Le Mans teams rely on Bosch

Bosch technology was featured in almost every second car at the 91st Le Mans24 Hours endurance race.

No fewer than 27 of the 56 cars on this year’s starting grid had various electronic and hydraulic components and Bosch safety technology on board.

For the past eight years, the only vehicles to have won the race outright have been Audi Sport and Peugeot Sport cars with diesel and diesel hybrid drives, whereas cars with Bosch port fuel and petrol direct injection claimed overall first prize between 2000 and 2005.

Bosch is a development partner for the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, and supplies both the injection technology and core components of the hybrid powertrain.

Audi

Bosch supplies the following technology for the Audi R18 e-tron quattro: Common-rail injection system, comprising a high-pressure pump, injectors, and high-pressure rail. Motor-Generator Unit (MGU): developed by Audi Sport in cooperation with Bosch for the R18 e-tron quattro. Fitted to the front axle, the MGU uses its integrated power electronics to feed energy recovered during braking into a storage flywheel. During acceleration, the MGU drives the racing car’s front axle via an electric motor, which was newly developed for the 2014 season and delivers around 170 kW (230 PS) of power. MS24 engine control unit and vehicle data acquisition system. Starter, generator, and wiring harness. Electrically assisted rack and pinion steering: developed by Audi Sport in cooperation with Bosch and ZF Lenksysteme GmbH,

Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R racing cars used the Bosch Motorsport collision avoidance system (CAS-M) to help them avoid accidents, particularly during long-distance races.

This system is based on a thirdgeneration long-range radar sensor (LRR3), which is fitted to the rear of the vehicle. The LRR3 permanently monitors the space up to 250 meters behind the vehicle, and can detect up to 32 objects simultaneously, along with their distance from and speed relative to the vehicle.

The system combines this data with a video camera, feeding drivers real-time images on a cockpit display. As a result, they have all kinds of useful information directly in their field of vision, such as how many cars are behind them, how fast they are approaching, and on what side they are trying to overtake.

Other important Bosch components in the two Chevrolet Corvette C7.R racing cars with new petrol direct injection engines were:

MS 5.1 engine control unit and power stage unit. High-pressure injectors and high----

pressure pump.

Freely programmable, highresolution DDU 8 driver display unit. Ignition components and sensors.

Telemetry systems for transmitting vehicle data between the car on the track and the team in the pit.

Fuel pumps and wiper motor.

Ferrari

The Ferrari 458 Italia racing cars competing at Le Mans featured Bosch petrol direct injection technology, consisting of an MS 5.1 engine control unit, power stage unit, high-pressure injectors, and a high-pressure pump.

In addition, the freely programmable DDU 8 display shows the driver important vehicle data during the race.

Porsche

The Porsche 911 RSR and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR models competing at Le Mans were equipped with Bosch engine control units, data loggers, starters, and a variety of sensors for variables such as pressure and temperature.