Renault returning to Le Mans?

[Acid09]

Well they played up the Nissan thing and look what we got

Honestly, I think a press conference with the ACO is a bit much just for rebadging an engine, there must be more behind it.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Acid09

Well they played up the Nissan thing and look what we got

Honestly, I think a press conference with the ACO is a bit much just for rebadging an engine, there must be more behind it.

Haha they aren't getting any money from Renault it's true. Not a lot more to say now until the conference you're right.

[CTD]

Nissan engines rebadged as Renault when Nissan goes LMP1?

[TF110]

Hopefully it is something big, and hopefully it's not inflated known news just because it's a French make.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Adam43

.

And it will be the wrong colour.

Yep, if it's not proper retro 70's-style yellow & black with Elf sponsorship ,the toys are going out of the pram big-time

http://www.supercars.net/gallery/119513/2446/940069.jpg

[deggis]

At least a bit related: Autosport: Renault believes it deserves more credit for Red Bull title success

[isynge]

Originally Posted by KA

Yep, if it's not proper retro 70's-style yellow & black with Elf sponsorship ,the toys are going out of the pram big-time

http://www.supercars.net/gallery/119513/2446/940069.jpg

Even if this goes no further than a bit of badge engineering it's good news - it means that there'll be some Renault profile at France's biggest race - which can only help the profile of the event - and it's a bit of welcome inward investment.

That said, yellow and black, and ideally a bit of a teapot like airbox are things that pretty much sum up Alpine Renault - even if Elf is now just a Total sub-brand it would seem logical to have that sort of colour scheme.

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by deggis

At least a bit related: Autosport: Renault believes it deserves more credit for Red Bull title success

It's funny how Renault gets all the flack for the alternators (a unit produced by a 3rd party and found in a number of other F1 cars where it doesn't fail), while Infiniti reaps all the success. It got completely bizarre in 2012, didn't look like a healthy relationship at all.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by isynge

That said, yellow and black, and ideally a bit of a teapot like airbox are things that pretty much sum up Alpine Renault - even if Elf is now just a Total sub-brand it would seem logical to have that sort of colour scheme.

F1 2010 black-yellow livery, but no Elf. In fact Total with its red color is the one that ruins it, so using Elf would not seem likely.

[deggis]

Bump. The press conference can't be many hours away from now.

[Acid09]

Press conference going on right now, the ACO's Twitter is simply repeating the same thing over and over again.

I'd like some facts now..

[deggis]

https://twitter.com/24heuresdumans

P2/Signatech rebadging part was true: https://twitter.com/24heuresdumans/s...84384272973824

Meh.

[Simmi]

It's another brand involved which is true enough. But I think this clearly all about marketing vs performance. Nice for the French. Not really something anyone will notice unless they slap a livery on it.

Doesn't become exciting unless there's some real intent behind it in the future. No difference between this and the Lotus/Judd rebadging or the Morgan/OAK switch.

[gwyllion]

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/defa...?storyId=27287 reports a bit better news. The engine will be a rebadged Nissan, but Caterham will develop a new LMP2 chassis!

The new chassis will be developed in conjunction with Renault-Alpine partner Caterham, meaning both companies will be able to bring to bear their collective experiences with their own F1 teams and single-marque race series. In other words, the new chassis won't be a toe-in-the-water job; indeed, it has the potential to be a real contender, and both companies will be aiming for this to be a mainstream campaign, rather than an attack on the establishment from the fringes.

...

The new LMP2 car, meanwhile, will be unveiled in late March, and will make its competitive debut at the first round of the ELMS at Silverstone on 13 April.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by TF110

Hopefully it is something big, and hopefully it's not inflated known news just because it's a French make.

Haha just seen this.

Oh dear...

To be fair RCE killed the anticipation with their scoop. I just hope Sam wasn't putting 2+2 together and getting P1.

EDIT: Better news above ^^^

[Acid09]

Okay now that makes a lot of sense, I can see how this is a stepping stone for LMP1, similar to what Lotus is doing.

Excellent news!

[ArnageWRC]

Originally Posted by deggis

F1 2010 black-yellow livery, but no Elf. In fact Total with its red color is the one that ruins it, so using Elf would not seem likely.

However, Renault have entered 2 Meganes in the ERC 2WD Cup....and Elf are one of the sponsors.....

[gwyllion]

Pistonheads is the only website reporting a new LMP2 chassis.

According to http://news.autoplus.fr/news/1464045...carlos-tavares the Oreca chassis will be rebadged as Alpine

AUTOhebdo also states that the chassis, without mentioning the constructor, will be badged Alpine.

[Simmi]

The new LMP2 car, meanwhile, will be unveiled in late March, and will make its competitive debut at the first round of the ELMS at Silverstone on 13 April.

Wait so there's actually a brand new P2 chassis debuting in March? That soon? This is a completely different story altogether.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by gwyllion

Pistonheads is the only website reporting a new LMP2 chassis.

According to http://news.autoplus.fr/news/1464045...carlos-tavares the Oreca chassis will be rebadged as Alpine

I'm assuming PH must have got the wrong end of the stick there.

[Mike E]

It is a logical extension of Caterham's many one make championships, and their fairly recent, Radical-baiting mini-prototype. The drivers in those series generally move up the performance scale and having a Le Mans drive dangled in front of them might encourage them to stay with Caterham rather than wondering off somewhere else. Assuming it happens.

http://www.caterham-spr.com/

[gwyllion]

The official press release on the Renault website is very vague:

For its return to Le Mans, Alpine has joined forces with Signatech. The Philippe Sinault-run team will enter an Alpine LM P2 prototype with an Alpine chassis powered by a 500hp Nissan engine for the five rounds of the ELMS, including the opening race at Silverstone, England (April 13). The drivers will be Nelson Panciatici and Pierre Ragues.

The highlight of the season will naturally be the Le Mans 24 Hours. The name of the third driver who will join the team for the world’s most famous endurance race will be announced when the car is officially presented at Le Castellet, France, on March 24.

* This programme was made possible by the involvement of the brand’s long-time partners Michelin and Total who have contributed their technical and financial support to the adventure.

It is safe to say that this is a rebadged Oreca. So the same deal that Morgan did with Oak.

[deggis]

LMP2 Powered by Nissan and A Bunch of Cheapskate Rebrandings

[Simmi]

I wonder why Franck Mailleux has been booted off this entry? He was the one named driver put against the car in the LM entrylist.

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I'm assuming PH must have got the wrong end of the stick there.

I guess because the press-release literally says it's an 'Alpine chassis powered by a 500hp Nissan engine'.

PS: still more exciting than the Nissan's announcement! We're about to see manufacturer involvement (this year!) with a pretty and competitive car that.. is going to compete within the rules! No pie-in-the-sky publicity-seeking stuff.