French manufacturer, Oreca Technology, has unveiled its latest competition car, the 05 LMP2.
Scheduled to make its debut at the ELMS-opening round at Silverstone, UK, later this year, the 05 will replace the outgoing, open-cockpit 03 that has been campaigned successfully by several teams since its introduction in 2011.
Based on the Oreca designed Rebellion R1 chassis, the 05 adds zylon anti-intrusion panels around the cockpit and a rear crash box for increased driver safety – despite these two elements not being mandated by LMP2 regulations.
The 05 has been designed to conform with the forthcoming 2017 regulations, and as a result is around 100mm narrower than outgoing LMP2 cars, measuring just 1900mm wide. Oreca states that this has been done with customer’s budgets in mind, allowing teams to use the new car for much longer than just two seasons.
The new car also features several reliability related upgrades, above and beyond the outgoing 03. Oreca states that it identified the 03’s power steering system and starter motor as potential weak points, and has subsequently upgraded them for the new car; as well as switching to electronic assist on the steering column. However, Oreca states that for reliability purposes, several race proven components have been transferred from the 03 to the 05.
“The 05 fits Into the line of Oreca’s strategy of development as a manufacturer with an operational map spread over many years,” explained David Floury, technical director at Oreca. “The 03 has-been so successful, and its history has not come to an end yet. The aim for the 05 is to maintain that momentum and to win Le Mans. We’re on a mission!
“Technically, we’ve made decisions for the future, and not only in terms of safety,” he continued. “We’ve looked to optimize as many things as possible. In terms of the car’s weight for instance, we think our approach is a radical one, when compared to our rivals. We’ve paid attention to teams observations and feedback, as we wish to establish solid relationships while strengthening existing ones. We’re embarking on a project that will take us up to 2020.”
Five Oreca 05’s will contest the 2015 European Le Mans Series, whilst a further two will be on the starting grid of the FIA World Endurance Championship:
