Porsche 919 Hybrid Return to top-level sport Porsche is making its comeback to the top-level motorsport arena: with the new 919 Hybrid the sports car brand is sending a platform for pioneering technology to the top category of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the undisputed seasonal highlight of the 24-hour Le Mans race. Porsche's reputation precedes it at this venue: with 16 overall victories under its belt, the brand holds the record for this, the most famous endurance race in the world. In 2014 Porsche is returning to the top-level class endurance race after a 16-year absence - namely Le Mans Prototypes (LMP1). Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG explains: "The new and revolutionary efficiency regulations for this class were what prompted us to take this step. In 2014 it is not going to be the fastest contender who is going to win the sports car world championship and Le Mans, but the car that gets furthest with the defined amount of energy. And it is precisely this challenge that the automotive industry has to face. The 919 Hybrid is like a high speed research laboratory and the most complex racing car Porsche has ever built." The new WEC regulations for the LMP1 racing car gives engineers an unusual amount of leeway and demands pioneering technology, such as hybridisation, downsizing engines and consistent lightweight construction. This is all particularly relevant for the development of future generations of factory-spec sports cars. Maximum sporting performance and highest efficiency are at the heart of "Porsche Intelligent Performance". This is perfectly captured by the 919 Hybrid that is literally engulfed by this philosophy. Porsche AG, GO Contact: Holger Eckhardt, Tel. +49 170 911 4982 2 Record time construction At the end of 2011 the return to the top-level category of the sports car championships started with a blank sheet of white paper. The payroll back then totalled five members of staff plus Fritz Enzinger, the new boss. On 12 June 2013 the 919 Hybrid did its first laps around the test course in Weissach. In the meantime, organisation structures were set up and processes defined. An office building and a workshop were built and kitted out. Some 500 interviews resulted in more than 200 new placements. There was plenty of work for every member of staff from the word go. The stakes were high - to design and construct the most complex racing car in the company's history. The necessary machines, materials and components were acquired - from high voltage technology to driving simulator. The 919 Hybrid was developed in record time under the supervision and guidance of technical director Alexander Hitzinger with a team of well over 100 engineers. The team boss Andreas Seidl meanwhile arranged the team line-up, the test programme and the manpower planning alongside training units. The team practised pit stops tirelessly with crew chief Amiel Lindesay (NZ). A situation that calls for clockwork precision from the newly formed team. In 2013 there were 1053 pit stop practices in the Weissacher workshop alone. Porsche AG, GO Contact: Holger Eckhardt, Tel. +49 170 911 4982 3 Top-level team sport Endurance racing demands certain qualities of racing drivers: on the one hand they need to be self-assertive and very fast, because nowadays six or even 24 hour races are driven at sprint competition levels. On the other hand, they have to ditch their personal ego, because there are no solo performances in the WEC or at Le Mans. Timo Bernhard (Germany), who also drove the rollout on 12 June 2013 and Romain Dumas (France) were selected as the first works drivers for the new project. In summer 2013 Neel Jani (Switzerland) joined the team, followed by Mark Webber (Australia) in autumn, while in December Porsche confirmed Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Marc Lieb (Germany) following test performances. This rounded off the ranks for the two Porsche 919 Hybrids. In February 2014 start numbers were set: 14 for Dumas, Jani and Lieb and 20 for Bernhard, Hartley and Webber. Wolfgang Hatz, Member of the Executive Board Research and Development at Porsche AG reiterated: "This is a strong squad: and with Timo and Marc we also have two former Porsche Juniors on board. We are proud of the quality of our young talent programme." After the rollout from the workshop door in Weissach the Porsche Team tested the 919 Hybrid on international racing courses in the second half of 2013 - in Magny- Cours (France), Monza (Italy), Paul Ricard (France), on the Eurospeedway Lausitz (Germany) and Portimão (Portugal). Two further tests were performed in Sakhir (Bahrain) and Sebring (Florida, USA) in 2014. On 4 March 2014 Matthias Müller presented the 919 Hybrid along with the 911 RSR at the International Geneva Motor Show. A major arena for a major sport - and