The Dome S102, later upgraded and raced as the Dome S102.5, is a

sports prototype A sports prototype, sometimes referred to simply as a prototype, is a type of Auto racing, race car that is used in high-level categories of sports car racing. They are purpose-built auto-sports race cars, as opposed to production-car based or s ...

built and designed for use in the LMP1 class of the

24 Hours Of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

, and other similar endurance races. The car is the successor to the Dome S101, and its later evolutions. The car was unveiled on 21 March 2008.

Development

Dome S102

The Dome S102 is designed to be the successor to the open-topped Dome S101, featuring improved aerodynamics compared to the final iteration of the S101, with 9% Less Drag, as well as 11% More Aerodynamic Efficiency. The car was developed in-house, with 2 wind-tunnel models, one at 25% scale, alongside a larger 40% scale model. The 25% scale model was run at the Yajima Wind Tunnel. In order to test the reliability of the car's powertrain components, namely the Judd engine, as well as the X-Trac Transmission and the

Zytek Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company based at Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was founded by Bill Gibson and Brian Mason as Zytek Engineering in 1981. Ownership history In 1981 Gibson and Mason founded the Zytek Group wi ...

Paddle-shift system, Dome modified 1 Dome S101.5 into a testing mule, with the modified car being tested around

Sportsland SUGO } is a motorsports facility in the town of Murata, Miyagi, Murata, Shibata District, Miyagi, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Course The track was opened in 1975 and is one of the largest motorsports facilities in Japan, with a total ...

over a 2-day period, with Tatsuya Kataoka at the wheel. The car subsequently had its initial shakedown run at the

Suzuka Circuit The , the , is a long motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka, Mie, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of Honda, Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a capacity of 155,000. It is most well known by i ...

. The car was also tested at the

Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Shizuoka, Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the ...

Dome S102.5

Over the winter of 2011, the 40% scale model was updated, in preparation for the car's return to competition, with redesigned front fenders, wider front tyres, as well as an engine cover fin. The Judd V10 was replaced with a smaller 3.4L Judd V8, with the car requiring a spacer plate in the engine bay to accommodate the newer engine. On the 2nd of February 2012, it was announced that the Dome S102 would return to competition, upgraded as the Dome S102.5, and to be run by the

Pescarolo Team Pescarolo Sport was a motorsport team based in Le Mans, France, and founded in February 2000 by French racing driver Henri Pescarolo and his friend and partner, French publisher François Granet. They raced in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hou ...

. The new DOME S102.5 was then given its shakedown run by the

at Chateauroux Airport. The car was also tested at the Navarra Racetrack in Spain, with the team giving positive feedback about the car.

Competition History

2008

The car had its debut at the

2008 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The test day was on June 1. The race was atten ...

, with a single car, the #11 run by the factory Dome Racing Team. The car qualified well, with a P8, behind the 3rd

Audi R10 The Audi R10 TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) is a sports prototype designed and built by Audi in partnership with Dallara. Built to the Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) regulations, the R10 was highly successful throughout its career; the R10 became th ...

. The car was the last classified finisher in the race, completing 272 laps.

2009

The car was originally slated to be run in 2009 by the Ecospeed Team. However, due to the lack of payments to Dome, the contract was subsequently cancelled.

2010

The Dome Racing Team successfully received an entry for the

2010 24 Hours of Le Mans The 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 78''e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a non-championship 24-hour Endurance racing (motorsport), automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers each fielding Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Grand tourer, Grand T ...

. However, it was subsequently withdrawn.

2012

The #17 car qualified P9 on its debut at the 2012 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, finishing 15th Overall, completing 147 laps. At the

2012 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, the car qualified 10th, but was unclassified, completing just 203 laps. This race would prove to be the last for both Pescarolo, who would collapse due to financial issues, and the car, in spite of Dome continuing development.

24 Hours of Le Mans

References List

{{WEC cars 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars Dome vehicles Sports prototypes Le Mans Prototypes