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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">LE MANS</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">21/06/2001</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Ricardo</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Le Mans Successes</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><img border="1" src="Storage/ardoLe%20MLE%20.jpg"></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">Ricardo are rightly singing the praises of their products on display at Le Mans. Their transmissions handled all that turbo torque in the winning Audi R8s - with the added benefit of the fast change system for the whole rear end - while the company's development of the PK Sport 911 allowed Mike Youles to richoet off the barriers at 271 kph, and still carry on round to the pits for repairs.<BR> <BR> Half throttle in the appalling conditions was apparently tougher on the Ricardo transmissions - designed and built by Ricardo Driveline & Transmission Systems in Leamington Spa - in the Audis than clutchless, full throttle gearchanges. Despite the weather, Audi took their 13th consecutive race win.<BR> <BR> Ricardo Vehicle Engineering at Shoreham in West Sussex were responsible for the strengthened bodyshell for PK Sport’s Porsche 911 GT3-RS. Ricardo also developed a cooling system for the Porsche that allowed for rapid replacement if required - as it was.<BR> <BR> "Ricardo’s work to strengthen the bodyshell made a huge difference and prevented serious structural damage to the car which otherwise would have forced us to retire," said Mike Youles, of his impact with the barriers. "In addition, the rapid replacement of the cooling system after the crash saved us valuable time in the pits.”<BR> <BR> Youles took a look at the barriers he'd hit on the Monday morning after the race, and was interested to notice that 30 metres of armco had been damaged, and support posts bent back.<BR> <BR> The updates for the Porsche will be available to customers in due course, while Ricardo Vehicle Engineering MD Clive Hickman indicated on Radio Le Mans during the race that his company are investigating the possibility of developing a complete car, possibly for the LMP 675 class.<BR> <BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>