Latest news with #LeMansHypercar
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
McLaren's Le Mans hypercar will be sold to (very few) members of the public
McLaren's Le Mans hypercar will be sold to (very few) members of the public Alongside Ford, McLaren has also committed to joining the Le Mans LMDh Hypercar category from 2027, which will make it one of the most competitive the top tier of the endurance series has ever been. Looking for a new or used vehicle? Find it here with CARmag! On the weekend of the 93rd running of the iconic and revered Le Mans, McLaren unveiled its soon-to-be challenger, which will officially take on the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2027. Dubbed Project: Endurance, the initiative is a collaboration between McLaren Automotive and McLaren Racing, centred around customer ownership of a genuine Le Mans Hypercar and direct involvement in the development of the brand's 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship challenger. Related: Road Test: Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD Onyx XT 4X4 Participants will be limited to a highly select group of clients that will join the McLaren racing legacy, one that includes victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, two Indy 500 wins, 190+ Formula 1 Grand Prix victories, and the rare distinction of being the only manufacturer to have claimed motorsport's Triple Crown. The Hypercar itself will be built in partnership with Dallara, which has been critical in McLaren's IndyCar efforts. Behind the cockpit will be a rear-wheel-drive V6 twin-turbo hybrid powertrain, closely related to the one McLaren will field in the WEC's Hypercar class. McLaren says it promises to deliver authentic race-bred performance and the kind of driving experience typically reserved for professional endurance racers. A key selling point for what will realistically be a multi-million rand purchase will be integration into McLaren's factory development programme. The English automaker says that this includes testing phases and strategic briefings; they will shadow the creation of the 2027 WEC car alongside McLaren Racing's engineers, drivers, and management. The experience includes trackside immersion at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027, where McLaren will chase its next Triple Crown, and aim to win all three jewels in a single season once more. Related: All-New Honda Amaze Lands in SA – Pricing and Spec Each Project: Endurance owner will also take part in a two-year global track programme, covering world-class circuits in an arrive-and-drive format. This includes personalised driver coaching, dedicated pit crews, and race engineers at each event to maximise performance and deliver a genuine endurance racing atmosphere. McLaren Group CEO Nick Collins describes the venture as 'a bold, authentic Le Mans Hypercar customer ownership experience', adding that it 'delivers a new dimension in McLaren customer partnership'. His counterpart at McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, echoed the sentiment, calling it 'an incredible chance to own an authentic race car and get closer to the action on track'. More details will be revealed as the programme develops, but for those fortunate enough to be selected, Project: Endurance sounds like the ultimate entry into the world of motorsport. Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! The post McLaren's Le Mans Hypercar Will Be Sold to (Very Few) Members of the Public appeared first on CAR Magazine.
Car and Driver
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
McLaren's New Le Mans Hypercar Offers Unprecedented Access
McLaren pulled back the covers on its new Le Mans Hypercar ahead of last weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will be built to the LMDh side of IMSA and WEC's Hypercar specifications with a Dallara chassis and will be powered by a twin-turbo V-6. McLaren also announced that a hand-picked group of customers will get to buy their own version of the hypercar as part of its Project: Endurance. Just ahead of last weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans, McLaren pulled back the covers on its future endurance racer. Along with giving us our first look at the new hypercar, the automaker also announced that it will sell a small run of hypercars to a hand-picked group of customers, not unlike Ferrari does with the 499P and Aston Martin with the Valkyrie LM. McLaren On top of getting the chance to drive your very own race car, McLaren is also promising to bring the chosen customers through the testing and development of the car as part of what it calls Project: Endurance. The price is undisclosed, of course, but according to McLaren, it includes two years' worth of arrive-and-drive programs, complete with professional coaching, a pit crew, and race engineers at some of the best tracks around the world. In the world of car racing, the Triple Crown of Motorsports refers to winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500, and the Monaco Grand Prix. To this day, McLaren is the only manufacturer to have done it. With Project: Endurance, McLaren aims to win all three within a single season. McLaren So what's the deal with the car itself? Well, building a race car is, as you might have guessed, immensely expensive. But in the top-flight Hypercar classes of IMSA and WEC, manufacturers are given the option between LMH and LMDh specifications. The former, which is the route Aston Martin, Ferrari, Toyota, and Peugeot have taken, allows for a bespoke car but costs more money. The latter, which