Le Mans: Dragonspeed confirms return to the LMP1 class

Elton Julian, owner and team manager of Dragonspeed, announced the teams' return to the LMP1 class at Le Mans in a video posted on twitter yesterday.

Julian started off with Pietro Fittipaldi's recovery which is going very well in Indianapolis.

The Dragonspeed LMP1 program will be started up immediately again, beginning with the Le Mans test day next week.  The reason is that the Dragonspeed team is happy with the findings regarding Fittipaldi's accident. Everything posts to a very obvious problem that will be rectified by the Dallara and gives the team the confidence to build a new car which will be hopefully ready in time for the test day. 

An announcement regarding our LMP1 @FIAWEC @24hoursoflemans participation from Team Owner Elton Julian #oneteamonedream @DallaraGroup @SMP_Racing @Michelin_Sport @gibsontech1 @GerardNeveuWEC @fillon_pierre @Rengervdz @benhanley85 @PiFitti #HenrikHedman @fia pic.twitter.com/PSlXBg4Jx6

— DragonSpeed (@DragonSpeedLLC) 25 mei 2018

There's a lot if work to be done to build a new car in less than two weeks time but the team is confident and will go for it ... it's Le Mans ! Dragonspeed heads toward the Le Mans testday with confidence and excitement.

With the funding issues CEFC suffered from in Spa also likely to be resolved, it seems we'll see a full grid of LMP1 cars at Le Mans next week !

Kristof Vermeulen.
Picture: Jellybaby.Media

FIA WEC: Jenson Button's video of his first LMP1 test

Jenson Button had his first test with the SMP Racing BR1 last week at the Magny Cours circuit in France. 

On his youtube channel, the Formula 1 world champion gives you an insight and some behind the scenes footage from his first day at the wheel in an LMP1 car.  Check out the video below !

FIA WEC: Positive first test for Jenson Button with SMP Racing

Jenson Button has completed his first test with SMP Racing and the BR1 at Magny Cours in preparation for his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

© SMP Racing

The British driver's first impressions after his first stints, totalling five hours, at the wheel of the BR Engineering prototype are very positive.  “I must say that the BR1 is very impressive,” said Jenson Button. “I did not expect to find so much grip in this car. Its traction and downforce is excellent in slow turns in very impressive in high speed corners, despite being a big car. I absolutely loved it, nice for my first test to be around Magny Cours as it’s one of my favourite circuits and I have a lot of great memories from racing there. It felt very much like old skool F1 from when we raced there back in ‘05/‘06".

Button did a solid five hours of testing and felt already comfortable behind the wheel of the beast! "We still have some areas where improvement is needed but it's a good starting point.  We are preparing for Le Mans, on a track where a fast car is needed. I am very satisfied with the hours of testing today, and my progress at the wheel of the machine. The first day with SMP Racing and the BR1 was very positive. I am very happy! There is a lot to think about and give to the team before the tests in June. “ On his Instagram account Button said he was "smiling from ear to ear".

SMP Racing has entered two AER porwered BR1 prototypes in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The # 17 is currently being rebuilt after the car, in the hands of Matevos Isaakyan, took off at Raidillon exiting Eau Rouge at Spa last weekend.

FIA WEC: Jenson Button to drive super season with SMP Racing

SMP Racing has announced Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, as the third driver in the #11 BR Engineering BR1, joining Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov for the 2018/2019 Super season. 

Jenson Button will race with the Russian team in the FIA World Endurance championship, starting at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He won't race in Spa next week due to the date clashing with the second round of the Japanese Super GT Series.  Next to Fernando Alonso, Button is the second F1 world champion to compete in the FIA WEC this season, and the 15th (ex-) F1 driver on this year's grid for the season. 

Boris Rotenberg, SMP Racing founder and leader said: “I’m happy to welcome Jenson Button as a part of our team. He is a top-level driver and Formula 1 Champion. He will race with the Russian BR1 prototype, a car of the top LMP1 category. His teammates will be our strongest drivers Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov. This car was designed with the most advanced motorsport technologies by the best specialists of the Russian company BR Engineering and Italian concern Dallara. We’re sure our line-up is one of the best and most competitive in the FIA WEC.”

Jenson Button added: “I’m delighted to be a part of the SMP Racing team in the FIA World Endurance Championship. My teammates for this year will be Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov whom I know very well from his racing in Formula 1 and Mikhail obviously from his IndyCar exploits. I think with those two and the experience we all have from different types of racing and the team’s fantastic experience in endurance racing we have a great chance to fight at the front and fight for the win and I can’t wait to get going.”

The Russian team SMP Racing will take part in the FIA WEC Super Season with two cars of the top LMP1 category, the Russian BR1 prototypes. The team will be represented by six drivers: Egor Orudzev, Matevos Isaakyan, Stephane Sarrazin (car number 17) and Mikhail Aleshin, Vitaly Petrov and Jenson Button (car number 11).

