The Porsche 919 Hybrid is extremely lightweight, with the chassis and all key body parts made of carbon fibre.
The Le Mans prototype class will show off the latest hybrid technology, writes Eric Thompson With Porsche back in the Le Mans Prototype class one, or as it's more commonly known, LMP1, engineers have carte blanche to design any sort of car they want with the only restrictions being on length, width, height, weight and tyre size.
Visibility has been the big winner in the
new cars with drivers being able to see more and not have to dodge flying debris as they had in the past.
Two other big safety advances have been the tethering of the wheels to the car and side panels that will stop anything from penetrating the cockpit. From an engine manufacturer's point of view it's a clean sheet of paper. They can design whatever engine they want and have complete freedom to design whatever powerplant architecture they wish to reduce fuel consumption.
To save up to 30 per cent fuel usage the key is a hybrid engine. There are two main types of energy-recovery systems being used in motor racing -- recovery of kinetic energy, which is recovered under braking, and energy recovery from the exhaust gases.
