Quote:
Originally Posted by the real Stig
the car is completly different, it really only shares the tooling for the tub. That is to say that once the tub is out the mould it's machined and bult to a different spec to the LC75. All the body pannels, the suspension and even the gearbox are custom. The front and rear body are even quick release like the Audi, somthing the LC75 isn't. interestingly the nose this weekend was new, a kind of hybrid of the 24 and the Sebring. Note the lack of turning vanes but the large (some what dull) front lights and the inward fender vents on the front.
Also remember when the car was closer to a LC75 that Porsche put Acura in a world of hurt, but by the end of the second year Porsche bacically backed out of the championship for fear of the investment needed to beat Acura. Now the HPD can lap the leMans at the same speed as the Porsche even though the ARX01c has a much smaller restrictor. (2010 restrictors are smaller than 2009).
|
Oh I realize that, its 95% Wirth Engineering at this point.
I wouldn't say Porsche backed out of it, they released low drag bodywork for the cars at Le Mans in 2007. They brought in the DFI engine mid-season 2008 and still were making changes because Dyson didn't have many of those changes (the ones that were made public anyway) and he was running the same car. This was Porsche yet again giving favor to the factory supported efforts over the customers.
But ALMS was slow to react to this, clearly there was chance for the Penske contract to be renewed but when uncertainty was the rule of the day regarding LMP regulations here and in Europe, Porsche opted not to renew the contract with Penske for the ALMS. This really impacted Season 2009 and now 2010.
Without any direct competition, HPD pulled up stakes and let's be honest with Mazda's (AER) track record, I wouldn't consider them direct competition either.
How many engine failures at critical moments in a race???