If you've ever heard of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), no doubt you've heard of the LMP2 class, but here are some details that usually aren't called out by commentators on race day.
A while back former Chief Mechanic and all-around motorsport genius Paul Willet ran us through Jota Sports Oreca 07 LMP2 car giving some insight into what adjustments the team can make and what is controlled with the idea of keeping a cost cap on the class to entice more entries and give closer racing.
At the heart of the car is an approx 600HP naturally aspirated 4.2L Gibson GK428 V8 engine which was specifically designed for endurance racing. All engine building and tuning is done by Gibson to ensure parity and is buttoned down to the point that even fuel saving is done manually by the driver rather than a special map added by the team or Gibson.
The AP Racing Carbon Carbon brake setup is also discussed in terms of lasting a race and temperatures under yellow flags which leads into Pauls experience with the debate of weaving vs braking and accelerating to maintain tyre and brake temperatures.
The Jota Sport team have had success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans taking out 1st position in 2017 and 2nd place this year along with multiple 'podium' finishes in the WEC itself often in partnership with Jackie Chan Racing DC Racing. With some large changes coming for the championship the team will once again find itself with the task of selecting another chassis, but not before getting some more results out of the current stable.
0:00 - Introduction
0:18 - What is LMP2?
0:57 - Chassis and Engine
1:36 - Choosing a Chassis
2:31 - Gibson 4.2L V8
2:50 - Engine Life Expectancy
4:00 - Controlled Engine
4:59 - Fuel Saving
5:15 - Xtrac Transaxle
5:37 - Gearbox Construction and Servicing
6:40 - Differential
7:40 - Ride Height at Speed
8:30 - 3rd Element
9:06 - Minimum Ride Height
10:12 - Anti-roll Bar
10:57 - How Do You Know What To Adjust?
12:23 - Jota Sport’s Competitive Edge
13:30 - Reliability Processes
14:45 - Carbon Carbon Brakes
16:02 - Brake and Tyre Temperatures
17:14 - Weaving vs Braking and Accelerating
17:38 - Outro
Want to learn how to do your own motorsport wheel alignment? Start with a FREE live lesson.
Comments
No one has commented on this page yet.