Students Eye Nurburgring Record and Le Mans Win with Hybrid Prototype

Students from the Netherlands are designing a hybrid racing prototype to set the overall Nurburgring lap record.

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Complex Original

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The Nurburgring. It’s the veritable litmus test for performance cars, a 12.9-mile ‘Green Hell’ with walls that punish both cars and drivers alike for their flaws. And, oh yeah, a group of students from the Netherlands are looking to become all-out record holders at the ‘Ring.

Students at the Technical University of Eindhoven and the Fontys University of Applied Sciences have begun to collaborate on IM01, a joint project to build the world’s fastest hybrid racing prototype (think Le Mans meets Formula 1 meets the dark corners of Adrian Newey’s brain).

On the outside, the aerodynamically shaped bodywork features covered wheels, more slats and bevels than a Victorian house, a blown rear-diffuser, and a fighter jet cockpit. But underneath, the IM01 sources power from four electric motors (one at each wheel) with extra juice provided by a rotary engine range-extender.

The team hopes to break Stefan Bellof’s Nurburgring record of 6:11 and then compete at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Garage 56 entry slot.

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