Peugeot Releases First Details on New 908 Le Mans Racer with V8 Turbo Diesel

At a special event held in Paris, French automaker Peugeot released the first details on its new 908 endurance racecar, with which it will participate at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). Codenamed 90X, the competition model features an all-new 550HP 3.7-liter V8 diesel engine that replaces the 2010 908 HDi FAP's 5.5-liter V12 oil-burner and complies with the new regulations introduced for 2011, including the demand for a “shark fin engine cover”.

The 908 moniker was retained to emphasize Peugeot’s past successes in endurance racing, but also to create a link to the brand’s road cars.

“We have chosen 908 as the name of the new car in order to build on the wave of success with which it is associated,” said Peugeot’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Xavier Peugeot. “At the same time, the new car fits perfectly with the brands new modern image. It mirrors the modernity that is clearly visible in the new 508 and the recently announced new 308. At Peugeot, we have always sought to associate our commitment to motor sport with the real world and with our model range. The name 908 consequently stood out as the obvious choice.”

The development of the race car started in 2009, immediately after Peugeot’s one-two finish at Le Mans. Engineers used the experience accumulated with the 908 HDi FAP, but, ultimately, the 908 is new from ground up.

“The regulations have evolved a great deal but we didn’t start with a clean sheet of paper,” Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director, said. “The experience we have gained over the past four years helped to steer the decision-making process and our technical choices, although the only component which has been carried over at the end of the day is the windscreen wiper!”

A lot is expected from the 908, as Peugeot wants to defend the ILMC title it won last year and also wants to challenge Audi’s R18 for the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans crown.

For more information, check out the brief technical overview given by Bruno Famin, available below.

By Csaba Daradics

908 Overview

A closed-cockpit car: “we knew from previous testing work that there is little significant difference between open and closed cockpit cars in terms of their aerodynamic performance. At the same time, despite the added constraints they bring when working on them at races, closed-cockpit cars provide additional safety for the drivers. We therefore decided to stay with the same solution.”

Engine: “We have also made full use of our experience with the 908 HDi FAP’s V12 diesel engine. We decided to opt for a turbocharged V8 diesel engine for the 908 but, with characteristics which are very similar to those of the V12. The angle of the “vee” is 90 degrees (compared with 100 degrees in the case of the V12) to improve the engine balance. The cubic capacity is 3.7 litres and the new V8 HDi FAP engine produces a peak power of 550 bhp. We ran the engine for the first time on the dyno on January 25, 2010.”

Four identical wheels: “Today’s LMP cars have a shortcoming with regards to ultimate grip of the front wheels. The logical way to cure this was to increase the size of the contact patch between the tires and the track, which entailed running bigger front wheels, within the limits specified by the regulations. This aspect of the car’s development was carried out in close collaboration with our partner Michelin.”

Aerodynamics: “Given the big reduction in engine power resulting from the 2011 regulations (a reduction of approximately 150 bhp), we had to take a fresh look at the trade-off between aerodynamics, drag and down force. The latter has been significantly reduced in order to maintain a reasonably high top speed.”

The new car made its track made its track debut on 27th July 2010. “This was the deadline we set ourselves, although we knew we would almost certainly run into teething trouble given that this was an all-new car. We did indeed have problems but we succeeded in resolving them one by one as we got more and more kilometres on the clock. One of the very positive points we found was that the car’s handling lived up to our expectations straight out of the box. Between the car’s track debut in 2010 and the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours, we will have completed twelve tests in all, at a number of different circuits,” concludes Bruno Famin.

F1 Driver Robert Kubica Injured in Rally Crash, May Save his Arm After Emergency Surgery [with Video]

While competing in the Ronde de Andorra rally in Italy, Polish Formula 1 star Robert Kubica was involved in a horrendous crash on Sunday, as he lost control of his Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car and left the road at high speed. The Lotus-Renault team driver was airlifted from the scene and underwent successful emergency surgery at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure.

Kubica has suffered multiple fractures to his right arm and hand with initial reports saying that he could lose the functionality of his limb. Fortunately, the operation went well, according to Dr. Mario Igor Rosello, who told reporters that Kubica, awakened form an induced coma, was able to move his fingers, which is “an encouraging sign for the rest of the recovery process”.

The Italian specialist was also optimistic due to the lack of swelling and infection, but added that it will take “several days before it is known if the operation is 100 percent successful”.

Kubica’s injuries were caused by a guardrail that went through the door, while his co-driver, Jakub Gerber, was able to walk away unhurt.

