Toyota Racing has unveiled the first details on the 2012 Le Mans challenger - the new TS030 Hybrid. The race car was built as the successor to the iconic TS010 and TS020 cars which participated at Le Mans with podium success during the 1990s. The Toyota Sport 030 will race at the Le Mans 24 Hours event scheduled for June 16th - 17th, 2012. There will be two cars entering the race.
The new TS030 is powered by a THS-R (Toyota Hybrid System – Racing) powertrain that combines an all-new 3.4 liter normally-aspirated V8 engine with a hybrid system with capacitor storage developed by official team partner Nisshinbo. The car was built on a brand new carbon fiber LMP1 chassis developed and produced at TMG.
The newTS030 Hybrid completed several hundred kilometers, showing an impressive level of reliability and performance for this very early stage in the car’s testing program.
French automaker and Le Mans powerhouse PSA Peugeot Citroen has announced that Peugeot will be dropping out of Le Mans racing indefinitely. The news was first reported by Reuters, saying that the French manufacturer will be solely concentrating all their efforts on improving their sales figures for 2012, thus dropping any other endeavors, including in motorsports.
In a press release sent to the media, Peugeot confirmed this stunning turn of events, saying that "this decision has been taken against the backdrop of the challenging economic environment in Europe coupled with a particularly busy year for the Brand in terms of new vehicle launches."
The news that Peugeot is dropping out of Le Mans comes as a shock to a lot of racing fans, particularly those that have seen and witnessed the company’s recent dominance in the series, as well as its well-chronicled rivalry with Audi.
We’re not quite sure how the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans is going to play out now that one of the perennial contenders has withdrawn their entry to the field, but Audi is probably uncorking a bottle of champagne.
Automakers are constantly looking for a sales edge wherever they can get one and with a big tenth victory in this month’s grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans now sitting in their fruitful laps, Audi is prepared to cash in. In celebration of their marathon win, Audi UK has prepared the R8 V8 Limited Edition with only 100 units being offered to UK customers. Each model will be priced at £93,935 - or around $150,000 at the current exchange rates - and the first deliveries will be made in October 2011.
The R8 V8 Limited may be seeing a £7,000 (about $10,000 at the current rates) increase in price, but it benefits from an array of features worthy of the hike. The sports car will have an exclusive titanium effect paint finish and R8 GT-inspired titanium-look alloy wheels with red brake calipers, as well as carbon fiber options. The interior is dressed up with Black Fine Nappa Leather-upholstered seats and headrests and highlighted by crimson red accents on just about everything. From the flat bottomed, leather-covered multi-function steering wheel to the instrument cowl, leather finish monoposto, knee pads, and passenger door handle, red streams throughout the interior like blood coursing through its veins. Other additions include stainless steel pedals and illuminated door sills with bright aluminum inserts carrying the R8 logo. Power will come from the standard 4.2 liter 424 HP V8 FSI engine and can be mated to either a manual or R-tronic transmission.
The limited edition R8 also comes with equipment that isn’t standard for the regular R8, but gets thrown in the mix at no extra charge for the special edition. This equipment consists of the Audi magnetic ride, satellite navigation, the Audi Music Interface (AMI), interior light package, a Bang and Olufsen sound system, and Bluetooth mobile phone preparation with integrated seat-belt microphones.
Updated 01/02/2012: Its been quite a while since we last heard something about this R8 V8 Limited Edition, but now Audi has unveiled a new video that promotes this sports car. The video comes with another good news: we will see the R8 Limited Edition in USA too. Enjoy!
Of all the automakers that have participated in the legendary 24-hour race at Le Mans since 1923, German automaker Porsche holds the distinction of being the most successful marque in the history of the racing series. Truth be told, Porsche has a record 94 class wins and 16 overall victories, highlighted by a dominant stretch from 1981 to the 1987 when it scored the title for seven straight years.
Lately, Porsche has ceded control of Le Mans to the likes of Audi and Peugeot, scoring its last overall victory in 1998 with the 911 GT1-98. After years of toiling in the shadows, the German automaker is getting ready to return to Le Mans in 2014, determined to return back to the throne it previously occupied.
Preparations are in order for the first LMP1 prototype to be developed soon, and knowing Porsche’s history in Le Mans, we expect nothing less than a car that can contend for the the Le Mans title when it returns to the track.
Speaking of its history, the German automaker has prepared a number of videos detailing the company’s history in Le Mans, going all the way back from its early years to its recent dominance in the 90’s.
Check out the rest of the video series from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s after the jump.
Porsche has announced that the GT3 R Hybrid will make a return for the 2012 racing season. The vehicle made its first appearance in 2010 at the the Petit Le Mans 10-hour competition where it showed excellent performance.
The GT3 R Hybrid is known as the "rolling race laboratory," and while Porsche has not revealed any specifications on it just yet, we expect to see the same hybrid system as in the previous model: a 4.0 Liter flat six engine delivering 480 HP combined with two electric motors that each produce 100 HP. The new model will be five centimeters wider at the rear and will get almost an extra 15 centimeters on the front fenders.
"There is no way around the hybrid technology in motorsport," stressed Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development, on Saturday on the occasion of the end of year Porsche ‘Night of Champions’ celebrations. "With the 911 GT3 R Hybrid project, we have shown how you can test important future technologies on the race track and pave the way for motorsport success in the future. We will continue to determinedly blaze this trail and further develop the hybrid technology."
For 2012, the POrsche GT3 R Hybrid will race in competitions like the FIA World Endurance Championship, the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series, the International GT Open, and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
