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Added on the 15/03/2022 06:32:12 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
A few days before the official start of Season 10 of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the two-day prologue at the Sebring track concluded after four valuable sessions to test the cars ahead of Friday’s race. Two 488 GTEs competed in the LMGTE Pro class and five in the LMGTE Am on the 6,019-metre Florida circuit.
Former Formula One and Lamborghini factory driver Romain Grosjean is preparing for his next challenge: as a key player in Lamborghini’s campaign in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. Profiled in two new Lamborghini films, the Swiss-French star discusses the exhilarating power of endurance racing; the anticipation surrounding Lamborghini’s newly announced LMDh contender; and the impact the events of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix had on his life, and personal philosophy.Now based in Miami, 36-year old Grosjean made 179 race starts in Formula One in a career that spanned nine seasons, from 2012 to 2020, as well as appearances in 2009. Since 2021 he has competed in the American IndyCar Series. He made his debut for Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse motorsport division when he raced a Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the celebrated Daytona 24 Hours race in January 2023. With progress on the LMDh rapidly gathering momentum, Grosjean is playing a key role in the development of Lamborghini’s eagerly-awaited LMDh racing hybrid prototype. The car is powered by an all-new 3.8-liter twin turbo V8, whose power output is limited by regulation to 680 CV.
From the announcement in February 2021 of Ferrari’s return to the top endurance class up until its debut in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship on 17 March 2023, the 499P has passed through several development stages. It was a team effort involving over 30 engineers.The test circuits were chosen according to their characteristics and to maximise the limited time available: Fiorano, Imola, Mugello and Vallelunga; plus Paul Ricard, Aragon and Portimão (three European tracks suitable for endurance tests). Portimão will also host a round of the WEC, as will Monza and Sebring. The two cars had covered a total of over 24,000 kilometres before March.Continuous interaction between the digital and real ‘world’ made it possible to fine-tune the 499P’s various components, using two cars simultaneously and employing a team of 30 engineers. During development, track work accounts for about 70% of the effort, and the remaining 30% occurs in the simulator.
The FIA World Endurance Championship season got underway at Sebring International Raceway which hosted the two-day Prologue featuring four Ferrari 488 GTEs. The tests, in which the 499Ps in the Hypercar category also took part, anticipate the 1000 Miles, the first round of the championship which will be contested on Friday, 17 March on the 6.019 kilometre American track.
499P is the name of the new Le Mans Hypercar with which Ferrari will tackle the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship in the elite class from 2023, a name evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer. In the past, prototypes were identified by the letter ‘P’, frequently preceded by the number of the engine’s unitary displacement. The 499P is no exception. The car is an outcome of a vision proudly rooted in the past, that gave rise to the legend of today, enabling the company to achieve 22 world titles and 9 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nevertheless, it has its sights set firmly on the future, both in terms of the technical and design content that the prototype features. The livery, with which the 499P will debut at the forthcoming 1000 Miles of Sebring, includes a revived version of the renowned 312 P colour scheme from the 1970s, which also visually underscores the historical connections interrupted 50 years ago, but that have remained ever present in the brand’s essence. For this reason, one of the Maranello-entered endurance cars will be adorned with the number 50, while the other will bear the number 51, one of the most successful ever. The official line-up of who will race the #499p will be the subject of future communications.
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