Formula Le Mans Cup
Encyclopedia
The Le Mans Prototype Challenge is a spec racing formula created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest
(ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
, and sports car
constructor Oreca
. The formula is intended as part of a ladder system for young and upcoming drivers into the world of endurance racing while also serving as a value engineered entry for drivers and teams into Le Mans Prototypes due to limitations on manufacturers and suppliers.
Initially launched as an independent racing series known as the Formula Le Mans Cup in 2009
, the formula has since been expanded to allow participation in three separate series for 2010. The American Le Mans Series
has used the title Le Mans Prototype Challenge since its inception. The Le Mans Series
used the name Formula Le Mans until 2011. All ACO series will adopt the name Le Mans Prototype Challenge in 2012.
and known as the FLM09. The chassis
is based on Oreca's LC75 LMP2 chassis, while the car's carbon fiber
and kevlar
bodywork is a simplified version of the LC75's design. All FLM09s use a production-based General Motors
small block LS3
V8
which produces approximately 430 hp. Transmissions are supplied by Xtrac
and feature a six-speed sequential transmission
operated by paddle shifters. Engine management is regulated by Magneti Marelli. All cars run on Michelin
slick tire
s based on their LMP tires. Reinforced carbon-carbon
disc brake
s are supplied by Brembo
.
In order to accommodate endurance races in 2010, Oreca also offers an endurance upgrade for the FLM09 which adds an air restrictor to the engine to increase reliability as well as slowing the car in comparison to LMP2 category cars.
in Europe as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. The ten race Formula Le Mans Cup
organized by the ACO and Oreca included over a dozen entries and was dominated by the DAMS
driving pair of Gavin Cronje
and Nico Verdonck
, the latter of which won the inaugural Drivers Championship. Most races were one hour in length with a mandatory pit stop to allow teams to change drivers, while a season finale at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
was held for three hours.
, France
, combines Formula Le Mans cars with competitors from the GT2 and GT3 grand tourer
categories. The three race season includes two races of thirty minutes and one race of an hour in length.
the Formula Le Mans Cup was integrated into the Le Mans Series
, becoming one of five categories within the series. The inaugural season, Formula Le Mans cars participated in four of the Le Mans Series' European races, while a fifth event held solely for Formula Le Mans cars. Teams will be required to have at least one amateur driver in order to further driver development. Championships will be awarded for professional drivers, amateur drivers, and teams, with the winning amateur driver earning a test in an Oreca Le Mans Prototype. In 2012, the class will adopt the Le Mans Prototype Challenge name.
announced a reorganization of the class structure of the American Le Mans Series
, creating a new category known as Le Mans Prototype Challenge. The class utilizes the Formula Le Mans ruleset similar to the Le Mans Series, and competes in all nine American Le Mans Series events. American Le Mans Series regular Intersport Racing
became the first North American team to purchase an FLM09, allowing the team to progress drivers from IMSA Lites, through LMP Challenge, and into their LMP1 category entry.
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...
(ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
, and sports car
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
constructor Oreca
Oreca
Oreca is a French racing team, founded and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport including Formula Three where drivers including Alain Prost, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi have won the French Formula Three Championship for...
. The formula is intended as part of a ladder system for young and upcoming drivers into the world of endurance racing while also serving as a value engineered entry for drivers and teams into Le Mans Prototypes due to limitations on manufacturers and suppliers.
Initially launched as an independent racing series known as the Formula Le Mans Cup in 2009
2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season
The 2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season was the inaugural, and ultimately only, season of the Formula Le Mans Cup, a support series for the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All competitors utilized the Oreca FLM09 spec prototype. The season featured ten races held over six events from 10...
, the formula has since been expanded to allow participation in three separate series for 2010. The American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
has used the title Le Mans Prototype Challenge since its inception. The Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
used the name Formula Le Mans until 2011. All ACO series will adopt the name Le Mans Prototype Challenge in 2012.
Oreca FLM09
The Formula Le Mans car is built by French manufacturer OrecaOreca
Oreca is a French racing team, founded and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport including Formula Three where drivers including Alain Prost, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi have won the French Formula Three Championship for...
and known as the FLM09. The chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
is based on Oreca's LC75 LMP2 chassis, while the car's carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
and kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
bodywork is a simplified version of the LC75's design. All FLM09s use a production-based General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
small block LS3
GM LS engine
The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8...
