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Student-run Team NMA opened its GT Cup Championship campaign at Donington Park in April, securing four podiums and two wins, including an overall victory. These triumphs represented the culmination of an almost five-year journey, rebuilding and evolving the Lotus Evora GTE that first raced in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Like many journeys in motorsport, this one had the highest highs and the lowest lows. Here, you will discover how the National Motorsport Academy breathed new life into the Lotus Evora, transforming it from a past Le Mans competitor to a modern-day race winner, capable of outperforming a current-specification GT3 machinery.
Start of the Journey
The no.65 Lotus Evora GTE, purchased by the National Motorsport Academy just over a decade ago, was one of two Evoras to race at Le Mans in 2011, finishing a highly respectable 7th in the GTE-Pro category. If you’re interested in learning more about the Lotus Evora Le Mans Project, Youtuber TyDyeRacing has produced a video documenting its road to Le Mans.
Upon purchasing the car, the National Motorsport Academy raced it in the GT Cup for several seasons, achieving moderate success, including a runner-up finish in the 2016 GTO class. However, due to its homologation for Le Mans, it struggled against modern GT3 cars. The no.65 Evora came with a complete spares package; in 2019 this prompted the team to carry out an upgrade. It envisioned utilising the chassis and suspension components from the spares package to create the NMA-spec Lotus Evora. This allowed the original Le Mans car to be restored to its original JetAlliance blue and white livery and displayed at Central Lotus Nottingham.
While the NMA-spec Evora retained the Lotus name and chassis, it differs significantly in engine and aerodynamics.
Engine Development
The engine was one of the areas that needed significant development. National Motorsport Academy’s director of motorsport, Dr. Kieran Reeves, was the man who led the engine upgrades. His career up to becoming director of Team NMA includes roles such as curriculum manager, senior lecturer, chief race engineer for multiple teams, engine development consultant, external examiner and master technician. Dr. Reeves has also completed a PHD in Integrated Optimisation for Dynamic Modelling, Path Planning, and Energy Management in Hybrid Race Vehicles , so he was well prepared for the project ahead.
At Le Mans, the car utilised a Toyota-derived 3.5L V6, heavily developed by Cosworth. This naturally aspirated V6 had a displacement of 4.0L, producing approximately 475bhp (350 kW) on the dyno but typically around 412bhp (307 kW) when packaged in the car with Le Mans air restrictors.
‘In line with the current road-going Evora, it was decided that a supercharged Toyota V6 platform should be utilised as a package to be modified,’ says Dr. Reeves. ‘This would also mean a significant development on the front and rear of the car to aid with charge cooling and heat rejection.’
Initial testing and development yielded some improved power figures, but using a modified version of the standard supercharger led to issues with running a very small pulley, causing belt failures and over speeding of the supercharger. ‘It was then decided that a complete bespoke race package would be required,’ Dr. Reeves notes.
Stage 1 of this development involved using a modified GT4 engine package. After several iterations and with the assistance of Swindon Powertrain, Dr. Reeves finalised the mapping process on the Stage 2 engine, now a 3.75L V6 running a TVS1900 supercharger: ‘This gave us the opportunity to run an endurance set-up with lower power or a Stage 3, high charger speed set-up for maximum power but shortening life.’
Ultimately, the team settled for the Stage 2, lower power version, now creating 582bhp (426 kW), a significant improvement in power over the Cosworth derivative, allowing the engine to run for 40 hours. ‘This development also allowed us to make peak power 500 rpm earlier than with the Cosworth engine and a staggering improvement on torque output with the intake charge pressures,’ says Reeves. ‘Peak power with the smallest of supercharger pulleys (Stage 3) can see us run in excess of 600bhp (447 kW).’
Increasing the boost pressure during development added temperature to the heat rejected from the engine and, more critically, to the air charge temperatures. Controlling this to maintain power gains on the dyno once installed in the car required innovative cooling solutions. Dr. Reeves opted for a twin radiator installation at the front of the car, one on each corner, to provide cooling to the charge cooler mounted internally in the supercharger at the rear.
