development started much earlier. Almost all of the focus from the Toyota Motorsports Division’s hybrid department, headed up by Hisatake Murata, has been focussed on the development of a purpose-built hybrid drive system. Winning the Tokachi 24 Hours race with a hybrid Supra in 2007 was a critical moment. Then Japan’s leading racecar constructor, Dome, was contracted to assist in the development of a hybrid system for Le Mans. A prototype was fi tted to Dome’s open-top S101.5 LMP in late 2008, but the system reportedly weighed 200kg and was too bulky to be a viable solution. Under pressure from the
motor manufacturers, the ACO opened up the premier Le Mans Prototype class to hybrid technology in 2009, but there were few takers. In 2011, the regulations were freed up further and it was enough to make Toyota commit to racing the new powertrain. The critical part of the 2012 regulations are fairly open. stating that: ‘Energy recovery systems are free, provided they respect the following rules: • Recovery and release of braking energy from the
brakes, either on the two wheels of the front axle, or on the two wheels of the rear axle.
• Regarding braking energy recovery, only electric systems and mechanical or electromechanical fl ywheel system are allowed.
• Recovery of the energy of the exhaust gasses is allowed
• Any other system recovering energy that would be lost without using it, on condition that the measurement of the released energy is possible and proved is allowed.
• The car’s minimum weight is identical to that of the other LMP1s using conventional powertrains: 900kg.
CAPACITOR STORAGE Toyota committed to the project fully and started development proper on the TS030. Whilst Hope Racing was the fi rst hybrid ever to race at Le Mans in 2011 with its fl ywheel storage-equipped ORECA 01, and Audi has employed an electro-mechanical system on its R18H, Toyota favoured the
Formula 1 details and experience abound on the new Sports Prototype, from suspension design to exhaust exits to some of the aero testing programme. ‘We start with CFD, then correlate that with scale tunnel testing, then correlate with the full-scale car,’ explains Pascal Vasselon, the project’s technical director. Even the track testing methodology is based directly on that of the old Panasonic Toyota Racing F1 team, even if the budget for the whole racing programme is not
Le Mans •
www.racecar-engineering.com
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