2006 Lola B06/10

Given the immediate success of the Lola B05/40 LMP2 chassis during the 2005 season it wouldn't have been too surprising customers would approach Lola about making an LMP1 model as well. While the LMP2 challenger would not take the title in either of the American or European Le Mans Series, the chassis had earned one important victory, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This would set the course for an LMP1 variant to be produced.

Lola would have an advantage as it looked to build an LMP1 chassis. In spite of some challenges, the LMP2 B05/40 could serve as the basis. The chassis had proved to be sound in the wind-tunnel and using Computational Fluid Dynamics software. Therefore, Lola only needed to make the necessary changes to provide customers with an LMP1 challenger.

The changes that were necessary weren't easy issues to deal with by any stretch of the imagination. As Julian Cooper, Lola's Head of Engineering, would explain: 'There are 3 aspects that make the B06/10 different to the B05/40: the rules, the engines and the aerodynamics. The rules require a minimum weight of 900kg…which imposes additional stresses on the suspension over bumps, under cornering and braking…At the same time, the wheels and tires are wider, requiring different suspension geometry and the brakes are bigger which affects the detail design of the uprights. The choice of engines require a substantial review of the installations…We have chosen to increase the wheelbase to improve the packaging both of the longer Judd V10, and the new turbo engines from Cosworth and AER, which require twin intercoolers as well as bigger radiators and space for the turbos…At the same time, the lift/drag targets are different for an LMP1 car because of the additional power available and the increased cooling requirements for engine and brakes had to be met.'

So while the car bears an overall similarity, there are a number of differences to the B06/10 compared to the LMP2 B05/40. Some of those differences exist right at the front of the car.

When looking at the LMP1 B06/10 chassis it is apparent right away there is a difference in design between the original B05/40 and the B06/10. While the nose; itself, is practically flush with the front splitter/diffuser, instead of being raised like that of the Porsche RS Spyder, there are two large square vents in between the nose bulkhead and the front wheel fairings. Due to the increased size of the brakes used on an LMP1 car, compared to an LMP2 prototype, Lola had to incorporate large vents into the design to help with cooling of the large carbon brakes.

The leading edge splitter/diffuser incorporates the step-up in its design demanded by the regulations. The step-up design reduces the downforce the front splitter is able to produce as the larger opening allows greater volume, and therefore, reduces the ability of the splitter to squeeze the air to create the all-important suction.

The leading edge of the front wheel fairings; however, remain practically the same between the two model variants. The leading edge slopes upward, instead of falling downward. In addition, the bottom of the leading edge is pulled in on both sides to form a 'V' shape. The inward portion of the leading edge helps to direct the airflow in through the channel between the nose bulkhead and the front wheel fairing. This provides more airflow into the brake cooling ducts.

The outside edge of the front wheel fairing leading edge serves an important purpose as well. Pulled in from the side, the outside forms a hard edge. This edge is also contoured out to the edge of the fender. This creates a space for multiple wing elements, or dive planes, to be placed in order to add downforce to the front of the car. On the higher-speed circuits like at Le Mans, the hard edge can be filled with a slightly round panel that helps make the outer edge more aerodynamic.

One evolution added to the B06/10 includes the use of flush-mounted louver panels on the top of the front wheel fairings. These panels still provide downforce at the front of the car, but without as much of a drag penalty. The downforce is created by the low pressure caused by the air flowing over the louvers. As the air around the tires is pulled out by the low pressure a vacuum is created that pulls the front of the chassis down to the track. A very small gurney flap can also be added to the front of the louver panel to further aid in downforce production by increasing the low pressure.

Like its LMP2 cousin, the B06/10 features contoured bodywork that covers the double wishbone suspension for the front wheels. The nose bulkhead, which is part of the carbon fiber monocoque tub, rises amongst the composite body panels that covers the suspension and creates a channel for the airflow, which directs toward the radiator sidepods.

Just like the B05/40, the front suspension consists of push-rod actuated coil springs. These coil springs are laid in the car horizontally to provide the tightest fit possible. Unfortunately, everything is so tight that the coil springs actually stick out of the top of the composite monocoque structure. This could be fixed, but one of the important aspects of the prototype is its serviceability. Therefore, the suspension members are located in a position that provides the most-easy access. In order to provide the most aerodynamic prototype, the outer composite body panel features a number of bulges in order to provide the necessary clearance for the coil springs.

