Project Libra Radical LMP2 (formerly Ian Dawsons Nissan V8 LMP2)

[The Badger]

Knighty , your wrong about that . I really dont mind what kinda crank it has as long as it doesnt do what the crank change did to the Spyker !!

[knighty]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Knighty , your wrong about that . I really dont mind what kinda crank it has as long as it doesnt do what the crank change did to the Spyker !!

I remember race engine magazine did a BIG feature on the spyker motor, I was very impressed with what the spyker engineers were capable of.......I seem to remember they changed to a flat plane crank........but what are you referring to???...... some sort of reliability issue or the fact that it sounded like a 4 cylinder instead of a gruff V8 burble????

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by knighty

I remember race engine magazine did a BIG feature on the spyker motor, I was very impressed with what the spyker engineers were capable of.......I seem to remember they changed to a flat plane crank........but what are you referring to???...... some sort of reliability issue or the fact that it sounded like a 4 cylinder instead of a gruff V8 burble????

I guess it's more about the sound, since they sorted it out properly in terms of reliability after an initial shocker in '08.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by knighty

or the fact that it sounded like a 4 cylinder instead of a gruff V8 burble????

Exactly that ..... but It did get them more reliability and understand why they went in that direction , even if it didnt sound great anymore .

[ger80]

totally agree, still miss the sound of the old Spyker engine. Btw, nobody wants the current Spyker engine in LMP2?

[LeMans.pt]

Originally Posted by ger80

totally agree, still miss the sound of the old Spyker engine. Btw, nobody wants the current Spyker engine in LMP2?

It's a Audi 4.0L V8... would Audi permit other use rather than on a Spyker?

[HORNDAWG]

Well yesterday EI had Libra back in Europe next year and no ALMS. Today it is a different story. Evidently Libra staying in North Carolina with Crawford Racing.



L.P.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

Well yesterday EI had Libra back in Europe next year and no ALMS. Today it is a different story. Evidently Libra staying in North Carolina with Crawford Racing.



L.P.

I really admire his efforts and spoke to Ian at length over the weekend and he IS set up in North Carolina. He is hopeful about funding but wants to keep it quiet until the deal is done. The car looks great in the black/yellow. There was a machining error in a part causing the timing chain to skip causing camshaft issues, thus all the engine problems. They worked their tails off all weekend, you've to respect the passion. I wish them all the best and hope to see them in the ALMS in 2011.
As for Crawford, Andy Wallace doesn't know what's happening but said the Grand Am project has been unable to find a budget.

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

I really admire his efforts and spoke to Ian at length over the weekend and he IS set up in North Carolina. He is hopeful about funding but wants to keep it quiet until the deal is done. The car looks great in the black/yellow. There was a machining error in a part causing the timing chain to skip causing camshaft issues, thus all the engine problems. They worked their tails off all weekend, you've to respect the passion. I wish them all the best and hope to see them in the ALMS in 2011.
As for Crawford, Andy Wallace doesn't know what's happening but said the Grand Am project has been unable to find a budget.

Now that somebody else will be building reliable Nissan power, maybe they can start to find some pace in that car.

[knighty]

Nice replies guys, I was expecting the forum to ridicule the appearance, but I think we can all see the huge effort that the Libra team were putting in to prepare a serious race team with the resources available, but it just seems anything that could go wrong did go wrong, its a bitter pill to swallow but I hope they come back next year....... I heard through the grapevine that Ian has possibly bought the manufacturing rights to the Radical LMP2 car, hence he talks like a salesman whenever describing the car!!!........ quite how accurate that information is I really dont know, but this may explain the tie-up with Crawford Composites and the plan to stay in the US.

Best of luck Libra and keep your chin up!!

here is their blog from the last few races, a very interesting read.

http://libraracing.us/

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by knighty

Nice replies guys, I was expecting the forum to ridicule the appearance, but I think we can all see the huge effort that the Libra team were putting in to prepare a serious race team with the resources available, but it just seems anything that could go wrong did go wrong, its a bitter pill to swallow but I hope they come back next year....... I heard through the grapevine that Ian has possibly bought the manufacturing rights to the Radical LMP2 car, hence he talks like a salesman whenever describing the car!!!........ quite how accurate that information is I really dont know, but this may explain the tie-up with Crawford Composites and the plan to stay in the US.

Best of luck Libra and keep your chin up!!

here is their blog from the last few races, a very interesting read.

http://libraracing.us/

Any serious team, that is putting forth a serious effort is welcome on the grid, and variety is great. After a number of years of the same principals, having similar type results, you have to start questioning what is going on. Isn't it interesting, that those best prepared teams don't have issues like this usually? Perhaps that tells us something. Ok, go away this off season, then come back next year with a car that is actually ready to race, reliably. If you can't.....

[knighty]

Libra are testing in the US imminently - watch this space.......god knows where, I dont know if its with the IES or NISMO engine........

[Japanese Samurai]

"Secret of the strength shown in 24 Heures du Mans"
NISMO LMP2 engine VK45DE
http://www.nismo.co.jp/motorsports/e...MP2/index.html

*When the 2011 engine regulations of the LMP2 class were announced in June, 2010, NISMO started the development of a new engine.
*NISMO judged that VK45DE developed for Super GT (GT500) suited this regulations.
*We were advantageous in the cost because this engine was already in the region of completion.
*It was easy to develop for the endurance race because it was an engine forged with Super GT. It was an advantage that it was a naturally-aspirated engine of a large engine displacement, too.
*The cylinder block and the cylinder head are the mass production engine parts. The crankshaft, the piston, and the connecting rod are the same parts as Super GT. Valve train parts etc. are special design parts.
*In LMP2, because it is semi-stress mounted, the mount parts has been strengthened.
*It was replaced by aluminum by regulations though the magnesium material was used for the suction system for Super GT.
*Why did VK45DE demonstrate the performance? It is because V8, 4.5-liter engine exist in the engine lineup of Nissan. And it is because the diversion was easy because of having developed for Super GT. Of cource, it is one factor that the engine user was a competitive team.