‘This meant a drastic change to the front of the car and how air was supplied to the coolers, engine radiator, and front brakes, while improving front-end downforce,’ he explains. ‘The original Le Mans car had poor front aero balance due to the restrictions of the 2011 regulations.’
The aero project was led by NMA deputy director, Wayne Gater, who has specialised in the physics of fluid dynamics in various forms of land, sea, and air from an early age.
‘Since the Evora arrived at NMA, it has been an ongoing project to update its performance,’ says Gater of the aero performance. ‘This involved not only a planned engine package but also an evolution of the aero package from the homologated Le Mans spec to what is allowed within the series’ regulations.’
Initially, the focus was on choosing the best available parts package, whether ‘low drag’ or ‘high drag,’ while awaiting the finalisation of the new engine package. The car underwent various device iterations for testing, with the most effective achieving a 3mph increase in top speed along the Kemmel Straight at Spa, maxing out the gearing in both instances.
‘The evolution of the current aero package came from a desire to keep the aesthetics as close to what we would have expected from Lotus themselves, plus input from Kevin [Riley, National Motorsport Academy co-founder] that he wanted the appearance somewhere between the Le Mans spec and the road-spec Evora GTE,’ Gater explains.
Beyond aesthetic considerations, there were functional requirements, especially cooling for the now supercharged engine. ‘The engine being supercharged manifested itself in my area as two huge charge cooler radiators that needed inlet and exhausting somewhere at the front of the car,’ notes Gater. This was realised by use of the new road Evora GTE appearance on the front bumper, affording us an additional two outer inlets which have been joined to two well-positioned bonnet exit vents. This ensured the airflow aligned with the car’s existing flow paths, as the original radiator remained untouched at both inlet and outlet.
The new vents merged seamlessly with the existing design, creating an aesthetically pleasing solution. ‘The side skirts have been maximised to the allowable width to manage floor and body flow interactions, and for now, the aero development continues along the length of the car,’ adds Gater. This methodology of in-house research and development utilises industry standard software and also takes benefit from track testing and driver feedback, providing NMA students with practical, hands-on experience of the motorsport industry.
The latest proud development of the car is its new livery, which not only makes it highly visible on the track but also gives it a strong presence. The livery accentuates the elements of redesign and highlights flow paths and streams from the existing and new elements of the design, showing integration of new functionality with existing design language.
‘This ongoing project ensures that the Evora remains competitive and up-to-date with modern racing standards,’ Gater concludes.
Crash and Rebuild
Following its upgrades, the car was completed in 2021 and was ready to race in the 2022 CSCC Slicks series as a shakedown and concept proving ground before heading back to a full season of GT Cup racing. However, heartbreak ensued when the car was involved in a massive crash on the opening lap, all but writing it off.
During the middle of the 2023 season, all parts required to rebuild the car arrived at NMA HQ, and incredibly, the team managed to completely rebuild the car in just six weeks. Following the rebuild, the Evora made a triumphant return to GT Cup for the final three rounds of the 2023 season. Despite facing the challenge of extremely limited testing time, it managed to secure a pole position and multiple podiums in its class, leading to a third-place finish in the GTO standings.
During the subsequent off-season, the team finalised a few more tweaks, including enhancing performance in areas such as aerodynamics, suspension, and powertrain.
As we approach the mid-point of 2024, it’s clear that these developments have brought the Lotus Evora up to par with modern GT3 machinery, often outperforming competitors across the GT Cup calendar and proving it to be the car the team envisioned.
The journey of the NMA Lotus Evora, from its Le Mans origins to its current iteration, highlights the dedication and innovation of the team and the invaluable contributions of both tutors and students at the National Motorsport Academy. There is still work to be done, and you can keep up to date by following along on the National Motorsport Academy’s social media and website.
You can catch Team NMA at any of the GT Cup Rounds – view the calendar here. If you’re unable to attend in person, you can catch the races live on the GT Cup YouTube channel or follow live updates and behind-the-scenes content on the NMA social media channels.
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