One of the challenges faced with the LMP1 model of the prototype was the need for increased engine cooling because of the bigger, more-powerful engines used in LMP1. This led to the radiator sidepods being made slightly larger to house the larger radiators. The air flowing between the nose bulkhead and the front wheel fairings heads back toward radiator sidepods that are also turned inward from the side. These radiators stand tall to enable as much air as possible to enter into the radiators for cooling operations. These sidepods are designed in unison with the rear bodywork of the front wheel fairing.

Air colliding together, with no place to go, actually causes great instability and drag. The car that can keep the air flowing as undisturbed as possible will be the most efficient. This becomes very important in areas like the opening of the radiator sidepod. The radiator inlet will have a large volume of air directed toward it. Only that which is necessary should be used for cooling operations. Everything else is instability and drag, and should be allowed ease of exit out of the car. To answer this need, the sidepods are pulled in from the side. This allows air to bypass the radiator inlet and to flow around the side of the car. The inner portion of the rear bodywork on the front wheel fairing also includes an inward contour to it to open up the space between it and the sidepod even more. The contour, and the extension of the bodywork aft, actually helps to further reduce instability and drag. The extension of the front wheel fairing back along the side of the sidepod helps to turn the airflow as it goes around the side of the car. This helps to blend the air with the air passing along the outside of the car. By blending, instability is reduced.

A valance plate is added along the top of the car and actually connects the front wheel fairing and the car's tub structure in order to conform to the regulations. Lola's designers took the regulations a step further and put an arc in the design of the valance plate. This helps some of the air around the inlet to be bent up and over the sidepod itself. The plate also helps to blend the air flowing over the radiator with that air flowing over the top of the car already. This is important as it would reduce instability in the air before it heads back toward the rear wing.

Another hold-over from the LMP2 chassis is the use of an open-cockpit design. While a coupe could be created without too much trouble, it was believed the open-cockpit offered enough advantages for its customers.

It is clear by the design the prototype conforms to the regulations of a two-seater design. Two contoured bulges rise out of the bodywork just prior to the cockpit. This helps the airflow as it comes upon the very turbulent cockpit area. The second-seat hump is used to mount important systems and switches for the driver's control.

Teams find Lola offers a number of system options for its teams and drivers. Lola offers its customers power rack and pinion steering as standard. Lola also offers its own high-torque (HT) gearbox, but can accommodate any number of other gearbox systems. Most teams use a 6-speed manual sequential gearbox with paddle-mounted shifters. However, auto-shift is a possible option.

Of course, the gearbox options also control the drive from a number of engine options to the rear-wheel driven chassis. Sitting behind the cockpit and the fuel cell is an elongated area created for a number of engine options. It is this area behind the twin roll-hoops that has seen the most refinement in preparation of making a chassis for the LMP1 category.

The B05/40 featured a duct down along the side of the sidepod right in front of the rear tire. This was used to pull air inward in the car. It was not only used as the source for cooling air for the rear brakes, but also, for the purpose of reducing overall drag on the car. This could be done because the turbo-powered engines for LMP2 only had one intercooler. In LMP1, this would change. Two intercoolers were needed for the twin-turbo AER engine. Room was needed for these components. Therefore, the inward duct was replaced. The intercoolers took that space.

In addition to the intercoolers, turbo-powered engines require greater cooling anyway. To combat this, larger radiators were used on the B06/10. To help extract this heat from inside the car's bodywork, a radiator exit duct was cut into the side of the sidepod bodywork. Similar to the louvers on the top of the front wheel fairings, the air passing along the side of the car creates a low pressure as it passes over the exit duct. This pulls the hotter air out from underneath the bodywork. It also helps to pull more cool air into the radiator inlets. To aid in better cooling, especially at longer events and hotter races, a number of exit ducts may be incorporated into the side of the sidepod. These only help to pull more hot air out.

In addition to the requirements posed by the turbo-charged engines, the Judd V10 is a long engine because of its number of cylinders. In order to house the engine, which is a popular customer-based engine, Lola had to increase the length of the B06/10. Normally aspirated engines, like the Judd, utilized an air restrictor and airbox positioned between the twin roll-hoops to direct air into the engine for the purpose of increasing power.

If cooling for the numerous engine possibilities was a difficult task, Lola had to also concern itself with providing cooling air for the rear brakes. With the great number of components in the already crowded rear end, the cooling was not going to be an easy task. In addition, the use of an extra air scoop standing in the airstream did not seem like a viable option either. The solution was to incorporate two ducts into one. Located on the leading edge of the rear wheel fairings protruded large, round air scoops. These large air scoops delivered air into the twin-turbo AER engine, or another turbo-powered alternative, but it also directed air through some tubing into the rear brake housing to help cool the brakes during operation. Should the engine be normally aspirated, like the Judd, the air scoop design is a bit smaller and more arched shaped.

