely dwarfed by its key Le Mans
rival, Toyota. It really is a case of the underdogs
taking on the world. And that’s even before Audi
and Ferrari turn up at La Sarthe, as they have
promised to in the near future.
Glickenhaus is spending what it describes as
“a fraction of the budget” of Toyota on its new

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LE MANS 55

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56 LE MANS Glickenhaus

BELOW & RIGHT
The Ford that beat
Ferrari (right) is one
of the inspirations
for SCG’s chase of
Toyota (below)

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LE MANS 57

Hypercar. But what’s lacking in cash same Hinwil facility as utilised by the Alfa That’s the true unreconstructed
is made up for in goodwill, ingenuity, Romeo Formula 1 team. This power is American spirit needed to win at Le Mans
engagement, and sheer passion. distributed through an Xtrac seven-speed coming out, just like a line from Ford
Glickenhaus isn’t just a team but a bona sequential gearbox, with drive going to versus Ferrari. But the driver line-up is in
fide car constructor (more on this later). the rear wheels. fact mostly French, with three top stars
And the ambitions are stratospheric. from the Le Mans host nation (former
A lot of the work has focused on tyre Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, as well
“A car made in America hasn’t won development with Michelin: particularly as Olivier Pla and Franck Mailleux) plus
first overall at Le Mans since the Ford when it comes to making the rubber last Ryan Briscoe from Australia, Richard
MkIV GT40 in 1967,” Jim Glickenhaus through multiple stints. Michelin has had Westbrook from the United Kingdom and
told journalists at a recent test. “We to develop a new range of tyres for the Pipo Derani from Brazil.
think it’s time an American team wins two-wheel-drive Glickenhaus, and it had
there again.” to start that process long before the car The squad’s Hypercar campaign is still
was ready to run back in February. in its infancy but one thing is already
All-American ambition very clear: Glickenhaus is no ordinary
“It’s a complex issue,” explains team. In many ways, it’s a glorious
That’s an interesting story in itself, as this Glickenhaus. “And it’s all because anachronism that harks back to those
was the very car that Jim Glickenhaus Michelin had to develop the tyres glory years of the 1960s, when Ford first
initially believed he owned. But in actual virtually, because we couldn’t give them

Henry Ford Collection

fact, he owns the car that finished fourth Jim was inspired took on Ferrari. Compared to the strict
that year (and was later repainted as by a true story hierarchy in place at Toyota, for instance
the race-winning car by Ford as part of that also became (in common with all Japanese businesses)
a publicity tour). Hence the confusion, a movie: Ford Glickenhaus is run along strict anti-
and Jim’s renewed determination to versus Ferrari” corporate lines.
have a genuine all-American Le Mans-
winning car in his stable. a car early enough. But Michelin knows Responding to Facebook questions and
where the tyres need to be and I’m handling social media are Jim and his son
But as is always the case with modern confident they are going to get there.” Jesse directly. In fact, between them, they
motorsport, the Glickenhaus team is seem to do everything. Want to talk to
in fact a truly international outfit, with Pipo is a key partner, with 1,400 the boss of the company? Just message
the cars built partially in New York State horsepower seen during bench testing. him and he’ll answer straight away.
and partly in northern Italy by Podium Not only that but the engine’s strength Their answers are always honest, entirely
Engineering: a small outfit from the tiny was proved at the car’s race debut in transparent, and never political.
mountain town of Pont St Martin that’s Portimao when the 007’s 3.5-litre twin-
about to have a big effect in the world of turbo V8 powerplant was over-revved in Paranoid secrecy
international motorsport. a clutch-breaking incident. “The engine
went to 11,900 rpm, but it was still okay Motorsport of course is often governed
The engine has been developed by Pipo to keep racing,” reveals Glickenhaus. with paranoid secrecy: yet in so many
(well-known for its work with Ford and “Our engine is one tough bitch.” of the team’s videos, the complex
Hyundai rally engines, among others), Le engineering solutions behind the car
Mans legend Joest runs the cars – best- are revealed for all to see. It’s the sort of
known for its association with Audi – glasnost that’s actually never been seen
while all the wind tunnel work has taken before at this level.
place at Sauber in Switzerland, using the
And that’s actually part of the

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58 LE MANS Glickenhaus

RIGHT & BELOW inspiration that Jim takes from the 1960s: Photos: Pipo Moteurs
The Pipo Moteurs V8 not only the look of the actual 007
installed in the SCG Hypercar, whose breath-taking swoops
007 (right) and on the and curves definitely echo the golden
dyno (below), where age of sportscar racing – complete with
1,400 horsepower its classical livery and drivers’ overalls
was seen during – but also the spirit of competition of
pre-season testing the time. An era that was perhaps more
gentlemanly and less commercial.

