Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S (sometimes referred to as simply the Panoz LMP-1) was a Le Mans Prototype

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 for Panoz

Panoz

Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

in 1999. The car was a successor to the Esperante GTR-1

Panoz Esperante GTR-1

The Panoz Esperante GTR-1 was a race car developed by Panoz Auto Development and Reynard Motorsport for grand tourer endurance racing in 1997. Although named after the Panoz Esperante roadster, the GTR-1 actually bore no mechanical relation to the production Esperante, instead sharing only minor...

which had competed in the 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 internationally. Following competition in 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...

and 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...

until 2001, the car was replaced by the Panoz LMP07

Panoz LMP07

The Panoz LMP07 was a Le Mans prototype built in late 2000 for Panoz for competition in the American Le Mans Series. The car was designed as a successor to the Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S which had competed since 1999...

.

The LMP07 would however be abandoned by Panoz and so the LMP-1 Roadster-S was reworked into a new car known as the Panoz LMP01 Evo before being retired at the end of 2003. The LMP-1 Roadster-S and LMP01 Evo are notable amongst Le Mans prototypes for the their use of engines are located in front of the driver, instead of the normal positioning behind. This gave the cars a unique look compared to their competitors.

Development

At the end of 1998, both the FIA GT Championship

FIA GT Championship

The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...

and United States Road Racing Championship

United States Road Racing Championship

The United States Road Racing Championship was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1962. It was the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. SCCA Executive Director John Bishop helped to create the series to recover races that had been taken by rival USAC Road Racing...

eliminated the GT1 category that the Esperante GTR-1

Panoz Esperante GTR-1

had competed in since its introduction in 1997. This left the Esperante GTR-1s with nowhere to compete unless they were modified into a Le Mans Prototype

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...

, similar to what was done with some Porsche 911 GT1

Porsche 911 GT1

The Porsche 911 GT1 was a car designed for competition in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street legal version for homologation purposes...

s. However Panoz decided that an all-new car would be more competitive against the newcoming Audi

Audi

Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

and BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

prototypes in the American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series

, a new championship founded by Panoz.

Retaining Reynard Motorsport

Reynard Motorsport

Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy...

as a designer, the LMP-1 Roadster-S would retain many styling cues from the Esperante GTR-1, mostly due to the continued usage of the front-engine layout. Although other GT-based cars like the Esperante GTR-1 had used front-engine layouts, it was uncommon for a purpose-built prototype. However Panoz insisted that the LMP-1 Roadster-S would attempt to keep this layout.

From a design standpoint, the LMP-1 Roadster-S shares much with the Esperante GTR-1. Both cars have nearly identical front ends, with narrow fenders surrounding deep valleys with a rounded nose which housed the engine. A NACA duct

NACA duct

A NACA duct also sometimes called a NACA scoop or NACA Inlet, is a common form of low-drag air inlet design, originally developed by the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics , the precursor to NASA, in 1945....

would feed the air intake for the engine, while the deep valleys on the side that shrouded the front suspension would lead directly to the radiators which were situated in front of the cockpit. The sides of the car would be carved at various angles, giving an indented look in comparison to the fenders, assisting in allowing air to exit from various areas on the car. The cockpit situated behind the engine and just ahead of the rear axle would be small, with a single rollhoop immediately behind the driver with only the driver's side protection and rear headrest appearing from the mostly flat top of the car. The rear overhang would be short, leaving the rear wing struts actually attached to the rear diffuser behind the bodywork.

For a drivetrain, Panoz would retain the Élan Power Products

Élan Motorsport Technologies

Élan Motorsport Technologies is an umbrella company containing the race car manufacturing companies owned by the Panoz Motor Sports Group. Élan designs and builds Panoz-branded race cars, and have also acquired other manufacturers, including famous Formula Ford builders Van Diemen and IndyCar...

6L8 6.0 litre V8, although this engine would be branded as a Ford

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

at times. X-Trac would provide the six-speed sequential gearbox.

LMP01 Evo

Following the failure of the LMP07

Panoz LMP07

to perform as planned, Panoz decided that it would be better to return to the LMP-1 Roadster-S that the company understood and knew could perform as promised. However the car needed upgrades in order to remain competitive with the continually updated Audi R8 that dominated the American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series

.

