If last year we regretted Porsche's departure from the World Endurance Championship — going from guns and luggage to Formula E —, the German brand has reserved one last surprise to properly celebrate the last four years of success of the Porsche 919 Hybrid.
Of the 33 races in which it has participated, the Porsche 919 Hybrid has secured 17 victories, 3 Drivers' Championships and 3 Constructors' Championships, which also includes 3 consecutive victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Porsche, being Porsche, has not yet given up on the 919 Hybrid, having developed an evolution of its prototype which it called the 919… Evo — what else could it be? The 919 Evo is the ultimate 919 Hybrid, freed from the shackles of regulations. The potential has always been there. Stephen Mitas, lead engineer for LMP1 competition, who led this project, recognizes this.
We all knew that no matter how successful the 919 Hybrid was, it could never demonstrate its full capabilities. In fact, not even the (919) Evo can fully exploit the technical potential. This time we weren't limited by regulations, but by resources.
The Porsche 919 Evo
Porsche took one of the 2017 Hybrid 919 and applied developments to it in preparation for the 2018 WEC, before announcing its withdrawal, with further aerodynamic changes later added.
The driving group remained intact, composed of the well-known 2.0 liter turbo V4 and the two energy recovery systems — one through braking on the front axle, the other through energy from the exhaust system, with the energy of both stored in a lithium battery pack. The combustion engine is connected to the rear axle, while an electric motor ensures front-wheel drive.
The WEC (World Endurance Champioship) efficiency regulations limited the amount of fuel energy per lap to 1,784 kg/2,464 liters of gasoline per lap. But now, without these restrictions, the V4 has seen its power rise dramatically — from 500 to 720 hp.
Likewise, the amount of energy that could be used that was generated by the energy recovery systems was limited to 6.37 MJ (megajoule). For this first departure of the 919 Evo, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium, this figure rose to 8.49 MJ, which allowed the power of the electrical component of the powertrain to rise from 400 to 440 hp.
Also the aerodynamic changes made resulted in a 53% increase in downforce and an increase in efficiency of 66% when compared to the setup used in the qualification in Spa, during the 2017 race.
The Porsche 919 Evo features a dry weight of 849 kg , 39 kg less than the car used in competition — for just one quick lap you don't need a windshield wiper or air conditioning. Several sensors, electronic devices, lights and the pneumatic jack were also removed.
Finally, to better handle the added aerodynamic load — it produces more downforce than a Formula 1 — Michelin has developed tires with new compounds, capable of generating more grip, without having to change the size of the tyres. The 919 Evo also got a new braking-by-wire system and power steering was adapted to the higher loads the car allows, which also forced the suspension to be reinforced with new suspension arms at the front and rear.
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Faster than a Formula 1
The unleashing of the Porsche 919 Evo's potential has been demonstrated in setting a new record. In the 7,004 km of Spa-Francorchamps, the pilot Neel Jani set a time of 1 min 41.77 s, absolute record of the Belgian circuit.
It's minus 0.783 s than the previous record set by Lewis Hamilton at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG W07 in 2017 — 1 min 42,553 s —, a time that earned him pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2017.
Jani reached 359 km/h in achieving this record, with the average speed being an impressive 245.61 km/h. Naturally everyone involved is ecstatic about the performance of the 919 Evo. Fritz Enzinger, LMP1 Vice President, is one of them:
This was an absolutely fantastic lap (…) Our aim was to demonstrate what the Porsche 919 Hybrid was capable of, when released from the restrictions that normally come with regulations.
But Neel Jani's account, the pilot, is illuminating about the performance of the 919 Evo.
The 919 Evo is brutally impressive. It's definitely the fastest car I've ever driven. The grip level is a new dimension for me, I couldn't imagine this amount beforehand. The speed with which everything happens in a single lap with the 919 Evo is so fast that the demand on the speed of reactions is very different from what I was used to in the WEC. Not only are we quicker than pole position in F1 in 2017. Today's lap was 12s faster compared to our pole position last year.
The “919 Tribute Tour” is to continue
The record lap in Spa was the first event of the “919 Tribute Tour”, which will continue to be present on more circuits for the rest of the year. Next stop? Nürburgring. Coinciding with the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the 12th of May.
Considering the machine's potential, will we ever see Porsche attempt the all-time “Green Hell” record set in 1983 by Stefan Bellof behind the wheel of a Porsche 956? The time to beat is 6 min 11.13 s , but Porsche has already said that passing through the legendary circuit, will see the 919 Evo make just one demonstration lap before the start of the race.
Between the 12th and 15th of July we will see the 919 Evo at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, on the 2nd of September it will be present at the Porsche Festival in Brands Hatch, UK and between the 26th and 29th of September it will be present at the circuit in Laguna Seca, USA, for the Rennsport Reunion.
The entire team involved in the 919 Evo.