Motorsport: The new Porsche for Neel Jani
LONG-DISTANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Porsche presented the new Porsche 919 Hybrid in Monza, with which Neel Jani from Biel will defend his world championship title. The LMP1 prototype with a system output of around 900 hp has been extensively revised. The Porsche 919 Hybrid features innovations in the areas of aerodynamics, chassis and combustion engine in particular. Team Principal Andreas Seidl, who remains in charge of the [...]
The Porsche 919 Hybrid features innovations in the areas of aerodynamics, chassis and combustion engine in particular. Team Principal Andreas Seidl, who continues to shoulder the role of Technical Director on an interim basis, explains: "Overall, the proportion of new developments for the 2017 season can be put at 60 to 70 percent of the total vehicle. The basic concept of the 919 Hybrid continues to offer scope for optimizing details and increasing efficiency. The monocoque remains identical to 2016, all other components have been reviewed for their optimization potential and the majority have been changed." Just like in Formula 1, the monocoque is made of carbon fiber in a sandwich construction.
The further development measures also include a further increase in the efficiency and performance of the drivetrain. The optimizations affect the transmissions on the front and rear axles, the combustion engine, the electric motor and the recovery systems. The principle of the drive remains unchanged: The rear axle of the 919 is powered by an extremely compact two-liter V4 combustion engine with just under 500 hp (368 kW).
In addition, two different energy recovery systems - braking energy from the front axle and exhaust gas energy - feed the electric motor for driving the front wheels via a lithium-ion battery. The 919 Hybrid thus achieves a system output of more than 900 hp (662 kW) and benefits from the enormous traction when accelerating out of bends on demand with more than 400 hp on the front axle, transforming it into an all-wheel-drive vehicle.
Neel Jani with starting number 1
The 2017 World Endurance Championship kicks off this weekend with the prologue in Monza. Neel Jani will be competing here for the first time with start number 1 on the car. During the two-day official test drives for all registered teams, drivers will be able to drive for a total of 14 hours and then make an initial comparison with the competition.
However, the cards will not be revealed until the Easter weekend in Silverstone (GB). After the second 6-hour race at Spa (B) on May 6, the 24-hour race at Le Mans on June 17/18 will be the highlight of the season. Neel Jani wants to achieve both - world championship title and triumph at Le Mans - with his new partners André Lotterer (D) and Nick Tandy (GB).
http://www.porsche.com/germany/sportandevents/motorsport/
