Unveiled at the Paul Ricard test circuit in the
south of France is the new Oreca 07. It's one of four new chassis authorized
jointly by the FIA, ACO, and IMSA to compete in the category starting next
season and, given Oreca's track record, it could prove the one to beat.
Never heard of Oreca? The French outfit has won countless trophies
in racing disciplines as varied as F3, GT, and the Andros Trophy for ice
racing; has fielded front-line entries for countless manufacturers; and these
days develops and manufactures its own racing prototypes. Most pertinently, the
LMP2 class at Le Mans has been won the past two years running in Oreca
prototypes.
The new Oreca 07 is based on the existing 05, but has been
extensively modified for the next stage in prototype racing. Power comes from a
naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V8 rated at 600 horsepower that's been developed
by Gibson Technology, with electronics from Cosworth, gearbox by X-Trac and
shocks by PKM. Though the regulations call for a minimum weight of no less than
930 kg, Oreca made its chassis lighter, allowing for the strategic
placement of ballast where needed.
The Oreca 07's unveiling make it the third of four new LMP2 chassis
to be revealed so far, following Dallara's entry and Onroak's new Ligier
chassis, leaving only the Riley/Multimatic competitor to follow. They're all
set to make their debut at Daytona for the Roar Before The 24 practice session
early in January before the Rolex 24 kicks off the 2017 racing season.
We can expect to see the four new chassis competing at
the front of the European and Asian Le Mans Series, in the second tier of the
FIA WEC, and alongside the new DPi prototoypes in the IMSA, on racetracks
around the world from Sebring to La Sarthe to Fuji.
