Gumpert Hybrid to bring innovation at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring
[Source: Gumpert]
In recent years, there has been a growing number of people that are repulsed by the technical stalemate plaguing motorsport. Regulation versions refer mostly to horsepower limits, aerodynamic details, electronic aid systems and driver safety. It is difficult to forget the rally group B monsters that were banned in the eighties after a long series of lethal accidents. But at least they perfected turbochargers and four wheel drive technologies that we benefit from in production cars.
Not the same can be said for motrosport’s state today. It seems that racing and normal car development follow diverging paths. Mass produced cars meet unprecedented environmental challenges, while motorsport seems to go its own way of high horsepowers and performance as in the old days. But things start to change and the Gumper Apollo hybrid that will race in the 24 hours of Nurburgring is a good example of things to come.
In similar fashion to its Toyota Supra predecessor that won the Tokachi 24 hour race, it combines a high performance 3.3 liter V8 twin-turbo engine with an electric motor. Total horsepower is 800bhp -the electric motor contributes roughly 140bhp. The litium ion battery weighs about 200kg, will start the race fully charged and get recharged via regenerative braking. Do not get mislead by the low electric motor horsepower equivalent. Although the 50km range provided by the 9KWh battery is irrelevant for a race, torque contribution during acceleration will be substantial and will definitely cut seconds that are so crucial in motor racing.
Formula 1 and Indycar racing are following extremely conservative routes with the respective use of kinetic energy recovery systems and ethanol. Especially Formula 1 has been under tremendous pressure to present some kind of environmental progress, it remains to be seen if the chosen path will be enough.
The choice of hybrid technology is definitely a great way to advertise motorsport and get it back on track for technological leadership and progress that will be later applied to production vehicles. If performance and race results are good it will certainly be good advertisement, in the same manner that the crushing Le Man victories of Audi diesels have been for diesel production cars. But at the end of the day, what matters is that our times are very different to the 80s and 90s and motorsport has finally taken notice…
[Wired]
