2010 Norma M200

When one thinks of top-flight racing, such as Formula One or Le Mans Series, almost always thoughts tend to linger toward spot-less garages, windtunnels, advanced computer software and expensive composite molds and ovens. While one may dream of being that Cinderella-entry that emerges from a barn or dilapidated garage with the most incredible new chassis; the reality is, that almost never happens anymore.

Nobody told Norbert Santos this reality, however. Based in a very small French town in the Pyrenees mountains, Norma Auto Concept has been building sports cars for the lower racing formulas since 1990. It was always the dream of Santos to build a prototype sports car to take part in the longer endurance races like the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2003, Norma got its chance to enter the 24 hour endurance classic with its M2000. Entered in the LMP 900 category, the car lasted about as long as some of the junior formula races. Its six-cylinder Ford engine expired after only about forty-five minutes of running.

In between 2003 and 2009, Norma appeared on the 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list, from time-to-time. However, Norma would not return for one reason or another.

Then, mid-way through 2009, Santos, and Norma, decided to take another stab at entering a car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Therefore, work began on the small manufacturer's latest chassis, the Norma M200.

Most new chassis take at least a year to develop from concept to reality. Coming late into the game for the 2010 season, Norma actually started with the focus of building its new chassis according to the intended regulations for the 2011 season. The rule changes for 2011 were known to be extensive, but the full understanding of the regulations were still anyone's guess. Therefore, the design team at Norma had to do its best to design a concept that could easily transition to 2011 specs. It would not be cost-effective to try and enter the 2010 season if a whole new chassis had to be designed for the following season. Such a thing would work in Formula One, but cost-efficiency is much more of a focus within sports car endurance racing.

Norma wasn't about to spend the money to create a new chassis if there wasn't already a partnership in the planning. Sure enough, in March of 2010, Pegasus Racing confirmed that it would enter the Norma M200 in the LMP2 class of the Le Mans Series. Pegasus Racing made their debut the season before. The team entered the Le Mans Series driving a Courage-Oreca LC75 with an AER V8 engine.

Being a small company with a small budget with which to work it would not be all too surprising to find Norma's M200 design touting features similar to other Le Mans Prototypes. Without fail, similarities of the M200 to other chassis became noticeable straight-away at the very front of the car.

Pegasus Racing debuted with a Courage-Oreca. The front nose of the Norma M200 should make the team feel right at home. The leading edge of the front wheel fairings are pulled in from the side, down low similar to the Courage and the Pescarolo 01. As with most other Le Mans prototypes, the side is pulled in so to allow small wing elements, or dive planes, to be added to the side of the front wheel fairing leading edges to help with downforce and stability of the front of the car.

The car features the all-important front diffuser/splitter with the mandatory step-up design to limit its effectiveness generating downforce. The ends of the splitter feature endplates similar to those used on the Pescarolo 01 in 2009. These endplates help to direct the airflow around the front wheel fairings and into the on-coming flow of air passing along the side of the car.

While the Courage features a raised nose, the nose design of the Norma M200 appears to draw its inspiration more from the Pescarolo 01. Of course, Henri Pescarolo had been associated with Courage for many years. Therefore, the similarities with the design of the M200 crosses over to include more than just one chassis. One of the interesting uses of the raised nose of the Norma has to do with brake cooling for the large AP brakes used in the design. Inset inside the raised nose is a large air-inlet that incorporates into the nose bulkhead. From that point, hoses branch out to either side toward the brake housing of each front wheel.

The lines of the bodywork over the conventional double wishbone suspension are practically the same as the Pescarolo 01. The top of the nose-bulkhead bodywork features a couple of bulges to cover the pushrods and coils of the front suspension and a third to cover the damper.

Of course one big similarity of the Norma M200 to cars like the Courage and the Pescarolo 01 is the use of the open cockpit. To conform to the regulations, a twin roll-hoop has to be designed into the car. The twin roll-hoops actually have been designed with hoops instead of solid structure like that on Audi's open-cockpit cars since the R10.

In the center of the second-seat headrest is positioned the air-restrictor inlet for the V8 Judd engine Pegasus Racing decided to use in the chassis. Ever-considerate of costs, the cockpit features straight-forward functionality and little in the way of 'extras'. However, the car design has been designed to take advantage of current technology. This would include the use of a six-speed sequential XTrac gearbox with steering wheel paddle-mounted shifters.

