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New Judd V10 engine boost for privateer LMP1 entrants

Engine Developments, which produces Judd engines, is developing a new V10 powerplant to take advantage of regulation changes aimed at boosting the number of LMP1 entries in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The British company is continuing its collaboration with Japanese design company AIM to produce the new AIM-Judd 5.5-litre normally-aspirated V10, which builds on the success of its previous sportscar designs.

The powerplant exploits changes to the rules for 2018 devised to allow normally-aspirated engines to be competitive with turbocharged units under the fuel-flow regulations introduced for the 2014 season.

This has been done to boost the pool of engines available to privateers with non-hybrid machinery, who have been guaranteed lap-time parity with factory hybrid P1s.

The engine is built around a new 72-degree cylinder block billed as "significantly lighter" than previous Judd sportscar engines and incorporates new combustion chamber and piston designs.

It will also have a revised cooling system and an updated engine management system with an electronic throttle and fuel-flow management software.

Exploiting non-turbo benefits

Engine Developments believes that the new engine can "deliver extremely competitive lap times without the problems of throttle response, complexity and reliability associated with turbocharged engines", according to a statement.

"The expected technical regulations in LMP1 will guarantee parity of performance between various engine types used through a rigorous homologation procedure," the statement continued.

"We therefore believe the V10 platform should be the natural choice for any LMP1 team that is serious about having a trouble-free run in the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours."

The engine will be available to teams on a lease-only basis in time for the beginning of the 2018/19 WEC 'superseason'.

Prototype history

Engine Developments has a long history in sportscar racing with the Judd V10 developed out of its early-1990s Formula 1 unit.

Its four-litre Judd GV4 engine won the Daytona 24 Hours in the back of a Doran Dallara SP1 in 2002 and its successor, the five-litre GV5, notched up podium finishes at Le Mans with Pescarolo Sport in 2005 and 2006.

The company subsequently joined up with AIM to produce a wide-angle version of the enlarged 5.5-litre GV5, which was run by the Creation Autosportif LMP1 squad in 2008-09.