Rebellion Racing switch to AER power for 2015

Rebellion Racing have announced a switch from Toyota customer V8 power to the twin-turbo AER P60 V6 for the 2015 World Endurance Championship season. However, upgrades to the Oreca-built R-One chassis mean the Swiss team will miss the both the prologue and the first round at Silverstone.
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Rebellion Racing have answered one of the major question marks hanging over the Swiss team’s 2015 WEC effort. With support for the tried-and-tested Toyota V8 customer engines ending at the end of 2015, Rebellion had been on the lookout for an alternative power plant for the team’s pair of R-Ones. After rumblings midway through the 2014 season that the Toyota V8 was perhaps not the optimum powertrain for the R-One package, Rebellion have now decided to announce their forthcoming engine partner in the run-up to Friday’s hotly anticipated WEC entry list announcement.

The Swiss-based team have opted for the brand-new twin-turbo V6 powerplant from UK engine manufacturer Advanced Engine Research (AER). Rebellion Racing is the second customer team for AER, with the engine already making an appearance in the CLM P1/01 of of the Lotus team in 2014 (renamed Bykolles for 2015). Despite the teething problems suffered by the Lotus team, top speed cannot be considered one of them, with the black and gold prototype often mixing it with the factory squads and Rebellion Racing themselves in the speed traps.

The Toyota V8 dates back to Rebellion’s often valiant efforts in the Lola B10/60 coupé, so the switch to AER power marks a significant upgrade for the two-car squad going into the 2015 WEC season. However, significant upgrades will be required to the R-One chassis in conjunction with manufacturer Oreca, meaning that Rebellion will miss both the Prologue at Paul Ricard and the first round at Silverstone in April. The team’s six drivers for the 2015 season have yet to be announced.

Image source: David Tunnicliffe