{"id":28788,"date":"2022-02-21T16:21:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T20:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=28788"},"modified":"2022-02-21T16:21:04","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T20:21:04","slug":"payne-cadillac-porsche-launch-the-gas-powered-racing-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/payne-cadillac-porsche-launch-the-gas-powered-racing-future","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Cadillac, Porsche launch the gas-powered, racing future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Auto racing doesn\u2019t appear to be speeding into an electric future anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Cadillac and Porsche teased their all-new, world endurance sports cars in the past month and they are powered by good ol’ V-8 engines. Global sports-car sanctioning bodies are touting the \u201celectrification\u201d of their powertrains, but the new\u00a0so-called hybrid prototypes that will roll out at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2023 are a long way from the battery-powered\u00a0future touted by their manufacturers.<\/p>\n

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The gas-powered engines at the core of the mild hybrid systems are at odds with the batteries that luxury brands say will power their mass-market cars by decade\u2019s end. The jarring disconnect is an indication of the challenges electric powertrains face in stressful conditions and in the race-to-street technology transfer that automakers have long relied on to advance production engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mild hybrid systems give automakers that electrification cred,\u201d said veteran racing expert Stephen Cole Smith of Autoweek. \u201cBut we\u2019re not hearing anything about electric racing in the IMSA paddock.\u201d<\/p>\n

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U.S.-based IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) and Europe-based WEC (World Endurance Championship)\u00a0have joined forces beginning next year to offer international automakers a common technology platform to race the world\u2019s fastest sports cars from Daytona to Le Mans to Fuji, Japan.<\/p>\n

Racing\u2019s gas-fired future echoes\u00a0the prediction of<\/a> Bloomfield Hills-based IMSA and IndyCar team owner Roger Penske last year, when he told media at the Detroit Grand Prix that \u201cI don\u2019t think you’re going to see the world go all-electric. I think you\u2019ll see hybrid solutions in all kinds of transportation sectors.\u201d Penske\u2019s prediction dovetails with consumer sentiment, where EVs make up a sliver of auto sales, but runs contrary to government regulations\u00a0that are forcing automakers to go electric.<\/p>\n

Penske is at the heart of race-to-street technology transfer as owner of\u00a0multiple Porsche dealerships<\/a>\u00a0that are selling Porsche\u2019s first EVs, the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo.<\/p>\n

But the much-anticipated Porsche GTP race car, sharing a common hybrid-electric motor with other competitors, that Team Penske will bring to Daytona next year will be powered by a twin-turbo V-8 engine more familiar to Porsche\u2019s gas model customers.<\/p>\n

Porsche showed camouflaged pictures on Jan. 27 of the wicked-looking\u00a0winged racer as it began its intensive test program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn selecting the combustion engine to complement the standard hybrid elements, Porsche opted for a large-capacity twin-turbo V8 unit,\u201d said Porsche in a press release. \u201cIn the race, the system output of the hybrid drive reaches around 670 horsepower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manufacturers traditionally use production engines in their race cars as a marketing tool \u2014 and as a means for engineers to test drivetrains to the limits of performance in grueling, endurance racing environments. Porsche races a similar\u00a0flat-6 cylinder gas engine in its IMSA GT-class car as it sells in its Porsche 911 street car. The twin-turbo V-8 appears to be similar to the engine in the Panamera sedan and Cayenne SUV.<\/p>\n

The electric Taycan\u2019s electric drivetrain is nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided on the V8-biturbo, which we feel offers the best combination of performance characteristics, weight and costs,\u201d explained Thomas Laudenbach, vice president for Porsche Motorsport.<\/p>\n

Cadillac will also enter a GTP car to compete against Team Penske\u2019s Porsche \u2014 as well as entries from Acura, Audi\u00a0and BMW (with Lamborghini expected to join the fray in 2024).<\/p>\n

Like Porsche, GM\u2019s lux brand will have a V-8 at its core, likely a similar block to that used in the brand\u2019s ferocious CT5-V Blackwing performance sedan and Escalade V\u00a0SUV. Cadillac will share more details this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the new race car will take into account IMSA and (WEC) regulations, Cadillac\u2019s brand characteristics will be instantly recognizable, many of which are seen on our V-Series vehicles today,\u201d said Chris Mikalauskas, Caddy\u2019s lead designer, as the brand teased its prototype in a video Feb.\u00a09\u00a0with an unmistakable V-8 soundtrack. In addition to its 2023 Daytona debut, the Cadillac GTP will mark the brand\u2019s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in 21 years.<\/p>\n