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Corsa-Zytek to Debut Hybrid-Powered LMP1 Racecar in the ALMS
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Corsa Motorsports has announced its plan to race a hybrid-powered LMP1-class Zytek prototype racecar in this season's American Le Mans Series (ALMS) final two races.
Corsa's LMP1 will be the first of its kind in the ALMS, running on a combination of an E10 ethanol-fueled internal-combustion engine and an alternating-current electric motor. The team built the power plant with help from the Zytek Group, a company based in Britain that has experience in Formula One and A1GP as well as on hybrid and alternative-fuel technologies for street cars with prominent auto manufacturers such as General Motors.The American Le Mans Series P1 prototype sports car, built by Zytek Group, will race for the first time at Petit Le Mans at Atlanta on Oct. 4.
Corsa owner Steve Pruett admitted that the technology was so new and untested that neither he nor his drivers knew how often they would use the electric component of the drive system, how much power they would be able to get from it, or even if the prototype system would work in the Atlanta race.
The Corsa Zytek Hybrid prototype racecar will compete in the American Le Mans Series
The addition of the Zytek hybrid to the grid gives the Series' premier class entries that are powered by four different alternative fuels: sulfur-free diesel, E10, cellulosic E85 and the electric hybrid, a mix of E10 and electricity.
Initial tests of the car were held at Donington Park in the UK in July with additional tests ongoing in the UK before the car is transported to the United States prior to Petit Le Mans.
Zytek is well known within the motorsports industry for its race-winning prototype cars and engines.
The car is based on a Zytek 07S carbon fiber/aluminum monocoque employing typical wishbone suspension with rack and pinion steering and fitted with a Ricardo six-speed sequential gearbox using a Zytek electronic gear shift system. The car will be powered through a combination of an ethanol-fueled internal combustion engine and a three-phase induction electric motor.
The ethanol-fueled engine is a newly designed Zytek 90-degree normally aspirated 4.5-liter V8 with four overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder with an output of 625 hp. The electric motor is a direct drive Zytek proprietary design powered by an on-board lithium-ion energy storage system with a KERS (kinetic energy recovery) supplemental regeneration system.
The heart of the system is the energy storage/battery system which enables the collection and conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy permitting use of the electric motor resulting in more efficient power and a lower carbon footprint. The lithium-ion battery used on the car is supplied by Zytek shareholder Continental AG of Germany.
[source: ALMS]
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