This is something that the drivers pick
up on as well as the fans – who have a
unique connection to the team that they
just don’t find anywhere else.

But the nod to the past doesn’t mean
that there’s a lack of professionalism.
Sentimental or not, there has to be a
solid financial basis to make the project

What’s lacking in cash is made up
for in ingenuity and sheer passion”

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60 LE MANS Glickenhaus
Glickenhaus’s world of cars

Jim Glickenhaus wouldn’t really describe himself as work and Glickenhaus has picked up on
a car constructor: instead, he’s a creator of dreams. a couple of interesting new sponsors.
Here are some of the cars that he’s made a reality: Motul is an established name at
Le Mans as supplier of lubricants,
Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina
A one-off road car based on the Enzo, incorporating styling from the but there’s also Osom: a brand new
iconic P Series from the 1960s. Glickenhaus also created a bespoke American phone company that puts
race version, called the SCG P4/5 Competizione, which this time was the accent on privacy. Why does Jim
based on the Ferrari 430 Scuderia.
Glickenhaus like them? “Because
SCG003 they’re disruptors, like we are.”
.SPJRLUOH\Z»Z ÄYZ[ ILZWVRL ZWVY[Z Then there’s Forzo: a new motorsport-
car looked like a GT3, but with LMP2 themed watch brand, where the twist
levels of downforce. Available both is that everyone buying a Glickenhaus
for the road and the track, this car limited-edition Le Mans watch gets their
starred at the Nürburgring 24 Hours name on a sticker on the car. Again it’s
in particular. Top speed is something all about doing things differently and
in excess of 230 mph. putting the fans first. With the aim of
giving them something to really cheer
SCG004 about at Le Mans in August.
The successor to the 003, which
made its debut as a race car at the Flash of potential
Nürburgring last year and can also
IL ZWLJPÄLK HZ H YVHK JHY ;OL ÄYZ[ The recent World Endurance round at
one made its debut at the Goodwood Monza, in particular, demonstrated the
Festival of Speed this year, complete sheer pace of the car, which was more
with a faux giraffe interior. You read than a match for the Toyotas over eight
[OH[ JVYYLJ[S` [OL ÄYZ[ [PTL hours – even leading briefly – before
finishing a strong fourth.
Glickenhaus Boot
An off-road Baja buggy, a tribute Subscribe +44 (0) 208 446 2100
to the car originally driven by Steve
McQueen. A road-legal off-road
racer, it combines go-anywhere ability
(and a nod to the past) with striking
looks. Yours for $259,000.

60 racetechmag.com September 2021 Issue 250

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LE MANS 61

LEFT Born a disruptor:
the SCG 007 putting
in early test miles

BELOW The Pipo
Moteurs V8 block is
a whole new design,
which is machined
from a single billet
of aluminium

Pipo Moteurs

Our engine is September 2021 Issue 250 racetechmag.com 61
one tough bitch”

It’s a car that has been designed
specifically with Le Mans in mind,
especially when it comes to the
aerodynamic package. “We designed the
car with as little downforce as possible
within the rules,” says Glickenhaus. “So
we’re feeling good heading to Le Mans.”

And realistically, what does that mean?
Richard Westbrook, a veteran of the
last 10 Le Mans races, with three class
podiums to his name, doesn’t flinch.
“Our goal is to win it.”

That’s a massive target. But you never
know: what if – just what if – they
manage to pull off the motorsport shock
of the century in August? Because it’s
not just about winning at Le Mans on
the day. It’s also about making enough
people believe and hope that you can
actually do it. Exactly like Ford did back
in the 1960s…

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62 LE MANS Toyota GR010

DOWN TO THREE
WHEELS? WE CAN
DEAL WITH THAT!

