The LMDh racer prepares for the 2023 season.
In December 2020, Porsche announced that it would be returning to Le Mans. Over the course of the following year, a few details were revealed to the public, as was the announcement that the German automaker would be teaming up with Penske to develop the racecar.
Our first teaser that wasn't a digital sketch arrived late last year, and since then, work on the project has continued behind the scenes, but now it's time for the Porsche prototype to enter active on-track testing as it aims for overall victory at all three of the world's greatest endurance races: Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring.
Porsche says that its choice for a combustion engine for the hybrid racer is a large-capacity twin-turbo V8 designed to run on renewable fuels so as to reduce CO2 emissions. When racing, the total system output of the hybrid powertrain is said to reach around 670 horsepower.
“We were spoiled for choice with the engine for our LMDh prototype because the product range offers several promising baseline units,” says vice president of Porsche Motorsport, Thomas Laudenbach. “We decided on the V8 biturbo, which we feel offers the best combination of performance characteristics, weight, and costs. The kick-off to the active test program was an important step for the project.”
Now that Porsche Penske Motorsport has had its first track outing, the team reports that the engine was impressive “in every respect.” In case you don't already know, the engine regulations for the new LMDh class offer a lot of scope for creativity. The rules are that it can't rev past 10,000 rpm, with its pass-by noise levels limited to 110 decibels. The engine itself must weigh at least 180 kilograms, including the air supply and exhaust systems. The peripheral cooling components must also be included, and if you're using a turbocharged motor, turbines and charge air cooling systems also fall into the category of the engine. Maximum output must be between 643 and 697 hp. This range, says Porsche, “allows adjustments to be made within the Balance of Performance (BoP) parameters,” which exist to ensure parity between all competing cars.
Another regulation is that the torque curve is clearly defined. While involved in a race, the combined power output of the engine and the hybrid drive unit must be 670 hp at the half-shafts, so drivetrain efficiency is critical here. Williams Advanced Engineering supplies the battery, Bosch the motor-generator unit and control electronics, and Xtrac the transmission.
Hopefully, we'll soon get access to some video clips of the new Le Mans racer blasting around a test track, and if Porsche does well in its endurance racing exploits, perhaps someday down the line, a replacement for the 918 Spyder hypercar will also come from this project. In the meantime, we await the arrival of the 911 GT3 RS. Apparently, it's going to be epic.
Keyword: Porsche Begins Testing Le Mans Hypercar