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[nature boy]

Nissan withdraws LMP1 entry from 2016 WEC

Pretty much expected.

 

[dubc35]

Nissan withdraws LMP1 entry from 2016 WEC

Pretty much expected.

Yeah, the whole program seems too rushed. It's getting to the point where you'll start to wonder if it will race again. I hope so.

 

[DD]

Yeah, there's no miracle it seems. Audi, Porsche and Toyota aren't joking around, to be beaten by a low cost project. Sad nonetheless...

 

[Juicy Bob]

Gutted :/

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

It's a shame but not a shock. I hope they regroup and come back again in a year or so.

 

[nature boy]

Nissan LMP1 program wasn't suspended, it was terminated:

Nissan Fired Its LMP1 Employees Three Days Before Christmas With An Email

Approximately 40 employees at the Indianapolis-based LMP1 program were notified by e-mail the program had been cancelled Tuesday morning, yet with many of the staffers on vacation for the holidays and away from work e-mail, news of the firing, for many, came from a press release the Japanese brand decided to post in its global newsroom.

Those who did turn up for work Tuesday morning were barred access to the building, and senior team officials, who were also caught by surprise, stepped in to call and inform (or confirm) the sudden dismissals for all who worked at the facility.

 

[dubc35]

Ha, based on my previous post I was actually thinking they would just cut the program....and they did. Bad timing from the company; feel bad for the people having to break the news to their families that they've been let go right before Christmas.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Oh fuck.

As a guy who loves Nissan, that's really terrible behaviour.

 

[Jezbollah]

Disgraceful behavior from Nissan.

 

[Psychotext]

Motherfuckers. I've been a huge fan of their projects, but that's disgusting.

 

[DD]

They were testing at NOLA this week, weren't they? With Bruno Junqueira and Piquet Jr, (who said that he wasn't impressed by the car, by the way). I read that they were planing to add the hybrid system in february.

 

[dubc35]

I wonder if it got cut and funds were reallocated to the Renault F1 team. I don't think it's too out there to suggest. Alain Prost recently commenting that it was up to the last minute if Renault would stay in F1. The ultimate decision came down to Carlos Ghosn who said yes. He could also be the one saying cut the LMP1 program. Pure speculation on my part obviously.

 

[nature boy]

Bump.

Month and a half away from the start of the season, worth a new thread?

24h of Le Mans probably deserves a separate thread.

 

[Psychotext]

I imagine if only to fix the title, yeah.

 

[DD]

Interesting read. A comparison between Porsche 919 LMP1 prototype and Mercedes W06 F1 car: http://www.topgear.com/car-news/formula-one/showdown-porsches-wec-racer-vs-mercs-w06-f1-car#1

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

2016 Audi R18 In Detail:

Audi Sport launched their 2016 LMP1 contender, now dubbed simply Audi R18, with a webcast earlier today showing the final design of the car, and the 2016 FIA WEC livery

The new Audi has been redesigned from scratch with almost nothing in common with its predecessor.

The car features a more radical aerodynamic concept, including a new safety cell, its hybrid drive system is battery-operated for the first time, the V6 TDI engine has been revised too with multiple new systems added into the mix.

As a result the new Audi is more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor, consuming less fuel than any of the generations before it.


The combined power output of the TDI engine and hybrid system is more than 1,000 hp but with a 10% percent reduction in fuel consumption.

With the 2016 regulations demanding a reduction of the upper limit for fuel consumption by 10 megajoules per lap at Le Mans the focus has been on efficiency:

“The result is a race car that manages energy even more effectively than before. This is an objective we’re pursuing for our road-going automobiles as well,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “This type of motorsport continues to set an example for automotive engineering. For Audi, production relevance has been a core topic of all racing programs for 35 years.”

All development engineers at Audi Sport were challenged to enhance the efficiency of the Audi R18.

As a result of switching to the 6-megajoule class, the hybrid system now recovers 50 percent more energy.

The car’s aerodynamics concept is fundamentally new. Nearly all vehicle systems have been refined or redesigned. Consequently, energy consumption decreases, the race car has become lighter, and allows for more favourable packaging of the component assemblies. This has resulted in an R18 which even visually clearly differs from its predecessor.

 

[Juicy Bob]

If Audi come back and dominate again I will be so depressed.

 

[Psychotext]

I don't see it happening. Should be great to see more competition again though.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

With Silverstone this weekend, will this soldier on as the 2016 thread, or were plans afoot for a new one?

 

[nature boy]

I've opened the 2016 thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1208088