Excessive H testing continued at Fontjoncouse in France final week, with a gaggle of Excessive E’s high drivers, in addition to a World Rallycross race winner getting their first style of the hydrogen-fueled Pioneer 25 set to race subsequent 12 months.
Thus far, testing of the brand new automobile has been completely carried out by Excessive E podium finisher Hedda Hosaas and two-time Le Mans winner and Pikes Peak document holder Romain Dumas, however among the many newest testing contingent was Kevin and Timmy Hansen — each of whom examined the automobile’s predecessor, Excessive E’s Odyssey 21, early in its gestation.
“It’s loopy to assume that 5 years in the past me and my brother had been testing the Excessive E automobile for the primary time, in France as effectively,” stated Kevin Hansen. “And right here we’re, 5 years later, with the brand-new way forward for Excessive E, Excessive H, and to see how far this collection has come as effectively, it’s completely implausible.”
The most recent testers echoed the optimistic response of the automobile’s preliminary testers, with the youthful Hansen saying, “It’s actually fascinating to attempt a brand new a part of the way forward for motorsport. It’s been a very good take a look at up to now, making an attempt to really feel the event of this new Excessive H automobile, working with the group to work on each little bit of the automobile, from wipers to the tires — every thing we will think about once you begin from scratch with a brand new automobile. So it’s tremendous thrilling occasions, and hopefully we will have an important championship subsequent 12 months.”
Hansen’s elder brother, 2019 World RX champion Timmy Hansen was impressed by how far the brand new automobile has superior from its Excessive E predecessor.
“They’ve executed implausible work,” he stated. “They’ve put a number of effort into enhancing each on the Excessive E automobile, however they’ve taken all of the learnings from that, improved it, made it wider, longer, improved the suspension, and, after all, the hydrogen system — massively complicated within the automobile — however it’s nice to drive.”
To the uninitiated, the Pioneer 25 appears to be like broadly much like the Odyssey 21, however the automobile’s elevated mass — up from 1,900 kg to 2,200 kg (4,189 lbs to 4,850 lbs) on account of the hydrogen gas cell and the next improved security measures that include it — has been a standout statement.
“There are a number of similarities, so I do really feel form of at residence,” stated Timmy Hansen. “Now you sit in the midst of the automobile, the suspension is working a bit otherwise, you are feeling the load a bit.
“Now you’ve got the hydrogen system as effectively, so you are feeling the automobile is heavier, however general, you may inform it’s a greater automobile. It’s a greater design, and there’s so many extra instruments for the groups to make use of to optimize the setup for every observe, which will likely be very fascinating.”
However whereas the mass and measurement enhance may appear to be a unfavourable, particularly within the context of a racing automobile, it does convey with it advantages as effectively.
“It’s a little bit of a beast, truthfully,” says Catie Munnings, who has been teamed with Timmy Hansen at Andretti because the first season of Excessive E in 2021. “We’re storing hydrogen within the automobile, so due to that, we’ve acquired much more safety. We’ve acquired a 15 milimeter metal plate on the roof, we’ve acquired a number of facet safety and you may see how vast the door is…
“And clearly from the driving facet we’ve got to counter that and predict that it’s going to be a bit heavier. However due to that, we’ve acquired higher (suspension) geometry with the automobile this time. The chassis handles higher within the corners.”
Niclas Gronholm, who hasn’t competed in Excessive E, however has eight World RX wins, a trio of top-three championship finishes, and a Nitrocross podium to his identify, additionally identified that the elevated dimensions of the automobile brings a few optimistic driving expertise.
“It’s spectacular how one can take all of the bumps and all the large rocks and jumps,” he famous. “That was a fairly cool expertise.
“It was higher than I anticipated when it comes to how one can play with the automobile. Even when it’s an extended wheelbase and the automobile is fairly massive, you may nonetheless form of strategy it with the same driving approach that you simply use in a rally automobile or rallycross automobile or no matter smaller race automobile. So I believe from that perspective, it was even higher than I assumed.”
A lot of the main focus of the Pioneer 25 up to now has, after all, centered across the hydrogen gas cell expertise and the improved driving dynamics, however in the end it’s nonetheless a racing automobile. And Kevin Hansen says there will likely be enhancements in that regard, too.
“I believe, in comparison with the Excessive E automobile, this automobile feels greater, it feels heavier, however it does really feel, for positive, extra racy,” he says. “It’s a step ahead in the correct route.”
Timmy Hansen added that the brand new automobile will encourage groups to work tougher, with groups needing to extract essentially the most out of it.
“It’s extra steady on the bottom; I’m positive we’ll have the ability to have an important race with this. I believe this automobile will race in a barely completely different manner,” he stated. “There will likely be a much bigger distinction between the group that places in a number of effort versus the group that doesn’t, as a result of there are extra belongings you’re capable of do with this automobile. And perhaps that might result in one group being robust in a single space and one other group not.
“There may be all the time fine-tuning within the setup, however that may come later after we’re with the group, to set the automobile up for every single driver.”
Whereas enhancing upon the earlier era has been a key focus in the course of the transition from Excessive E to Excessive H, dispelling myths round hydrogen expertise is one other. And after her first style of the automobile, Munnings is solely onboard.
“The most important false impression with hydrogen is the security facet,” she stated. “However once you see the crash testing that it’s gone by way of with the FIA, it’s insane.
“I’d say it’s truly one of many most secure if not the most secure off-road automobiles on the market now. And I believe that the testing it has gone by way of has made it safer than a number of the combustion automobiles on the market.”
Gronholm, whose “day job” is racing in a collection that pits combustion towards electrical automobiles, is happy to see another choice being delivered to the desk.
“It’s optimistic that we’ve got these options, that it’s not solely inner combustion and electrical, however there may be new expertise coming in,” he says. “I’m optimistic that it’s not solely black and white, with solely electrical and gas. I’m optimistic that they’re truly experimenting with the way it may work — that’s good.”
