Porsche 919 Hybrid

Porsche 919 Hybrid

A Porsche 919 Hybrid at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans
Category	Le Mans Prototype 1-H
Constructor	Porsche AG
Predecessor	Porsche RS Spyder
Technical specifications
Chassis	Composite of carbon fibre with honeycomb aluminium core
Suspension (front)	Independent multi-link pushrod configuration with adjustable shock absorbers
Suspension (rear)	Same as front
Length	4,650 mm (183 in)
Width	1,900 mm (75 in)
Height	1,050 mm (41 in)
Engine	Porsche 2.0 L (2,000 cc) direct-injected turbocharged V4 engine with lithium-ion battery for energy recovery in mid-mounted longitudinal configuration
Transmission	Porsche seven-speed hydraulically-activated sequential gearbox with rear-lock differential
Weight	870 kg (1,920 lb) (before driver or fuel)
Lubricants	Mobil 1
Tires	Michelin Radial 310/710-18, front and rear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Porsche Team
Notable drivers	Earl Bamber Timo Bernhard Romain Dumas Brendon Hartley Nico Hülkenberg Neel Jani Marc Lieb Nick Tandy Mark Webber
Debut	2014 6 Hours of Silverstone
Races Wins Podiums Poles F/Laps 14 5 16 10 3
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Porsche 919 Hybrid is a sports-prototype racing car constructed by the German car manufacturer Porsche for use in the Le Mans Prototype 1-Hybrid (LMP1-H) category of the FIA World Endurance Championship for factory-supported hybrid-powered cars. It is the first sports-prototype built by Porsche since the RS Spyder, the first sports-prototype built by Porsche to compete in a top category of sportscar racing since the Porsche 911 GT1-98 and Porsche LMP1-98 and the first sports-prototype to be raced by Porsche as a racing team since the Porsche 911 GT1-98 and Porsche LMP1-98. It utilises a 2.0 L four-cylinder turbocharged engine with a battery-based hybrid system. The car made its competitive debut at the 2014 6 Hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the 2014 season.

The 919 nomenclature is a reference to the successful Porsche 917 race car of the 1970s, and the Porsche 918 street car that debuted in 2013.

Competition history

Development (2012–13)

Porsche made an initial announcement of the new program on 11 June 2012, with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas named as the initial development and race drivers of the car. Exactly one year after its announcement, the first test chassis completed its initial rollout. The engine of the 919 utilizes a 2-litre V4 turbocharged gasoline engine with direct injection and two energy recuperation systems, with new signing, Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber, testing the car at Algarve in Portugal. The first public showing of the car was on 14 December 2013. The 919 uses a Lithium-ion battery hybrid system, and can store up to 6 MJ of energy (1.7 kWh) per lap of Le Mans. The car will also have an exhaust-energy recovery system that runs through a turbine in the exhaust.

Competition debut (2014)

The 919 of Earl Bamber, Nick Tandy, and Nico Hülkenberg that won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 919 Hybrid made its competitive debut at the 2014 6 Hours of Silverstone at the Silverstone Circuit. The No. 20 entry of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber finished third behind the two Toyota TS040 Hybrids, while the No. 14 entry of Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb was forced out of the race after thirty laps.

At the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, the No. 20 entry, driven by Mark Webber at the time, closed to within one minute of the leading No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro with an hour and a half of the race remaining when the car suffered a broken anti-roll bar. Before the hour was out, Marc Lieb was forced to pit the No. 14 entry with the same issue. Car No. 14 returned to the circuit to complete a ceremonial lap at the end of the race and was classified eleventh overall, but car No. 20 was unable to take to the circuit and was not officially classified as finishing, despite having completed 90% of the winner's race distance.

Second season (2015)

The 919 Hybrid is a new car for its second season with approximately 85%–90% new parts while finally bringing the car's empty weight (no driver, no fuel) to the 870 kg minimum; it has also moved from the 6MJ subclass to the 8MJ subclass. Porsche have stated that they will be able to fully utilise this extra battery capacity for Circuit de la Sarthe although it might struggle on shorter circuits. The 919 achieved pole positions in Spa and Silverstone before finally picking up a pole and win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans 2015

Complete World Endurance Championship results

In detail

Year	Nat.	Entrant	Class	Nat.	Drivers	No.	Rounds								Points	WEM pos.
							1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
2014		Porsche Team	LMP1-H		Romain Dumas Neel Jani Marc Lieb	14	SIL Ret	SPA 4	LMS 5	COA 4	FUJ 4	SHA 3	BHR 2	SÃO 1	193	3rd
					Timo Bernhard Brendon Hartley Mark Webber	20	SIL 3	SPA 12	LMS NC	COA 5	FUJ 3	SHA 6	BHR 3	SÃO Ret
2015		Porsche Team	LMP1		Timo Bernhard Brendon Hartley Mark Webber	17	SIL Ret	SPA 3	LMS 2	NÜR 1	COA 1	FUJ 1	SHA 1	BHR	308*	1st*
					Romain Dumas Neel Jani Marc Lieb	18	SIL 2	SPA 2	LMS 5	NÜR 2	COA 12	FUJ 2	SHA 2	BHR
					Earl Bamber Nico Hülkenberg Nick Tandy	19	SIL NA	SPA 6	LMS 1	NÜR NA	COA NA	FUJ NA	SHA NA	BHR

* Season in progress.

See also

• Audi R18 e-tron quattro
• Toyota TS040 Hybrid
• Nissan GT-R LM Nismo

External links

• Porsche 919 website