The roll structure slopes downward drastically over the engine. It then terminates into a rather low rear deck. Flanked on either side by the rear wheel fairings, a rather deep channel is created for the airflow as it heads toward the rear of the car. This becomes important in order to provide relatively undisturbed airflow for the rear wing. The only extreme disruption to the airflow comes from the exhausts that exit out of the top of the bodywork. These are covered by aerodynamic shrouds to less the effect on the airflow.

The rear wheel fairings have been designed to take advantage of every molecule of air possible before it leaves out the back of the car. Smaller louvered panels are able to be attached to the top of the fairings to help increase downforce at the rear of the car.

In addition to the louvered panel, the very rear of the fairing has a spoiler on its trailing edge. This spoiler takes advantage of the airflow passing over the top of the fairing and provides just that little bit more downforce and balance at the rear of the car.

The small spoiler on the rear wheel fairing and the rear wing endplates work together. The endplates extend downward and are contoured to meet with the corner of the spoiler on the rear fairing. This helps to channel the airflow between the endplates and it helps to reduce instability at the rear of the car.

The rear wing; itself, is conventional in its design. The lower main plane features a straight leading edge and a largely cambered lower portion. Just like the main lower plane, the upper plane is adjustable and can also feature a gurney flap to further create downforce, albeit with a drag penalty. The upper plane works by taking the air split by the lower main plane and splitting it again to generate more downforce.

While the design Lola would unveil would prove to be quite competitive, Lola didn't sit idly by. Constantly looking for ways to improve its cars, Lola ended up coming up with an evolution of the B06/10 before the end of the season. Instead of a low nose that was incorporated right into the front splitter/diffuser, the nose would be raised. This would actually flatten the top line of the car's nose bulkhead.

The raised nose also enabled another evolution to the B06/10. Instead of the large, square duct between the nose bulkhead and the front wheel fairings used for brake cooling, the duct openings were moved together in the space under the raised nose. This smoothed the bodywork in the channel for the air flowing back toward the radiator sidepods.

Another in Lola's long line of competitive customer-based racing cars, the B06/10 formed an important basis for Lola's assault on the LMP1 category. As a testament to its abilities, and the loyalties from its customers as a result, the B06/10, or some evolution of it, has taken part in Le Mans Series and American Le Mans Series racing for almost half a decade. Lola just continues to build upon its successes with the chassis to offer customers incredible performance for bargain prices.

Source:
'2006-2009 Lola LMP1: B06/10', (http://www.mulsannescorner.com/LolaB0610.html). MulsanneCorner.com. http://www.mulsannescorner.com/LolaB0610.html. Retrieved 5 April 2011.

'Julian Cooper and the Lola B06/10', (http://www.mulsannescorner.com/juliancooperlolab0610.html). MulsanneCorner.com. http://www.mulsannescorner.com/juliancooperlolab0610.html. Retrieved 5 April 2011.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Lola B06/10', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 September 2010, 06:39 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lola_B06/10&oldid=385866033 accessed 5 April 2011

Wikipedia contributors, 'Lola B05/40', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 December 2010, 21:09 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lola_B05/40&oldid=402916558 accessed 5 April 2011

'Lola B06/10 AER', (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/2748/Lola-B06-10-AER.html). Ultimatecarpage.com: Powered by Knowledge, Driven by Passion. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/2748/Lola-B06-10-AER.html. Retrieved 5 April 2011.

By Jeremy McMullen

The B06/10 is the latest in a long lineage of successful sportscar designs by Lola's renowned team of designers at its Huntingdon base. After taking an un-official triple crown of LMES, Le Mans 24 Hours and ALMS class title wins last season with the B05/40 LMP2 design, Lola are looking to more wins in this years European and American endurance races.

The all-new B06/10 will race against stiff competition this year with Porsche and Audi fielding new designs in the LMP2 and LMP1 classes respectively. Dyson will run two of the new cars, with the second scheduled to test for the first time early next month.

The B06/10 has been built specifically for the ACO/LMP1 rules and benefits from the development of the B05/40 LMP2 model that proved to be the pacesetter in the class, on both sides of the Atlantic last season. Features on the LMP1 car include a quick release nosebox, dual high-pressure fuel pumps and back up batteries and starter motors.

Lola's HT (high-torque) gearbox has already been race-proven for performance, and reliability in previous designs. With a maximum input torque in excess of 800 Nm the gearbox has the durability needed to cope with the demands of 24 hour racing. Dyson Racing will use a semi-automatic 6-speed sequential system developed by AER.

