The Duqueine D-08 is a

Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were create ...

LMP3 built to ACO 2020 2nd Generation Le Mans Prototype LMP3 regulations. It was designed, and built by Duqueine Engineering, which bought out

Norma Auto Concept Norma Auto Concept is a French constructor of racing cars. It was founded in 1984 by Norbert Santos and Marc Doucet. History Hillclimbing and initial Le Mans entries Norma was founded by Norbert Santos and Marc Doucet in 1984 and initially desig ...

. The car is the successor to the

Norma M30 The Norma M30 is an LMP3-spec sports prototype. The car is built by French constructor Norma Auto Concept and designed by company co-founder Norbert Santos. The Norma M30 won the 2017 Michelin Le Mans Cup in its debut year entered by DKR Enginee ...

. The car can be built from its predecessor, and is set to be eligible in a series of Championships worldwide, such as the

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

, and the

IMSA Prototype Challenge IMSA Prototype Challenge (formerly IMSA Prototype Lites) is a racing series featuring two classes of single-seat prototype cars racing simultaneously. The series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). Most races are ...

. While the car was launched on the weekend of the

2019 24 Hours of Le Mans The 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''87e 24 Heures du Mans'') was an 24 hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars held from 15 to 16 June 2019 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close to Le ...

, it was not physically seen until September 2019, with the car at Le Mans being a repainted M30.

Developmental history

On 23 May 2018, the Automobile Club de I'Ouest announced a brief outline for the 2020 Generation 2 Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) regulations, alongside new chassis models from four approved manufacturers –

Onroak Automotive Ligier Automotive is a French company which designs, manufacturers, and sells racing cars, specifically sports prototypes for various international series. Onroak was founded in 2012 by Jacques Nicolet who split the design, manufacturing, and sal ...

(Ligier), Duqueine Automotive (

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid *Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

ADESS AG Advanced Design and Engineering Systems Solutions or ADESS is a racecar constructor based in Munich, Germany. History Sportscar racing Upon completing his engineering study, Stéphane Chosse started at Équipe Ligier in 1996. After Ligier, Cho ...

and

Ginetta Ginetta Cars Limited is a British specialist builder of racing and sports cars based in Garforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire. History 20th century Ginetta was founded in 1958 by four Walklett brothers (Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas) in Woodbridge, ...

being announced as granted homologation for the new ruleset. On 7 February 2019, the ACO announced the new 2nd Generation Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) regulations, with full implementation due by 2021, and with the cars being expected to be raced from 2020 to 2024. Following the unveiling of the car in June 2019, the car underwent its shakedown at Le Pôle Mécanique Alès-Cévennes, with

Romain Dumas Romain Dumas (born 14 December 1977) is a French racing driver and a Porsche factory driver. He first started out in karting and single-seater before becoming an expert driver in endurance racing, GT and sport-prototype. He has won the greatest r ...

, at the wheel, before testing moved to the

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ho ...

, with Nico Jamin at the wheel. David Droux was also involved in the tests. The tests were delayed, due to Duqueine being the last constructor to receive the new, upsized Nissan V8. The car had its public track debut during the post-season testing for the

2019 European Le Mans Series The 2019 European Le Mans Series was the sixteenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit Paul Ricard on 14 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 27 Octob ...

, at the

Algarve International Circuit The Algarve International Circuit ( pt, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve), commonly referred to as Portimão Circuit, is a race circuit located in Portimão, Algarve region, Portugal. The development includes a karting track, off-road tra ...

, in

Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...

, alongside the

Ligier JS P320 The Ligier JS P320 is an LMP3 Le Mans Prototype. It was created by Onroak Automotive, and named in partnership with former French driver Guy Ligier. It was built to meet ACO Generation II LMP3 standards, and can be built through an update kit for ...

. Key differences between the Norma M30 and the Duqueine D-08 include a re-designed front-splitter, modified side pods, a new engine cover and rear wing. Compared to the other 2020 LMP3 cars, the D-08 was 10 kg heavier for the 2020 season, due to a weight penalty being imposed on the car as a result of a late submission of homologation paperwork.

References

{{LMP3 championships Le Mans Prototypes