<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Only minimal changes were required to slot the HR28TT into the engine-bay that had previously held a 3.4 litre V8. New openings in the bodywork were made to feed fresh air to the engine's two intercoolers and the engine cover was slightly revised to clear the differently shaped engine. The most visible alteration was the addition of two small intakes for the turbos on the flanks of the car.
In its 2011 LMP2 guise, the Courage based machine was now known as the HPD ARX-01d. The 2010 Le Mans class winning Strakka Racing team opted to update their car to the latest specification, while RML switched from a HPD powered Lola to an ARX-01 chassis that had previously been campaigned in the ALMS by Gil de Ferran back in 2008.
After the ARX-01's dominant performance in 2010, the early pace of the 'd' at their Paul Ricard Le Mans Series debut was disappointing. They were no match for the latest Nissan-powered Orecas, which were coincidentally also based on De Catone's Courage LC70 design. The problem was tracked down to a lack of power as a result of the mandatory restrictors being too small.
Ahead of the official Le Mans Test, the sanctioning body, the ACO, allowed for 8% larger restrictors to be fitted on all HPD engined machines. This only partly cured the problem as both the RML ARX-01d and HPD powered Level 5 Lolas were still consistently off the pace. Hopefully for the HPD teams, a further adjustment will be made ahead of the race in June. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Only minimal changes were required to slot the HR28TT into the engine-bay that had previously held a 3.4 litre V8. New openings in the bodywork were made to feed fresh air to the engine's two intercoolers and the engine cover was slightly revised to clear the differently shaped engine. The most visible alteration was the addition of two small intakes for the turbos on the flanks of the car.