V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
which produces approximately 430 hp. Transmissions are supplied by Xtrac
Xtrac Limited
Xtrac Limited, also known as Xtrac Transmission Technology, is a British engineering company founded in 1984 by the former Hewland engineer Mike Endean to make 4WD systems and gearboxes for rallycross and later rally and racing cars...
and feature a six-speed sequential transmission
Semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press...
operated by paddle shifters. Engine management is regulated by Magneti Marelli. All cars run on Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
slick tire
Slick tire
A slick tyre is a type of tyre that has no tread pattern, used mostly in auto racing. The first production "slick tyre" was developed by a company called M&H Tires in the early 1950s for use in drag racing...
s based on their LMP tires. Reinforced carbon-carbon
Reinforced carbon-carbon
Carbon fibre-reinforced carbon is a composite material consisting of carbon fibre reinforcement in a matrix of graphite. It was developed for the nose cones of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and is most widely known as the material for the nose cone and wing leading edges of the Space Shuttle...
disc brake
Disc brake
The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
s are supplied by Brembo
Brembo
Brembo S.p.A. is a manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. It was established in Bergamo, Italy in 1961. Soon after the company was formed, it specialised in disc brakes, which were exclusively imported from the United Kingdom at the time...
.
In order to accommodate endurance races in 2010, Oreca also offers an endurance upgrade for the FLM09 which adds an air restrictor to the engine to increase reliability as well as slowing the car in comparison to LMP2 category cars.
Formula Le Mans Cup
When the Formula Le Mans category was introduced in 2009, it was initially a support series for many races in the Le Mans SeriesLe Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
in Europe as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
. The ten race Formula Le Mans Cup
2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season
The 2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season was the inaugural, and ultimately only, season of the Formula Le Mans Cup, a support series for the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All competitors utilized the Oreca FLM09 spec prototype. The season featured ten races held over six events from 10...
organized by the ACO and Oreca included over a dozen entries and was dominated by the DAMS
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
driving pair of Gavin Cronje
Gavin Cronje
Gavin Cronje is a South African racing driver. He has competed in such series as Euroseries 3000 and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He won the inaugural Formula Volkswagen South Africa Championship in 2008 with Morgado Racing. He was runner-up in the 2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season to DAMS...
and Nico Verdonck
Nico Verdonck
Nicolas Verdonck is a Belgian racing driver.-Formula Renault:Verdonck competed in Formula Renault 1600 in 2003, his first year in single seaters. His race engineer was Tim Wright.-Formula 3000:...
, the latter of which won the inaugural Drivers Championship. Most races were one hour in length with a mandatory pit stop to allow teams to change drivers, while a season finale at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km from Paris...
was held for three hours.
Sportscars Winter Series
As a further development of the Formula Le Mans Cup, Oreca launched the Sportscars Winter Series in late 2009 in order to allow further amateur driver development during the Le Mans Series off-season. The series, which is held exclusively at the Circuit Paul RicardCircuit Paul Ricard
The Paul Ricard Circuit is a motorsport race track built at Le Castellet, near Marseille, France, in 1969 with finance from the eccentric drinks magnate Paul Ricard, who created what essentially became Pernod Ricard...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, combines Formula Le Mans cars with competitors from the GT2 and GT3 grand tourer
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
categories. The three race season includes two races of thirty minutes and one race of an hour in length.
Le Mans Series
In the 2010 season2010 Le Mans Series season
The 2010 Le Mans Series season was the seventh season of Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Le Mans Series. It featured five events between 11 April and 12 September 2010. For the first time in 2010, Formula Le Mans cars were run in a fifth class in the series, running alongside Le Mans Prototype cars...
the Formula Le Mans Cup was integrated into the Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
, becoming one of five categories within the series. The inaugural season, Formula Le Mans cars participated in four of the Le Mans Series' European races, while a fifth event held solely for Formula Le Mans cars. Teams will be required to have at least one amateur driver in order to further driver development. Championships will be awarded for professional drivers, amateur drivers, and teams, with the winning amateur driver earning a test in an Oreca Le Mans Prototype. In 2012, the class will adopt the Le Mans Prototype Challenge name.
American Le Mans Series
On August 16, 2009, the International Motor Sports AssociationInternational Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
announced a reorganization of the class structure of the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
, creating a new category known as Le Mans Prototype Challenge. The class utilizes the Formula Le Mans ruleset similar to the Le Mans Series, and competes in all nine American Le Mans Series events. American Le Mans Series regular Intersport Racing
Intersport Racing
Intersport Racing is an American auto racing team founded by Jon Field. The team is based in Dublin, Ohio. They currently operate two Oreca FLM09 sports cars in the American Le Mans Series- Beginnings :...
became the first North American team to purchase an FLM09, allowing the team to progress drivers from IMSA Lites, through LMP Challenge, and into their LMP1 category entry.
External links
- Formula Le Mans (Formula Le Mans Cup and Sportscars Winter Series)
- Le Mans Series
- American Le Mans Series