the rest of the WEC field selected, uses off-the-shelf parts, including the chassis, and helps to significantly bring down costs. McLaren McLaren opted to go for an LMDh car and selected Dallara, the same company that builds chassis for IndyCar, to build its chassis. It will partner with United Autosports, which is partly owned by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, to field the cars in 2027. Full details on the car are light, but the automaker confirmed that it will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V-6, which will be capped at 671 horsepower by regulations. One downside of going the LMDh route is the restriction on design. By choosing a chassis manufacturer, you're signing up for their base template. McLaren was able to alter the body panels, but the result is—let's say discombobulated at best. Still, owning an ugly hypercar sounds better than owning no hypercar. Jack Fitzgerald Associate News Editor Jack Fitzgerald's love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn't afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. Read full bio
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Hypercar, LMDh rules extended to 2032 in WEC
The lifecycle of the current generation of Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh prototypes has been extended until 2032 in the World Endurance Championship. The move, predicted by in April, means that the LMH formula is set to span 12 years following its 2021 introduction and LMDh 10 years, and follows on the two-year extension announced this time last year. Advertisement Confirmation of the plans was made by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and FIA at the traditional press conference hosted by the former organisation on the eve of the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC round. ACO president Pierre Fillon said: 'It is important to give the manufacturers and the audience a signal of stability - we need to show that this platform is sustainable and strong. 'We are guided by two principles, stability and cost control, which is why together with the FIA we have decided to extend the rules until the end of 2032. 'Giving the manufacturers a chance to get a return on their investment was the target for us.' Pierre Fillon, ACO president Pierre Fillon, ACO president The rules extension, which was rubber stamped by this week's FIA World Motor Sport Council in Macau, was announced only in broad principles. Advertisement Fillon explained that the 'practicalities need to be discussed' and that they 'will be worked out by the end of the year'. ACO technical director Thierry Bouvet would not be drawn whether there will be any attempt to remove any of the differences between LMH and LMDh cars in the WEC's Hypercar class. At the same time, IMSA confirmed what it terms its strategic alliance with the ACO until the end of 2032, which suggests it could follow the lead taken for the WEC in extending the rules for what it calls the GTP class. Hypercars now eligible for Asian Le Mans Hypercar class contenders driven by pro-am crews will be eligible to race in the Asian Le Mans Series from the start of the 2026-27 season. Advertisement An influx of LMH and LMDh machinery will create a new top-class in the series jointly run by the ACO and GT racing boss Stephane Ratel. It will sit above the LMP2 and P3 prototype classes and the GT class for GT3 machinery, which predates the introduction of LMGT3 in the WEC in 2023. Ratel explained that the move has been the result of interest from manufacturers, teams and drivers. Race 2 Start Race 2 Start 'Interest in sportscar racing is growing in Asia: we see that in the grids for Asian LMS and the GT World Challenge Asia [which Ratel's eponymous organisation runs],' he said. 'We believe there is the possibility to attract some Asian teams and drivers; for sure there are teams whose clients are interested. Advertisement 'We know we are not going to get a grid of 20 Hypercars, but I think something like six is possible in the first year.' LMP2 tenders decided French constructors ORECA and Ligier will build the next generation of LMP2 chassis due to come on stream in 2028. They came out on top in the tender process initiated by the FIA, together with the ACO and IMSA, in March. One other constructor that is known to have bid for the right to build LMP2 machinery was the relaunched Lola brand. #23 United Autosports Oreca 07 - Gibson: Daniel Schneider, Oliver Jarvis, Ben Hanley #23 United Autosports Oreca 07 - Gibson: Daniel Schneider, Oliver Jarvis, Ben Hanley The tender called for just two manufacturers to be licensed to produce P2 machinery rather than the four of the current formula introduced in 2017. Advertisement ORECA and Ligier were joined by Dallara and Multimatic/Riley, though P2 has become a de facto one-make formula for ORECA. Gibson will continue as the engine supplier for the new generation of P2 car. The new engine will be a direct-injection twin-turbo V6, as per the tender, and capable of producing 420kW (560bhp) and running 14,000km between full rebuilds. The latest Gibson powerplant replaces the existing normally-aspirated V8 used in all LMP2 chassis. Read Also: Ford reveals more details about 2027 WEC LMDh challenger United Autosports to run McLaren Hypercar programme, Dallara tie-up agreed Genesis hires Gabriele Tarquini to management team as WEC programme takes shape To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Point 'Brake': The complexities behind Porsche's 963 hypercar braking system
