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I expect Ferrari in 2023. Some talk about ByKolles and Ginetta, but i don't see that happen. Have not heard anything of these in 5-6 months. The LMDh (read LMP2 2.0) cars enter in 2023 too. https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/byk ... 022-debut/ByKolles Targeting Fall Rollout for LMH Car Ahead of ’22 Debut
ByKolles working on final details of LMH car before pre-homologation track testing starts this year…
ByKolles is pushing on with the development of its Le Mans Hypercar and hopes to give the non-hybrid prototype its first rollout “in the next four or five weeks” ahead of an FIA World Endurance Championship campaign next year.
Company boss Dr. Colin Kolles told Sportscar365 that the constructor and race team has been building up its LMH contender throughout the summer months in preparation for a pre-homologation testing program and a 2022 race debut.
Experienced LMP1 competitor ByKolles first emerged as a potential entrant in the WEC’s new Hypercar class back in 2018, while it revealed the preliminary design of its car built to the LMH regulations almost exactly 12 months ago.
The most recent official word from the program came in April when ByKolles announced Tom Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri as its LMH development drivers.
“Basically the car is being built up now,” said Kolles. “The status is that the last time I was in the workshop last week, the monocoque was there and the engine was mounted to the monocoque.
“The gearbox and the suspension were on the monocoque. This was the status. The wiring and electronics were in the loom, as of last week.”
When asked if he is confident about the first rollout taking place this year, Kolles replied: “We hope to run the car in the next four or five weeks.
“Originally we would have been able to have the car on track already in February, but it made no sense. So we decided that we don’t put ourselves under pressure, like we did in the past years.
“And to be honest, for us it’s very important to have a good car and beat Toyota and the rest. This is the target.
ByKolles considered entering its LMH into this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, but this would have required it to apply for a full-season entry and pay the Hypercar manufacturer full-season fee. The team instead opted to switch its focus to a full-scale 2022 debut.
Article 3.2.3 of the Le Mans supplementary regulations states that “a competitor wishing to enter in the Hypercar category must take part in the Hypercar FIA World Endurance Championship”.
It’s understood that the company then encountered some gearbox-related delays this summer, which made it hard to determine when the car would run for the first time.
Kolles anticipates that the constructor will visit the “usual suspects” of testing venues such as Paul Ricard and Monza, following an initial rollout on home soil in Germany.
Testing will ultimately lead to the car’s homologation, which is locked in for five years.
“It’s a totally new car,” said Kolles. “There are no carry-over parts on this car, and we have to make it fit 100 percent. The quality of build has to be a very high standard.
“This was one of the weak points of the LMP1 car: we were rushing. We are not under time pressure right now.
“This is why the decision was made in February. We offered the ACO to run at Le Mans with the car, but they changed the regulations so that you cannot make a race-by-race entry as an LMH entrant.
“So we decided to skip one year and develop the car better, because it makes no sense to pay €500,000, for what?
“Obviously we want to go testing as soon as possible, because then the homologation will be done as late as possible, because you are bound to the homologation.”
The ByKolles LMH, which has been produced in-house at Greding in Bavaria, will be powered by what Kolles has described as an ‘optimized’ version of the Gibson GL458 V8 engine that ByKolles used in its ENSO CLM P1/01 car built to the LMP1 regulations.
“It’s the basis. It’s not the same engine – obviously there are some modifications,” he said.
“I think it’s more of an optimization. It’s for sure a new electronics system, totally different. Also the power and torque curves have to be adjusted to what is needed in LMH.”
The ByKolles racing car forms one pillar of the company’s triple-pronged ‘PMC Project’, which also includes the development of track day and road-legal siblings.
Two-Car WEC Program Under Consideration
Kolles is keen to field a pair of LMHs in the WEC next year, which if confirmed would represent an expansion of his outfit’s top-category involvement that previously focused on a single LMP1 entry.
The Austrian-flagged team’s last two-car program occurred in 2013 when it ran a pair of LMP2 entries under the Lotus banner.
However, Kolles noted that the possibility of a two-car commitment depends on the right economic factors falling into place.
“The plan is to have two cars, but you have to have the financing for two cars,” he said.
“We are working on this, but I cannot tell you if it is going to happen or not.
“What we know is that by the end of the year, we will have four monocoques. There will be three versions [of the car]: the WEC version, the track day version and the road car version.
“What we envisage is for sure to have the track day car and WEC car in full running conditions by the end of the year.”
If a two-car ByKolles bid emerges, the 2022 WEC field could feature as many as eight LMH-built Hypercars with Peugeot joining the fray alongside Toyota and Glickenhaus.
It is unclear when exactly Peugeot and ByKolles will compete for the first time, with the former currently working through its pre-track testing phase.
Sportscar365 understands that ByKolles is set to operate its LMH car under a different team name, with an announcement potentially coming next month.
Kolles wants his contender to become a “worldwide” product and expressed interest in competing in IMSA, although the North American sanctioning body has laid down strict rules for automakers wishing to run their cars in the WeatherTech Championship.
“We have a very clear plan. But to have a clear plan, you need a good product,” said Kolles.
“This product will be a high-end product where even the best engineers will look at the car and say that this is amazing.”
Yes. Same here. Weird that ByKolles is by far the weakest link.
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/lmp ... ough-2022/LMP1s Set to Be Grandfathered Through 2022
Alpine A480 Gibson set to be eligible for further season amid grandfathering extension clause…
LMP1 non-hybrids are set to be grandfathered for an additional year in the FIA World Endurance Championship following approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Confirmed in the latest meeting on Friday, the WEC Selection Committee will have the “option” to allow such cars into the championship for “a further year.”
This would extend the current eligibility through the end of the 2022 season.
Alpine Endurance Team, which has recently confirmed a LMDh entry beginning in 2024, is currently the only entrant utilizing the grandfathering clause in the championship.
As previously reported by Sportscar365, the French manufacturer had been pushing for an extension of the regulations into 2022 for its ORECA-built Alpine A480 Gibson.
In other news, new testing limitations will come into force for cars homologated in the Hypercar class prior to the 2021 season and entering the second year of its homologation cycle.
While details have not been released, the FIA says this has been made to prevent cost escalation.
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/byk ... ted-delay/ByKolles Nearing LMH Rollout after Supply-Related Delay
ByKolles LMH car fire-up “around the corner” according to team boss Dr. Colin Kolles…
ByKolles is planning to fire up its new LMH car for the first time next week as it readies for a tight testing program ahead of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Austrian-flagged constructor based in Greding, Germany has yet to give its new non-hybrid prototype a first rollout, which was previously expected to come during the fall.
Team boss Dr. Colin Kolles has indicated that the rollout is “around the corner” as the final pieces of the test car’s internal components come together.
He told Sportscar365 that “Brexit-related” customs delays on the supply of a new gearbox from British company Xtrac have slightly held back the anticipated first test.
Once the new gearbox is installed, ByKolles will be able to fire up its LMH car for the first time and get to work on the pre-homologation testing program.
On Tuesday, ByKolles development driver Tom Dillmann shared a photograph of his seat fitting procedure, offering a rare image of the ‘PMC Projct’ LMH car in its workshop.
“The gearbox is ready but there is somehow an administrational problem with the customs, to take back a gearbox and to bring a [newer] one to us,” said Kolles.
“This will happen maybe this week, and then the fire-up is planned. We are planning to do the fire-up next week. This is the plan.
“[The engine] is all fine for the fire-up. Gibson is working on the race specification of the engine. The race-spec engine will be ready for February or March. The test engine is in the car already.
“We were planning to go on a [local] airport for the first rollout, but it’s now snowing like hell. We have had a total snowstorm.
“We are producing parts. This is a problem, to be prepared for the season. It’s not easy at the moment with all the supply chains.”
Kolles clarified that his company’s race team, which is likely to compete under a different name in the Hypercar class, plans to submit a WEC full-season entry application for 2022 but has not yet handed in the necessary paperwork.
The tight window between New Year and the WEC season-opener at Sebring in mid-March raises questions about whether the ByKolles will be ready to race in Florida.
Kolles is hoping that his team will be able to enter as a full-season participant – as is required in the Hypercar class – while also having the option to miss the 1000 Miles of Sebring if the vehicle is not ready to be homologated by then.
Peugeot is also facing a narrow pre-homologation testing schedule for its 9X8 hybrid LMH, which is believed to still be on time for a rollout before the end of the year.
“This is a matter to be clarified with the organizers,” said Kolles, when asked whether his LMH car would be ready for Sebring.
“Because we have now a delay which is totally out of our control. The problem is that we still have to do the homologation, and all of this has to be right. We have to clarify this.
“As it stands today, we will make an entry. As a manufacturer, you can only make a full-season entry.”
In a September interview with Sportscar365, Kolles suggested that his team was considering a two-car Hypercar entry if the right financial conditions could be achieved.
Asked for an update on the potential for a two-car operation, he replied: “This I don’t know.
“Right now, I know that in the next 10 days we will have the fire-up and we will 99 percent make the entry by January 15, subject to clarification of some things regarding Sebring.
“We have two monocoques at the moment, and we will have three monocoques by February.”
Kolles added that his organization is “talking to several drivers” about Hypercar race seats for the 2022 WEC season, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri are signed on as development drivers, while Dillmann is the only one of the pair to have undertaken a seat fitting at Greding.
“The drivers which have the chance to be in the car, know about it already,” Kolles said.
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/byk ... nt/v2-2-3/ByKolles Hypercar Entry with Vanwall LMH Rejected
Vanwall-badged ByKolles LMH car’s entry application rejected for 2022 WEC season…
by Daniel Lloyd, January 11, 2022
ByKolles Racing’s entry application for the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season with a Le Mans Hypercar racing under the Vanwall name has been rejected for homologation reasons, Sportscar365 understands.
Senior figures from the German squad have indicated that the ByKolles-built Vanwall Vandervell LMH will not be present on the upcoming WEC full-season entry list, following notification from the series selection committee on Monday.
It is understood that the rejection is based on the fact that the new non-hybrid prototype has not yet completed its homologation process.
ByKolles filed and paid for its full-season entry application with the caveat that its car would be permitted to miss the 1000 Miles of Sebring season-opener and debut at Spa in May, as the team would need time to finalize its pre-homologation testing process.
Entrants in the top Hypercar category, which also includes the likes of Toyota, Peugeot, Alpine and Glickenhaus, are required to contest all six rounds of the 2022 season.
The rejection of the ByKolles entry has raised questions about when the Gibson V8-powered Vanwall will make its race debut.
Company owner Colin Kolles declined to make a public comment, while another senior figure described the organization’s upcoming omission from the entry as “surprising” considering its early commitment to the LMH formula back in 2018.
A WEC spokesperson told Sportscar365 that the rejection was based on a “documentation issue”.
It is unclear how the entry situation will affect Peugeot, which has still not set a race debut for its four-wheel-drive hybrid LMH car due to debut this year.
The French manufacturer performed the first rollout of its new car last month. Unlike the Peugeot 9X8, the Vanwall Vandervell LMH has yet to complete its first shakedown.
It is understood that ByKolles encountered some delays during the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted the homologation schedule of its Hypercar contender.
The presence of the Vanwall Vandervell LMH on the 2022 WEC grid would have signaled the return to motorsport of a classic name from the early days of Formula 1.
British company Vanwall, founded by Tony Vandervell, beat Ferrari to win the inaugural F1 constructors’ championship in 1958 with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks driving.
According to Germany’s company register, the PMC GmbH company under which all ByKolles automotive projects are housed — including the LMH car and its proposed road-going variant — holds the Vanwall name as one of its trademarks.
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/peu ... k-ongoing/Peugeot to Miss Sebring; Development Work Ongoing
Peugeot to miss 1000 Miles of Sebring as it focuses on 9X8’s pre-homologation testing…
by Daniel Lloyd, January 18, 2022
Peugeot will not contest the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season at Sebring as it continues to work on the pre-homologation testing program for its new Le Mans Hypercar.
The French manufacturer confirmed on Tuesday that the pair of Peugeot 9X8s will miss the 1000 Miles of Sebring on March 19, however the exact timing of their highly anticipated race debut is still yet to be determined.
WEC CEO Frederic Lequien clarified last week that Peugeot will need to enter either Sebring or Spa to ensure its place on the grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Peugeot is signed up as a full-season entrant — as is required for all Hypercar teams — but is currently working through an intensive track testing program before locking in the homologation of its 2.6-liter V6 hybrid-powered prototype. Once achieved, the homologation will be kept through 2025.
According to the manufacturer, the 9X8’s development program will “pick up further speed” this year as research and sign-off work continue in the simulator and during monthly track sessions.
Peugeot has revealed the first full image of the car on track during a recent test at Motorland Aragon.
“Team Peugeot TotalEnergies will not attend the first of the six rounds that make up the 2022 calendar which kicks off at Sebring in Florida,” commented Stellantis Motorsport Director Jean-Marc Finot.
“The 9X8 will make its race debut based on its level of readiness, reliability and competitiveness as agreed with the championship’s organizers who we will keep regularly updated as our development program progresses.
“We could have opted for attending selected races only without committing to the season. That would have been possible but less coherent.
“Instead, we have chosen an approach that will enable the team to be fully immersed in the discipline, resulting in much closer collaboration with the organizers even if the 9X8 doesn’t contest every race as our development work and the homologation process continue.”
The photograph of the Peugeot 9X8 testing at Aragon demonstrates that the car is continuing to operate without a rear wing.
