Ferrari Announces LMH Factory Program!

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Coletta: "A complicated machine, but a source of pride for everyone"
The news of the presentation of the Ferrari LMH was officially given at the press conference held in Imola to illustrate the event at the end of October. Motorsport.com was present and was able to exchange a few words exclusively with Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari GT Sports Activities.

Why did you choose Imola as the theater to present the Hypercar?
"After 50 years, Ferrari will return to racing in the premier Endurance category. It is something special and unique that will attract the interest of the whole world of motorsport. I like to remember that a year and a half ago this program was announced and this was one of the five most important news in the world in motorsport. So presenting the car at Imola is a source of pride and must also be for all those who are working on the project and the event, given that the visibility of Ferrari at Imola on the Sunday of the World Finals it will be huge ".

How many tests do you think you have to do from today until the debut of Sebring?
"All those that can be organized. For us every day is worth double, it is a moment in which we are racing a lot because we went out on the track in the first days of July, while others have been running for over a year. It is a delay that does not give us none, as well as the weather. Every 10 days, or almost, we are on the track and we will do it as long as we can before going to Sebring. It is essential to ride every day because you really discover a lot of new things, so it is necessary to make the changes and then go back to the circuit to check them. It is a difficult path, the car is very complicated since we have chosen the less easy way, which is the Hypercar, while the LMDh regulations provide for a slightly simpler car. This choice involves some complications to be solved are not trivial.This is why I say that the more we turn the better ".

How many km have you put together to date?
"We have exceeded 10,000km, I think it is an important milestone because the time we have available is not little, but we will have to do much more because then there is also the question of accumulating experience and developing everything that comes in parallel. learned in the field. Having said that, we did not set a mileage to finish the work on the machine, the more you do it the better. "

Of all the things you discovered when you hit the track, which one surprised you the most?
"When you go to the track, you always discover something that doesn't work and clearly the LMH is a very complicated car. It has a lot of electronics, exasperated at the highest levels. There is a lot of work there, then develop everything according to the regulations that , in part, they penalize us on the front axle. Going to discover what is the optimization of what we can do with the front motor skills, according to what we have been granted, is certainly one of the hardest exercises. 'is the reliability aspect, which I think will be one of the keys to the category in 2023, not only for us but for all those who will take part in it, as we also see our other opponents who are racing and sometimes struggle to complete the race without problems and in all serenity ".

On the hybrid side, is there anything derived from the experience of Formula 1 over the years?
"The battery pack derives from the F1 single-seater, then everything else was designed from scratch, as required by the regulations. I want to emphasize that Ferrari is a large company with a lot of knowledge and experience. We have a dedicated staff of sports technicians. who are following this project; the experiences of Gestione Sportiva and the industrial branch are manifold, so they have been put together. This car has been a good exercise for the whole Ferrari and not just for one department ".

As for the pilots, will the crews also be made official at the presentation?
"At the Imola World Finals we will not present the formations. We want to take a little more time, continuing the tests at a very fast pace in view of the debut at Sebring, so the choice of drivers will probably be made at the end of the year".

>>> https://it.motorsport.com/wec/news/wec-la-ferrari-hypercar-presentata-alle-finali-mondiali-di-imola/10379820/

 

Can't wait, sounds great, but I hope the engineers are better than the translator;-)

 

Can't wait !
Ferrari competing for the top class at Le Mans is just a dream for all the tifosis.

 

V10 ;-)

 

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/pier-guidi-ferrari-lmh-development-going-in-right-direction/?fbclid=IwAR2H6rtDcsQC3cSRMxQ-BwFyG7nQkvHTcCs6YKINgr6VYMupwXUgaTtke2Y

FIA WEC
Pier Guidi: Ferrari LMH Testing “Going in Right Direction”
Alessandro Pier Guidi updates on Ferrari LMH testing progress as mileage increases…




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Photo: MPS Agency

Ferrari factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi feels that development of the manufacturer’s LMH car is “going in the right direction” as its track testing program moves along.

The hybrid-powered Ferrari LMH has undergone several track tests since its initial series of rollouts at Fiorano in July. It most recently visited Portimao and has now passed the 10,000 km (6,213 miles) mark in total running, according to the manufacturer.

Pier Guidi, who joined for the shakedown runs as well as visits to Imola, Barcelona and Portimao, told Sportscar365 that “every test is better” for the new car, which will arrive 50 years after Ferrari’s last official factory participation in top-level sports car racing.

Ferrari is aiming to debut its Hypercar-class machine at next year’s FIA World Endurance Championship season-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring in March, while a public debut has been set for the end of this month during the Finali Mondiali event at Imola.

“We are going in the right direction,” said Pier Guidi. “We have more or less improved every time since the beginning [and] we have improved quite quickly.

“Every test is better, and this is very important for us because time is short. The car will race in March. We also have to consider that everything will be shipped before, because it’s in the U.S.

“But so far, we are going as planned. For us, it’s good to have the possibility to drive this car. Even if [the drivers] don’t know yet if we will race the car or not, we try to be as prepared as we can.

“The car is complicated with a lot of things to manage, so time in the car is effort for us, the car and the engineers. We are going all together: the car, teams, engineers, myself and the other drivers involved.

