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LE MANS – 2012 CARS


FERRARI F458 (above)


Weight: 1260kg Air restrictor: 28.3mm Gurney: 25mm Fuel capacity: 90 litres Height rear wing (from roof): -200mm


The Italian manufacturer raced the 458 in 2011 with tyres developed for the 430, and tyre development over the winter has improved the car. Front tyre size has increased, as with all the other GTE cars at Le Mans, and the front wheelarches, wings and splitters have all been enlarged to accommodate the bigger rubbers. Airfl ow over the bonnet directs hot air from the radiator to the rear wing, and designers, Michelotto, have changed to a single air restrictor deeper in the throat of the air ducts, improving torque from the 4.5-litre V8.


ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE


Weight: 1195kg Air restrictor: 29.7mm Gurney: N/A


Fuel capacity: 95 litres Height rear wing (from roof): -100mm


Aston Martin’s waiver-laden Vantage runs 50kg lighter than the 1245kg minimum limit. The air restrictor is 29.7mm, compared to 28.6 of the Ferrari, and the car will not run a Gurney fl ap on its raised rear wing at Le Mans. It also carries fi ve litres more fuel than the others in class. The rear wishbones have been strengthened since Sebring in March, and the front uprights changed to be the same as the GT3 car. From front to back the aerodynamics have been improved, the biggest gain coming from a new rear wing.


CORVETTE CGR


Weight: 1260kg Air restrictor: 29.2mm Gurney: 25mm Fuel capacity: 90 litres Height rear wing (from roof): -125mm


Corvette’s GTE underwent an extensive development programme over the winter. New aerodynamics to accommodate the larger front tyre led to a front that is two inches wider overall, while the rear wing is higher. The C6R has been handicapped by the same Porsche-inspired 15kg applied to Ferrari, but the American manufacturer has been given a 1.3 per cent larger air restrictor, up from 27.9mm to 29.2mm.


PORSCHE 997 GT3 RSR


Weight: 1210kg Air restrictor: 28.9mm Gurney: 25mm Fuel capacity: 90 litres Height rear wing (from roof): -200mm


Balance of Performance is keeping Porsche in the hunt for GTE honours in Europe, the US and at Le Mans. The latest change is to reduce the base weight of the 997 by 25kg, but the balance of the car relies on ballast carried in the nose, and so the ACO allowed Porsche to reduce the weight by 10kg, and put a 15kg penalty on the other cars. Porsche turned to its hybrid 997 for weight saving techniques, using its lightweight doors and fi re extinguisher, and with other modifi cations including carbon switchgear, saved 8kg. The remaining 2kg came from the nose. Teams are also working on the pitch sensitivity of the car, although it is clearly quicker than its previous incarnation.


18 www.racecar-engineering.com • July 2012


June 2012


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