5/31/2023 0 Comments Extreme race gear![]() It doesn’t even cost us a minute because the parts are completely pre-assembled. The experienced engineer wants to avoid any possible risks: “We always play it safe and at least change the brakes on the front axle. The systems are so good now that we can manage with just one brake service at Le Mans,” reports Alexander Stehlig. “The brakes reach their absolute limit in the 24-hour race. Sophisticated ventilation cools the system down again within a few metres. In these moments, the temperatures of the brake pads and steel brake discs soar to over 400 degrees Celsius. In total, they depress the left pedal about 4,000 times during the race. Time and time again, the drivers stomp on the brakes as they hurtle towards the narrow passages such as the two chicanes on the famous Mulsanne straight, or at the entrance to the Mulsanne curve. At Le Mans, this system comes to the fore at 13 places per lap. ![]() Those who brake late are faster for longer: this was the mantra of Porsche when they developed the braking system for the 911 RSR. “We are really, really good in this regard,” grins Romain Gineste: each of the approximately 28 million spark-plug firings in the six-cylinder engine should translate to maximum propulsion during the 24-hour race. This works more precisely, and above all, faster,” explains Alexander Stehlig. “Our current RSR doesn’t use a pneumatic system to change gears like its predecessor, but an electromechanical one. The high torque of the 4.2-litre boxer engine thus thrusts the Weissach racer forward with almost no interruption. In the sequential six-speed gearbox of the nine-eleven, a gearshift takes a mere 15 milliseconds. This operational plan means that the transmission in the Porsche 911 RSR, for example, has to execute almost 7,000 more gearshifts, which must work flawlessly at all times – and at lightning speed. Many of the other teams do the same thing.” Romain Gineste, senior performance engineer in the Porsche GT Team This has absolutely proven its worth for us. This allows the mechanics to focus on the essentials on the Friday so that they are able to give their best during the very long race. We swap out the parts after the pre-test and leave them in the car until the end of the event. ![]() “That was a consideration for us,” states Alexander Stehlig, “because we also have to constantly keep an eye on the workload on our team. “Don’t forget: the race isn’t everything – the gearbox has to do its job in every practice session and qualifying.” In previous years, all teams installed a completely new drive train on the Friday of the Le Mans week, but since 2018 the components must remain in the vehicle for the entire race week. “Our cars have to cope with around 20,000 gearshifts over the race distance,” says Romain Gineste, senior performance engineer in the Porsche GT Team. But in practice, this sometimes looks a bit different.” Porsche 911 RSR developed for extreme endurance runs Theoretically, a 24-hour race shouldn’t be a problem. We carry out a lot of test bench work and assess the entire package in numerous test and development runs. ![]() “The car’s components are designed and extensively tested with these challenges in mind. “Of course, our Porsche 911 RSR is designed for this – we developed this vehicle for extreme endurance runs,” explains Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC. For 24 long hours, the Porsche 911 RSR has to withstand extreme stresses at Le Mans, without regard for the heavily stressed technology. Full throttle towards the Dunlop bend, carrying momentum over the kerbs of the following corners, maximum acceleration through Tertre Rouge approaching the first chicane, then hard on the brakes – over and over again. Vanthoor charges back out onto the 13.626-kilometre circuit. After only a few seconds, the car is lowered and the six-cylinder boxer growls back to life, roaring as it leaves the pits. The windscreen is cleaned once more, the driver’s water bottle is replaced. One last time, the Manthey team refills the fuel tank of the No. Works driver Laurens Vanthoor turns into the pit lane in the Porsche 911 RSR.
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