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The leading LMP1 WEC teams have begun testing this week ahead of the fourth round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, held at Nurburgring on August 30.
Audi, Porsche and Toyota have all opted for the official two-day Nurburgring test, currently running in semi-damp conditions, while Nissan has headed back to the Circuit of the Americas to try and unlock more pace from the GT-R LM NISMO.
With Nissan unable to deploy their hybrid system at Le Mans, works driver Harry Tincknell is convinced that the GT-R LM NISMO was WEC 6 Hours of Spa 2015 still a match for their opposition in the braking zones; believing there is much more potential in this area alone and that early testing hinted the car was at “another level”.
While Tincknell and Olivier Pla will be testing front and rear bodywork upgrades on the Nissan, they are also rumoured to be trialling a front to rear inter-connected suspension (FRICS).
Audi debuted its own FRICS system for the R18, during the opening round at Silverstone, and were happy enough with the results to pursue development. In response, Porsche is developing a FRICS unit, but are not entirely convinced of its merits, while Toyota have been rather circumspect on whether they too have gone down the same path.
The merits of FRICS have been long debated in Formula One, with most teams acknowledging the main aim was to keep the ride height of the car as stable as possible and therefore maximise aerodynamic consistency. Williams first experimented with the idea in 1980 with a completely solid, unsprung car – the theory being that any air would leak in evenly, giving better control through the corners.
Stability of course is another factor in minimising pitch and roll. Most cars require a certain amount of pitch in which to transfer the weight heading into a corner, but at Le Mans, the GT-R LM NISMO in particular looked to be porpoising over the bumpier sections at La Sarthe. As such, the abrasive nature of Sebring may have been too a step too far to trial the system in its infancy.
Like Toyota, Nissan will be experiencing a lot of pain this year. A 20-second-per-lap deficit sounds like a herculean task, but with the GT-R LM NISMO essentially having half its power turned off at Le Mans, the Japanese giant were fighting with one arm tied behind their back. However if they have gone down a blind alley, no amount of reengineering will polish a dud.
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