Nasamax, The First LMP1 & A Green Racing Pioneer

If the pub quiz question ever came up, what was the first LMP1 car built after the LMP900 regulations were withdrawn (OK it would have to be quite a specialist Pub Quiz!) here’s a tip, you’re looking at it, the 2004 Nasamax DM139, and it’s currently for sale! >>

It is homologated as ACO LMP1 001

For a car that only raced competitively just six times, or four times depending on how you measure it (read on for the explanation of that statement!) the Nasamax has quite a heritage, a two-time Le Mans starter, the first-ever prototype to race at Le Mans with a truly alternatively fuelled engine, and effectively the effort that encouraged the ACO to create the Garage 56 programme after an effort that on-track perhaps underperformed, but off-track was a blockbuster success in terms of public and media interest.

Much of that was because of the bio-ethanol that fuelled the car, in particular in a nation where agriculture was, and remains, such a key part of the economy, and the culture, racing a car that could be fuelled for 24 hours by a crop no larger than a pair of football pitches caused quite the ripple, so much so that there were approaches from the big guns at Bentley to the ACO media team in 2003 asking them to dial down the content around the green-minded minnow and towards the green-painted factory effort!

Bio-fuels had raced at Le Mans previously, in 1988 aboard a GT class Porsche 911 with a petrol/ ethanol mix and in 1995 when the Team Giroix McLaren used bio-fuel made from sugar beet.

Roll on a decade and a half to 2003 and enter Nasamax, funded by a wealthy Hong-Kong based businessman and environmentalist, Tony King.

The race programme was headed up by John McNeil, a man with sportscar racing management heritage stretching back into the Group C era and who had previously headed up the Ascari A410 project.

There were then three major choices to be made, the fuel, engine and chassis suppliers.

Applied Science Technologies (ASTEK) would develop and supply the fuel, the chassis came from Reynard, the ex Redman Bright 01Q LMP900, and the engine came from Cosworth, the turbocharged XDE V8 a 2.65-litre engine developed for Champcar.

The fuel, this writer recalled, had an aroma akin to a sweet liquor, cherry brandy or similar, but because of the 205 proof alcohol’s lower calorific value compared to regular gasoline-based race fuel, the car needed other modification, a series of upgrades to fuel systems to allow a higher fuel flow rate, the car would consume its permitter 90-litre fuel load in c.10 laps of Le Mans to the c.14 of the competition.

The car, in 2003 still very much an LMP900 Reynard 01Q, clad in stunning pearlescent light green, silver and white livery, made its race debut at Sebring, Romain Dumas, Robbie Stirling and Bryan Herta the driving crew (pictured above with John McNeil attending to the car), with significant PR support both from the late lamented Janice Minton, and from the newly minted DSC crew, Nasamax were early supporters of this website.

Sebring though would be a very troubling debut, the car suffering a failed starter at its first fuelling stop, an issue that the team, and Cosworth, battled to solve but after hours of effort eventually pulled the car out on safety grounds.

The elusive starter issue was though completely solved in time for Team Nasamax to tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2003, once again the race would prove to be a far from trouble-free effort.

The Test Day saw the car running fast, but then suffering a big accident with Herta at the wheel, just before Mulsanne Corner. The team though would get the car back out in time for Dumas to set a lap in the 3:57s, 20th fastest even after the issues.

Werner Lupberger replaced Herta for the race week and the team employed a conservative approach to qualifying the saw Dumas put the car 21st on the grid for the race proper with a 3:54.3.

The target was, very firmly, a finish at pace.

That plan though was put at extreme risk though in the race morning warm up, when the right cylinder bank of the turbo V8 went bang in the biggest way possible!

It seems that one of the US-based Cosworth technicians had uploaded the wrong map, instead of the endurance-focused programme the car was running with ChampCar settings!

The Nasamax mechanics replaced the engine and repaired the damaged exhaust, monocoque and wiring harness. With just two hours to go till race start, the car was ready to roll though there were continuing issues with the gear selector cable, three replacements were required in the early hours of the race before the team could settle down to a rhythm!

117 laps in though and there was more trouble, Werner Lupberger hearing odd noises from the gearbox, the initial diagnosis a failed support bearing inside the ‘box, the team deciding to replace the whole back end – though unfortunately not able to do that nearly as quickly as Audi had in years just past!

Sadly four hours of graft would only get the car back on track for a further 20 laps before Lupberger stopped with a fire, race over after 138 laps.

That was the end of the 2003 effort, and the last we would see of the Cosworth engine in the car.

For 2004 things would change significantly with a change in regulations.

The big open prototypes (LMP900), lightweight cars designed to go head to head with the big boys (LMP675) and the closed top LMGTP cars were now going to be grouped together in one single top class, LMP1.

Nasamax opted to go the LMP1 route (rather than grandfathering in their LMP900 spec car) early and brought in a man whose knowledge of the Reynard was unrivalled – Kieron Salter had been one of the lead designers on the 01Q and subsequent 2KQ and was engaged to make the very significant aerodynamic changes to comply with,and take advantage of, the new LMP1 regs.