Stopping an LMDh car is just as hard as getting it going. Sure, they've got four brakes, but these cars are hybrids, which means you also have regenerative braking. Plus adjustments for engine braking. This makes everything infinitely more complicated for teams, drivers, and suppliers, and frankly, a lot more interesting. Conceptually, the LMDh braking system is a lot like what's used in Formula 1. The front brakes are purely hydraulic. But since the hybrid system is at the back, LMDh cars use a brake-by-wire system, Bosch's Electronic Braking System (EBS) to manage the handoff between friction, regenerative, and engine braking at the rear of the car. Bosch also provides the Motor-Generator Unit (MGU), inverter, and control software for the spec hybrid system in LMDh. Advertisement (Le Mans Hypercar regulations allow for an electric front axle, so the braking system on the likes of the Ferrari 499P and Toyota GR010 are very different from what's described here.) 'With our EBS system, there are different modes and the one that's used in LMDh is pressure-based,' says Jordan Krell, senior calibration engineer for Bosch Motorsport. 'So they send a pressure request to us and that's what we hit at the brake perspective. So from the OEM perspective on LMDh, it gives them a lot of flexibility on braking strategies. It's a really open playbook for them to develop a lot of controls.' 'It's quite complex but it's where teams can make a difference because you can tune it for every single event,' says Porsche Penske Motorsportdriver Felipe Nasr. 'Depending on the grip level, if it's raining, if the track is evolving as the week goes on, you can always revisit those settings.' LMDh cars — like most every race car — have adjustable brake bias, which proportions the amount of braking front-to-rear. Under braking, the weight of the car shifts forward, increasing the load on the front tires and decreasing the load at the rear. With more front bias, that load shift is more prominent, giving the car a looser feel, more oversteer on corner entry and promoting rotation; with more rear bias, the shift is less dramatic, helping stabilize the car and inducing understeer. The brake discs glowing after a braking zone on the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963: Neel Jani, Tristan Vautier, Nico Pino, Julien Andlauer The brake discs glowing after a braking zone on the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963: Neel Jani, Tristan Vautier, Nico Pino, Julien Andlauer The use of brake-by-wire enables a really neat feature, brake migration. 'It's dynamic brake bias on the pressure side,' explains Krell. You can use the car's electronics to shift the brake bias as the car slows into a corner. Advertisement 'We have brake migration shaping,' Nasr says, 'which is either when you are in longitudinal braking or lateral braking. That affects how much the shift of the total bias is going rearwards as you steer the car.' That brake-migration shaping is cockpit-adjustable to suit both driver preferences and track conditions. Nasr says there are plus and minus settings for longitudinal braking, braking in a straight line, and lateral braking, braking with some steering dialed in. Throughout a lap, he'll make a handful of adjustments to overall brake bias and migration shaping tailored to each corner. But with LMDh, it's not just the shift from front to rear bias. Across the rear axle, the EBS is constantly juggling the braking force between the discs, MGU, and internal-combustion engine. There's no specific limits on the level of energy recuperation, but the amount of energy you can feed back into the battery depends on state of charge (SoC), and the limitations of the MGU itself, which is capable of about 180 kilowatts (241 horsepower) in total. Throughout the course of a lap, and a stint, the battery SoC changes almost constantly as you use the MGU to both propel and slow the car down. So there's no fixed level of regenerative vs friction vs engine braking. 'What's really unique about the LMDh platform is we put a lot of that into the team's hands,' says Krell. 'What they send to us is a braking torque request for how much negative torque you want to generate on the MGU, and they're able to control the pressure they want at the caliper…. That's something that, depending on your SoC, the balance they want between brake temp, SoC, and how they're using their energy-management strategy throughout a lap, they're able to blend that.' Advertisement There are cases where some of the braking at the rear is purely hydraulic if the battery SoC is particularly high. But you also might use a bit more regenerative braking to manage temperatures, as Krell says, or even to manage wear. Krell also notes that in some of the hardest braking events, like turn one at Indianapolis, you might see as much as 40 percent of the total braking at the rear come from the MGU. #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell LMDh drivers have to think a lot about the braking system and understand how it works, but they ultimately need seamless, consistent performance. They need to be able to outbrake their rivals from 200 mph without the system doing anything funky or giving them miscues. If you've ever driven a hybrid or electric car with a brake-by-wire system, you know that the brake pedal can sometimes feel odd since it has to simulate what is otherwise done mechanically. Bosch offers a pedal-feel emulator, and it's down to the automaker to work with the supplier on tuning it to give drivers what they want. Advertisement 'When you're driving a purely hydraulic brake, you as the driver have the feeling that 'Ok, this is the maximum input, now I can feel the rear locking,' So what do you do? You just release the brakes at that point,' Nasr explains. 