a strong commitment from Porsche. Porsche AG, GO Contact: Holger Eckhardt, Tel. +49 170 911 4982 4 Porsche 919 Hybrid Pioneer technology for World Endurance Championship Porsche is returning to the top category of the famous endurance race classic at Le Mans and the World Endurance Championships (WEC) for sports cars with its newly developed 919 Hybrid. The LMP1 prototype, which is designed for extreme efficiency, is the most complex race car that Porsche ever put on wheels. It serves as a research platform for fundamental technology to be used in future production models, with its combination of two different energy recovery systems and a downsizing turbocharged engine. So the real winner of Porsche factory racing is already clear: it is the customer. The World Endurance Championship (WEC) for sports cars launches into a new era, beginning on 20 April at Silverstone in Great Britain. The season highlight, Le Mans, follows in June. The newly formulated regulations for the top class of this World Championship has completely changed in focus. From now on, the sporty performance of the LMP1-H prototypes will be rated in direct relationship to their energy efficiency. While the allowable fuel quantity per lap was reduced by around 30 per cent compared to the prior year, the amount of energy of the obligatory hybrid systems that can be used in the race was dramatically increased. This shifts technologies into the limelight that are most significant for future production vehicles. From the perspective of Porsche, that is a decisive argument for a return to the top league of sports car racing. Maximum efficiency of all elements as development goal In choosing a hybridised drive concept, the newly formulated WEC regulations gave Porsche developers great freedom. The drive system of the new LMP1 race car is based on a four-cylinder petrol engine that is as compact as it is lightweight. It performs load-bearing functions within the chassis based on its V- construction, which also offers thermodynamic advantages. The petrol engine, which reaches a maximum engine speed of around 9,000 rpm, is a frontrunner in terms of its downsizing philosophy with its 2.0 litres of displacement, direct injection and monoturbo charging. It also features two different energy recovery systems. Fundamentally new is the recovery of thermal energy from exhaust gases. An electric generator is used here, which is powered by the exhaust gas stream. The functionality of the second hybrid system is known from the Porsche 918 Spyder. Here, a generator on the front axle utilises braking phases to convert kinetic energy into electric energy. It is also stored in highly-advanced liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery packs until the driver needs the extra energy. Then the front generator is operated as a single electric motor and drives the two front wheels via a differential in the acceleration phases. This gives the Porsche 919 Hybrid a temporary all-wheel drive system, because the petrol engine directs its power to the rear wheels in a conventional way. Porsche AG, GO Contact: Holger Eckhardt, Tel. +49 170 911 4982 5 Challenging energy management Intelligent management of this additional available energy assumes a special role here. The driver can choose from several automated drive modes that have an effect on vehicle dynamics as a function of the traffic situation, course layout and weather conditions. At this point, the developers made use of knowledge gained by Porsche in 2010 with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, including at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring. The allowable petrol fuel consumption depends directly on the amount of electrical energy that the driver can call up per lap in what is known as the Boost function. Race rules distinguish between four levels ranging from 2 to 8 megajoules (MJ). The rule of thumb: The better the performance of the hybrid system, the less fuel may be used. Using the 13.629 km course in Le Mans as an example, you can use eight megajoules per lap in the highest energy recovery class, but a flow meter then regulates the permissible petrol volume per lap to 4.64 litres. In the two-megajoule-class there are 5.04 litres of petrol available. Another consideration to factor in is the better the performance of the recovery and storage system, the larger and heavier they are. Model calculation for a lap in Le Mans: 2 megajoules energy recovery = 5.04 l petrol = 4.07 l diesel 4 megajoules energy recovery = 4.88 l petrol = 3.95 l diesel 6 megajoules energy recovery = 4.72 l petrol = 3.82 l diesel 8 megajoules energy recovery = 4.64 l petrol = 3.69 l diesel Low weight and efficient aerodynamics As in Formula One racing, the chassis of the new Porsche 919 Hybrid consists of a carbon fibre monocoque with a sandwich construction.