Those changes were very significant, so much so that the opportunity was taken to rename the Reynard as the Nasamax DM 139 (The car carries both Reynard and Nasamax chassis plates).

Why DM139? – The D139 is the public road that forms the part of the Le Mans circuit from Arnage Corner to the start of the Porsche Curves!

The low slung flat floor Reynard was transformed with new underbody aero, a raised centre section, new rear aero and, a new powerplant.

The troublesome Cosworth was replaced with an altogether different beast! Judd’s 5 litre, normally aspirated 650 bhp GV5 V10.

The package would have significantly less downforce than in LMP900, even the best engineering minds would take time to unlock the potential of the new regulations.

Stirling and Lupberger stayed aboard, but Romain Dumas’ talents had been recognised and rewarded with a Porsche factory contract. Kevin McGarrity would be the new driver for Le Mans – the Le Mans Endurance Series and Le Mans the planned programme.

Salter and the Nasamax team developed the car throughout the season including two distinctly different rear aero setups – (more details can be found on the very excellent Mulsannes Corner site HERE >>

After a season debut at Monza, the team headed to Le Mans with another significant change to the package.

The ACO had learned from the experience of 2003 and the Nasamax was dealt what was one of the very earliest examples of Equivalence of Technology with the difference in calorific value of the Biofuel recognised and allowed for by allowing the #14 car a significantly larger tank – up from 90 litres to 120 litres – it would be enough to better equalise the laps per fuel stint shortfall of 2003, but at some weight penalty.

The publicity machine was back in full force again too. The Nasamax team were ‘adopted’ by Arnage village, the car carries branding from the town to this day (as well as an appropriate name – see above!).

There was interest far beyond the specialist motorsport media with national media coverage in France and the UK amongst others, as well as attracting the attention of the mainstream technology and scientific media.

After scrutineering in the centre of Le Mans, where the Mayor of Arnage joined the team for the traditional line-up photographs, the Nasamax was displayed in Arnage outside the ‘Hotel de Ville’ and children from the local schools were invited to view the car and learn more about the bio-fuel concept.

The car qualified 14th after some gearbox woes, the time a 3:42.429, a full 12 seconds faster than the previous year, Pole, by an Audi R8 was 10 seconds faster.

On track another aspect of the LMP1 change came into its own, there was less downforce, but less drag too and the Nasamax was fast.

Very, very fast, as Robbie Stirling recalled:

“The official top speed was recorded on the Mulsanne at 330 km/h but since the chicanes were installed the fastest part of the circuit is the run down to Indianapolis. In practice there I saw an indicated 346 km/h!”

That’s over 216 mph, with a misfire!

That elusive misfire was with the car almost from the start of the 2004 race, the team eventually deciding to live with it rather than expend time trying to diagnose and fix it.

And despite it, they beat their qualifying time in the race, a 3:41 their fastest lap.

Despite further travails, the team made it to the finish.

The Nasamax then would be the first alternatively fuelled prototype ever to complete the race, Robbie Stirling taking the flag, fighting back in the latter stages to finish 17th, completing 316 laps, and more significantly finishing seventh in a field of 19 LMP1 starters

The car would appear again at Silverstone, and at the LMES season finale at Spa, with Dumas back aboard where it was running a very strong third behind the Veloqx Audis with Dumas at the wheel.

After a minor off in warm-up the team opted to replace a front corner as a precaution, as Robbie Stirling explains.

“The team did a great job fixing the car but there was one minor error that would have a big consequence.

“The fixing bolts into the tub were a quarter inch too long and Romain’s race boot had a tiny bit of damage on it, he caught his boot on the exposed end of the bolts for just long enough to miss his braking point and that was it, he was off and we were out!”

That was the end of the car’s contemporary racing career – but not the end of the story.

The car has been in the ownership of Robbie Stirling for many years and, more recently, has been fully restored to race-ready condition, now equipped for gasoline fuel but with all required parts available should a future owner want to restore it to full biofuel spec.

This is an extraordinary piece of modern racing history, a real stepping stone to the questions that motorsport is asking itself ever more loudly today, and providing some of the answers to those questions 15 years before many thought to ask them!

DSC would like to thank the staff at Romans International, and Robbie Stirling, for their assistance with the preparation of this article, and to reader Steven Gaitt for the tip.

The Nasamax DM139 is currently at Romans International premises on the A217 in Banstead amongst an astonishing array of road-going supercars.

The DSC Editor viewed the car recently and the level of preparation is excellent, externally to full 2004 specification (right down to the dailysportscar stickers on the car’s flanks that he himself applied in the Nasamax garage in 2004!)

It is not always viewable in their amazing showroom but serious enquirers can always be accommodated for a viewing and discussion on purchase terms.

Price is ‘on application’ but judging by the progress of values of the previous generation of top class endurance racers this would likely be a significantly good investment.

The car is also eligible for the Aston Martin Masters Endurance Legends, Masters Endurance Legends USA and Global Endurance Legends race series and is likely to be a very competitive package.