What about Spyker's GT programme? - Page 11

werner · 16 May 2008, 09:29 (Ref:2203810)

How hard would it be to make a GT3-version? I'm sure that in the DSC and the Belgian GT there would be some interest. And there are a few Dutch teams in the European GT3-cup as well IIRC.

AX lover · 16 May 2008, 12:01 (Ref:2203932)

I think that the "problem" at this moment is that the race department of Spyker doesn't have enough capacity to develop a GT3 version or to build some extra cars for customers.

Maybe they can sell the two C8 Laviolette GT2R's they used this season at the end of the season to customers and build two news cars. But as I see it the car is still in development at this stage. So if you are a customer it would be smarter to start racing with a Laviolette next season.

Or you should buy one of the 'old' C8 Spyder GT2R's and but the new 4.0 engine in the back.

AX lover · 18 May 2008, 15:53 (Ref:2205601)

Heard some rumours today that Spyker WON'T be using the new engine at Le Mans, because there are too many vibrations. It is ok for a 1000 km race but not for a 24h race. For instance the A/C unit will go bust if they use the new engine.

GTfour · 18 May 2008, 22:06 (Ref:2205934)

So that'd probably mean no class win,but yet another Le Mans with them fabulous sounding engines!

Let's hope they'll still be able to use the new geardriven cams on the old motor...

Stephan2738 · 19 May 2008, 11:33 (Ref:2206359)

Considering the fact that the Laviolette's will be used in 2009 as well it is probably best to put some reliability in these cars first, and then next year add some speed to that.

In order to be reliable the Squadron will need to replace the chain driven cam system, they say themselves it won't last in a 24 hour race (as mentioned in an earlier post by GTfour).
The problem with the new engine doesn't seem to be the engine itself but the vibrations this new engine produces. Other components will break as a result of this. It seems only logic to get rid of these new engine components that causes these vibrations. I'm not that technical but the new crankshaft seems to be the "fire starter" and has to go in this respect. maybe the changed fire order can stay or does this also cause more vibrations? If so, it has to go also in my humble opinion.
I think with this conservitive approach, it must be possible to get a classified finish. If a lot of the faster teams hit trouble it might be even a top 5 finish as well, that would be their best result!

Another more agressive approach can be: Use the new engine in the #85, complete the scheduled updates before the testday and go for it! If it can complete a 1000 kms. race it will probably survive the testday as well. In this case you know exactly the maximum pace of the Laviolette GT2R and can compare it to the old engine (with some reliability updates) of the #94, the Porsches and Ferrari's. You can decide than if it's worth taking the risk that it will break in the race.
I think with this approach, it will break to be honest...

I think two different strategies for the two cars will work best. One will be to get the car home, to get at least a classified finish.
The other will be to develop the new engine, after Le Mans there will be other shorter races in which you need a better pace than is possible with the old engine...

Just my thoughts though

.

ger80 · 19 May 2008, 15:34 (Ref:2206552)

The changed fire order has an influence on vibrations from my point of view.
Maybe they can reduce the vibrations with some backfires at the right moments... Fans would be happy to get it back

Garp · 19 May 2008, 16:38 (Ref:2206602)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AX lover

I think that the "problem" at this moment is that the race department of Spyker doesn't have enough capacity to develop a GT3 version or to build some extra cars for customers.

Maybe they can sell the two C8 Laviolette GT2R's they used this season at the end of the season to customers and build two news cars. But as I see it the car is still in development at this stage. So if you are a customer it would be smarter to start racing with a Laviolette next season.

Or you should buy one of the 'old' C8 Spyder GT2R's and but the new 4.0 engine in the back.

I don't think it is really due to the capacity of the Squadron.
The Squadron is focussed to race in the GT2 class.
They probably think selling cars to customers can
only damage the brandname.

GTfour · 19 May 2008, 19:39 (Ref:2206721)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ger80

The changed fire order has an influence on vibrations from my point of view.
Maybe they can reduce the vibrations with some backfires at the right moments... Fans would be happy to get it back

Indeed the agillesheel of any flatplane engine is its production of high frequenzy vibrations. This has caused many cracked exhausts,ruptured gearhousings and many other damages in Le Mans racers.

ger80 · 19 May 2008, 19:44 (Ref:2206726)

On the other hand I expect that the Spyker guys knew that before ....

GTfour · 19 May 2008, 19:45 (Ref:2206727)

@Stephane2738 #255,

Remember the 2006 race,were one of the Spykers actually led its class for quite some hours...
I think that if the geardriven camsystem is put into action on the old engine,Spyker will actually have quite a good shot at a podiumfinish.
And if on top of that,the new airbox is developed in time,the engine will regain a bit of it's competitivness against its rivals too.

Stephan2738 · 19 May 2008, 22:25 (Ref:2206881)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTfour

Remember the 2006 race,were one of the Spykers actually led its class for quite some hours...

Yes, I do remember: I was crying my eyes out when she broke down...
(Thanx for reminding me

.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTfour

I think that if the geardriven camsystem is put into action on the old engine,Spyker will actually have quite a good shot at a podiumfinish.
And if on top of that,the new airbox is developed in time,the engine will regain a bit of it's competitivness against its rivals too.

