Red Bull Hydrogen Car 2023

[ellroy]

News last night that Red Bull and Oreca are getting together for a Hydrogen power cell car in 2023.

That’s very interesting and hopefully gives some scope for continued noise at La Sarthe.

[Red Firecracker]

MissionH24 are planning on testing a lot this year with Norman Nato and Stoffel Vandoorne, but also (possibly) competing in some Michelin Le Mans Cup races (drivers for that TBA).

The Hydrogen car is a fascinating beast and looks fantastic when being refuelled.

(It's not that noisy though... )

[ellroy]

Got to be better than the high pitched milk floats.....

[Red Firecracker]

You may be disappointed. It's a mix of 'kettle boiling', electric motor and tyre/chassis noise, so very much FE in its sound.

Good onboard here from Spa 2019:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C4mWEmfJuU

You get an idea of the difference is noise when the LMP3 goes past it before Pouhon. I absolutely love it!

[cn7k7]

I wonder when the mighty combustion engine era will end? With electric cars creeping us on us very quickly the manufacturers will move away then what, doesn’t excite me.

I’m glad I’ve lived the Group C dash and beyond.

[LawrieC]

cn7k7 said:

I....I’m glad I’ve lived the Group C dash and beyond.

Me too. Its all going to hell in a handcart

[FredericRobinson]

Red Firecracker said:

You may be disappointed. It's a mix of 'kettle boiling', electric motor and tyre/chassis noise, so very much FE in its sound.

Good onboard here from Spa 2019:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C4mWEmfJuU

You get an idea of the difference is noise when the LMP3 goes past it before Pouhon. I absolutely love it!

I've seen it running at Portimao, as you say, if you didn't know otherwise you'd assume it was electric

[Red Firecracker]

FredericRobinson said:

I've seen it running at Portimao, as you say, if you didn't know otherwise you'd assume it was electric

The first time they had both cars present and working, but unfortunately only ran one at a time.

I do fully understand though that my enthusiasm for quiet(er) race cars isn't shared by all

[Piginapoke]

FredericRobinson said:

I've seen it running at Portimao, as you say, if you didn't know otherwise you'd assume it was electric

It doesn't look very fast.

[FredericRobinson]

It wasn't, they may have made some progress in the last year and a bit, it's only been testing so far though , no competitive running

[Red Firecracker]

As Frederic says, it wasn't, quite understandably in my eyes, on the pace of the ICE powered LMP3 cars, but it has to be remembered that it is a very young project in terms of track time and also that the cars were based on a chassis without massive amounts of R&D even in its intended ICE powered iteration. With Oreca now onboard, that is a big change.

Additionally, the regulations are now actually bringing the speeds of everybody else down (Hypercar is slower then LMP1, so LMP2 is being slowed, so GTE is being slowed and moving on from that LMP3 and GT3 in MLMC will also be slowed) so the gap will reduce not only by development of the Hydrogen car.

This season will be fascinating for it. If H24 feel that they are now in a position to race the car, which they didn't previously, then hopefully the car is now much more on or near or at the GT3 pace that is being aimed at (for this iteration of the concept)

Edited by Red Firecracker on Wednesday 27th January 07:43