The Lola B08/60 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Lola Cars International and the first closed-cockpit sports prototype from Lola since the 1992 T92/10. It began racing in 2008, with Aston Martin among its first customers in the LMP1 class of the Le Mans Series.
Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 at a glance
| Maker | Lola Cars International |
|---|---|
| Type | Le Mans Prototype, LMP1 |
| First season | 2008 |
| First closed coupe | since the T92/10 of 1992 |
| Aerodynamics | Phil Tiller |
| Aston Martin engine | 6.0-litre V12 from the DBR9 |
| Gearbox | X-trac six-speed in the Aston Martin car |
| Team | Charouz Racing System |
| 2008 Le Mans | 9th overall |
| 2008 LMS | 5th in the championship |
| Later versions | B10/60, B12/60 |
| Developed into | Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 |
based on one source (English Wikipedia).
History of the Lola-Aston Martin B09/60
The B08/60 was announced in late 2006, after Peugeot introduced its closed-cockpit 908 HDi FAP and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest announced that from 2010 only closed-cockpit LMP1 cars would be allowed at Le Mans. Lola set out to match the aerodynamic advantages of the 908 and other planned coupés while preparing for the rule change in advance. The design shares many elements with the earlier open B06/10, apart from the cockpit: similar cooling and venting structures in the nose and sidepods, and a slightly larger nose based on Lola’s 2007 designs. Phil Tiller was in charge of aerodynamics and developed the narrow cockpit, with a roof-mounted engine air intake and stepped shoulders. Lola worked with Fluent and AMD on the software and hardware for the development, and wind tunnel testing of scale models ran from early 2007 until the first car was completed in December.
In November 2007 Aston Martin agreed to buy the first B08/60 and install the 6.0-litre V12 from the DBR9 race car, its first sports prototype attempt since the AMR1 of 1989. Prodrive chose Charouz Racing System to run the team in the Le Mans Series and at Le Mans. The B08/60 had not been designed around the Aston Martin engine, so the standard Lola gearbox was replaced by a more compact X-trac six-speed, and the car benefited from a rule change giving production-derived engines larger air restrictors.
During the 2008 Le Mans Series season the Charouz Lola was the fastest petrol car on the grid, though it could not match the diesels. At Le Mans it outqualified the No. 1 Audi before a collision and repairs dropped it to the back; the drive back brought it to ninth overall. At Silverstone later in the year Charouz finished second overall behind an Audi, and the team ended the 2008 championship fifth. More B08/60s were offered to other customers with a choice of engines, and the design became the basis of the Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, co-developed by Lola and Prodrive. Speedy Sebah raced a B08/60 through the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Further developments followed. Rebellion Racing ran two modified B08/60s as B10/60s in 2010 with a 5.5-litre Rebellion V10 in place of the Aston Martin V12. A B09/60 Judd, chassis B0960-HU03, was entered by Drayson Racing in the American Le Mans Series in 2009 and 2010 and won from pole at Road America with Jonny Cocker and Paul Drayson. That car also became the basis of the 2012 Lola-Drayson B12/69 EV, an electric Le Mans prototype. In 2012 and 2013 the design ran in upgraded form as the B12/60 with Rebellion Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Dyson Racing in the American Le Mans Series.
Design and features
- Lola’s first coupe since 1992: closed-cockpit construction aimed at the 2010 LMP1 rules.
- Aston Martin V12: the DBR9’s 6.0-litre engine, installed with a compact X-trac gearbox.
- Fastest petrol car: the quickest non-diesel in the 2008 Le Mans Series.
- Shared aerodynamics: a narrow cockpit with a roof air intake, developed by Phil Tiller.
- Basis for others: the starting point for the B09/60, B10/60, B12/60 and even an electric prototype.
Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 versions
- B08/60 Aston Martin (2008): the Charouz car with the DBR9 V12 and X-trac gearbox.
- B09/60: the Lola-Aston Martin version co-developed with Prodrive.
- B09/60 Judd (2009–10): Drayson Racing’s car, later called B10/60.
- B10/60 (2010): Rebellion Racing’s modified cars with a 5.5-litre V10.
- B12/60 (2012–13): upgraded LMP1 version run by Rebellion and Dyson.
The B08/60 was Lola’s first coupe since the T92/10, and it carried the customer-racing tradition of the T70 into the LMP1 era. More in the Lola collection.
Sources
- Lola B08/60, English Wikipedia: development, Aston Martin programme, competition record, versions