Photos: Toyota Gazoo Racing

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LE MANS 63

>P[O [OL ÄYZ[ OV\Y YHJL MVY ;V`V[H .HaVV 9HJPUN»Z UL^ Toyota, it has to be said, remains the

/`WLYJHY HWWYVHJOPUN *OHZZPZ 7YVQLJ[ 3LHKLY 1VOU 3P[QLUZ favourite. The last three trips to the French
tells Chris Pickering [OL [LHT PZ [HRPUN UV[OPUN MVY NYHU[LK classic have been lights-to-flag victories for
the Cologne-based squad, which has now

been a key player in sportscar racing for the

ENDURANCE racing is a long game in more ways than one. best part of a decade.
It used to be said that winning at Le Mans was a three- But the issues it experienced at the recent
year endeavour, with two years to perfect the car and the
6 Hours of Monza were a stark reminder,

team before it all came together. Except this year at Le Mans it’s as if it were needed, that it can take

all change in the top-tier LMH category with two teams bringing nothing for granted.

all-new cars – Toyota and Glickenhaus – while the third, Alpine, “This is a car that has just started the

has recently taken the step up from LMP2. process of development through racing,”

BELOW A series of cautions Toyota Motor Corporation
endurance tests have
President, Akio Toyoda. “The troubles

helped identify potential were obvious in the race. There are good

issues. Extra seat time and bad types of trouble; the good ones

was useful for the help us to learn but any bad ones should

drivers too, as they be solved by Le Mans.

adapt to a car without “No matter how much preparation is

the benefits of its

predecessor’s interlinked done, the unexpected can always happen

suspension system in a race. Kazuki [Nakajima] stopped

The team has even practised

how to get the car back to
the pits on three wheels”

LEFT The GR010s hit just minutes before the end in 2016.
a number of problems Kamui [Kobayashi] had a problem at the
at the Monza 6 Hours, exit of the pit lane a year later. We have
including fuel pressure experienced unexpected events often.”
issues, a puncture and
losing a minute at the In conceptual terms, the most direct
side of the track for a challenge to Toyota comes from the
power cycle reset Glickenhaus team with its own brand
new hypercar – the strikingly pretty 007
LMH. However, the American outfit faces
all the same technical challenges without
quite the same wealth of experience or
the resources of the world’s largest car
manufacturer at its disposal.

Instead, it’s perhaps the Alpine team
that poses the more realistic threat. The

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64 LE MANS Toyota GR010

Much of the preparation work has focused on ‘what
if’ scenarios, looking at potential contingencies,
he explains: “What we learned from the TS050,
especially in terms of Le Mans preparation, was to
practice these special cases. That’s something we
looked at a lot during the last endurance test.”

One of the more extreme scenarios the team has
practised is how to get the car back to the pits on
three wheels; tests were carried out with a front or
rear wheel missing. Some of the other examples
focused on the hybrid system, for instance looking at

Alpine A480 is effectively a rebadged version of the ABOVE The TS050
Gibson-powered Rebellion R13 that split the Toyotas bowed out from Le
in the top three at last year’s Le Mans. It has been Mans last year by
grandfathered through into the LMH category, but completing a hat-
it is effectively an LMP1 car in all but name, with a trick of wins, a feat
strong pedigree behind it. acknowledged on the
new Hypercar
The Signatech team that’s running the car in
partnership with Alpine also has good form, having RIGHT Toyota’s ‘what-
won the fiercely-competitive LMP2 class in the last two if?’ approach to its Le
Le Mans events. So this year’s race is by no means a Mans preparations
foregone conclusion for Toyota. is underpinned by its
knowledge of what
“Everybody is excited to have a new car there and it’s like to suffer last
we want to get the best out of it as soon as possible,” lap heartbreak, as it
comments John Litjens, project leader for Toyota Gazoo did in 2016
Racing. “Our competitors include a good team with
a grandfathered car that has been proven over many
years. But we have quite some years of experience
ourselves and we are very much aiming for a win.”

Although the concept behind the new LMH regulations
is quite different to LMP1, Litjens says that the mindset
and the logistics of supporting the car on-track is much
the same: “In the end, [the GR010] is quite similar to
the TS050. It’s a new hybrid system, but we still have
batteries that need battery chargers, for instance. The
specification of these parts is new, but the preparation
that we do before the race is quite similar.”

