Apr.24.2000　BMW LMP V12 Mod. Shakedown




THE MODIFIED BMW LMP V12 SHAKEDOWN

"Team Goh" conducted a shakedown test of the modified BMW LMP V12 at the Fuji Speedway. Unfortunately this was also the test day for the JGTC at Sugo Circuit so the Michelin Tire Engineers could not attend this test. This meant that we could not get tires to suit the conditions and therefore we were unable to finalise the setup and therefore see where the limit would be for the laptimes. But we were able to see how the modifications had improved the overall performance.


Test Report

Hiroki Kato, who has also driven the original model, was able to feel the difference almost immediately and during the first hour of testing he would give us excited reports of how the feeling had changed each time he came back into the pit.

According to the Driver

● "The gear ratio hasn't changed from last year has it? The car hits the limiter on the straight."

● "I'm shifting up about one gear earlier than before."

● "The grip level of the tires is low but the car is rock steady."

● "The car seems lighter than before."

etc.

We had trouble with the clutch during testing so we had to take care during testing, but after 23 laps our best laptime was 1'21"57.
Below we show you data that proved what Kato is saying. The top speed of the original model which raced at the Fuji 1000km Race was 308km/h. In comparison, the modified version has a top speed of 322km/h. Depending on the limiter settings, wind direction and wind speed, we thing the car has the potential of achieving 328km/h.


Data shown on the Pi Research Data Logger Analysis

ＲＥＤ＝ＢＭＷ ＬＭＰ Ｖ12 ＯＲＩＧＩＮＡＬ
ＢＬＵＥ＝ＢＭＷ ＬＭＰ Ｖ12 ＭＯＤＩＦＹＥＤ

We were also able to confirm that the downforce had indeed increased about 10-15% compared to the original model.
After analysing the data from this test we think that if this car had raced in the Fuji Le Mans 1000km Race which was held last November, it would have been faster than the "Toyota TS020"