Oreca 01 AIM is out

[Félix]

They tested it Monday on a wet HTTT. You can see it on the Oreca video blog and the pics are on Endurance-Info. It's now all Oreca, except for the "Oreca-Courage" tub.

I'm finding it very nice to witness the wide variety of equipment new for this year.

But this one is a bit disappointing to me: it has a nose very similar to the ARX-01, a curved splitter that's also very familiar, rounded edges to that splitter's corner that are again similar to the Acura, and very low sidepods that reminds me of the Acura and that ends with the same downward slope, steep rear tire cowling and exhaust outlet.

The area behind both the front and rear wheels looks a lot like what Pescarolo just did to its P1; the legality plates attached to the front wheel pods are very much like those of the RS Spyder. The rear wing is what was already on the cars at Barcelona and the interesting part is what they seem to have done with the engine cover: it curves downwards by about 10cm in the center, over the gearbox and the area looks all rounded. It's really hard to say more from 4 pics of a carbon black car, but this part seems a lot more streamlined now.

It really doesn't look like an aero innovator like what Audi and Acura did this year. What I'm wondering about is how much they collaborated with Wirth-Acura. (they already helped each other with problems to the power steering last year) They certainly tested everything that worked on the American car (which is also based on an LC70-75 tub) but it's stricking that they stuck with the same solutions!

[joeb]

I thought of the ARX-01b when I saw the pics at first too.

[zac510]

I wouldn't really expect a privateer to make the kind of aggressive changes that Audi have done. They can't afford to, nor afford to have a failure. That said this one does look like a lot has changed so they have definitely put a lot of work into it.

They got so much more speed out of the old car when they took it over you hope a whole new tub will be a big jump for them.

[FIRE]

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...focus-943.html

I like the car.

Didn't know Oreca was developing a new car for this season.

[Dani Filth]

looks good in black .. just hope it will gain 1-2 seconds over the old car

[HORNDAWG]

I see a lot of Acura and Porsche nuances in it.




L.P.

[Dani Filth]

a good thing I guess

[HORNDAWG]

One would think/hope!


L.P.

[Audi Racer]

Hold it. Like you guys have been saying this is a carbon copy of the Acura arx-01b with a hint of RS Spyder(ie controversial wing in middle section). I Acura will have a good look at this car.

OH MY GOD. Striking Epiphany. I see says the blind man to his deaf son!

Acura used the courage chassis to build the P2. Courage used the Acura chassis to make the P1. Get what i'm saying. It's genius. An eye for an eye. A proto for a proto.

"Year Mr. Wirth We let you have our great car(not) to build your P2 know how about you return the favor"

[Audi Racer]

It's interesting they gathered different pieces from different cars. The Acura P2 front end. the porsche P2 controversial wing. Look at the rear end how the centre section dips down. Yep it's straight off the peugeot. Actually the hole rear end looks like peugeot.

[Audi Racer]

Lets see what happened here. The ran a porsche RS spyder into the rear of a P2 acura to get a porsche midsection. And they rammed a Peugeot 908 into the rear end of the Porsche to get a 908 tail.
Its an Acurscheot

[Audi Racer]

Acu/ra Por/sche Peu/geot
Corsche 908-b
Courage RSX 908

[skycafe]

So, secretly working with Porsche and Peugeot too? Now, that is news!

[Audi Racer]

Originally Posted by zac510

I wouldn't really expect a privateer to make the kind of aggressive changes that Audi have done. They can't afford to, nor afford to have a failure. That said this one does look like a lot has changed so they have definitely put a lot of work into it.

They got so much more speed out of the old car when they took it over you hope a whole new tub will be a big jump for them.

It's not a new tub. It the same tub as the old car. You wonder why this works. Then you must think the P2 Acura had probably an identical tub hence fitting Acura parts was not a problem

[JAG]

ORECA said they exhaustively tested different solutions, including a coupe, lessons from which were learned and may be seen in the future.

ORECA are right up there with Joest, they have the same philosophy in designing and testing cars, leaving no stone unturned, they even delayed the introduction of the new aero.

[Lola T70]

Hope it goes as well as it looks.

[dj choc ice]

fantastic looking car, there are a lot of design cue's taken from the big manufacturer prototypes, the rear is very Pug 908, the sidepod's look like a mix of RS Spyder EVO and the old Oreca and the front is very Honda with not as aggressive, sleeker, i must confess, its a stunning looking car, dare i say it, i think it might look better than the Aston Martin when its painted up!

[joeb]

Originally Posted by dj choc ice

fantastic looking car, there are a lot of design cue's taken from the big manufacturer prototypes, the rear is very Pug 908, the sidepod's look like a mix of RS Spyder EVO and the old Oreca and the front is very Honda with not as aggressive, sleeker, i must confess, its a stunning looking car, dare i say it, i think it might look better than the Aston Martin when its painted up!

I can't wait to see it in its livery either. I liked the previous scheme hope they aren't going to change it.

[Mal]

Thinking sideways - maybe there deliberatly is some Acura / Nick Wirth input behind the scenes as the first dabble in a P1 aero package for a future Le Mans bid.

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by Mal

Thinking sideways - maybe there deliberatly is some Acura / Nick Wirth input behind the scenes as the first dabble in a P1 aero package for a future Le Mans bid.

I am not sure. If Acura want to go to Lemans they should get rid of the big front tyres as they produce too much drag for the long straights.

[Bentley03]

This Wirth/Acura link is just conspiracy theory, right?

[Audi Racer]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

This Wirth/Acura link is just conspiracy theory, right?

Actually you have to believe that Oreca got some help from Acura. I i remember correctly last year, courage swithced to Acuras steering system.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by Audi Racer

Actually you have to believe that Oreca got some help from Acura. I i remember correctly last year, courage swithced to Acuras steering system.

It would make some sense to have an element of technical cooperation - how far that extends is, I guess, pure speculation.

[cmk]

Definitely there is more than a bit of rampant speculation there (clearly ORECA have stolen info from Porsche and Peugeot in a new spygate!) but it was in the public domain that, at least in the early days of the Acura program, there was exchange going on between Wirth and Courage. Given that they had any sort of exchange, and are working with the same tub, qualitative similarities in the design are hardly shocking.

[isynge]

Lovely looking car - and one I'm optimistic will come to be a real contender. Spa will be a great acid test - if it's quick right out of the box we could be in for something really special LMS wide this season.

I am sad though to see a line drawn under Courage though. This was a great heritage going back to 1982, and most of all I thought the shift to LC designators was one of the most dignified, elegant, and understated gestures that could be made, and as such utterly appropriate to the way Yves had done business and reflected sportscars in the best of lights, in direct contrast to vulgarity motorsport often seems to fall into.

I know change is in the nature of things but there's certainly a degree of wistfulness about this one.