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “As has been demonstrated over many decades, the 24 Hours of Le Mans remains one of the great motorsport challenges that World Champions wish to conquer.  We are delighted to welcome Jenson Button to the WEC and to Le Mans in particular and are sure that his presence will be extremely popular with fans across the world.”

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the WEC said: “This is very good news for all motorsport fans, especially those in the UK who will see Jenson at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in August. To welcome a champion of his standing and reputation is great for the whole WEC paddock.”

FIA WEC: Dragonspeed to run customer BR1 next season

Dragonspeed to run a customer BR1 next season

During the launch of the BR1 at Bahrain yesterday evening, Dragonspeed has been announced as the team's first customer to run a second BR1 in the 2018/2019 FIA WEC superseason.

After securing the 2017 ELMS title in Portimao last month, Dragonspeed announced their intent to race in LMP1 next season. Initially they kept all options open towards chassis and engine manufacturer, but were looking into a collaboration with Oreca. Since Oreca couldn't give any assurance about a possible LMP1 project, contact were laid with Dallara and SMP Racing, resulting in the decision to opt for the BR1/Dallara chassis and a brand new Gibson LMP1 engine.

Ben Hanley and Henrik Hedman have already been confirmed as drivers for next season, the third driver is yet to be selected and announced. Nico Lapierre, who is now racing with Dragonspeed in the ELMS and Signatech Alpine in the FIA WEC might be one of the main contenders for the third seat given his experience in LMP1 with Toyota.

It's also confirmed that the American based team will continue to compete in the European Le Mans Series with one of their Oreca 07's, for which they are looking to find a customer.

Dragonspeed will use the all new Gibson GL458 engine in their BR1. The new LMP1 engine supplied by Gibson will be based upon their successful LMP2 engine. Design, development and production of the new GL458 are taking place at Gibson’s Repton facility, with the first engine being scheduled for delivery to DragonSpeed in late February. All LMP2 WEC, ELMS and Le Mans 24 Hour teams are currently powered by Gibson engines, with over 500,000kms covered so far with the GK428 engines. The new LMP1 contract with DragonSpeed is a natural progression for Gibson’s highly motivated engineers to prove their reliability and success at the top level of endurance racing.

“I am delighted to forge this alliance with Gibson Technology” said Elton Julian, DragonSpeed team owner. “Having personally raced with their engines in the past and now winning our first LMP championship as a team owner with their power plant, I can’t think of a better partner for DragonSpeed’s next challenge. Reliability, support and the common desire to succeed make this the obvious choice for our programme”.

“Everyone at Gibson is thrilled that one of our most successful LMP2 engine customers has opted to remain with us to continue with this excellent partnership and we look forward to tackling the challenge of LMP1 together” said John Manchester, Gibson Technology’s Operations Director. “Work has been underway for a while on the new LMP1 power unit and we will aim to ensure that we can deliver the required combination of power, fuel efficiency and good reliability from the moment the DragonSpeed Dallara Gibson goes on track.”

Kristof Vermeulen. 

FIA WEC: BR1/Dallara LMP1 presented in Bahrain yesterday

Exactly one year after BR Engineering announced its plans to build a new LMP1 racecar in conjunction with Dallara, its BR1 has been presented in the Bahrain paddock yesterday. The BR1 is the first of the new LMP1 prototypes that officially breaks cover ahead of the 2018/2019 FIA WEC super season. 

Boris Rotenberg, president of BR Engineering unveiled the car together with test drivers Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.  Rotenberg praised the hard work that has been done in the past 365 days by chassis builders Dallara in conjunction with Russian engineers and students of techincal universities who participated in the deveopment of the prototype:  “The significant fact is that we’d announced the agreement between BR Engineering and Dallara to start working on the BR1 prototype exactly a year ago on November the 17, during the FIA WEC 2016 final round. Today we are honoured and pleased to present you the result of these 365 days of hard work. Having the best racing car production experience and the achievements of one of the best companies – Dallara. As well as Russian experts and SMP Racing drivers Vitaly Petrov, Sergey Sirotkin, Mikhail Aleshin, Victor Shaitar, Kirill Ladygin took part at different stages of the car’s development. The drivers worked on the simulator and their task was to make their professional suggestions into key aspects of the prototype development - from ergonomics to the car’s behavior on the track." 

© BR Engineering

The car arrived in Bahrain straight from its initial test in Aragon, Spain earlier this week.  During its 2 day rollout Petrov & co managed to run over 1000 km already which is pretty impressive for a first real test of new car.  Petrov said the car felt really good from the beginning and they just wanted to keep on running, despite the engineers calling them to ease up a bit. 

BR Engineering has an impressive line-up of test drivers who will continue to work on the development of the car. Mikhail Aleshin stepped out of his Indycar program to develop the BR1 and is joined by former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov, Sergey Sirotkin and LMP stalwarts Victor Shaytar & Kirill Ladigin.  It's expected that the BR1 which will run under the SMP Racing flag, with support of ART Grand Prix will feature an all Russian driver line-up.  Testing will resume as soon as possible when the car gets back in Europe. 