[alexkiller8]

Originally Posted by Japanese Samurai

"Secret of the strength shown in 24 Heures du Mans"
NISMO LMP2 engine VK45DE
http://www.nismo.co.jp/motorsports/e...MP2/index.html

*When the 2011 engine regulations of the LMP2 class were announced in June, 2010, NISMO started the development of a new engine.
*NISMO judged that VK45DE developed for Super GT (GT500) suited this regulations.
*We were advantageous in the cost because this engine was already in the region of completion.
*It was easy to develop for the endurance race because it was an engine forged with Super GT. It was an advantage that it was a naturally-aspirated engine of a large engine displacement, too.
*The cylinder block and the cylinder head are the mass production engine parts. The crankshaft, the piston, and the connecting rod are the same parts as Super GT. Valve train parts etc. are special design parts.
*In LMP2, because it is semi-stress mounted, the mount parts has been strengthened.
*It was replaced by aluminum by regulations though the magnesium material was used for the suction system for Super GT.
*Why did VK45DE demonstrate the performance? It is because V8, 4.5-liter engine exist in the engine lineup of Nissan. And it is because the diversion was easy because of having developed for Super GT. Of cource, it is one factor that the engine user was a competitive team.

hypocrisy bring me away... the reason of nissan powered lmp2 success is because the engine has an outstanding amount of torque (more than 500Nm even more than the lmp1 petrol 3.4 engines) because of higher displacement and the american style/low-mid revlimit v8 structure.... all the other engines are not so powerfull and lack of reliability sometimes.

[TF110]

Who's fault is that? Nissan has a good engine, others don't. Too bad.

[alexkiller8]

infact it isn't nissan fault, it's regulamentation wrong that isn't able to equilizer different engines performance, in lmp1 (speaking about petrol engine) a fair setting has been found, giving the right restrictors size that let a fair competition between cars with new 3.4 v8 / old type of engine.

[knighty]

correct, there is a loop-hole in the rules and Nissan cleverly exploited it, and Judd just did what they normally do and lost out big time......and I'm pleased Nissan did, small capacity high revving NA engines have no place in LMP racing any more, they drink fuel and have low torque, the LMP1 boys are paying the same price......yes they are light and sound good, but thets where it ends.......I think the NA V8 being used for the new Lotus LMP2 coupe is even bigger capacity at 5.0 litres, so even more torque........I expect Zytek-Nissan to sell more LMP2 engines soon, it really is a stonking motor.

[knighty]

God knows if it will actually get to race at Sebring, last I heard was they are on the reserves list???.......anyway, I managed to find this engine image of the roush-yates site.......looks quite neat.......the inlet looks particularly well thought out with balance pipes between both plenums

http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs005/...52/img/429.jpg

Having now had a squint at a few images, it "looks" like they are using the Borg-Warner EFR turbos, which is the same as what HPD are using on their V6........which is quite a jazzy piece of kit for an off the shelf turbo.

[Jonerz]

Thanks for the pic, knighty. As a Ford fan I'm cheering especially hard for Ian. I've always wanted his cars on the grid, competitive and able to do the race distance. Now that he's got a blue oval under the hood, I'm crossing my fingers for bigger things.

Chris

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by TF110

Who's fault is that? Nissan has a good engine, others don't. Too bad.

So your sayin the HPD isnt good enough then ?

[TF110]

Originally Posted by The Badger

So your sayin the HPD isnt good enough then ?

Are you saying it was? If so, why didn't it compete as well? Now, the engine is good, but they weren't in comparison to the Nissan engine when that comment was made.

[gwyllion]

John Dagys confirms that Libra Racing has committed to ALMS.

Originally Posted by @johndagys

Just spoke with Ian Dawson from Libra Racing. Says his Radical will be at Laguna. No Long Beach = maxed out field. @ALMSNotes #ALMS

Originally Posted by @johndagys

Dawson says he's committed for remainder of year. Has 2nd car if can find funded drivers. @ALMSNotes #ALMS

[The Badger]

Crap ..... cry wolf !!!

Dawson should be ashamed of himself .

I remember hearing about teams freighting stuff around the world inside their cars ..... this sounds like the perfect candidate to me .

[gwyllion]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...g-notebook/P2/ also covers the Libra project.

While absent from Sebring this weekend, Project Libra team principal Ian Dawson tells SPEED.com that his Radical SR9 Roush-Yates will make its debut in the third round of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Dawson says he’s lodged a full-season entry for his cost-capped P2 program but was unable to finalize their Sebring plans by the entry deadline. Libra’s chances of making Long Beach are also slim due to the track’s maximum capacity of 35 cars.

“We ran out of time for Sebring but for sure I now see a project,” Dawson said. “We’re ready if Long Beach came up. We’re ready to go.”

They will test next Thursday and Friday at Sebring.

[courageous]

I'm starting to wonder why respected & good journos are still bothering to report on Dawson's latest fantasy pixie dust powered car.

Surely at this point he is the exact opposite of a reliable source.