Ford returns to Le Mans, pole-sitting Porsche and Audi RS 5 TDI ...
American manufacturer Ford has just announced that the company will return to Le Mans in 2016, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Blue Oval's first win, with this striking GT LM GTE. Based on the upcoming and highly anticipated Ford GT road car, the new LM GTE racer will be built by Multimatic, powered by a Roush Yates developed V6 Ecoboost engine and run by Chip Ganassi Racing. To this end, the seasoned American racing team has already run a Ford-engined Daytona Prototype, which uses the same engine, so the new Ford GT LM GTE should be fighting fit when it debuts at Daytona in January. Ganassi will field both full season entries in the IMSA-sanctioned USCC and in the FIA WEC, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ford's announcement comes at the even of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will be started by Bill Ford. The first three cars to start the race tomorrow will be Porsche 919 Hybrids. Lead the way by Neel Jani with a stunning qualifying record for this configuration of the track, this marks the first time Porsche has qualified 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Le Mans since 1988. This has prompted us to take a renewed look at the 2015 evolution of the 919 Hybrid. Compared to the car used last year, it features close to 90% new components and over a single lap none of the rivals can come close. Whether this will also allow the German manufacturer to score the first win at Le Mans since 1998 remains to be seen.
One of Porsche's chief rivals at Le Mans, Audi, used this day to underline the real-live benefits of the technology developed by the current generation, hybrid Le Mans racers by unveiling the RS 5 TDI competition concept. It features a sophisticated turbocharging system with an additional electric compressor that helps boost the power of the 3-litre V6 diesel to a startling 375 bhp.
Nissan, meanwhile, offered a first glimpse of the next generation Juke-R, which will be revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in a fortnight.
Enjoy the links:
2015 Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept - Images, Specifications and Information
2016 Ford GT LM GTE - Images, Specifications and Information
2015 Nissan Juke-R - Images, Specifications and Information
2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid - Images, Specifications and Information
If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.
(Ted Joans)
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