Peugeot’s LMH contender underwent its first rollout last month but the full extent of the rear end was obscured from a photograph taken during that shakedown, leading to speculation that the original wingless design had been modified.
“This configuration is permitted by the ACO/FIA Hypercar regulations,” said Peugeot WEC technical director Olivier Jansonnie.
“Our calculations and wind tunnel work have confirmed the pertinence of our decision to run without a rear wing.
“Along with the developments and settings this option calls for, we expect it to be validated as we test at different circuits with differing characteristics.”
The Peugeots 9X8s will compete under the No. 93 and No. 94 banners, with the former representing the year of the company’s 1-2-3 overall result at Le Mans led by the 905 driven by Eric Helary, Christophe Bouchut and Geoff Brabham.
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/peu ... r-le-mans/Peugeot 9X8 Set to Make Debut after Le Mans
Peugeot 9X8 to debut after Le Mans as manufacturer focuses on homologation work…
by Daniel Lloyd February 25, 2022
Peugeot is set to miss this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as it focuses on completing the pre-homologation development and testing of its hybrid-powered Le Mans Hypercar.
The French manufacturer announced on Friday that the Peugeot 9X8 will not be ready to race at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa in May, and in turn “forecasts” that it will not be on the grid at Le Mans in June.
Entering the race at Spa is necessary to achieve a Balance of Performance baseline for the Peugeot 9X8, which will compete in the Hypercar category.
FIA World Endurance Championship CEO Frederic Lequien spoke last month of the need for Peugeot to enter an event before the 24-hour race, which Peugeot has also recognized as a necessary part of the car’s competitive introduction.
In late January, Peugeot declared its absence from the grid at the 1000 Miles of Sebring season-opener.
The 9X8 is understood to have conducted LMH track tests at Aragon and Paul Ricard so far, with further outings expected to come during the spring and summer as the engineering team works toward the car’s homologation sign-off.
LMH homologations are fixed until 2025 and can only be adjusted if the manufacturer opts for an ‘Evo’ joker.
Explaining the reason for the team’s decision to forgo Le Mans, Peugeot WEC technical director Olivier Jansonnie said: “Quite simply, this will afford us the time we need to achieve the necessary level of reliability.
“For obvious reasons with regard to Balance Of Performance adjustments, it would not have been possible to enter the Le Mans 24 Hours without first contesting the preceding WEC race – the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 7.
“This way, our planning will enable us to put the full weight of our teams and resources behind our own test sessions, without the disruption of racing at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.
“Both operationally and from a reliability perspective, Le Mans is the most difficult race on the calendar.
“We will begin with some shorter races, which will allow us to progressively get up-to-speed in the championship. Like with our road-going cars when we have to choose between meeting a deadline or focussing on quality, we always prioritize quality.”
The next WEC race after Le Mans is the fourth round of the season: the 6 Hours of Monza in mid-July.
In lieu of competing at Le Mans against Toyota, Alpine and Glickenhaus, Peugeot plans to “build anticipation and excitement” for the 9X8’s debut later in the year by setting up “surprises” for spectators during the event.
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/pos ... r-porsche/Possibility of 2022 Race Entry “Interesting Option” for Porsche
Porsche open to feilding LMDh in 2022 WEC race depending on development progress…
by Daniel Lloyd March 19, 2022
Porsche’s Head of Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach has described the recently-confirmed eligibility of LMDh cars in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship as an “interesting option” for the manufacturer.
The FIA on Saturday announced that LMDh cars will be allowed to enter 2022 WEC rounds on a “race-by-race” basis as part of their development ahead of the platform’s full inclusion next year.
Any appearances would likely be made with cars running in their pre-homologation state and the FIA has stated that no championship points would be awarded.
Porsche is currently working on the development of its new LMDh hybrid prototype developed in conjunction with Multimatic.
Testing took place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last month where the publicly unnamed Porsche racked up more than 1,200 miles over multiple days.
It’s understood that the manufacturer’s next test will take place in Europe before it looks to send its LMDh car to a track in North America later this year.
A Porsche LMDh appearance during the 2022 WEC season would depend on how the rest of the development work progresses.
“We welcome the decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council,” said Laudenbach in a statement provided exclusively to Sportscar365.
“It could be an interesting option for Porsche. We will take a close look at this possibility and decide at a later date based on the development status of our LMDh car.”
While IMSA has confirmed a homologation timeline for cars racing in its GTP class, the WEC has been tight-lipped on the schedule for LMDh in the Hypercar category.
IMSA has set up two sanction tests in October and December for LMDh and LMH manufacturers wanting to homologate cars for the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January 2023.
