Race Tech World Motorsport Symposium Awards 05.12.2017: Photo caption: The winner and their trophies LMP2 chassis and engine suppliers and fuel flor sensor technology recognised in Race Tech World

Photo caption: The winner and their trophies



LMP2 chassis and engine suppliers and fuel flor sensor technology recognised in Race Tech World Motorsport Symposium Awards



ORECA, Gibson Technologies and Sentronics were the big winners of the night at this year's RACE TECH World Motorsport Symposium Awards.



ORECA's Technical Director David Floury was presented with the prestigious Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist of the Year award for the work that he and Jean-Philippe Pélaprat, ORECA's aerodynamic/CFD engineer had achieved with the 07, the car which absolutely dominated the LMP2 class in the World Endurance Championship in 2017, to the point that it is not been granted any updates to the design which have been granted to rival manufacturers in the class.



"We are very honoured to receive the Dino Toso award for our work on the 07, as it reflects the hard work that has been put into this car by all the team involved with the project," said Floury.



"Thank you RACE TECH for recognising us with this award, which I am happy to accept on behalf of everyone."



Meanwhile, LMP2 engine supplier Gibson Technology was awarded the Race Engine Design of the Yea,r with Operations Director John Manchester and Technical Director Ian Lovett receiving the award for the 4.2 litre GK428.



There was almost an upset of seismic proportions at the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, when it looked for a while as if a Gibson-powered ORECA LMP2 car was going to perform a giant-killing act. In the end, the fairytale finish didn't happen, with Porsche taking the lead with 20 laps to go.



Remarkably, the Gibson Technology-powered LMP2 cars finished second through to seventh; together, the LMP2 cars compled 143,400 km in a combined total of 719 hours and 27 minutes, which is something like circumnavigating the globe three and a half times. Furthermore, oil consumption was kept to a minimum, most teams adding just half or a whole litre of oil to the engine during the 24 hours.



"We are accepting this ward on behalf of everyone at Gibson Technology who has worked on this engine programme," said Manchester.



"We have worked very hard to ensure that this engine is both competitive and reliable and while we did not ultimately win Le Mans, we are very proud with what we have achieved, and in the fact that we are receiving this award."



Sentronics received the Don Burgoon Most Innovative New Motorsport Product of the Year award from Mary Ann Burgoon, CEO of Performance Friction Corporation, for the FlowSonic range of ultrasonic sensors.



Thanks to the second-generation technology built into Sentronics' FlowSonic range of ultrasonic sensors, 2017 was a breakthrough season, which started to realise the potential of precision fuel flow measurement for motorsport in all its applications.




The FlowSonic Elite model was used by the championship-winning teams in IndyCar and in IMSA's GTLM category to help optimise their fuel use and pit stop strategies. The entry-level FlowSonic Pro even scored a success at British club racing level, fitted to the runner-up in Class C of the MSV Trackday Championship.




 By the end of the year, Sentronics had been selected as the sole supplier of fuel flow sensors to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, for the enforcement of fuel flow limits; and for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
 



"This is such an honour to receive this award," said Sentronics Chairman Dan Partel.



"Thanks so much for your support over the last four years and for this award - it means a tremendous amount to us personally as well as professionally and inspires us always to be at our best at all times."
 



RACE TECH editor-in-chief and Judge, William Kimberley commented: "There was great and stiff completion across all the categories this year, but all the winners proved worthy for their remarkable innovation, proficiency and game-changing technologies."







"LE MANS" PROTOTYPE 2 (LMP2) is a racing car with no production minimum required. It is a closed cockpit car, destined only for teams independent of manufacturers and/or engine suppliers. The selling price of the complete new car, without engine or homologated electronic equipment, must not exceed €483,000.



2017 saw changes, with the Automobile Club de'l'Ouest (ACO), the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) selecting just four constructors -- Dallara, Onroak Automotive, ORECA and Riley Tech/Multimatic -- to supply the chassis for cars competing in this class in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Asian Le Mans Series (Asian LMS), the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.



In the ACO and FIA governed series, the only engine homologated for the class was Gibson Technology's 4.2-litre V8.
 
 


 
- Colin Wilson -  photo Kimberley Media Group