Panoz began by modifying the front of the car to become much more narrow in the fenders and the center nose. All three now came more to a singular point at the front of the car, instead of the rounded design used before. The brake cooling ducts in the nose of the car were also made larger, with the raised nose's tip being moved upward. The air intakes on either side of the nose were also slightly revised by bringing their top edge forward.

The side air exhaust vents were on the other hand made larger, with only a small compliance panel being used behind the front wheel well. The rear bodywork was also extended, now enveloping the rear wing mounts. The mounts themselves were also brought closer together in a fashion similar to that seen on other prototypes.

Racing history

The Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S would make its debut at the second race of the inaugural American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series

season in 1999. Backed by title sponsor Visteon

Visteon

Visteon is one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive parts. The company formed in 1997 and spun off from the Ford Motor Company in 2000. In 2005, Visteon moved to new headquarters in Van Buren Township, Michigan...

, only one car was available in time, leading Panoz to use an older Esperante GTR-1

Panoz Esperante GTR-1

modified for the LMP class. However, the LMP-1 Roadster-S would perform well on its debut, taking fifth place a mere lap behind the race winner. The second chassis was completed after this race in time for the team to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans

1999 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...

. Both cars finished in their endurance debut, taking seventh and eleventh places behind BMW

BMW

, Audi

Audi

, and Toyota.

On returning to the ALMS for Mosport

Mosport

Mosport International Raceway is a multi-track facility located north of Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a half-mile paved oval; a 2.4 km advance driver and race driver training facility with a quarter-mile skid pad Mosport International Raceway...

, both cars were able to overcome the older Riley & Scott

Riley & Scott

Riley & Scott Cars Inc. was a racing constructor and racing team that primarily provided chassis for various forms of motorsport, but worked primarily in sports car racing. It was founded in 1990 by Bob Riley and Mark Scott.-Sports car racing:...

-Ford

Ford Motor Company

s, Ferrari 333 SP

Ferrari 333 SP

The Ferrari 333 SP was a sports prototype car built by Michelotto to World Sports Car regulations for Ferrari. Unveiled at the end of 1993, at the behest of amateur racer Giampiero Moretti , the 333 SP marked Ferrari's official return to sports car racing after a 20 year absence...

s, and withdrawn BMW V12 LMRs to take first and second place. The next round would see the BMW V12 LMR retake the top position, although the two Panozes completed the podium. Both Panozes would again take the podium and win at Portland

Portland International Raceway

Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It is west of a light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5....

, before the Petit Le Mans

Petit Le Mans

The Petit Le Mans is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete.The race was...

endurance event. A third LMP-1 Roadster-S was now completed, being sold to J&P Motorsport, allowing for all three cars to finish the race. With the one factory car taking the overall win over BMW

BMW

, the second would take fifth and the J&P Motorsport entry eleventh. The two factory Panozes would finish out the season without another victory, but their achievements allowed Panoz

Panoz

to take the LMP teams championship by a mere two points over BMW

BMW

.

For 2000, one former factory LMP-1 was sold to the Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

Team Den Blå Avis for competition in the Sports Racing World Cup, while two new cars would be built for the factory team in the American Le Mans Series. The season did not begin well for the factory however, as neither car managed to finish 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...

. The cars would rebound at Charlotte

Lowe's Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...

to finish second and fifth before the series traveled to its new European rounds. Silverstone

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...

would once again see a second place finish behind a BMW

BMW

before the factory team headed to the 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

.

At Le Mans, the two factory Panozes were joined by the Den Blå Avis Panoz that had had a best finish of third so far in the Sports Racing World Cup. Two more LMP-1s were also there from Japanese

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

Team Dragon, using one ex-factory car and a newly built car. All five would finish, although Den Blå Avis' entry would not be classified. The other four cars took fifth, sixth, eighth, and fifteenth. Before returning to the United States, the 1000km Nürburgring

1000km Nürburgring

The ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring is an endurance race for sports cars held on the Nürburgring in Germany and organized by the ADAC since 1953.- History :...

would be held for the ALMS. A Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S would manage to take the race win over BMW

BMW

, the only win that the car would manage the entire year. Panoz would not manage another podium finish in the ALMS until the seventh round, followed by another at Portland. The defending Petit Le Mans winners would once again lose to BMW by taking only third and fourth at the event, before closing out the season without another podium.

