What is Aston Martin up to?

[alexkiller8]

well, i don't know if cytosport has bought the car or if is only 1 year leasing but if the cytosport team and AMR join their forces they can use the lola tubs to build the new cars (making some editing, and homologating with a new name, in this way the car is not grandfathered anymore) a lot of money will be saved in this way. Cytosport will run the new car in ALMS, AMR in europe and both of them at le mans. In my opinion is not a bad idea after all.
I know that the car who AMR is currently using is the one of Jan Charouz that he is going to sell (650.000$ the current price)

[CTD]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

well, i don't know if cytosport has bought the car or if is only 1 year leasing but if the cytosport team and AMR join their forces they can use the lola tubs to build the new cars (making some editing, and homologating with a new name, in this way the car is not grandfathered anymore) a lot of money will be saved in this way. Cytosport will run the new car in ALMS, AMR in europe and both of them at le mans. In my opinion is not a bad idea after all.
I know that the car who AMR is currently using is the one of Jan Charouz that he is going to sell (650.000$ the current price)

The Cytosport is probably on lease to increase it's pedigree.
But you still have the problem of an now elderly tub, with an Engine which probably wont be allowed to race next year (defiantly not competitive).
Besides AMR want to be top runners, and that simply will not happen with those now 3-5 year old cars (difference in Tub age).

[alexkiller8]

i don't know if tub age is a problem, next year the arx-03 (surely, nothing official still) will use however a little modified arx01 chassis (with a different name surely) that at 99% is the one of the old LC75. For this reason i don't think that the tub age is a problem. About engine surely they should use an other engine, the ideal is to use a reliable aston martinized judd 3.4 v8

[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

i don't know if tub age is a problem, next year the arx-03 (surely, nothing official still) will use however a little modified arx01 chassis (with a different name surely) that at 99% is the one of the old LC75. For this reason i don't think that the tub age is a problem. About engine surely they should use an other engine, the ideal is to use a reliable aston martinized judd 3.4 v8

The ARX-03a's tub is a newly tooled and redesigned monocoque. Thus new built. Wirth says of the new ARX-03a's tub, "It's very different."

[SebringMG]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

i don't know if tub age is a problem, next year the arx-03 (surely, nothing official still) will use however a little modified arx01 chassis (with a different name surely) that at 99% is the one of the old LC75. For this reason i don't think that the tub age is a problem. About engine surely they should use an other engine, the ideal is to use a reliable aston martinized judd 3.4 v8

As Mike states the ARX03 is a new tub from Wirth. While the Judd V8 is reliable it is not a patch on the HPD engine purely because there has consistently not been enough development cash spent throughout its life.

A lola-judd called an aston would be slower than customer ARX03's which would almost be as embarrassing as the AmR-ONE. The lola chassis is decent but again it has historically been shown to be slower than the Wirth developed equivalent.....

[Dead-Eye]

Originally Posted by MulsanneMike

The ARX-03a's tub is a newly tooled and redesigned monocoque. Thus new built. Wirth says of the new ARX-03a's tub, "It's very different."

Although - apparently, according to DSC - similar enough that it can replace 01 tubs...

[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by Dead-Eye

Although - apparently, according to DSC - similar enough that it can replace 01 tubs...

Well yes, as it has to effectively slot into the same space. The -03a isn't particularly different from the -01e. It's a similar case to when 962 teams started creating their own aluminum honeycomb core monocoques (and carbon ones as well) or when Nissan threw out the Lola tub and designed their own: Ultimately the tubs had to interface with existing bodywork. Of course there will be those who argue it is the same, but significant optimizations can be made internally without significantly altering the exterior shape. I suspect that's what we'll see from the -03a. Thus Wirth's "very different" will still ring true even if, to us, it looks the same.

[Tim the Grey]

I wonder if you would have to buy the tubs off Oreca, as you do with 01s???

It's odd, isn't it. AMR, and Wirth. You could, honestly, throw a stone from one to the other, in Banbury*. So why don't AMR just throw some $ Nick's way, and use him as a consultant?


* OK you may want to use a catapult... But it's a lot less than a mile, door to door.

[The Badger]

Who did the layup for the AMR-One ?

[The Badger]

Who did the layup for the AMR-One ?

[Marcel ten Caat]

The new 03 tubs will be produced in-house. They are 100% not Oreca tubs.

[Tom908V12]

I thought Christian Klien should drive the AMR Lola in PLM

[Tim the Grey]

In House at Wirth? I didn't think they had a carbon facility in there. It's the old Ascari factory?

[The Badger]

If you bought a house , you would refit it from the previous owners , no ?

I would be surprised if Wirth didnt have that capicity , considring what they do .

[AstonGeoff]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Who did the layup for the AMR-One ?

Prodrive have their own carbon facility in Milton Keynes, don't know if it has the capability to do a whole tub though.

