Manufacturers: Reynard ready for Le Mans debut
14 June 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Less than a year ago, the Reynard 2KQ-LM only existed as a computer model. Next weekend, five of the new sports car from the leading race car manufacturer will be lining up for the famed Le Mans 24 Hour race for the first time in the history of the company. It has been one of the busiest twelve months for the team of designers, engineers, and production specialists as they have worked to bring the car to fruition, working around the clock alongside an intensive R & D programme. Launching the first model, the Reynard 2KQ, in October last year, the company stated its ambitions to produce a winning sports racing car and with this target have been putting all their efforts into the project. In the intervening seven months, Reynard has been working with its customers to develop the 2KQ-LM reliability and aerodynamic performance.
The three teams entering the Le Mans 24 Hour race with the car - ORECA, ROC and Johansson Matthews - had their first opportunity to run the early developments of the revised racer at the official test session for the event in April. The 2KQ-LM proved to be among the fastest on the track and was particularly strong for straight-line speed. Development continued and further improvements in engineering and aerodynamics have been introduced in readiness for the Le Mans race.
Mark Smithson, Managing Director, Reynard Motorsport, applauds the 2KQ- LM team, saying, "Introducing this new customer racing car into the Reynard portfolio has been a major project for the company and the 2KQ team personnel have put all their efforts into it. When we started this project we thought Le Mans 24 Hours would be our first race for the car, but there was a demand to race the car earlier, so we brought forward our development plans and expanded the programme to accommodate racing in the USA, alongside research and development work in preparation for Le Mans. The 2KQ-LM brings together the on-track experience, the expertise of our CFD department and the work of our aerodynamicists to improve and develop the initial product. Le Mans will be a tough challenge for us, but we know that all 5 cars will be prepared to the highest standards and ready to take on the Le Mans 24 Hour race."
"It's an important landmark in the history of the company, " he adds. " We've enjoyed success in Champ Cars - and continue to do so. We've also seen an increasing domination of Reynard cars in Formula Nippon. Now we've added a sportscar to our product range and will be chasing similar success as the 2KQ-LM evolves. Winning Le Mans is an aspiration of many race car manufacturers and we share this. We have made a substantial investment to turn the opportunity into a reality and, as with any of our products, we'll be putting our expertise and resources towards this goal."
Text provided by Alison Hill
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