CLM P1/01

CLM P1/01

CLM P1/01 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2015
Category	Le Mans Prototype (LMP1)
Designer(s)	Paul White
Technical specifications[1][2]
Chassis	Carbon fibre composite monocoque
Suspension (front)	Independent double wishbones with adjustable dampers
Suspension (rear)	Independent double wishbones with adjustable dampers
Wheelbase	13 in × 18 in (330.2 mm × 457.2 mm)
Engine	AER P60 2.4 litre V6 twin turbo mid-engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	X-Trac 7-speed sequential manual
Weight	850kg
Fuel	Shell
Tyres	Dunlop (previously Michelin)
Competition history
Notable entrants	ByKolles Racing Lotus
Notable drivers	Simon Trummer Pierre Kaffer James Rossiter Oliver Webb Christophe Bouchut Lucas Auer Nathanaël Berthon Christian Klien Tiago Monteiro Vitantonio Liuzzi
Debut	2014 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas
Races Wins F.Laps 22 3 0
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The CLM P1/01 is a sports prototype racing car built for the Austrian and Romanian based team ByKolles Racing. It is designed to meet the 2014 LMP1-L regulations for Le Mans Prototypes in the FIA World Endurance Championship as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The P1/01 debuted at the 2014 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Development

ByKolles Racing, previously known as Kodewa or Lotus Racing, were participating in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class, fielding a pair of Lotus T128 chassis. In 2014, Lotus Racing confirmed that they would enter the LMP1 class with a new chassis, provisionally named the Lotus T129. The new chassis missed the first three rounds of the season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and made its racing debut, renamed as the CLM P1/01, at the 2014 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas.^[3]

Racing History

2014 Season

The car made its public debut at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, renamed as the Lotus P1/01, however, the car was not able to run in any session of the event due to a change in the engine the car was going to use. The car was originally going to use a 4-litre, naturally aspirated Audi V8, but the deal collapsed due to unknown reasons, and the car was fitted with a 2.4-litre twin turbo V6 from AER.^[3][4] The car made its racing debut at the next round of the World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, with car number #9. Although the car was not able to qualify, it finished the event in second place in the LMP1-L class, completing 140 laps, nine laps down on the class winning Rebellion R-One. At the following race in Fuji, the car burst into flames after 181 laps, after a fuel line ruptured. The driver of the car at the time, Christophe Bouchut, escaped without injury, but left the team after the race. The P1/01 claimed one more finish at the following event in Shanghai, but was unable to finish at Bahrain or Sao Paulo.

Year	Nat.	Entrant	Class	Nat.	Drivers	Rds.	Rounds								Points	WEP pos.
							1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
2014		Lotus Racing	LMP1-L		Lucas Auer Christophe Bouchut James Rossiter Pierre Kaffer Simon Trummer Nathanaël Berthon	4, 6, 8 4–5 4–5 5–8 7 7	SIL	SPA	LMN	COA 2	FUJ Ret	SHA 3	BHR Ret	SÃO Ret	33	3rd

2015 Season

Minor changes were made to the P1/01 for the 2015 season, including the transmission casing and a change to the bodywork. The revised car made its debut in March, at the Paul Ricard circuit. The car's number also changed from #9 to #4 for this season. The P1/01 claimed its first two wins in the Privateer class, at the Nurburgring and at the Circuit of the Americas. However, the car was excluded from the results of the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to incorrect driver weight ballast.^[5]

Year	Nat.	Entrant	Class	Nat.	Drivers	Rds.	Rounds								Points	WEP pos.
							1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
2015		ByKolles Racing	LMP1		Simon Trummer Vitantonio Liuzzi Christian Klien Pierre Kaffer Tiago Monteiro	All 1–2 1–2 3–8 3	SIL Ret	SPA Ret	LMN EX	NUR 1	COA 1	FUJ 2	SHA 2	BHR 2	104	3rd

2016 Season

The P1/01 returned in 2016, with radically changed bodywork in order to improve the aerodynamics of the car. The car kept the same number as the previous season, #4. The gearbox was also upgraded to a 7-speed from a 6-speed, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.^[6] The car has struggled with reliability issues throughout the season, culminating in fires at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Nürburgring. The Rebellion Racing team withdrew one of their two cars from the championship after Nürburgring, leaving only two cars in the class. The car managed to claim a win in the 2016 6 Hours of Shanghai after the competing Rebellion R-One had technical issues. The car finished 2nd in the Private LMP1 Teams championship.

At the post season rookie test in Bahrain, Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica tested the car.^[7]

Year	Nat.	Entrant	Class	Nat.	Drivers	Rds.	Rounds									Points	WEP pos.
							1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
2016		ByKolles Racing	LMP1		Simon Trummer Oliver Webb James Rossiter Pierre Kaffer	1–9 1–9 1–2 3–5, 7-9	SIL 3	SPA 3	LMN Ret	NUR Ret	MEX 2	COA 2	FUJ Ret	SHA 1	BHR 2	109	2nd

References

External links

• ByKolles Racing official website