“Personally, I am quite happy. We still have some tests in front of us, and I’m confident that we can improve a lot.”

Commenting on the driving experience, two-time WEC GTE champion Pier Guidi said that he has enjoyed adapting to the electric hybrid system, which is a new technology for him.

The manufacturer has been tight-lipped on the technical details of its LMH challenger, with only the four-wheel-drive hybrid aspect confirmed so far.

“This kind of four-wheel-drive, even if it’s at very high speed, is nice,” Pier Guidi reported.

“I expected to feel more but it’s very well-integrated. The balance is quite positive and constant, even when you change from two-wheel-drive to four-wheel-drive.

“It’s just the settings that are more complicated. I don’t think the driving style is much different. There is the normal setup as you always did with every car, plus all the software.

“We have to learn and improve this and be able to approach it as best as we can, because it’s all performance in the end. The software is much more involved, and it’s a different level of involvement on the software control compared to GTE.

“Even if [GTE] is already a very high level, this is another step forward.”

According to Pier Guidi, the “trickiest thing” about the pre-homologation testing program is that Ferrari is unable to measure itself against its Hypercar rivals.

“Until the first race, you don’t know your performance,” he said.

“It is important, at least, to be reliable. And then improve your performance as much as you can. Then you just discover [at] the first race which manufacturer did the best job.

“At the moment, we are quite happy for the mileage. We are testing every day of every test. But for sure, we will have to do some endurance tests. And then we will see.

“I think everything is going as planned. This is very important because all the things involved in this car are very complicated.

“Being able to follow the plan is not easy. So far we are doing it, so this is quite positive.”

Drivers Have “Time for Ourselves” to Learn Car

Ferrari has called upon its factory GT driving roster — including its WEC lineup of Pier Guidi, James Calado, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco — to develop the LMH, which is being tested in unison with the manufacturer’s new GT3 car based on the 296.

According to Pier Guidi, each driver has been able to get acquainted with the LMH despite Ferrari’s testing program having nine core members.

“We split the time more or less equally, but we have time for ourselves,” he explained.

“This is important because, even if we don’t know who will drive the car [in races], we all feel involved in the same way.

“This is important to keep us all together and try to maximize all the feedback.

“Everyone has a decent time to drive the car so he can report his feedback, and we can collect feedback from many driving styles and levels of experience.

“We try to put it all together and improve as quickly as we can.”

 

long lost italian brand isotta fraschini and michelotto


read here.. https://it.motorsport.com/wec/news/wec-nel-2023-arriva-la-hypercar-di-isotta-fraschini-michelotto/10387065/

 

Willing to bet that program never happens.

 

In fact, I am not sure Isotta-Fraschini will convince the ACO they are bona fide constructors to be allowed to race in WEC.
Same predicament for ByKolles-Vanwall; they are not sure yet they will be accepted in 2023, they were refused by the ACO in 2022.
Among the independents, only Glickenhaus are officially accepted in LMH.

 

Agreed. Do we know what the ACO/FIA rules are for a constructor for Hypercar? We certainly know where IMSA stands.

The Vanwall thing has always been really confusing for me. They can't find a real manufacturer willing to slap their badge on the car? Think about the Nissan DPi. Nissan had no real involvement other than supplying the engine. It was a completely private effort.

Maybe I should go ahead and announce my Hypercar program for 2025?

 

I suppose that if you are registered as a road car manufacturer, you are accepted as long as some cars are marketed, whatever the quantity. That's the road chosen by Glickenhaus to get ACO approval, and it seems ByKolles is following it. Isotta-Fraschini exhibited a couple of concept cars in the recent past, but I have no idea if they managed to sell any. BTW, Isotta-Fraschini Motori are manufacturers of big marine engines.
Why the ACO, and IMSA, insist that only car manufacturers can compete in their championships is a complete mystery to me; in the past we had Lola, March, Kudzu, Rondeau, Osella, or Mirage competing and even winning at Le Mans!
Cheers.

 

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Can’t wait to be next Sunday!!

 

ferrari testing two lmhs at monza today
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It looks like the angle on the side pods has slightly changed and the opening behind the front wheels is getting bigger. That wing is almost XJR14ish.

 

LMH Testing Monza

 

Sounds very similar to the 296 GT3

 

Thanks !
Car looks like more advanced aerodynamically compared with others contenders..

 

I think they both have the same combustial engine.

 

3d model

 

More & hi-res footage from Monza testing (not my video... unfortunately )

 

I hate to say it.... but its not very "emotional" Its a car on a track going fast.

 

I disagree, I think the racing version of what sounds like a V6 twin turbo Hybrid sounds full of Ferrari soul, the fact they have 2 out on the track together just adds to the feelings for me. It's not fair to really judge emotion before we see the final version in racing Red with full sponsorship details all over it. I am most looking forward to seeing her on the starting grid In her full glory as the light goes Green. If you feel nothing then I would suggest you check your pulse lol.

 

Some GT3 testing there two or maybe using them to compare pace in same conditions

 

Thats fine. Its a video. I have a 458 and track it often. I HOPE when I see it in person in Sebring I will feel different. I certainly have a pulse, my other fun car needs a parachute to stop...