BR Engineering BR1

BR Engineering BR1
	The No. 17 BR1 at the 2018 6 Hours of Silverstone
Category	Le Mans Prototype; (LMP1)
Constructor	BR Engineering (Dallara)
Designer(s)	Luca Pignacca
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon fibre composite monocoque
Suspension (front)	Independent double wishbones with adjustable dampers
Suspension (rear)	Independent double wishbones with adjustable dampers
Engine	AER P60B 2.4 L V6 turbocharged (SMP Racing); ; Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8 naturally aspirated (DragonSpeed)
Transmission	X-Trac 6-speed sequential manual
Power	AER 2.4L V6 Turbo:; 720 bhp (730 PS; 537 kW); ; Gibson 4.5L V8 N/A:; 700 bhp (710 PS; 522 kW)
Weight	833kg (1836.5 lb)
Fuel	Gazprom Energy; Gulf
Brakes	Carbon Fibre Discs Ventilated
Tyres	Michelin
Competition history
Notable entrants	SMP Racing; DragonSpeed
Notable drivers	Mikhail Aleshin; Jenson Button; Pietro Fittipaldi; Ben Hanley; Henrik Hedman; Matevos Isaakyan; Egor Orudzhev; Vitaly Petrov; Stéphane Sarrazin; Renger van der Zande; James Allen; Brendon Hartley; Stoffel Vandoorne; Sergey Sirotkin; Kirill Ladygin; Viktor Shaytar
Debut	2018 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
Last event	2019 24 Hours of Le Mans
Teams' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The BR Engineering BR1 is a sports prototype non-hybrid racing car built for the SMP Racing and DragonSpeed teams.^[4] It is designed to meet the 2018 LMP1 regulations for Le Mans Prototypes in the FIA World Endurance Championship as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The BR1 debuted at the 2018 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the first round of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Development

SMP Racing were participating in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class, fielding a Dallara P217 chassis. In 2017, with the help of Dallara, BR Engineering and Russian university students designed and built a brand-new chassis, the BR1.^[5] Mikhail Aleshin had an arm injury during the first test at Ciudad del Motor de Aragón due to car failure.^[5] Prior the official launch at Bahrain the car was also tested by Kirill Ladygin, Vitaly Petrov, Viktor Shaytar and Sergey Sirotkin.^[6]

Competition history

2018-19

For the 2018-19 super season, three BR1 chassis were entered; two by SMP Racing and one by DragonSpeed. The cars for the two teams differed by their engine choices; SMP utilizing AER-built P60B 2.4 litre V6 turbocharged engines and DragonSpeed utilizing the Gibson-made GL458 4.5 litre V8 naturally aspirated engine, the same engine used by Rebellion in their R13 prototypes.

The debut of the car at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was overshadowed by a qualifying accident involving DragonSpeed's driver Pietro Fittipaldi, in which he sustained fractures to both legs. The car suffered from an electrical problem which caused the car to lose control and run straight into the wall whilst climbing Raidillon and could not be entered into the race.^[7] SMP Racing also had technical issues with their #17 entry. Despite this, their #11 entry was able to finish fifth in qualifying.^[8] Come race time, car #17 was involved in an accident at the top of Raidillon which sent it flipping through the air.^[9] The #11 managed to finish 5th overall.

At Le Mans, DragonSpeed's #10 BR1 crashed at the exit of the Porsche curves with roughly 7:40:00 left in the race, retiring it from the event. The #17 also had an accident at the Porsche curves, severely damaging its rear. Matevos Isaakyan attempted to get it running again but the engine was damaged beyond repair, stopping the car again after rolling for a few meters. The #11 experienced technical issues earlier in the race but was able to rejoin later, finishing in 14th overall and 5th in-class.

At Silverstone, the #11 SMP Racing BR1 experienced an engine failure, retiring it from the race. However, due to both Toyota hybrids being disqualified, the #17 finished third overall behind both Rebellion R13s. Dragonspeed's #10 experienced technical issues, causing it to finish 25th overall but still 4th in-class.

At Fuji, SMP's #17 BR1 lost its front right wheel after it became dislodged. It also experienced technical issues and had to be towed off the circuit. Despite this, the #11 finished 4th overall. Dragonspeed's #10 also developed technical issues and had to be towed off the circuit.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

Results in bold indicate pole position. Results in italics indicate fastest lap.

Year	Entrant	Class	Drivers	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points	Pos
2018-19	DragonSpeed	LMP1			SPA	LMS	SIL	FUJ	SHA	SEB	SPA	LMS	8.5	5th
			Ben Hanley	10	DNS	Ret	4	Ret	6	Ret		Ret
			Henrik Hedman		DNS	Ret	4			Ret		Ret
			Pietro Fittipaldi		DNS
			Renger van der Zande			Ret	4		6	Ret		Ret
			James Allen					Ret	6
	SMP Racing		Mikhail Aleshin	11	5	Ret	Ret	4	3	3	3	3	94	4th
			Vitaly Petrov		5	Ret	Ret	4	3	3	3	3
			Jenson Button			Ret	Ret	4	3
			Brendon Hartley							3
			Stoffel Vandoorne								3	3
			Stéphane Sarrazin	17	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	NC	NC	4	Ret	27	14th
			Egor Orudzhev		Ret	Ret	3	Ret	NC	NC	4	Ret
			Matevos Isaakyan		Ret	Ret		Ret	NC
			Sergey Sirotkin							NC	4	Ret
Sources:^[10]^[11]

References

^ Goodwin, Graham (17 November 2016). "BR Engineering, Dallara & ART Grand Prix Combine For New For 2018 BR1 LMP1 L Programme". dailysportscar.com. Dailysportscar. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ "New age of Russian motorsport as BR1 LMP1 is revealed for 2018/19 WEC". fiawec.com. FIA World Endurance Championship. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018. The presentation of BR1 was attended by many VIPs including Boris Rotenberg, founder and head of BR Engineering; Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO; Gérard Neveu, FIA WEC CEO; Luca Pignaca, Dallara chief designer; Dmitry Samorukov, SMP Racing CEO; and Russian motorsport development program SMP Racing drivers: Mikhail Aleshin, Vitaly Petrov and Matevos Isaakyan.
^ "BR1". www.brengineering.ru. BR Engineering. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ Smith, Luke (17 November 2017). "DragonSpeed Confirms BR1 Gibson for WEC". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ ^a ^b Dagys, John (23 November 2017). "Dallara-Built BR1 a "Completely New" Car". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ Smith, Luke (17 November 2017). "BR Engineering BR1 Unveiled". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ Dagys, John (4 May 2018). "Fittipaldi Airlifted to Hospital With Broken Legs". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ Dagys, John (4 May 2018). "Toyota Dominates Qualifying at Spa". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ Dagys, John (9 May 2018). "Video Emerges of Isaakyan's Wild Airborne Crash at Spa". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
^ "Season 2018-19 Results". FIA World Endurance Championship. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
^ "Complete Archive of BR Engineering BR1". Racing Sports Cars. pp. 1. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2024.