Garrett Seeks 20th Consecutive Win at 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Turbo tech leader supporting race favorite TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team in top LMP1 class
- Garrett also providing engineering support to teams from Ford, BMW in other classes
LE MANS, France, June 13, 2019 – Garrett Motion Inc. (NYSE: GTX), a leading differentiated technology provider into the automotive industry, is supplying customized turbo technologies to several of the world’s leading motorsport teams at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in France.
Garrett has supported the previous 19 top-tier LMP1 champions with a range of applications through two decades of development and innovation amplifying the benefits of diesel, gas and hybrid powertrains. Garrett’s ability to provide year-over-year improvements has added to the continuous technological evolution in motorsports and adoption of those technologies in passenger vehicles.
Today’s era of racing is focused on high-efficiency gas turbo applications with lean combustion cycles. This year, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will look to defend its 2018 Le Mans championship with Garrett ultra-lightweight twin turbos in the premier LMP1 class. These custom-built Garrett turbos feature ball-bearing technology for improved transient response and increased performance in terms of power and fuel economy, and designed to withstand the unique operating environment created by such a grueling 24-hour race.
Through its partnership with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing the past several years, Garrett has worked to help optimize the team’s internal combustion engine strategy using advanced lean combustion engine cycles. Garrett has established itself as an industry leader in this fuel saving strategy through its motorsport programs and having launched turbocharger applications supporting advanced combustion cycles in passenger vehicles starting in 2017.
Motorsport races, such as Le Mans, are breeding grounds for innovative automotive technologies, including electrification and ball-bearing technology. The progression of competition and regulation at the LMP1 level cultivates and encourages Garrett experimentation to push the limits of advanced technologies and engineering processes to get the most reliability, durability, and efficiency out of each power unit.
“Le Mans is one of the most grueling and challenging races on the planet and a key force in driving Garrett’s world-class innovation and engineering,” said Eric Fraysse, president of Global Motorsport for Garrett. “Each year, more than 1,000 hours of hands-on engineering development are dedicated for each Garrett-supported team, working directly with race crews to provide the latest turbocharging technology to meet the extreme challenges of performance, efficiency and endurance.
This work has supported our ability to bring industry changing technology forward – including in electrification and hybridization, to improvements in overall system reliability, durability, and efficiency – across our suite of turbocharging systems for racing teams and everyday drivers alike.”
In addition to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, SMP Racing will field two cars with engines using Garrett turbo technology in the LMP1 class. Garrett is also providing distinct engineering support to all four of the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team entries in the GTE Pro class which use a Garrett twin-turbo setup on their 3.5L V6 engines, and to BMW Team MTEK fielding two race cars with Garrett turbos supporting its 4.4L V8 powertrain.
Garrett has supported 19 winning teams at Le Mans with 57 drivers from 2000-2018, amounting to a total of 7,093 laps or nearly 57,000 miles by Garrett-boosted winners. These include:
- TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (2018)
- Porsche LMP Team (2017)
- Porsche Team (2015, 2016)
- Audi Sport Team Joest (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
- Audi Sport North America (2007, 2008, 2010)
- Peugeot Sport Total (2009)
- ADT Champion Racing (2005)
- Audi Sport Japan Team Goh (2004)
- Team Bentley (2003)
About Garrett
Garrett (www.garrettmotion.com) is a differentiated technology leader, serving customers worldwide for more than 65 years with passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, aftermarket replacement and performance enhancement solutions.
Garrett’s cutting-edge technology enables vehicles to become safer, and more connected, efficient and environmentally friendly. Our portfolio of turbocharging, electric boosting and automotive software solutions empowers the transportation industry to redefine and further advance motion. For more news and information on Garrett, please visit www.garrettmotion.com/news.
Contacts
Media Relations
Mike Stoller
+1 734-392-5525
michael.stoller@garrettmotion.com