I don't know about that, 2006 was a year in which Spyker was very competitive in terms of laptimes, but I think the competition is much more fierce this time around. But if they can have a clean run, and are still running at the end of the race, who knows...

minimangler · 19 May 2008, 22:30 (Ref:2206886)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Badger

Who want everything red & screamin . Ha

What, apart from Max?

Sriously though, sounds like a proto.

Love it already.

Stephan2738 · 31 May 2008, 23:29 (Ref:2216187)

On page 4 of this http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans...photos_gb.html photo album you can see that the airflow to the engine is still not running through the tube on the roof. It looks like both air intakes on the side are now used to get air to the engine, but it's hard to see. if you compare this photograph with the photographs taken by GTfour at Spa (post 244 of this thread), you can see that the airbox is different.

And what's that smoke? I hope they didn't blew the new engine allready...

GTfour · 1 Jun 2008, 00:59 (Ref:2216213)

Seeing the picture,it looks like the engine is running and the car is in gear(the brakedisks are spinning) so it's probably just some watervapour.

Too bad they're still running the twisted air intake,for a proper airbox would have gained them some extra horses...

The Badger · 1 Jun 2008, 16:15 (Ref:2216873)

Lovely looking car , but im very disapointed with their efforts at Le Mans today .

HORNDAWG · 1 Jun 2008, 17:27 (Ref:2216931)

Did they get the engine swap complete so that Kelleners could get his laps in?

L.P.

AX lover · 1 Jun 2008, 19:39 (Ref:2217123)

Why didn't they bring some (or 1) spare engine...

brielga · 1 Jun 2008, 20:54 (Ref:2217234)

Quote:

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

Did they get the engine swap complete so that Kelleners could get his laps in?

L.P.

Dumbreck was running for the last part of the session so I assume Ralf is in with the 10 laps.

Stephan2738 · 1 Jun 2008, 21:40 (Ref:2217290)

First thing on every team's to-do list of the Le Mans testday is to make sure that all drivers will be qualified for the race. Every driver that has not raced at Le Mans in the past three years has to do 10 mandatory laps to qualify as a Le Mans driver. If you can not, for whatever reason, do this 10 laps than you are not allowed to compete in the actual Le Mans 24 hour race.
For Spyker this meant Ralf Kelleners in the #85 car and Benjamin Leuenberger in the #94 car had still to qualify, all other drivers had raced at Le Mans in the past three years.

Unfortunately, the engine of the #85 car blew after only five laps... This meant Ralf Kelleners didn't do his 10 laps yet. After 14 laps for the #94 car, in which Benjamin Leuenberger was able to put in his mandatory laps, the engine was lifted from this car and put into the #85 car. This was done in order to get Ralf Kelleners qualified for the race.

Apparantly there was no spare engine... This clearly indicates to me that the engine was developed further after Spa and that there was just enough time to put just two engines together. If it was the same engine as used at Spa there would have been at least one spare engine. I think the new or developed engine and the supporting systems around it are so different from the older engine that they are not interchangable anymore with the older engine, thereby making it useless bringing an older engine as a spare. The fact that it took a lot of time to get the engine swapped from one car to the other could indicate that the specs. of the two engines were not exactly the same therefore making it necessary to alter more things than only the engine.

Although #85 only completed 27 laps in eight hours and #94 only 14, and the fact that there is still a lot of work to do, at least all the drivers are now qualified to take part in the Le Mans 24 hour race!

Marcel ten Caat · 1 Jun 2008, 22:21 (Ref:2217325)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephan2738

The fact that it took a lot of time to get the engine swapped from one car to the other ...

A lot of time??

GTfour · 1 Jun 2008, 22:22 (Ref:2217328)

Really crossing my fingers very hard here!
I hope them lads at Spyker do their utmost best to get these new motors running nicely...
I would be very sad if they failed to make it across the half time mark...

cmk · 2 Jun 2008, 02:21 (Ref:2217422)

The engines are only sort of new (developments on the 2007 block rather than the 2008 4L V8 Audi) so they really should have had this stuff sorted by now...

Stephan2738 · 2 Jun 2008, 07:11 (Ref:2217498)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stranger

A lot of time??

I thought it took a lot of time:

Planet Le Mans (@12:00):

Also Spyker is in trouble, Ralf Kelleners (who’s become a father last night) not able to complete yet his ten laps after the engine broke down. At the moment the engine of the 94 Speedy Spyker is being transferred to the 85 car to enable ralf to complete his ride.

Planet Le Mans (@16:00):

The #85 Spyker went finally out on the track after the engine change to complete Kelleners’ 10 mandatory laps however the car went off apparently without major consequences.

But according to this pressrelease: http://spykersquadron.com/?pag=71&newsid=570

it didn,t...

nobster · 2 Jun 2008, 07:54 (Ref:2217545)

What a terrible showing of the Spykers yesterday, think they are not going to last very long during the race.

GTfour · 2 Jun 2008, 17:11 (Ref:2217965)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nobster

What a terrible showing of the Spykers yesterday, think they are not going to last very long during the race.

Cut 'm some slack,lad...

When sorted out o.k.,these to cars are topfive runners.
It's not that the money isn't there,it's a time issue as Stephan2738 so rightly pointed out. I personally give 'm the benefit of the doubt,especially since I know what hardworking folk these mechanics in the Spykerteam are.

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