Unveiled at the Moscow International Auto Show was the Renault Sport RS 01, the latest in a long line of purpose-built one-make racers from Renault and the successor to the Megane Trophy.
The design of the RS 01, penned by Akio Shimizu, references recent concepts such as the DeZir, as well as the Renault Étoile Filante that broke the land speed record for a turbine-powered vehicle in 1956. The stunning body has been filleted and peppered with an assortment of scoops, vents, flaps and spoilers to achieve near DTM levels of performance, with lift and drag coefficients similar to a Formula Renault 3.5.
Under the skin, the RS 01 sits on an Dallara LMP1-spec carbon monocoque as opposed to the Megane Trophy's tubular steel chassis. Power comes from a Nissan GT-R-derived 3.8 litre twin-turbo V6 which has been fitted with a dry sump system. The over 500 hp and 600 Nm of torque is sent to the rear-wheels via a Sadev seven-speed sequential gearbox with fixed ratios to keep race budgets low.
Suspending the car is an all-around pushrod double wishbone setup with adjustable Öhlins dampers. Brakes are 380 mm carbon discs with six-piston callipers, and ABS and traction control have also been fitted. 18-inch centre-locking wheels in an original design are shod in Michelin rubber.
The RS 01 will compete in the new Renault Sport Trophy race series that will be part of the World Series by Renault from 2015 onward. The championship will be split Professional and Amateur categories – the champion of the former will be given the chance to test with the Nismo Super GT team, while that of the latter will be able to get behind the wheel of an LMP2 prototype for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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