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Caparo will debut at Le Mans

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Posted on 06.13.2008 11:30 by Simona Alina
Filed under: Caparo | Caparo T1 | Le Mans Series

Caparo will make its first ever appearance at the 24 hours of Le Mans this year, after signing a partnering agreement with the Barazi Epsilon team. The team will be competing in the LMP2 category and will provide Caparo with the opportunity to develop lightweight structures and components in a competitive motorsport environment.

“The 24 hours of Le Mans is one of the most challenging races in the motorsport calendar and we are delighted to be involved with the Barazi Epsilon team,” says Angad Paul, chief executive officer, Caparo. “We intend to use this year’s events to gain valuable experience of sportscar racing and understand how we can apply our various technologies across the Caparo Vehicle Products companies.”

Caparo’s automotive expertise covers many areas where it is applying innovative design and manufacturing techniques to help vehicle manufacturers reduce lead times. In addition the company is increasingly focused on weight reduction, one of the key strategies for fuel economy and emissions improvement. “The design of lightweight components for motorsport applications provides substantial benefits for teams,” continues Paul.

Caparo T1

“By reducing vehicle weight beyond the minimum weight regulations we give the vehicle designers the flexibility to redistribute additional ballast in areas which help the overall handling and performance of the vehicle. Le Mans has been used extensively as a technical proving ground for road car technologies in recent years with valuable experience being gained in areas such as diesel and bio-fuels, and we are confident that it can assist in a similar manner for lightweight structures.”

In order to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the company’s automotive technology capabilities, Caparo developed the ultra high performance track-focussed T1 which weighs just 550kg and produces more than 1,000bhp/tonne. 80 percent of the vehicle’s content is manufactured by Caparo, including the composite body, engine and advanced braking system. As part of its involvement with Barazi Epsilon, Caparo will display the T1 at this year’s Le Mans.

The Barazi Epsilon entry is the 07S chassis with which the team won the LMP2 class at both Silverstone and Interlagos last season. The car will be driven by Juan Barazi, Michael Vergers and new to the team, Stuart Moseley, competing in his third consecutive Le Mans 24 hours.