Panoz would finish third in the LMP championship behind Audi

Audi

and BMW

BMW

, while the LMP-1 Roadster-S' successor, the LMP07

Panoz LMP07

, would make its debut at the season finale. In the Sports Racing World Cup, Team Den Blå Avis would be joined by a second LMP-1 Roadster-S for the team, yet they would not manage another podium finish the rest of the season. They too finished the season in third in their championship, behind a pair of Ferrari 333 SP

Ferrari 333 SP

s.

For 2001, Panoz would start the initial race of the season with a pair of LMP-1 Roadster-S before committing fully to their new LMP07 at the next round, 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...

. This meant that the LMP-1s would be sold off to privateer teams, with most competing in the new European Le Mans Series

European Le Mans Series

The European Le Mans Series was a sports car endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans that was created in 2000 and ran its only season in 2001 before being cancelled. It was created by Don Panoz as an expansion on his successful American Le Mans Series run by IMSA...

. Westward Motorsports would be the first to compete with a customer chassis that season, taking fifth place at Donington Park

Donington Park

Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...

ahead of the two factory LMP07s. The team would not continue though, and an LMP-1 Roadster-S was soon bought by Lanesra, taking a third place finish at Most

Autodrom Most

Autodrom Most is a motorsport race track near Most in the northwest of the Czech Republic.- External links :*...

before winning at Vallelunga.

However, by this time Panoz had become frustrated with their new LMP07 following several disappointing performances, when it was decided following Le Mans that the team would bring back their LMP-1 Roadster-S. One car finished on the podium on its return debut before following this with a race win at Portland ahead of Audi R8s. A second at Mosport

Mosport

was followed by another win at Mid-Ohio

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington...

. However the team would suffer difficulties at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans

Petit Le Mans

, leaving them off the podiums. Panoz's combined points between the LMP07 and LMP-1 Roadster-S would earn them second in the LMP900 championship, once again behind Audi

Audi

.

For 2002, the redesigned LMP-01 Evo would make its debut for Panoz in the American Le Mans Series, fully replacing the abandoned LMP07s. Although they suffered 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...

, they managed to show winning form at Sears Point

Infineon Raceway

Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...

. However on return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

, neither car would finish the race. An older LMP-1 Roadster-S was also run in the race as part of a camera car for Michel Valliant, yet also failed to finish.

The team would later win at the temporary street course at RFK Stadium in the ALMS, before troubles with the aged cars saw Panoz fail to score a podium in any of the remaining races that season. Panoz would finish third in the LMP900 championship behind two Audi

Audi

teams.

The LMP01 Evos would continue into 2003, this time being run by the JML Team in place of the Panoz factory itself, yet still retained factory support. However the pace of the cars was lacking in comparison to its competitors, with a string of five third place finishes in a row finally eclipsed by a second place at the finale at Petit Le Mans

Petit Le Mans

. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of JML's two entries managed to finish in fifth place behind the Audi

Audi

s and Bentley

Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...

s. The car would officially be retired after the 2003 season, with Panoz deciding instead to concentrate on the new Esperante

Panoz Esperante

The Esperante is a sports car made by Panoz, an American car manufacturer.There are several models of the Esperante: the base model, the GT, the GTLM, the GTS, and the JRD . Additionally, Panoz is more than willing to work with the buyer to make special modifications to any of the stock models...

GT-LM production-based race car for the GT2 class in American Le Mans.

Chassis

A total of eight LMP-1 Roadster-S and LMP01 Evos would be built in total from 1999 to 2002. All were retired from active competition by the end of 2003.

#01

Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

Motor Sports (1999)
Team Dragon (2000, Le Mans only)
Team Den Blå Avis (2000)
Lanesra (2001)
Gunnar Racing (2002)

#002

Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

Motor Sports (1999)
Team Den Blå Avis (2000)

#003

J&P Motorsport (1999)
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,...

(2002, Le Mans camera car)

#004

Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

Motor Sports (2000-2001)
Westward Racing (2001, Donington only)

#005 (Upgraded to LMP01 Evo)

Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

Motor Sports (2000-2002)
JML Team Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

(2003)

#006

Team Dragon (2000)

#007 (Built as LMP01 Evo)

Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

Motor Sports (2002)

#008 (Built as LMP01 Evo)

Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

Motor Sports (2002)
JML Team Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

(2003)

External links

Mulsannes Corner - Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S and LMP01 Evo technical analysis
Panoz Auto Development

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