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LE MANS 65

the impact of a failure in the front electric teams had in last year’s September event, lost a bit more pace compared to the
motor. Part of the issue here was how the but still longer and potentially cooler night- competition during the nighttime, but we
car’s mechanical braking system would time stints than they would have in the usual worked on that to ensure it wasn’t the case
perform without the regenerative braking mid-June slot. This year also sees the return last year,” comments Litjens.
effect from the motor, so the brake of the official Le Mans test day, which was
temperatures were carefully monitored. cancelled last year due to COVID, although “The compressed timescale also presents
it has now been moved to the Sunday a challenge. The test day is a lot closer to
Time to race before the race weekend. the race itself. If you really want to react
to something you don’t have much time,
This year’s Le Mans is something of an “We have a bit more nighttime running so we really see it as a good practice
anomaly. Scheduled for late August, it than daytime running this year, which can for Le Mans. In terms of total running
promises more daytime running than the make a difference. In some years we’ve time [including the test day] it’s two

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66 LE MANS Toyota GR010

hours more, but if you compare that to driver. That job now has to be done by one There’s even less adjustability when it
last year’s event, where everything was of the four mechanics who are working on comes to the aerodynamic setup. Hypercar
packed into the Le Mans week and there the car, so if the driver change is not ready aero kits are frozen once homologated
was no test day, it’s one hour less. So the when the fuelling finishes, you have one less with just one adjustment device allowed.
preparation, the event handling and the mechanic for the tyre change or any small This can take various forms, such as an
session handling are quite similar.” repairs. The mechanics will need to be a bit adjustable rear wing or a front flap, but its
more reactive to the circumstances.” full range of adjustment must fall within
The team’s headcount for regular WEC the prescribed FIA window of downforce
rounds has been reduced to 43 people Setup challenges and drag. The cars are tested throughout
under the new hypercar regulations. the full range in a wind tunnel as part of
However, this rule doesn’t apply at Le Much of the baseline setup work is carried the homologation process.
Mans, where they expect to have 60 to 70 out in Toyota’s driver-in-the-loop simulator.
people as usual. This helps the engineers to narrow down The wheel and tyre sizes are the same
the options and focus on a handful of as the TS050, with 13” x 18” RAYS
The number of mechanics working on promising setups before track testing. alloys front and rear shod with 31/71-
each pit stop also remains the same as 18 Michelin radials. We’re told that the
before, although there are some detail The LMH cars are less mechanically tyre design is broadly similar to before,
changes to the procedures. An old rule complex than their predecessors, but but Michelin has worked to optimise
prohibiting mechanics from working they’re actually harder to set up as a result, the details for the new car. This includes
on the cars during refuelling has been says Litjens. Where the engineers were adapting to a substantially greater mass
reinstated for the first time since 2017. previously able to fine-tune characteristics (1,040 kg versus 895 kg), a new weight
This includes routine tasks like changing using the inerter and the interlinked distribution and lower downforce on most
tyres and cleaning the bodywork, so it will suspension system on the TS050, they now of the circuits with the new fixed aero kit.
inevitably lengthen some of the pitstops. just have torsion bar spring stiffness, anti-
roll bar stiffness and manual adjustment on “We’ve had to look at how best to use
“Another thing to consider is the driver the dampers with which to find one setup the new tyres – making sure that we get
changes,” Litjens points out. “You no longer that works for all conditions. plenty of heat into them to get them to
have an extra mechanic supporting the

BELOW Aware that
in some years it
lost a bit of pace
at night relative
to rivals, Toyota
worked hard on that
aspect last year

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68 LE MANS Toyota GR010

work but not too much. I think we will run a similar as they see fit, which means there will still be a ABOVE With pit
stint length across the whole of the race, but it will strategic element in terms of powertrain maps. crew no longer
be a question of choosing the right compound as the allowed to work
conditions change,” comments Litjens. “In the end, from a regulation point of view, it on the car during
doesn’t matter how much fuel you run per lap, you refuelling at Le
The drivers have had three WEC races (all won by just have to make sure that you don’t go over the total Mans, mechanics
Toyota so far) and a series of three-day endurance energy measure, so it’s a bit more straightforward will need to be
tests to prepare. They too have had to adapt to the in that respect,” comments Litjens. “But on the reactive to whatever
new specification, Litjens explains: “We knew from other hand, we still have our own calculation for fuel fate throws at them
the simulation that the car would be a bit different consumption and how much fuel we have onboard
to drive. The TS050 was lighter, it had much more the car. You still have to be monitoring that.”
downforce and a different weight distribution. Also,
the inerter and the interlinked suspension system The original Hypercar regulations targeted a 3:30
allowed by the old regulations improved the ride lap time and Litjens expects the cars to be “quite
stability and made the car easier to drive. They’re the close” to that. In contrast, the fastest race lap from
sort of thing that the drivers get used to and they an LMP1 car last year was a 3:19.8, with qualifying
notice when they’re not there anymore.” times down into the mid-teens.

