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NEWS
GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Porsche rolls out 919
Hybrid race car throws down the gauntlet to Audi's R18 e-tron quattroPorsche's 919 Hybrid race car has made its worldwide debut in Geneva this week, displayed alongside the 911 RSR (pictured).
As the name indicates, the 919 is a hybrid, taking the battle up to Audi's diesel-electric hybrid race cars with a similar-but-different form of drivetrain technology. The Porsche's direct-injected and turbocharged petrol V4 (yes, a vee-configuration four-cylinder) displaces 2.0-litres. Power peaks at 368kW and the engine will rev to 9000rpm.
Exhaust gases from the engine drive another turbine to generate electrical power, which is supplemented by kinetic energy recovered from the front axle while the car brakes. Electrical power is stored in lithium-ion batteries to be exploited by an electric motor driving the front wheels. With both the electric motor and the petrol engine operating simultaneously, the 919 musters all-wheel drive traction.
"Crucial in the development of the Le Mans prototype were the newly created and revolutionary racing rules for this class as they relate to energy efficiency," says Porsche Chairman, Matthias Müller.
"In 2014, it will not be the fastest car that wins the World Endurance Championship series and the 24 hours of Le Mans, rather it will be the car that goes the furthest with a defined amount of energy. And it is precisely this challenge that carmakers must overcome. The 919 Hybrid is our fastest mobile research laboratory and the most complex race car that Porsche has ever built."
Having recruited Australian driver Mark Webber from Red Bull's F1 team, Porsche will enter the 919 Hybrid in all eight races on the World Endurance Championships (WEC) calendar for 2014, including the 24 hours of Le Mans. The team comprises two cars, with Webber (pictured) sharing the driving with Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) in the number 20 car. A three-man crew comprising Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) will run car number 14.
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