#16, #17 & #18 PESCAROLO LMP1 - #44 PESCAROLO LMP2
June
7, 2007 - Henri Pescarolo is a living Le Mans legend. As racer he
entered no less than ...33 times the Le Mans 24 hours to win four times
(in 1972, 1973 and 1974 with the Matra MS670, in 1984 with the Porsche
956 of Joest Racing). In 1999 he creates his own team, Pescarolo
Promotion. At the wheel of a Courage C50 he finishes ninth in his
real last Le Mans 24 hours. Up from 2000 his team is named Pescarolo
Sport. That year he enters two cars at La Sarthe, obtaining a fourth
place with his Courage C52. From 2001 to 2003 he enters exclusively
Courages C60 at Le Mans.
In 2004 Pescarolo Sports starts the
production of modified Courage C60 prototypes, now named "Pescarolo
C60". During the winter the C60 is transformed in a hybrid version. With
restrictors being 10 per cent more generous more bhp can be won. Having
no wind tunnel at the Le Mans Technopark, where the firm is based,
Pescarolo makes 5000-km tests improving the aerodynamics of the car on
an empirical way. Weight of the car came 50 kg down. The Pescarolo C60HB
will win the 2005 LMES Championship, and will finish second at Le Mans.
In 2006 the slightly modified car wins all rounds of the LMS and
finishes again second at Le Mans.
Preparing the 2007 Pescarolo faces a crucial problem. There is no longer
place for his victorious hybrid C60HB. The budget is to restricted to
buy new cars. So Henri Pescarolo takes the boldest decision of his
career: he decides to build his proper car, being no longer an entrant,
but at once a manufacturer. He starts with a carbon fibre monocoque with
the necessary double roll hoop. Six tubs are manufactured, half of them
for clients. The chassis is built to receive the latest version of the
5.5-litre Judd, offering more torque and a serious fuel economy as
compared with the older version. Design of the body is the work of
André de Cortanze. Name of the new car: Pescarolo 01 LMP1 Judd.
One copy is sold to the British Rollcentre Racing of Martin
Short. Two other copies will be raced by the own Pescarolo Sport.
One of the three remaining chassis is sold to Lister (but nobody knows
what they'll do with it). Another one is used for the 01 LMP2 version
sold to Kruse Motorsport.
RESULTS 2007 - Showcasing the manufacturer's dedication to his clients, the first Pescarolo to be completed was the Rollcentre example. At the Paul Ricard tests that car was joined by the first of the two works cars. Other than the choice of tires there is little to distinguish the two and both cars were highly competitive recording the second and fourth times respectively. At the Monza 1000-kms the works cars finish second and fourth, Rollcentre's seventh. At the Valencia 1000-kms Rollcentre's, finishing fourth, beats the works cars at the two following ranks. At the Le Mans Test Day Jean-Christophe Bouillon realises the fourth time with the #16, being the first petrol fuelled car. The #17 is tenth, Rollcentre's twelfth.
LMP1
engine: Judd
GV5.5 72 degree; 5,496cc, 640 bhp at 7000 rpm (torque 657 Nm)
engine weight:
123 kg
turbochargers: no turbos, naturally aspired
Valvetrain: 4 valves per cylinder DOHC
gearbox:
X-Trac 6 speed sequential
fuel capacity:
90 litres
weight:
925 kg
tyres: Michelin on the works cars, Dunlop on Rollcentre's
