As the Ginetta crew prepares for their introduction to the FIA World Endurance Championship‘s LMP1 class, the team has completed their first test with the new 3.4-litre turbocharged V6 Mecachrome engine at Leeds East Airport.
The team, which unveiled its 2018-19 challenger, the Ginetta G60-LT-P1 at the Autosport International Show earlier in the month, has started to evaluate their new machine ahead of a full campaign.
A thorough test will take place in the coming weeks having completed the initial shakedown.
Commenting on engine changes, Mecachrome Motorsport Director, Bruno Engelric, said: “There’s a small adjustment to make regarding the position of multi-connection boxes.
Prior to this, Mecachrome had made a name for themselves as a single-seater supplier, especially in FIA Formula 2 and the GP3 Series.
“On the GP3 and F2 engines, they are under the plenums, but in this case, we have to move them up so that they’re more accessible. We expected this adaptation and this change will be made for testing later next month.
“We also have to make slight modifications to the alternator position, as right now its location is very tight and won’t work when the car goes over kerbs. We have a solution that is due to arrive towards the end of February, as we anticipated this issue.”
Ginetta were pleased with the results, with Technical Director Ewan Baldry commenting; “We have really enjoyed working with Mecachrome Motorsport to date. It is clear that they are a very serious, professional and committed company.”
“The packaging of the engine into the chassis has gone smoothly and initial testing runs have proven to be very encouraging. The Mecachrome Motorsport technical staff have been on hand at each of the test events to date, which has given a great feeling of collaboration. Clearly we have a long way to go, but we are confident and excited about what the future will bring.”
