24h Le Mans
Lawrence Tomlinson, president of Ginetta Cars, took the opportunity of the World Endurance Championship's (FIA WEC) presence at Silverstone on his home turf to present the technical collaborators working on the LM P1 project for 2018 and to reveal a few financial details.
Based in Leeds about 200 km from the Silverstone circuit at which will take place the kickoff of the 2017 World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season, in January the Ginetta company announced the development, for 2018, of a non-hybrid LM P1 prototype reserved for private teams.
Several mechanical parts were on display this afternoon where the presentation was held. In attendance were Lawrence Tomlinson, Ginetta Cars Technical Director Ewan Baldry, technical consultant (and designer of the Peugeot 908 winner at the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans) Paolo Catone, and the partners for the engine, Mecachrome, gearbox, XTrac, and the monocoque and the CFD.
A 3D model of the car, as yet unnamed but set to run its first laps this coming September, was also presented to the public. The cost of the chassis was revealed at an estimated 1.6 million euros and the technical support, including the location of the Mecachrome V6 engine, was valued at 700,000 euros for a full season.
Ideally, Ginetta would like three teams to purchase two cars each as early as next year, and is aware the Manor team, currently in the LM P2 class, is interested in moving up into LM P1.