Powertrain Another difference will be the level of real-time
information available to the engineers. Back in the
The powertrain strategy is simpler to manage under LMP1 era, the teams were given virtually unlimited
the LMH regulations than under the old LMP1 freedom to transmit telemetry data back to the pit
rules, which had fixed amounts of fuel energy and wall, but under the LMH regulations, everyone must
electrical energy per lap. Instead, the cars simply use the same FIA-mandated telemetry system.
have to adhere to a curve that plots the maximum
combined power output at any given engine speed. “That’s a big change for us,” comments Litjens.
“There’s a defined number of channels – roughly a
There are also speed restrictions governing the third of the number that we had before – and the
deployment of the hybrid assistance (to prevent rules are also quite prescriptive on which channels
the four-wheel drive Hypercars gaining a traction can be included. We do still have access to all the
advantage). Within those constraints, however, the other data, but we have to download it or change
teams have free rein to utilise each power source the USB stick during a pitstop.”

This means that there’s more emphasis on setting

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70 LE MANS Toyota GR010

up alerts and management strategies on GR010 HYBRID Technical Specifications
the car’s own software, he notes: “We can
still see the major data, so we should know Bodywork *HYIVU ÄIYL JVTWVZP[L
if something is wrong, but it might be
harder to go into the details and diagnose Gearbox ;YHUZ]LYZHS ^P[O NLHYZ ZLX\LU[PHS
the cause of the issue. For example, we
have lots of temperature sensors on the Driveshafts *VUZ[HU[ ]LSVJP[` [YPWVK WS\UNL QVPU[ KYP]LZOHM[Z
car, but only the most important ones are
included in the telemetry. Clutch 4\S[PKPZJ

“If you have enough data, sometimes you Differential 4LJOHUPJHS SVJRPUN KPMMLYLU[PHS
can see a potential problem developing
before it becomes an issue. For instance, Suspension 0UKLWLUKLU[ MYVU[ HUK YLHY KV\ISL ^PZOIVUL W\ZOYVK Z`Z[LT
in the past we had the temperature and
pressure of the oil going into and out of the Springs ;VYZPVU IHYZ
gearbox, but now we only have one. You’d
still see a problem once it’s developed, but Anti-roll bars -YVU[ HUK YLHY
you might see it later than you would if you
had all the channels available.” Steering /`KYH\SPJHSS` HZZPZ[LK

The future Brakes (RLIVUV TVUV ISVJR HSSV` JHSSPWLYZ ^P[O JHYIVU ]LU[PSH[LK KPZJZ

Although there’s always the potential for an Rims 9(@: THNULZP\T HSSV` _ PUJO
upset, Toyota is still very much the bookies’
favourite for Le Mans 2021. But things are Tyres 4PJOLSPU YHKPHS
going to get a lot more complicated in
the future. Peugeot is due to return next Length TT
year with a Hypercar contender, while the
floodgates are set to open in 2023, with Width TT
Ferrari bringing its own Hypercar, while
Porsche and Audi are expected to field Height TT
LMDh entries. BMW has also committed to
Weight R

Fuel capacity SP[YLZ

Engine = KPYLJ[ PUQLJ[PVU [^PU [\YIV

Valves WLY J`SPUKLY

Engine capacity SP[YL

Fuel 7L[YVS

Engine power R> 7:

Hybrid power R> 7:

