[WEC] Aston Martin Hypercar Discussion

[deggis]

https://media.astonmartin.com/aston-...ry-at-le-mans/

Following the announcement of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s decision to introduce hypercars to the top category of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Aston Martin will field a minimum of two works Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercars, specially-developed for the 2020/21 FIA WEC season, including the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.

[deggis]

Some more info here:

https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/1...-new-wec-rules

* Adrian Newey and Red Bull Technologies will be involved
* Palmer can't confirm if it is a hybrid or not

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by deggis

Some more info here:

https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/1...-new-wec-rules

* Adrian Newey and Red Bull Technologies will be involved
* Palmer can't confirm if it is a hybrid or not

Considering the road car is a hybrid, wouldnt it be a marketing own goal not to have SOME FORM of hybrid in the LM car? Even if it is a mild mild mild hybrid

Most fans wouldnt be particularly bothered what level of hybrid it is anyway

[Speedblood]

Regardless of the Hybrid, let's cut to the main point.

A big 6.5 V12 in the top class making a tremendous noise!

[MaskedRacer]

Look forward to the engine sound for sure. Any chance it will be like the Aston Martin LMP1 from a decade ago?

I wonder if it will be daiglow yellow or green livery too?

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

Considering the road car is a hybrid, wouldnt it be a marketing own goal not to have SOME FORM of hybrid in the LM car? Even if it is a mild mild mild hybrid

Most fans wouldnt be particularly bothered what level of hybrid it is anyway

But putting hybrid into it would seriously jeopardize the yearly AMR budget goal of 1 million dollars (insert Dr Evil face)

[DistortedSmile]

Originally Posted by deggis

Some more info here:

https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/1...-new-wec-rules

* Adrian Newey and Red Bull Technologies will be involved
* Palmer can't confirm if it is a hybrid or not

They also want to sell customer cars:


https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...ercar-program/

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by DistortedSmile

They also want to sell customer cars:


https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...ercar-program/

DSC saying they expect factory effort run by Multimatic, and a possible customer programme by R-Motorsport

[deggis]

I find it funny that all this talk about death of naturally aspirated engines and generally the looming death of ICE and then... this 6.5L V12.

It is definitely going to feel like a last hurrah for such engines.

[FIRE]

Surprised by the engine!

[hondafan37]

This car gives me a lot of emosion, it is really beautiful and its V12 will be just fantastic !!!
I love the new rules, and the BOP does not matter to me if it brings us back GT1 / GTP cars and V12 engines.

[deggis]

(https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/1...-goliath-clash)

[Bcarr6]

I don’t care what anyone says of the rule set, seeing this car with that engine hammer round Le Mans is going to be fantastic

[chernaudi]

Something to get new blood back into LMP1 should be considered a good thing. I'm not 100% on board with some of the quirks of the rules, but with cars like this, who cares right now?

And just when we thought that V12s were dead. AMR and Cosworth to the rescue.

[TF110]

A poster brought up a good point in the "what is Aston Martin up to" thread;

He said that the Valkyrie was supposed to be able to beat an F1 around the track, at least that was one of the original claims. I didn't believe that. But then there was talk that the AMR PRO could beat the 919 EVO's time around the Nurburgring.

When you hear these things and then read up that the rules were dumbed down and the cars slowed with weight added (1100kg) at Aston Martin's request or whatever, it makes me question how good the Valkyrie really is or if the claims are just bogus PR. I'll believe them if they take the AMR Pro to the 'Ring and do a 5:20. It just makes me question these things about the car being so awesome that it needed the ACO to increase the weight by over 200kg from the current lmp1s. The engine isn't that heavy!

[chernaudi]

Actually, the stock Valkyrie weighs nearly 1100kg.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Actually, the stock Valkyrie weighs nearly 1100kg.

I know, and that's the point. They seemingly want as little work to do as possible. We'll see but from what we know so far that's how it appears.

[helgi]

How are they going to "balance" that aero?

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by helgi

How are they going to "balance" that aero?

well it's an already almost impossible task to balance NA and turbo engines, balance aero will be quite unlikely. BTW, don't think that amr will bring a valkirye chassis to race... to me multimatic will build a lmp like carbon tub fitted with the V12 and will build a valkirye like bodywork around

[TF110]

Originally Posted by canaglia

well it's an already almost impossible task to balance NA and turbo engines, balance aero will be quite unlikely. BTW, don't think that amr will bring a valkirye chassis to race... to me multimatic will build a lmp like carbon tub fitted with the V12 and will build a valkirye like bodywork around

Then it's only a Valkyrie in name with a detuned version of the 'same' engine powering the road car. I don't know if that's the case here. Seems they want to bring the actual VALKYRIE to Le Mans, not a prototype with a look-alike bodykit.

[GingerPixel]

Originally Posted by canaglia

well it's an already almost impossible task to balance NA and turbo engines, balance aero will be quite unlikely. BTW, don't think that amr will bring a valkirye chassis to race... to me multimatic will build a lmp like carbon tub fitted with the V12 and will build a valkirye like bodywork around

Forgive my potential ignorance, but doesn't this go against the point of the whole thing being road car based?

[TF110]

Originally Posted by GingerPixel

Forgive my potential ignorance, but doesn't this go against the point of the whole thing being road car based?

That's what I was thinking in my last post. If that's the case, then the Valkyrie isn't all that different in race spec. If it's 1100kg in race trim, then there's basically no difference in terms of weight from what the road car is. The regs are tailored to them because they wanted to enter this thing. So with that in mind, there's your reason of the relatively high weight.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by GingerPixel

Forgive my potential ignorance, but doesn't this go against the point of the whole thing being road car based?

Indeed. I would assume the homologation process is not too different from the way it is done in GTE.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by helgi

How are they going to "balance" that aero?

Meet BoP.

[chernaudi]

Well, the Valkyrie is basically sort of like what the ACO/FIA envision Hypercar being. So in that way, I can't really blame Aston Martin for wanting to give the car a place to race. It's more LMP for the road than F1 car for the road IMO, anyways.