As with most modern prototype designs the M200 was conceived with a clear separation between the radiator sidepods and the front wheel fairings. This concept helps with the important issue of keeping air flowing with as little disruptions as possible. The lower portion of the sidepods has been designed with a large part 'notched out' so to say. This allows for greater efficiency around the radiator inlet. The air flowing underneath the car and over the front suspension bodywork meets at the inlet. This large volume of air collides together causing inefficient flow of air into the radiator, as well as, instability and undue drag penalties. In order to help with this designs need to be conscious of keeping the air flowing. By leaving a separation between the front wheel fairing and the sidepod air can escape out the side of the car. The air leaving out the side cannot just stumble into the on-coming air passing by the side of the air or there will be instability and drag as a result. The air needs to be blended. Extra contoured panels attached between the fairing and the single-piece tub crash structure, helps blend this air at more appropriate angles to reduce turbulence.

Incorporated into the leading edge of the rear wheel fairing are rounded air scoops, which are used to direct cooler air toward the rear brake housing for cooling. Perhaps as a sign of what the regulations would require for 2011, the rear bodywork of the rear wheel housing comes neatly together to a tight, rounded point. Most other prototypes would merely use a mesh screen to cover the back tires. The ACO demanded the mesh be replaced in favor of bigger louvers. The rumor was that the regulations would demand the back of the rear wheel fairing be closed-off. Therefore, Norma's M200 design constitutes one of the first designs to have most of the rear end covered.

The rear bodywork sweeps around the engine mounting location and sweeps inward toward the center of the car's trailing edge. The twin-pillar support system is also attached at the center position of the car's rear end.

The car's trailing edge has the capability of having a small vertical flap attached to help increase downforce at the rear of the car. The twin-pillar support structure holds up a conventional two-plane wing design. Heading into the 2009 season, the width of the rear wing was reduced to reduce downforce levels at the rear of the car. Many teams running prototypes have come up with designs that still attach the rear wing endplates directly into the rear wheel fairing to help with stability at the rear of the car. Though not directly attached, the rear wing endplates extend down to the top of the rear wheel fairing and help to control airflow at the rear of the car.

Upon completion, the Norma M200 was the only prototype that was produced under the €325,000 budget limit that would be enforced amongst LMP2 during the 2011 season. Though intended to be entered in the first-two events of the 2010 Le Mans Series, the Norma M200 was passed by the ACO in early May and would begin testing for its entry into the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Pegasus Racing received after Dome Racing withdrew its entry.

Although produced and delivered at a bargain price, the car would soon surprise many who thought it would also produce bargain performance. However, with the Judd engine, the M200 would begin running laps challenging to the Radical, Lola B05 and the WR LMP2008.

The Norma M200 provides many a glimpse of what the ACO would like the future to be for Le Mans prototypes. Perhaps the small Norma Auto Concept will become a much larger player in the LMP2 category heading into the 2011 season as it goes from being behind and needing to catch up to offering a first glimpse of what other teams could expect. In no small part due to the regulatory officials longing to reduce costs, the dream of Norbert Santos, perhaps, will have the chance to come to fruition. The little-known Norma Auto Concept could take its M200 and experience what the small company dreams would happen: all of a sudden, the team that was quickly dismissed would set the pace.

'LMS: Pegasus Racing Confirm Norma Attack', (http://www.motorstv.com/car/endurance/lms/23032010/lms-pegasus-racing-confirm-norma-attack). MotorsTV: High Speed Television. http://www.motorstv.com/car/endurance/lms/23032010/lms-pegasus-racing-confirm-norma-attack. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

'Norma Judd: Convincing', (http://www.lemans.org/en/races/24h/update/Norma-Judd-Convincing_1124.html). Le Mans.org. http://www.lemans.org/en/races/24h/update/Norma-Judd-Convincing_1124.html. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

'Julien Schell: ‘Pegasus Will Begin the Norma-Judd LMP2!'', (http://www.endurance-info.com/version2/actualite-endurance-3210.html). Endurance-Info.com. http://www.endurance-info.com/version2/actualite-endurance-3210.html. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

'Wikipedia' 'Norma Auto Concept --- Wikipedia{,} Die freie Enzyklopädie', title = 'Norma Auto Concept --- Wikipedia {,} The Free Encyclopedia,'
year = '2010',url{ http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norma_Auto_Concept&oldid=70969819 } 'Online; as March 11, 2011

'Le Mans 2010', (http://www.mulsannescorner.com/RCELeMans2010.html). Mulsanne's Corner. http://www.mulsannescorner.com/RCELeMans2010.html. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

By Jeremy McMullen