new honda lmp2 car.

new honda lmp2 car.

Author
Discussion

Roverload

Original Poster:

850 posts

135 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Will we see this at LeMans then? I've seen a head on pic of the car and its a mean looking machine!

http://www.esmracing.com/blog/tequila-patron-esm-r...

I don't know a great deal about these things so see we going to see this on the 2015 grid and why go for lmp2 rather than lmp1? Radio le mans said there was another surprise announcement regarding an lmp1 entry. At first I had hoped it was this but endurance world say its lmp2.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Hopefully Great Dane will come along shortly and give us the full view, but my comparatively ill informed view is that this is the new HPD for 1015 - which will be racing in WEC and LE Mans. The older platform will continue in ALMS and ELMS series, before more customer cars are available for 2016.

So, basically, this:



Has been replaced by this:


Which can only be a good thing - those Ligiers (Onroak) will take some beating next year IMO. Their design was quicker last yer, but less developed - now they will have improved that aspect...

Henry Fiddleton

1,581 posts

176 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Interesting.

Guessing the F1 connection will mean nothing?

Some seat time for K-Mag would be useful.


Roverload

Original Poster:

850 posts

135 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Is it basically engines that separate lmp1 and 2 then? To my untrained eye it looks like a 919, fully fledged lmp1 car. I'm guessing there's no hybrid drive in there? Thanks for no lambasting my ignorance but 2014 was my first year now f1 has gone full retard!

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
I've never quite understood why Honda use the HPD name for LM - first year I went, I didn't even realise HPD was any way linked to Honda. Either they are worried that a bad result would reflect badly on the bigger brand, or maybe they're trying to build a niche brand a la Nismo?

Roverload

Original Poster:

850 posts

135 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
I could be wrong but isn't the HPD name used in motorbike racing also? I don't think HPD would make a very good brand. Nismo and AMG are well established and produce good numbers of well known road cars, HPD would seem to me to be more of a niche brand, If I was Honda I would have bought someone like spoon into the equation, already very well known, if, that is they were planning on marketing it. So I don't think its intended to be marketed in that way. embarrassingly I've never heard of them until today.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Bizarre, isn't it? According to google, factory Honda involvement since 2006, via Acura then HPD. Not sure how that's effective marketing, but glad to have em on the grid =)

Roverload

Original Poster:

850 posts

135 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
I forgot about acura, is that just a u.s. Brand for the old integra?

Great Dane

2,719 posts

165 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Here is two pix of the new HPD









Edited by Great Dane on Monday 15th December 12:12

Great Dane

2,719 posts

165 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Roverload said:
Is it basically engines that separate lmp1 and 2 then? To my untrained eye it looks like a 919, fully fledged lmp1 car. I'm guessing there's no hybrid drive in there? Thanks for no lambasting my ignorance but 2014 was my first year now f1 has gone full retard!
I have been able to compare the build of the HPD both in P1 and P2 and the some of the micro-engineering is more simple in P2 as they are built to a max price whereas P1 is not.
Hybrid and diesels are not allowed in P2 (although one team in the US have dispensation)



Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
The KCMG car above is an Oreca, ESM have been racing the HPD ARX-03b open cockpit car in the TUSC series.

Their reasoning for P2 over P1 is that you can't run a P1 car in TUSC and as they plan to enter the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, sponsored by their sponsor, as well as the WEC, P2 is the only option. Plus, privateer P1 in the WEC is a fight between the No 12 and No 13 Rebellions, whereas P2 is cheaper and has arguably more exposure (as well of course competition). P1 and P2 used to be quite close, but now with the Hybrid systems, cost caps and the resultant BOP shenanigans, the chassis are quite different.

To be blunt, if you're not a manufacturer, you'd be mad to go P1 nowadays (IMHO).

HPD is the American run racing section of Honda (America). Very close links with Nick Wirth, who has designed the chassis' for Acura who are (were) the manufacturer, hence the ARX part of the designation (I believe). They have been extremely successful over the years.

Great Dane

2,719 posts

165 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Interesting things is that the open versions of Morgan (Oak nee Pescarolo 01 as it says on the chassis name plate), Oreca and HPD are all based on the same Courage (C70??) chassis with modification of course.

Apart from the obvious technical differences (with a three years development freeze) is the the requirement for silver and bronze drivers in P2. P2 is a Pro/Am class where in fact if you have a really good silver driver (aka 'a sneaky silver') - you can do well. DHH is a typical 'new generation' 'gentleman driver'

Roverload

Original Poster:

850 posts

135 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for breaking that down for me chaps! So, I don't know if anyone else heard radio le mans a couple of months back, Jonny mowlem said, "there is deffinatly one more lmp1 entry for 2015 yet to be announced" other than Nissan that is. Assuming he's correct, I guess this rules Honda out. Leaving Ferrari perhaps? Then again, could have been wishfull thinking. I deffinatly heard him say it though!

Great Dane

2,719 posts

165 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Two different cars the Oreca 03 ahead of a Morgan - based on the same chassis






as is the HPD



With the new coupe's there will be more variety although the new Oreca coupe will have the same chassis as the Rebellion (as Oreca designed and built that)

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Monday 15th December 2014
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Not forgetting the Alpine;


No 36 Signatech Alpine A450b - Nissan LMP2, FIA WEC Le Mans 24 Hours 2014 by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

which I think Sam Collins has said still has the Courage chassis plate in it/them.

Interestingly with regards to the Ligier chassis, TDS have just sold theirs, they being unhappy with it, maybe echoing G-Drives, or at least Roman Rusinov's, comments on reliability concerns.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Nooooooo!!

The #46 Thiriet car was my favourite last year at LM, I was hoping next yeat they'd have more reliability because they've been going well all season. Any idea what they are replacing it with?

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
No news as of yet in the usual places, DSC and Sportscar365. The Ligier has been purchased by Algarve Pro Racing Team, who raced a PC in ELMS in 2013.

timbo48

688 posts

181 months

Monday 15th December 2014
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Has nobody noticed the racing number on the new Honda, 93? Marc Marquez' racing number I believe. Coincidence or otherwise..........

Roverload

Original Poster:

850 posts

135 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
The motorsport on Monday article today speculates he could switch to four wheels, lmp2 would be a good starting point would it not?

VladD

7,853 posts

264 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Roverload said:
I forgot about acura, is that just a u.s. Brand for the old integra?
The NSX was also an Acura in the US. The Japanese tend to have luxury brands. Luxus/Toyota, Acura/Honda, Infinity/Nissan. I think the US manufacturers do it too. Lincoln/Ford etc. I won't mention MG/Rover in the UK for fear of retribution and going OT.