Oreca 03
Encyclopedia
The Oreca 03 is a Le Mans Prototype
built by Oreca
in 2011. It is built within the revised 2011 ACO
regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. The car made its début at the 12 Hours of Sebring
run by Signatech Nissan and is set to race at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans
. It is the third car that Oreca has produced after the 01
and FLM09.
in Super GT
. The Swiss team of Race Performance have opted for a Judd BMW-powered 3.6 L V8 engine based on the BMW M3. Both engines produce a limited460 bhp. The 03 is build around a light carbon fibre
monocoque
chassis with an open top bodywork. Suspension is by double wishbones and push-rods on all four corners. Stopping power is provided by carbon-ceramic disc brakes.
The Oreca 03 uses the same body and aero package developed by Oreca's chief-engineer David Floury for the LMP1 car campaigned during the 2009 and 2010 season by the works team. The blade-shaped roll-over structure is still a direct descendent of the original LC70 design.
, the first round of the American Le Mans Series
and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
, where the French team of Signatech Nissan competed for ILMC glory in the LMP2 class with drivers Franck Mailleux
, long term Oreca driver Soheil Ayari
and 2009 GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoñez
. The trio had been quick throughout practice and took pole at the Sebring International Raceway, almost four seconds quicker than the next nearest LMP2 class car. Unfortunately, because the car was brand new, problems occurred including continuous gearbox problems. In the end, the No. 26 car finished 30th overall and second in class as there were very little LMP2 entrants.
The next race on the calendar was the 6 Hours of Castellet
, round one of the 2011 Le Mans Series season
. There were three 03's present at this race with TDS Racing, Boutsen Energy Racing
and Race Performance competing in their respective chassis'. It was the TDS Racing team of Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Jody Firth that took pole position in the LMP2 class with the Boutsen car qualifying second in class and Race Performance qualifying fourth. Once again the 03's encountered mechanical issues with the TDS car retiring after 91 laps. The other two cars finished the race with the Boutsen Energy drivers of Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas de Crem finishing fourth place in class and the Race Performance drivers of Michel Frey, Ralph Meichtry and Thor-Christian Ebbesvik finishing sixth.
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
built by 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...
in 2011. It is built within the revised 2011 ACO
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...
regulations for 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 car made its début at the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
run by Signatech Nissan and is set to race at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 79th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 11–12 June 2011 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest...
. It is the third car that Oreca has produced after the 01
Oreca 01
The Oreca 01 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Oreca Racing in 2009. It is to replace the Courage-Oreca LC70 raced previously by Oreca. It is powered by an engine from Japanese engine company AIM Power...
and FLM09.
Development
To meet the new regulations bought in by the ACO for endurance racing, the 03 has been cost-capped along with all 2011 LMP2 cars with a price of €345,000. The engines used in LMP2 cars for 2011 are production-based and there is a wide variety of engines to choose from that can be put into an 03. The five teams racing it in 2011 have chosen two of these engine. Most of the teams, including Oreca themselves, have chosen the Nissan-powered 4.5 L V8 powerplant which is similar to the engine used by NismoNismo
Nismo is the motorsports and performance division of Nissan Motor Company. Formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departments, Nismo cars have participated in JSPC, Formula Nippon, JTCC, 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona...
in Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
. The Swiss team of Race Performance have opted for a Judd BMW-powered 3.6 L V8 engine based on the BMW M3. Both engines produce a limited460 bhp. The 03 is build around a light carbon fibre
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...
monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
chassis with an open top bodywork. Suspension is by double wishbones and push-rods on all four corners. Stopping power is provided by carbon-ceramic disc brakes.
The Oreca 03 uses the same body and aero package developed by Oreca's chief-engineer David Floury for the LMP1 car campaigned during the 2009 and 2010 season by the works team. The blade-shaped roll-over structure is still a direct descendent of the original LC70 design.
2011
Five 03's have been built, four of which have competed in races. Team Oreca have not entered a race yet but plan to race at the 1000 km of Spa and Le Mans. The first race the Oreca 03 competed in was the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring2011 12 Hours of Sebring
The 59th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida was held at Sebring International Raceway on March 19, 2011. It was the opening round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season and the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.-Qualifying Result:...
, the first round of the American Le Mans Series
2011 American Le Mans Series season
The 2011 American Le Mans Series season is a multi-event motor racing series for sports racing cars which conform to the technical regulations laid out by the International Motor Sports Association for the American Le Mans Series...
and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
The 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup was the second and final running of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, an international auto racing championship for manufacturers and teams. The Cup will feature endurance races from the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, and...
, where the French team of Signatech Nissan competed for ILMC glory in the LMP2 class with drivers Franck Mailleux
Franck Mailleux
Franck Mailleux is a French racing driver. He has competed in such series as Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and the Formula Three Euroseries. He was champion of the 2006 Winter Series in the British Formula Renault Championship....
, long term Oreca driver Soheil Ayari
Soheil Ayari
Soheil Ayari is a French race car driver born in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, from an Iranian father and a French mother. He won the French Formula Ford championship of 1994, Formula Three championship of 1996 and the Macau Grand Prix of 1997...
and 2009 GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoñez
Lucas Ordóñez
Lucas Ordóñez Martín-Esperanza is a Spanish racecar driver, who entered professional racing by winning a spot in a Playstation 3 Gran Turismo competition. In 2011 he and his team came in 2nd in their class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans....
. The trio had been quick throughout practice and took pole at the Sebring International Raceway, almost four seconds quicker than the next nearest LMP2 class car. Unfortunately, because the car was brand new, problems occurred including continuous gearbox problems. In the end, the No. 26 car finished 30th overall and second in class as there were very little LMP2 entrants.
The next race on the calendar was the 6 Hours of Castellet
2011 6 Hours of Castellet
The 2011 6 Hours of Castellet was the opening round of the 2011 Le Mans Series season. It will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard on April 3, 2011...
, round one of the 2011 Le Mans Series season
2011 Le Mans Series season
The 2011 Le Mans Series season was the eighth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Le Mans Series. The series began on 3 April with the 6 Hours of Castellet and ended after five rounds on 25 September. It is a series for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring style cars broken into 4 classes...
. There were three 03's present at this race with TDS Racing, Boutsen Energy Racing
Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]]....
and Race Performance competing in their respective chassis'. It was the TDS Racing team of Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Jody Firth that took pole position in the LMP2 class with the Boutsen car qualifying second in class and Race Performance qualifying fourth. Once again the 03's encountered mechanical issues with the TDS car retiring after 91 laps. The other two cars finished the race with the Boutsen Energy drivers of Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas de Crem finishing fourth place in class and the Race Performance drivers of Michel Frey, Ralph Meichtry and Thor-Christian Ebbesvik finishing sixth.