NEW PORSCHE PENSKE LMDH ENTRY COMPLETES RACE TRACK TESTING
The new LMDh prototype from Porsche Penske Motorsport has passed its first test on an international stage with flying colours. On Circuit de Catalunya, close to the Spanish metropolis of Barcelona, the new racing machine covered more than two thousand kilometres of hard driving. The focus of the test runs was to set up the on-board systems, evaluate tyre characteristics and optimise interaction between the car’s turbocharged V8 combustion engine and its hybrid powertrain, as prescribed by LMDh regulations. Over several days of testing, new Porsche works drivers, Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron, were among those who put the near 500kW (670bhp) monster through its paces.
“The successful tests in Barcelona were an enormously important step in vehicle development,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, a role he assumed in October, succeeding long-time Porsche motorsport man, Fritz Enzinger. “During our first laps at the Porsche test track in Weissach, it was critical to ensure the basic functions of the LMDh prototype worked. In Spain, however, we saw the entire scope of race car development, including endurance runs, setup work and, very importantly, the optimisation of interaction between all partners involved in this project,” he adds, referring to Porsche’s LMDh collaborators, chiefly Penske, Michelin and chassis manufacturer, Multimatic.
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