Tag Archives: WEC

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Sebastian Vettel as test driver of Porsche 963 Hypercar

Sebastian Vettel is one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers in history, who was a member of several teams (BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin) from 2007 to 2022. Recently, he got a new role, the factory driver of the Porsche 963 Hypercar.

“I’ve always followed other racing series, and my curiosity about endurance racing (WEC) encouraged me to give it a try. I’m excited for the long drive at Aragon and I’m looking forward to the time I’ll spend behind the wheel,” said Vettel.

Last week, Vettel spent some time in the simulator at Porsche’s headquarters (Weissach), and after that he said he hopes to get a better feel for the track. During the 36-hour test on the 5-kilometer long Motorland Aragon track, he will experience real endurance racing. On this track, the Porsche team will prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will take place on June 15-16.

Vettel achieved 53 victories in his career, and in the 2013 season he set the Formula 1 record for the number of victories (13) in one season. He was also the youngest Formula 1 champion in history at 23 years and 134 days. On the list of the most successful Formula 1 drivers, Vettel is in fourth place. Only Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Michael Schumacher (7) and Lewis Hamilton (7) are ahead of him.

Source: Porsche

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2024 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo

On March 2, the new season of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) starts, and the teams are making final preparations by presenting their cars with which they will try to win the championship title. One of them is McLaren with its new car, the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

For the first time, McLaren will compete in all three “Triple Crown” races in the same year, having won each of them individually in the past. On the track will be two cars in a combination of black and orange colors with the numbers 65 and 95, which mark McLaren’s victory at Le Mans in 1995 with the F1 GTR model.

The McLaren 720S GT3 Evo is equipped with larger air intakes on both sides, a set of wider wings, larger bumpers and a splitter allowing teams to quickly change parts. By installing new body parts, additional downforce and stability of the vehicle on the track is greater. At the back, the rear wing is placed slightly higher to further increase downforce. Also, this season McLaren will use Goodyear instead of Pirelli tires.

When it comes to the powertrain, the 720S GT3 Evo will be powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with between 550 and 600 hp (410 – 447 kW). We will have more information about the performance at the beginning of the season.

Source: McLaren

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2024 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo
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2024 Aston Martin Vantage GT3

Aston Martin has unveiled the racing version of its fastest and most driver-focused Vantage, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The car debuted at the 24 Hours of Daytona last month, and now it has its official premiere.

Basically, this is a standard Vantage modified for the WEC (World Endurance Championship). It is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with about 535 hp (399 kW). All cars in the GT3 class must weigh between 1,200 and 1,300 kg.

This purebred racer with the unmistakable design language of the Vantage road car takes your breath away. Compared to the standard Vantage, it is equipped with a new front part made of carbon fiber with a wider aperture that allows more air to cool the brakes, full-width laser light, shorter splitter, large louvres in the top of the front wheel arches.

Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin said: “These new generation GT3 cars are more dependent than ever on aerodynamic downforce, so we wanted to make the car more stable under braking. The old car would dive a lot under braking, so we had to try and control the pitch with the rear suspension set-up. But this meant it was stiff, which made it quite snappy and, also over-worked the tires. Working heavily on damper tuning, we have found a much better balance with the new car so we can generate the downforce without compromising the suspension set-up. The result is much-improved progression and greater stability in all conditions. It also works its tires much more evenly, so teams have more options on strategy. The feedback from drivers who’ve tested it has been overwhelmingly positive. Especially the amateur racers, who have been able to achieve lap times that are much closer to the Pros. Now we need to go racing!”

The Vantage GT3 is very popular with racing car buyers, and the company believes it will have 30 cars on tracks around the world by the end of this year’s season. This is partly due to the fact that Aston already has many teams using its car, but also because it can be used in different series.

Source: Aston Martin