Renault R.S.01 - 2015

The Renault Sport R.S. 01 is a racing car made by Renault in 2014. The car was designed to compete in the Renault Sport Trophy single-make championship, but also in the Endurance 24H Series Championship, and its assembly took place at the Dieppe plant, also known for being the cradle of the historic Alpine-Renault cars of the sixties and seventies of the last century. The name of the car is a reference to the Renault RS01 used in the late seventies in Formula 1, as well as the first single-seater in the top series to use a turbo engine. The R.S.01 was characterized by a carbon fiber reinforced composite body made by Dallara, in which the passenger compartment is stiffened by means of a steel roll bar. The engine was powered by a twin-turbo 3.8 V6 with 558 HP of power with 600 Nm of torque derived from the Nissan GT-R Nismo. Compared to the original one, however, a dry sump lubrication system and a Pactel electronic control unit equipped with an anti-slip system were mounted. Engine management was entrusted to a seven-speed Sadev sequential gearbox combined with a clutch designed by ZF Race Engineering. The braking system consisted of four ventilated carbon-ceramic disc brakes with six-piston calipers and a racing ABS system built by Bosch Motorsport. The suspension was configured with a classic double triangle pattern and was equipped with Ohlins shock absorbers. The rims were 18 "and were wrapped in Michelin sports tires. The lighting system used LED technology while a wing was installed in the rear section to increase the stability of the car adjustable. The RS01 was used in the Renault Sport Trophy single-make Championship, held in two editions in 2015 and 2016, but it also experienced appreciable results in the 24HSeries Endurance Championship, which includes extremely demanding tests, both for the car itself and for the drivers themselves, called in many cases to take turns driving the car for 24 hours. The RS. 01 used in the 24H Series in the GT3 category had undergone a weakening of its engine, from 558 to 500 HP, and a weight increase of about 125 kg, while the braking system, previously of the carbon ceramic type, had been replaced by normal cast iron discs. Even the suspension has been slightly raised, all to allow the car to comply with the GT3 category regulations. Among the most remarkable successes achieved by the R.S. 01 it is worth mentioning the victory at the 12 Hours of Italy obtained by the car used by the V8 Racing team and driven in turn by the four drivers Luc Braams, Max Braams, Nicky Pastorelli and Miguel Ramos. In 2016, the R.S.01 also began to be used in the International GT Open where it achieved its most significant success at the Spa Francorchamps Circuit in May. Here, the R.S.01 managed to triumph both in the GT3 Pro-Am category and in the GT3 Am category. In 2017 the R.S.01 continued to compete again in these championships, obtaining a second place in the A6-Am category.