Rupert Manwaring, Managing Director of Lola Group said of the new design: ''This is the latest in a series of Lola sportscars designed and built by our team here Huntingdon. We believe that with Dyson Racing that this chassis will be as successful as those that have gone before it, in particular the B01/60 and the B05/40. Last years victories with the LMP2 car were a ringing endorsement of both Lola's and our customers capabilities.''

Source - Lola

Intersport's New Two-Car Effort Secures 3rd and 5th Place Results at Mid-Ohio

Local favorites Intersport Racing scored another LMP1 podium finish in Saturday's Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series season. The Dublin, Ohio-based team's No. 30 Lola B06/10 AER of Ryan Lewis and John Faulkner finished third in class in their Series debut while the sister No. 37 Very Berry Exotics machine of Jon and Clint Field and Richard Berry encountered electrical and engine gremlins, knocking them out of the race early on.

Lewis stared in his American Le Mans Series debut, setting quick lap times and running comfortably inside the top-10 overall during his opening two stints. The former Atlantic driver qualified the E10-fueled prototype in 12th on Friday, and quickly moved into the ninth in the opening laps of the race. However, the Englishman suffered one slight run in with a GT2 car in the second hour, causing a slow puncture and a subsequent spin. The team elected to pit the car a few laps later, with Faulkner getting behind the wheel for the first time.

'I got on the gas a little bit too early and touched him on the right rear wheel,' Lewis explained. 'Únfortunately, that developed into a slow puncture which caused me to spin in the Esses. We were coming up to put John in the car so I think we learned a lot with what time I had in the car.'

After a tire change and a full tank of fuel, Faulkner was on his way, but suffered a spin of his own with one hour and 34 minutes complete. The Formula Mazda veteran got stuck in the grass, bringing out a full course caution. After making further stops while under the yellow, the No. 30 machine was back on track and completed the race, finishing 15th overall.

'It's fantastic to be standing on the podium,' Faulkner said after climbing from the car. 'Who could have imagined it in our debut race? I owe it all to my teammate, Ryan, who did a super job in his first stint. I was just trying to keep it safe and bring it home. We had a few problems at first, but we recovered for a great result.'

Lewis was also pleased with his debut performance but found traffic to be one of the most challenging bits transitioning from open-wheel cars to multi-class sports car racing.

'It was very busy out there but I was quite happy with the pace,' Lewis §äid. 'I wished I could have been a little quicker. But it's very, very busy. There's a lot of cars out there you have to worry about, but once you get into a rhythm, everyone knows who's going to do what. I'm still learning a lot, but it's been a good weekend.'

Intersport's No. 37 Very Berry Exotics machine finished the day early with an engine failure, its second of the weekend. Team owner, Clint, qualified the cellulosic E85-fueled prototype in 11th overall, but the car started from the pit lane after electric gremlins crept up on the reconnance laps. Starting from the back of the pack, Clint rocketed his way up to 12th in the opening 15 minutes of the race but pitted on lap 23 with high oil temperatures. The team worked diligently behind the wall in hopes of returning the car to the track, but the entry was later retired.

'In the beginning we had a bunch of electrical problems, and we'll have to sort that out before the next race,' Clint §äid. 'The car is new to us, so some of those things will happen. We got it from Cytosport so late that we didn't have time to prepare it for this weekend. That's what we had to deal with.

'I think this break until the next race will be good for us and AER to work together and figure out the engine problems we've had, as well as our electrical gremlins. Then we can go to Road America a little bit more prepared.'



'While our car had troubles, the No. 30 car ran really good today. Ryan made an unbelievable start. He was ahead of the Dyson Porsche for a while and his lap times were really, really good. It was really good that the second car did this well. We're looking forward to getting both of our cars on the same level soon.'

The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the Generac 500 at Road America presented by Time Warner Cable on Saturday, August 9 from Elkhart Lake, Wis. The four-hour race will start at 4 p.m. CT with SPEED televising the race starting at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 10. XM will air the race from 4 to 8 p.m. ET on Sunday via SportsNation Channel 144. Live radio coverage will be available from American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring.

Very Berry Exotics specializes in buying and selling some of the world's more exotics and hard to find automobiles. Not only do they sell cars already in the inventory, Very Berry Exotics will search for automobiles that are their customer's dream cars. Company owner Richard Berry founded Very Berry Exotics in 2004 and is himself a racer.

