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Visit to r.t.n
After returning from a supurb visit to RTN in Norfolk, We recieved some bad news read on for further details...
In 1999 Auto Union returned to Le Mans under the new modern name of Audi. Audi has a long pedigree in creating and racing performance cars, including circuit racing, Le Mans and world championship rallying.
Racing Technology Norfolk Limited (rtn) is a wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG and specializes in the design and manufacturing of race cars for the whole Audi group, including Audi Sport Team and Team Bentley. By 2000, Audi had entered the latest rtn designed race car into Le Mans and had archived great success. A one, two, three win in 2000 by team Audi, had meant a new and interesting project was beginning to look like it might have legs. Rtn had designed a closed top car for Audi which was to be used in the GTP category of Le Mans. Sadly, this project was still born. However out of the ashes of that phoenix grew a whole new plan.
If you had been in the pits at Le Mans in 2000, along with the other things floating around on the rumour mill was a very loud whisper that Bentley may well be returning to Le Mans! No! Not a modern motor company actually paying deference to the marque. This was not the stuff of a modern business, of a modern manufacturer, especially not a German one!! Aren’t they supposed to play safe?
Having bought Bentley, the Volkswagen group who in turn, also owned Audi, had started work on a new Bentley to be built at Crewe. This car was tentatively called the Bentley compact, a new racing team was to be hurriedly assembled to promote the new car and also add to the heritage of the marque.
Rtn design the Exp Speed 8.
Racing Technology Norfolk (RTN) had been appointed to build the EXP Speed 8 for Bentley Motors, with Peter Elleray heading up the design team. Richard Lloyd's Apex Motorsport with John Wickham as team manager is running the race and test programme. The entire project is being managed by a small team of executives at Bentley Motors in Crewe, headed up by chief executive Tony Gott.
The Technical Story
The design of the EXP Speed 8 differs from that of all current Le Mans competitors as it will contest the Le Mans GTP class for fully enclosed prototypes. This, says Elleray, brings considerable advantages. "It means we can only use up to 14 in instead of 16 in width wheels but this can be advantageous as they interfere less with the air flow under the car. And we are allowed a 1 mm larger air restrictor."
Aerodynamic efficiency lies at the core of the EXP Speed 8's strategy, the closed cockpit making exploitation and management of air flow over the centre section of the car much easier and more effective than on a conventional, open prototype. EXP Speed 8's shape has already been proven in the wind tunnel, where it has been subjected to 11 week long trials featuring over 1000 different configurations tests.
The structure of EXP Speed 8 starts life as three hoops of carbon fibre. Onto this is applied a stressed carbon-fibre skin to create a monocoque that is both strong and space efficient, allowing greater freedom for aerodynamic packaging as well as a more comfortable environment for the driver. This entire structure weighs just 70 kgs.
Carbon fibre naturally makes up the bulk of the structure of EXP Speed 8 but the Bentley employs not simply the woven carbon-fibre cloth familiar on all modern racing cars but also uni-directional strips of carbon-fibre in those areas where the forces it is subjected to come from just one source.
The 3.6-litre, twin turbocharged V8 engine has been re-engineered for the EXP Speed 8 particularly to adapt the forced induction system to suit the car's aerodynamics. There are different turbochargers and a new installation while the engine itself has naturally been modified accordingly.
The Bentley specified transverse gearbox has been developed with Xtrac and has six speeds and pneumatic gear engagement for extra speed and reliability over 24 hours. This gearbox has been designed specifically to cope with the characteristics of EXP Speed 8.
The suspension follows current race car thinking with double wishbones at each corner. Even so it uses torsion bar springing at the front as they package into the EXP Speed 8's design without disturbing the crucial air flow under the front of the car. Coil springs are used at the rear.
The brakes have been developed with AP Racing and feature carbon discs and pads, with six piston callipers at each corner. The tyre supplier is Dunlop on whose rubber the winning Bentleys of the twenties and thirties raced, thus renewing a 70 year old partnership.
This was the first car under the Bentley marque in the race for 70 years. Expectations were high.
Full report of the visit to follow with the news letter.
As closure over the whole event I received the following press release on my return home I received the flowing press release issued on the same day of our visit.
Bentley leaves Le Mans for 2004
Crewe: 17th October 2003.
When Bentley announced its return to Le Mans in late 2000, it was clearly stated that it would be a three year programme with victory the only aim. After two years development, during which the Bentleys proved to be fast and reliable, outright victory was achieved on schedule and as hoped for in June this year. As a result, Bentley Motors confirmed today that Bentley would not be returning to Le Mans in 2004 although the company will continue to review its position.
Said chairman and CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen: Le Mans is part of our rich heritage and is very important to us. It has also helped us revive the unique spirit of Bentley and it has created a new motorsport heritage for the marque, but when we announced our return in November 2000 we always said this would be a three year programme. In the past three Le Mans we have been more successful than we could have dreamed, culminating in first and second places for the Bentley Speed 8 at this most famous of races this year. This has provided an excellent boost for our image and a successful communications platform for the introduction of the Continental GT, which has been launched to great acclaim.
He continued: I am not saying we are leaving motorsport for good, and we will certainly continue to review our position. But being pragmatic, all our efforts need to be concentrated on the next phase of our regeneration, and our priority is delivering a new range of Bentleys to our rapidly expanding customer base.
(Stop Press Link: For the text of the press release see here.)
It was rather a sad way to end what had been an other wise glorious day.
The Editor
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