Battery /PNO WV^LYLK ;6@6;( SP[OP\T PVU IH[[LY`

Front motor/Inverter (0:05 (> +,5:6

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LE MANS 71

building an LMDh car for the IMSA series, It was a no-brainer any complaints.”
prompting speculation that the 1999 Le for manufacturers Another question is whether or not the
Mans winners could race in Europe as well. that have gone
into Hypercar with LMH class offers value for money when
Litjens seems undaunted by this prospect: their own hybrid manufacturers will soon be able to compete
“I don’t think the technical challenge for us technology” for an outright win at Le Mans with
as a team will change much. You still have cheaper LMDh cars balanced to the same
to homologate the car, you will still try to automatically. It works very well in GTs and performance level. Litjens, however, still
make your best and most reliable car that we expect to see the same thing for the believes the decision to go with the LMH
you can. [More manufacturers] is really prototypes, even if LMDh comes.” format has been the right one for Toyota.
good for the sporting side, and it will be
quite interesting given that it’s a BoP class. It helps that there’s now greater “The decision from our side was quite
If the BoP works, there’ll be some very nice transparency in the BoP process, he points straightforward,” he reflects. “One of
fights and competition, so I’m looking out: “In the past we had BoP adjustments the reasons why we are in this category
forward to that.” applied and the manufacturers were is to develop and promote our hybrid
complaining because they didn’t know technology. LMDh has a hybrid system
He points to the success of performance exactly how the process was defined. too, but it is standardised across the
balancing in the GTE class over the last few These days the methodology is explained manufacturers. For us, it was a no-brainer,
years and says he’s confident that the same beforehand to the manufacturers, so they and I think that was the case with the other
process could work for the prototypes: “It know what to expect. The rules are much manufacturers that have gone into Hypercar
requires a bit more work from our side now clearer now, which is why it runs without with their own hybrid technology.”
to do the initial homologation so the FIA and
ACO can check the car’s baseline numbers The team will be keeping a close eye on
for weight, power and aero. But then once LMDh, though, he says: “LMDh comes with
the season is running, the BoP works almost a different cost target, and we will have to
see how this works. From our side, we are
LEFT, RIGHT looking for cost reductions too. Some of
& BELOW The the things we’d like to do as engineers just
knowledge gained aren’t possible at lower budgets, but I think
through the it’s going in the right direction.”
development of However the details pan out, there’s no
the TS050’s hybrid question that the next few years could see a
system made the golden age of sportscar racing. The thought
decision to enter the of Porsche, Ferrari, Audi, Peugeot and Toyota
Le Mans Hypercar battling it out on the same track is a truly
class (top left), rather mouth-watering prospect. Before that,
than use a spec though, the race is very much on for this year’s
hybrid unit in LMDh, event. And Toyota, as always, is playing to win.
a “no-brainer”

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72 LAST LAP with Sergio Rinland

THERE IS A to make up for mechanical shortcomings,
RACETRACK but sometimes his emotions got the
IN HEAVEN better of him and lost him the result that
seemed possible at the start.”
Sergio Rinland bids farewell BELOW Reutemann
to the talented racer, often in full flight for Nor was there any love lost between
underrated and misunderstood, Ferrari, for which Reutemann and Lauda or Alan Jones, his
who inspired him to dream of one he won five GPs team-mates at Ferrari and Williams. No
day designing a Formula 1 car surprises there: on his day, Carlos would run
rings around them and as a tester, a very
IT might sound like I’m damning him with faint praise if I valued skill in those days, he was superb.
venture to suggest that Carlos Reutemann was one of the
best drivers of the decade. But when you remember that You would have received a very
the decades in question were the 1970s and ‘80s, and that he different opinion of him if you had asked
was measuring himself against greats like Niki Lauda, Emerson Gilles Villeneuve, his ‘junior’ at Ferrari.
Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson, it Again, no surprises there – human nature
perhaps begins to give you a measure of the man. comes to the surface in motorsport like in
no other activity.
Carlos really was at that level. Sometimes, as at the Nürburgring in
1975 and other such victories, he was above that level. My opinion about Reutemann is biased,
but it’s an inescapable truth that at the
Stories and opinions abound about Reutemann, his driving and wheel of a racing car, the man was an artist.
testing abilities, his moody character and so on. Enzo Ferrari said
of him: “An athletic highly skilled driver, with a tormented and Carlos competed in 34 races for Scuderia
torturous temperament. Able to resolve difficult situations and Ferrari, winning five, which makes him the