This is another sign of just how dangerous motorsports can be and, unfortunately, Kubica has already had his share of mishaps. Back in 2003, the racing driver had an accident while driving in Formula 3, injuring his left arm and also needing surgery. His bad luck struck again four years later, when he crashed in spectacular style at the Canadian F1 Grand Prix. On both occasions, Kubica managed to return to the driver’s seat after a short convalescence. However, it seems that this time the recovery will take a lot longer, meaning that reserve driver Bruno Senna will replace Kubica for an unspecified number of races.

Honda President Reportedly Confirms NSX Successor based on the HSV Racer

According to reports from Japan, Honda President Takanobu Ito has stated that the company is has restarted development on a high-performance sports car that will be positioned as the successor of the critically acclaimed NSX. The announcement was made on Friday, at a press conference detailing Honda’s 2011 motorsport involvement.

Mr. Takanobu said that the new model would be based on the HSV-010GT racecar, introduced in January. However, it’s unclear if it will use the same naturally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 engine, capable of more than 500-horsepower and over 392 Nm (289 lb-ft) of torque, or another powerplant.

By developing a street legal version of the Super GT competition model, Honda will respect an unwritten rule of the series, according to which all participating automakers have both a race and street legal version of a given nameplate.

“I think Honda should respect the history of the Super GT competition (as a stock-car race)”, Ito said.

Last but not least, the company official also talked about an affordable, small sports car, which could follow the NSX replacement.

“There are two types of sports cars--affordable and high-performance. I hope we will be able to market both”, he added.

VIDEO: Bentley Continental Supersports' Run at Goodwood Hill Climb Course

Bentley's latest model, the Continental Supersports that utilizes an E85 capable 6.0-liter W12 engine producing 621HP, was one of the newest sports cars to participate at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 3-5). Behind the steering wheel of the Continental Supersports was former Le Mans racer and honorary "Bentley Boy" Derek Bell. Follow the jump to watch the Bell tackling the challenging 1.16-mile Goodwood hill-climb course in the fastest and most powerful car in Bentley's 90-year history.

Hyundai Veloster Rally Car to Land at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai is certainly not wasting any time with its plans for the Veloster. Less than a month after the world premiere of the sporty three-door model at the Detroit Motor Show, and the South Korean firm released a teaser photo of a rally-prepped version, complete with Red Bull livery that will break cover at next week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Being a teaser, we don't get any additional information whatsoever with Hyundai pointing us towards its press event in Chicago on February 9 for more details.

We'll remind you that in the beginning of March, South Korea's largest automaker will also reveal the European specification Veloster at the Geneva Motor Show. It remains to be seen if we'll also see the rang4-topping version with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine kicking out 208-ponies that we first told you about in our scoop story here.

VIDEO: Pedal-Powered Trikes Redefine the Art of Drifting

When we set out to find some nice drifting videos for your entertainment, we weren’t expecting to be dazzled by some apparently crazy New Zealanders and their pedal-powered...drifting trikes. But life is full of surprises and we have to say that, in some respects, pro drifters driving insanely powerful and expensive cars have nothing on these boys. It seems that the new “sport” has originated either from New Zealand or Australia and is slowly catching on in other parts of the world as well, including the good old U.S. of A. For some alternative sideways action, check out the videos after the jump.

Dynojet Toyota Avensis BTTC Racer to get 2.0-liter Turbo Engine with 300HP

The latest news to come out of Toyota's BTCC camp is that Dynojet Race Team’s Avensis racer will have under its hood a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger adapted from one of the Japanese firm's road-going range. The engine is currently under Toyota GB-funded development at the Northamptonshire laboratories of engineering consultancy X CTech. It will feature a turbocharger as well as a number of internal revisions, which will all help boost output from around 140bhp in road specification to 300bhp or more.

X CTech said it believes the racing car powerplant will be one of the lightest and most powerful engines on the grid of the British Touring Car Championship.

“The Avensis has been designed to the ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ rules, which means we could have opted for the stock TOCA engine, however we were enormously impressed by the plans put forward by X CTech R and felt that this was the right way for us to go, not least because it means our Avensis will be 100 per cent Toyota,” said Dynojet Race Team chief Frank Wrathall Snr.

The Dynojet Race Team’s Avensis BTCC car will be raced this season by Frank Wrathall Jnr. The opening rounds of the British Touring Car Championship are scheduled for 3 April at Brands Hatch, Kent.