The BR1 has a weight of approximately 930 kg and will be powered by a twin turbo AER V6 engine with a power output of 720 hp.  It's also possible to fit other engines like the Mechachrome (which well feature in some of the Ginetta LMP1's), the new Gibson engine or other manufacturers.

The AER engine has also been introduced yesterday, in the wake of the BR1 presentation. The engine is the successor to the successful P60 LMP1-L engine, and features substantial technical upgrades. Like its predecessor, the new P60B is a very compact, lightweight twin-turbocharged GDI V6 and specifically designed for peak fuel optimization and the FIA WEC in the LMP1-L class.

“AER’s LMP1 engine has been in a state of constant development since its inception in 2013,” said Mark Ellis, the company’s technical director, noting that AER have gained huge experience from testing, racing, and dynamometer development in the past three years. “But the specific, integrated package of upgrades we’ve been working on since this past January represents a sufficient step forward that it warrants the change in nomenclature. The P60B incorporates improvements that make it a step up from the P60 in terms of both performance and reliability that’s required for continued success in endurance racing.” According to Ellis the most prominent of the optimised component specifications include implementation of updates to the high-pressure fuel system, cylinder head casting, scavenge system/oil tank, ignition system and engine calibration. “Following impressive dyno test results, the first P60B was delivered to a customer last month,” Ellis said. “AER have since built several P60Bs in support of track-testing, as well as the 2018-2019 racing super season.”

Ellis noted that as a complement to endurance track-testing, AER is undertaking constant in-house dynamometer testing that substantially exceeds the demands of the Le Mans 24-hour race’s duration.

Mike Lancaster, AER’s Managing Director, noted the larger technical and organisational context of the introduction of the P60B. “This has been done in parallel with heavy investment in AER’s facilities in 2017, and in support of AER’s planned and future racing activities. All of our clients are now benefiting from this program and those benefits will only increase with the passage of time.”

Kristof Vermeulen. 

FIA WEC: BR Engineering and Dallara to build a new LMP1-L prototype

On the eve of the final round of the FIA World Championship, the Russian company BR Engineering announces the decision to continue the participation in the championship in 2018 in the LMP1 class with a prototype of its own manufacture.

Boris Rotenberg, president of BR Engineering, and Andrea Pontremoli, CEO of Dallara, signed a collaboration agreement. The joint development and creation of a racing prototype BR1 in 2018 is the target of the Russian and Italian team work.

The BR Engineering new project started in Italy yesterday, and the process of creating the future prototype has already been launched. The company intends to spend 2017 on design, constructoen, all the necessary studies and tests, as well as the whole homologation process. In 2018 Russian team SMP Racing team once again take part in the FIA WEC on BR Engineering prototype. The team of specialists from ART Grand Prix is also involved into participation of the development of the new car and subsequent technical and operational services.

The BR1 will be created in accordance with the FIA regulations for LMP1 prototypes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The newest prototype is the next step after the launch in 2015 of the BR01 (LMP2), which had several podium finishes and achieved an overall third place in the ELMS this season and finished third in the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours. 

For next season some fundamental changes in the LMP2 class will be introduced; reducing the list of manufacturers. This influenced the decision of BR Engineering to focus its efforts on the development of a new prototype in the LMP1-L class with the target to continue in the 2018 FIA WEC championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours, in a new car and stepping up to the top class of endurance racing.

"We raised a challenge to ourselves", - said Boris Rotenberg. - It was possible to buy on the chassis of one of the four manufacturers, also it was possible to leave prototype racing, but we have always chosen our path. Not necessarily, and not always the easiest, but it is for sure - the most interesting and promising. The aim of the project was and remains the development of Russian motor sport, including the field of technology. We invest a lot in support of the Russian pilots to help talented young drivers to start a career in karting and successfully continue in GT, prototypes or single seaters. Our LMP2 BR01 prototype was the first Russian car on the Le Mans podium. BR1is the continuation of this project, aimed primarily at attracting higher technology in our country. Dallara's name is known to anyone who is familiar with motor racing. Now we have become partners, and BR Engineering's new project started here in Italy, where the best designers and engineers, both from Russia and from Europe will create a Russian prototype for the Russian SMP Racing team. They will face a lot of work. "   

The world-famous manufacturer of racing technology of the highest level,  Dallara, is the chassis supplier for the cars involved in IndyCar, FIA WEC, ELMS, GP2 , GP3, Formula 3,5 V8, Super Formula, represented in Formula 3, and Formula E.  Dallara is also collaborating with Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bugatti, Ferrari , KTM, Lamborghini, Maserati and many other manufacturers. Every weekend, about 300 racing cars built by its plant in Parma, where the BR Engineering office is now open, successfully performing on tracks around the world.