[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by AstonGeoff

Prodrive have their own carbon facility in Milton Keynes, don't know if it has the capability to do a whole tub though.

Seeing their facility (website), you'd most certainly think they could do the entire thing in-house, design to manufacture.

[Tim the Grey]

I thought the MK carbon facility was more bits and pieces sized, not big enough for a whole tub? Wings and bonnets for DBR-9 rather than full tubs for LMP.

Or is THAT the real reason they designed a barchetta?!?! *SHOCK, HORROR, EXPOSEE*
They could JUST fit that, but not a coupe...

[Mal]

So it seems that Delta Wing has 2 AMR one tubs. So that is the likely end of the AMR one as we know it?

[Tom908V12]

Congrats to AMR for their overall/LMP1 podium at PLM
Mücke, Fernandez and Primat did a goodjob in the Lola Aston

[JAG]

This team needs to be in P1 but it's difficult to see how they could get a suitable 2012 spec car.

It's one thing badging a chassis but Aston needs to be using their own engine.

[AGD]

Originally Posted by JAG

This team needs to be in P1 but it's difficult to see how they could get a suitable 2012 spec car.

I think they need to take advantage of the ALMS P1 grandfathering as long as they can. Ok, it might be a challenge to beat Muscle Milk for the championship next year if they get their hands on an HPD, but they can still make it a close competition I think. AMR has done well in the ALMS with their Lola in the few times they have brought it over. I think they would be foolish not to consider the ALMS option next year especially with Adrian's situation.

Perhaps the ALMS will continue grandfathering through 2013 and then they can refocus their LMP1 efforts on the 2014 regulations if they still want to go down the prototype route. I guess we'll have to see about that. The only question I guess is if they can get their hands on one or two existing AMR Lolas or if they would have to buy another one. Supposedly the Cytosport one is already bookmarked for a collector and the one AMR has been using is already a collector owned car, right?

[KA]

Trouble is, AMR's race efforts right from the first appearance of the DBR9 have had a strong focus on Le Mans- and the Lola isn't going to get them there next year, unless they find a way of making the straight-6 turbo work over the winter and put that in the back- Plus, as you say, there's the issue of who owns the chassis....

I guess they could run an ALMS race programme with Fernandez and the Lola, while either running a GTE Vantage programme in the ILMC, or working on a radically reworked and developed AMR-One (probably re-named as AMR-Two) for Le Mans- but have they got the money to run an ALMS programme and something that will get them a Le Mans start?

If they are going to do ALMS while they resolve the future direction of AMR's race campaigns, then to be honest running the Vantage there might make more sense- at least it'll get them to Le Mans...

[AGD]

Originally Posted by KA

Trouble is, AMR's race efforts right from the first appearance of the DBR9 have had a strong focus on Le Mans- and the Lola isn't going to get them there next year, unless they find a way of making the straight-6 turbo work over the winter and put that in the back- Plus, as you say, there's the issue of who owns the chassis....

I guess they could run an ALMS race programme with Fernandez and the Lola, while either running a GTE Vantage programme in the ILMC, or working on a radically reworked and developed AMR-One (probably re-named as AMR-Two) for Le Mans- but have they got the money to run an ALMS programme and something that will get them a Le Mans start?

If they are going to do ALMS while they resolve the future direction of AMR's race campaigns, then to be honest running the Vantage there might make more sense- at least it'll get them to Le Mans...

You're right about the grandfathered car not be eligible for Le Mans and I know Le Mans is important to AMR, but do they have a realistic shot at winning Le Mans in either LMP1 or GTE-Pro right now? I'm not seeing it. The Vantage is quite bad really even with quite favorable regulations. Maybe with a lot of work this off-season they can get the car better and have a small window of opportunity where the car is good and the regs are still favorable, but I don't know.

Maybe GTE-Am is something where they can win, but I'm sure they have higher aspirations. That said, I have not heard any rumors one way or another about Vantage GTE/ALMS GT customer teams for 2012. Are Jota, Gulf Middle East, and Young Driver expected to run the GTE Vantage next year? Any new runners?

Maybe AMR should consider converting the AMR-One chassis into a cost-capped LMP2 chassis. The Vantage engine would need some work to compete with the existing LMP2 runners, but maybe there is some potential there. I don't know about that either.

Anyway, I think the old grandfathered car gives them the best chance to win something and ALMS LMP1 isn't some minor championship. The ALMS is still a very visible championship in the sports car world. Taking a couple of years off from Le Mans (at least in LMP1) may not be the worst idea rather than try to do something embarrassing like this past year. They definitely have a lot of options including running some other customer parts so we will have to see what happens.

[rich07]

Anything on Young Driver for next year as yet? Havent heard of them returning to GT1 next year, doesnt mean they wont but havent heard anything thats all.
They could possibly move to the Vantage fulltime and race in GT2 in a factory effort...oh wait-they are a factory effort!

[rich07]

Double post