The 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans promises to be one of the more interesting races this year, thanks to new regulations that could level the playing field between Audi's dominant R18 e-tron quattro and the rest of the sports-prototype field by forcing every team to make at least some changes. Threats to Audi's dominance include Porsche's new 919 Hybrid and this racer, Toyota's TS040. The car debuted at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, and Toyota's technical director Pascal Vasselon calls it a "deep evolution" of last year's TS030 Hybrid racer. Oh, and it's wicked powerful.
The FIA's new World Endurance Championship regulations pose an immense challenge to the teams, not the least because they require the cars—and tires—to be narrower, and teams are penalized if total fuel/electric energy usage exceeds pre-defined three-lap average limits. And unlike before, hybrid systems can be activated from a standstill. Thus, the TS040 is 0.4 inch narrower than the TS030, and its tires are 0.2 inch narrower, as well. Toyota also beefed up the hybrid system by adding a second electric motor-generator unit (MGU) built by Aisin to the front axle, which augments the carryover rear-axle Denso MGU.
Electric energy captured during braking is stored in a Nisshinbo super-capacitor, and can zap the electric motors to produce a combined (and hearty) 475 horsepower, very nearly matching the output of the 513-hp, mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V-8. (Yep, that's a total combined output of 988 horsepower!) This year's WEC rules include a classification hierarchy for MGU energy usage, in 2-megajoule increments from 0–8 megajoules, and the Toyota falls under the 6-megajoule hybrid energy allotment. (While the rules are somewhat complex, essentially the higher a team's megajoule allotment, the fewer megajoules of fuel energy it can use per lap.) Altogether, the TS040 racer is a whopping 25 percent more efficient than last year's TS030, Toyota claims.
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Perhaps the most exciting part of the upcoming WEC season is how each of the headlining teams chose different hybrid solutions for the LMP1 class. Porsche has gone with a turbocharged V-4 engine mated to an exhaust-energy recuperation system and a front-axle MGU, while Audi's sticking with its tried-and-true turbocharged diesel V-6 and flywheel-based KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) setup. Since Peugeot pulled out of endurance racing, it seems Toyota has emerged as Audi's strongest competitor, given that Porsche's car is an untested quantity. This year's Le Mans showdown could be closer than ever, and we can't wait to watch it unfold.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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