'Whereas in the brake-by-wire, the system is also trying to compensate, so it's best that the driver has more control over the brake pedal than anything else, you're trying to minimize those interferences.' Nasr says the 963 has gotten easier to drive thanks to a few years of development since its 2023 competition debut. But big braking zones are still a challenge. 'The longer brakes are always the trickiest because there's a lot more going on the system trying to read all that, and at the same time combining the transition phase of the braking, and the diff, and the MGU, and trying not to lock any of the tires,' he says. 'The bigger the braking, the trickier it gets for us drivers and the system.' Also tricky was making it work in the first place. One would think that of all of the LMDh constructors, Porsche would have a leg-up in making this braking system work, since it did blended braking in the 919 LMP1 car. But Stefan Moser, technical director for the Porsche LMDh program said it wasn't so easy. Advertisement 'Obviously, when we started this project, we thought we kind of knew how to integrate the hybrid into such a race car, but, we really learned that there are a lot of differences,' Moser says. 'It's a lot of paying attention to the details if the [MGU] is on the front axle or on the rear axle. We did a significant part of the code over again.' There's a complexity here that's hard to wrap your head around, and it's proof that despite LMDh cars all using the same hybrid hardware, each car is very different from one another. It's also proof that LMDh racers are among the true elites, both in understanding how the system works, and the many, many ways they can manipulate it across a lap, a stint, a race distance to get different results. And if this is hard for Porsche, imagine the challenge for all the others joining the LMDh field in the coming years. Read Also: The near-supernatural racing talent of Porsche's Kevin Estre To read more articles visit our website.
Miami Herald
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Aston Martin's New Valkyrie LM Is As Close As You Can Get To a Le Mans Hypercar, With Just 10 Made
Aston Martin has revealed its new Valkyrie LM hypercar, which is derived from its Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) counterpart competing in the world-famous race this weekend. The Valkyrie LM's 10 owners will enjoy the same 7-speed transmission and 6.5-liter V-12 engine in the LMH version, but this modified engine produces 697 hp compared to the race version's 670. Aston Martin is making the Valkyrie LM accessible to amateur drivers by removing race series-specific elements like added weight and FIA-regulation electronics in favor of a cockpit interface tailored for track day usage. The automaker also changed the Valkyrie LM's torque control to a friendlier open-loop configuration instead of closed-loop with fewer internal adjustments, removed torque sensors managing power delivery for less technological oversight, and altered the V-12 engine to accept standard fuel. Operating in rear-wheel drive, the one-seater Valkyrie LM features Pirelli tires, semi-automatic paddle shifters like the LMH version, and a double-wishbone front and rear suspension with pushrod-actuated torsion bar springs with adjustable side and central dampers. This race-derived suspension set-up optimizes track performance and adjustability, and the cockpit contains a custom carbon-fiber race seat with shoulder support and headrest padding. This multi-million dollar Aston Martin also has an FIA safety harness, fire suppression system, and steering wheel with an integrated display and shift lights. Aston Martin is ensuring the Valkyrie LM's 10 buyers get the most out of their purchase with its optional track day program launching in Q2 2026. The track day program ensures each car is set up and prepared as it should be, with assistance from professional engineers, allowing drivers to push the model's limits, which include top speeds exceeding 200 mph. Before hitting the track, the program has owners train on a simulator with driver coaching sessions. Each Valkyrie LM comes with a helmet, Head and Neck Safety (HANS) device, driver's suit and boots, molded earpieces, driver's gloves, and fireproof underwear. Drivers opting into the track day program will have Aston Martin store their Valkyrie LM, allowing them to simply fly in, race, and fly out. Adam Carter, Aston Martin's Head of Endurance Motorsport, said in a release: "It is important to emphasize that the Valkyrie LM is close to identical to the race car that is currently competing in WEC and IMSA, with only a few minor deviations to ensure it is a non-homologated variant and is accessible for customers to experience and enjoy. Valkyrie LM represents the most authentic Hypercar track experience that is now available." The Valkyrie LM distinguishes itself beyond its ability to resemble race car dynamics and low production count. While the 10 Valkyrie LM owners will be part of a small club, Aston Martin facilitates a community aspect within this exclusive group through its track day program. Customers participating in the program will enjoy a Q2 2026 hand-off event marking first drives, two fully supported track days in Q3 2026, and additional track runs at F1 circuits in Q4 2026. Aston Martin's Valkyrie LM is an endurance racing fan's dream come true. Pricing has yet to be announced. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
