Aston Martin to put up a good fight in Le Mans
Looking at the Gulf badge wrapped around the new Aston Martin Le Mans car, you can’t help but think about Steve McQueen winning Le Mans (1971) with the Porsche Gulf. Though the body can be deceiving, the internal mechanics and outer aerodynamics of these machines have changed since 1971 and Aston Martin wants in. They have announced plans to overtake Audi’s TDi (Diesel) machines at Le Mans this year. This comes after celebrating their 50th anniversary of an outright win at Le Mans.
“2009 is a hugely significant year for Aston Martin at Le Mans and the challenge of reclaiming victory in this famous race for Aston Martin and Great Britain was simply too great to ignore, “According to Aston Martin Chairman, David Richards, “However, we do not underestimate the task. While we have won the GT1 class for the last two years, competing against the proven speed and endurance of the diesel-powered cars with all their years of winning the prototype class will be a massive undertaking. Nonetheless, I see this as a great opportunity to showcase the ingenuity of British engineering talent.”
What David Richards is trying to emphasize is what simple science dictates, that diesel cars can run longer on 40 gallons of diesel compared to a petrol engine on the same amount of petrol, meaning less time spent refueling. His optimism though, is fueled by the fact that new regulations in place have restricted power in diesel cars losing 10% of their power as opposed to their petrol counterparts’ facing a 3% restriction.
The car will be powered by a powerful V12 petrol engine and the sexy body work is handcrafted for aerodynamic superiority. New regulations dictate that KERS-like technology can be used in the cars, but will not be classified till 2010. With motor sports facing a bleak future, it’s quite the opposite as out of the 55 places allowed in the race, 88 legitimate entries have been made, and 50% were for the top prototype categories LM P1 and LM P2.
If you’re bored of Formula 1 and its overpaid drivers, then switch on to Le Mans were drivers are highly trained and understand the meaning of team work. The 24 hour Le Mans endurance race is held in a tiny town called Le Mans [ləmɑ̃] on the 13th – 14th June. Another option is the Le Mans Series which is a contested Championship separate from the 24 hour endurance,that starts on the 5th of April and is held around tracks across Europe the first being Cataluña in Spain. Other Championship includes the American Le Mans Series.
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