23 / 32
23
everybody
With an exciting design, more than
500 horsepower, superb brakes and
a 7-speed gearbox, the Renault
RS01 is the state of the art in GT
Silhouette racing. Luca, can you
tell us more on the project's
inception?
«I can really say that this project
started from a clean sheet of paper,
and was conceived to meet some very
clear and fundamental goals. This is a
great advantage. Renault asked us to
develop a car that, in terms of
performance, could be halfway
between a GT3 and a DTM, ready to be
used in endurance racing. Many of its
contents, like the engine, gearbox and
brakes were already part of a great
package designed by the customer. On
one side, the mix of that features
meant that we knew that our product
would have been sensational. But on
the other side, it was bound to be a
huge challenge. The car would have
needed to be light, with a perfect
weight balancing but, more than that,
with incredibly high-performance
aerodynamics».
What are the most significant
performance figures of this car,
including the aero points of view?
«As I just said, the aerodynamics are
definitely one of the car's strongest
points, in addition to the vehicle
dynamics optimized for the tyres. The
balance between the two things has
been reached to make the car fast and
drivable also for the non-professional
drivers. 1700kg at 300 km/h. This two
numbers enable to understand the
phenomenal level of downforce
reached. This aerodynamic package
enables the RS01 to reach 3 Gs of
longitudinal and lateral acceleration.
These values are more similar to the
ones achieved by an open wheel car or
an LMP than to a GT».