WEC: Neel Jani on the road with 900-hp Porsche
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season begins at the end of March with the traditional prologue in Paul Ricard, southern France. The Porsche team around works driver Neel Jani is preparing. Porsche would like to build on its successes from the 2015 season. Last season's results - first and second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans [...]
Last season's results - first and second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the world championship title for manufacturer and driver - mean that Porsche is sticking with the innovative drive concept this year too. The focus of the 2016 regulations is on hybridization for the top class (Le Mans prototypes in Class 1, LMP1 for short).
The sporting performance of the prototypes is therefore directly linked to their energy efficiency. For the Porsche racing engine, this means around eight percent less fuel and power, resulting in an output of just under 500 hp. With the electrical energy from the two recovery systems (braking energy from the front axle and exhaust gas energy), which feeds the additional electric motor on the front axle, the Porsche 919 Hybrid now has a system output of around 900 hp.
Racing elements for the road
Like every Porsche, the 919 Hybrid is developed by Neel Jani and his team colleagues at the Weissach site. The team led by Alexander Hitzinger, Technical Director for the endurance racing car, works closely with engineers from series development. "They help us significantly with combustion development and mixture preparation. We also use the same test benches as the series," explained Hitzinger.
Conversely, the new turbo four-cylinder engine for the Porsche 718 Boxster adopts technology components and development know-how from the racing engine. For example, the cylinder spacing, the short-stroke design and the central gasoline direct injection.
Despite all the similarities, the four-cylinder engine in the 919 is not a boxer engine, but a V-engine with a 90-degree bank angle. The team describes the two-liter engine as "the most efficient engine Porsche has ever built." The engine will be used in nine rounds in nine countries in the World Endurance Championship.
In 2016, the WEC will race on the new Formula 1 circuit in Mexico City for the first time. The highlight of the season is the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
www.porsche.ch
Photos: Factory