The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. With its direct link to the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic prototypes (LMP1 and LMP2 classes) and sophisticated production-based GT cars (GT1 and GT2 classes), all competing on the track at the same time. With a 12-race schedule in 2008, the American Le Mans Series competes at premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a television package that includes five network broadcasts on ABC and NBC as well as seven live telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Mazda, Panoz and Porsche, and premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe's, EPIC, Shell, DHL, Hyatt Hotels, XM Radio and many others. The teams competing in the Series range from top professional teams such as Penske Racing, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing to top-level independent teams such as Dyson Racing and Intersport Racing.

The American Le Mans Series features technical rules that not only allow new technology, but actually encourage auto manufacturers to introduce new innovations into the racing environment as a means of rapid development for production car application. The Series is the only motorsports body in the world that features multiple street-legal alternative fuel sources - clean diesel, E10 gasoline and E85 cellulosic (non-feedstock) ethanol. Through partnerships with diesel fuel supplier Shell, VP Racing Fuels and EPIC (Ethanol Promotion and Information Council), the American Le Mans Series has taken the global leadership role in motorsports for the development of alternative fuel technology and its practical use in production cars.

Source - Intersport

John Faulkner Joins Intersport Racing at Mid-Ohio

Intersport Racing announced today Star Mazda veteran John Faulkner will join Champ Car Atlantic star Ryan Lewis in the team's second LMP1 car as driver for the Acura Sports Car Challenge July 17-19 at Mid-Ohio in the 2008 American Le Mans Series.

Lewis will be behind the wheel for the balance of the season while Faulkner is slated to drive at Mid-Ohio, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jon and Clint Field and Richard Berry will continue as drivers of the No. 37 Very Berry Exotics entry. The trio is fresh off a second place finish in the Útah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park, having led the race overall for a brief period.

Faulkner began racing in 1995, winning various national races in Spec Racer Ford, C Sports Racer and Mazda up until 1998. He then competed in the American City Racing League in a Toyota WSR Sport Racer, claiming the championship and winning several races. The 2003 season saw Faulkner step into the Star Mazda Series, where he won the Masters division. He also placed second in 2005 and 2006. Last year, Faulkner tested Velocity Motorsports' Lola B06/10, which is now Intersport's No. 37 car.

Intersport Racing announced earlier this month that it will field a second Lola prototype in the American Le Mans Series starting at the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio on July 17-19. The Ohio-based squad has purchased Team Cytosport's former Lola B06/10 AER and will run it alongside its other ex-Dyson Lola. Champ Car Atlantic star Ryan Lewis will be joined by Star Mazda veteran John Faulkner as drivers for the Mid-Ohio round.

This isn't the first time Intersport has run two cars in the Series. In 2004, the team fielded a Lola B160 Judd and a LMP2 Lola B2K/40 Judd. That year, Clint and co-driver Robin Liddell combined to win six races, finishing runner-up in the P2 drivers and teams' championship. The following season, Clint scored five class victories en route to the P2 class championship. More success may just be right around the corner for the ever-expanding team.

Attending a test session this week where both drivers performed well in the car, team owner Clint Field expressed is confidence in the direction of the Intersport Racing expansion.

'We definitely feel the momentum is building, especially after our good run in Útah,' Clint added. 'Now with the addition of Ryan and John, the team will be elevated to a whole new level. Ryan's past experience in Atlantics and John's success in Star Mazda will help make Intersport a serious contender at every race.'

NEXT ÚP: The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12 at Lime Rock Park. SPEED will televise the race from noon to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. XM Satellite Radio will air the event live on XM Sports Nation Channel 144. Additional live coverage from American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring also will be available at americanlemans.com.

Very Berry Exotics specializes in buying and selling some of the world's more exotics and hard to find automobiles. Not only do they sell cars already in the inventory, Very Berry Exotics will search for automobiles that are their customer's dream cars. Company owner Richard Berry founded Very Berry Exotics in 2004 and is himself a racer.

The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. With its direct link to the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic prototypes (LMP1 and LMP2 classes) and sophisticated production-based GT cars (GT1 and GT2 classes), all competing on the track at the same time. With a 12-race schedule in 2008, the American Le Mans Series competes at premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a television package that includes five network broadcasts on ABC and NBC as well as seven live telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Mazda, Panoz and Porsche, and premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe's, EPIC, Shell, DHL, Hyatt Hotels, XM Radio and many others. The teams competing in the Series range from top professional teams such as Penske Racing, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing to top-level independent teams such as Dyson Racing and Intersport Racing.

Source - Intersport Racing