Zytek Motorsport race report

Zytek Engines Once Again Prove Reliable at Le Mans

New 4.5-litre completes 24-hour race; 3.4-litre makes it three in a row

The Strakka Racing and Barazi-Epsilon Ginetta-Zytek prototypes have today survived a particularly grueling Le Mans 24-hour race. To get to the end of the endurance classic is a major feat and both teams have to be applauded for this achievement.

The British-entered Strakka LMP1 GZ09S, which was making it Le Mans debut, finished fourteenth in its class, an impressive outcome for a chassis that had its race debut just two months ago. It was also the first time that Zytek's new LMP1 4.5-litre ZJ458 engine had competed over this distance. In the LMP2 class the plucky French-based Barazi-Epsilon squad finished fourth. This once again underlined the reliability of Zytek's LMP2 3.4-litre ZG348 engine, which has now completed three consecutive Le Mans races, finishing first and second in 2007.

The other two LMP2 Ginetta-Zyteks of the Quifel-ASM and GAC Racing teams showed well during the early hours of the race before succumbing to attritional nature of the race. Team LNT also made steady progress in the early hours of the race with its LMP1 until a fuel line ruptured during the night.

John Manchester, Zytek Engineering operations director said, "This is a tremendous result for the ZJ458 engine. It entered its first race at Road Atlanta in late-2008 where it also finished. However, Le Mans is a far greater challenge and for the engine to finish in its first 24-hour event is a testament to all the staff at Repton."

-credit: zytek