LEFT Moments before
a race in Argentina in
1969, sitting on the
Huayra Pronello-Ford
Sports Prototype

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Giorgio Piola

FORMULA 1 NEW

2016-2018 Technical Analysis

(with 2019 preview)

EAN: 978-88-7911-684-8 / Text: English - Pages: 208 -
Pictures: over 600 technical drawings in colour - Hardbound - £ 49.00

THE last edition of an automotive literary classic: the technical
analysis of Formula 1 penned by Giorgio Piola. After 25
years of publication, the historic draughtsman brings the
curtain down on this experience with a volume that examines the
last three seasons, from 2016 to 2018, as always reviewing the
principal technical innovations in the spheres of chassis and engine
design. This three-year analysis is appropriately completed with a
retrospective of some of Piola’s most important drawings from a 50-
year career that began back in 1969.

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74 LAST LAP with Sergio Rinland

LEFT This cartoon For me personally “Lole”, as he was nicknamed,
from the Corsa was a hugely influential personality. The nickname
magazine in 1971, by was to do with his father’s pig farm – pigs being “los
the genial Argentine lechones” in Spanish. Little Carlos mangled this into
artist and illustrator “lolechone”, hence “Lole”, whenever asked what his
Hector Luis Bergandi, father did. Clearly he was a man of few words even
sums up the from a very young age!
difference between
Carlos and many of He started racing (and winning!) in Argentina when I
his contemporaries was a teenager, becoming one of our heroes. Initially,
he drove in Touring Cars with a Fiat 1500, then a Ford
BELOW Driving the Falcon. Finally, he moved to Argentine Formula 2 and
FW07 at Williams, Sports-Prototypes (huge in the country in the late 1960s).
where he helped
the team to its first When he came to Europe in 1970 with the Argentine
Constructors’ title Automobile Club Formula 2 team, he became my
but missed out on beacon as I followed his career in great detail. After the
the Drivers’ crown in two-year campaign (1970 and ‘71) propelled him into
agonizing fashion Formula 1, the four F2 Brabhams, all spares and even
the transporter, were shipped to Argentina.

most successful Argentine driver for the Maranello He became involved in politics,
marque. Juan Manuel Fangio only managed three despite not being a man of
wins, while Jose Froilan Gonzalez won twice. Not many words – surely the
bad company to be in. antithesis of any politician?”

There is a cartoon from a magazine in 1971 that At that point, I was introduced to his Chief Mechanic
sums up the difference between Carlos and many of in European F2, Alberto Pilotto, who became one
his contemporaries: It depicts Ronnie Peterson, cursing of my mentors in motor racing. At the time I was
and swearing at his car, pleading with it to turn into a university student and Alberto offered me the
the corner; Carlos, meanwhile, is coming at the same opportunity to study those Brabham BT36s in detail,
speed, all calm and collected, calculating the speed, doing what we call today ‘reverse engineering’.
rpm and distance to determine how many laps it will
take him to overtake Ronnie! That small action by Carlos Reutemann’s mechanic was
hugely influential in my learning of racing car design
Formula 1 dream and engineering. Lole was mainly responsible for me
‘dreaming’ of one day designing Formula 1 cars and
Reutemann came from a small rural town in the eventually coming to England to pursue that ambition.
Santa Fe province of Argentina. From a young boy, And here I am, still living the dream.
his dream was to drive in Formula 1. As a teenager,
he and his brother built a racing circuit resembling
Monaco in the fields of his father’s farm. There Carlos
would go round and round endlessly, with his brother
taking times to measure his improvement.

He knew exactly what he wanted to do in life.
Through sheer talent, hard work and determination
he came so tantalisingly close to winning the Formula
1 World Championship. Along the way, he racked up
victories at many of those circuits from his childhood
dreams like Monaco and Nürburgring.

In his later years, Carlos became involved in politics.
He never lost the love for his land and, despite not
being a man of many words – surely the antithesis of
any politician – he was twice a governor of Santa Fe
and, later, a Senator until his death.

Why he became involved in politics is a mystery
to me. I would only venture the opinion that his
motivation was to help his people. He was a decent
man with very strict principles in life. The prime
example of that was the dramatic title shootout in
Las Vegas in 1981. Many drivers in his position would
have pushed Nelson Piquet out of the race to win that
precious championship, but not Carlos.

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