Bercella develops carbon fiber monocoque for Hypercar model racer

Photo Credit: Bercella

It was reported on Jan. 18 that Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SGC), the American manufacturer of high-performance boutique racing and road cars, has chosen to partner with Bercella s.l.r. (Parma, Italy), an advanced composite materials company, for a carbon fiber monocoque (structural skin) to make up its new racer — the SCG 007 — for the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours. With this collaboration, SGC plans to bring back the United States’ victory during the 2021 race, which is being held June 12-13 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France.

The collaboration comes about as a result of new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) rules that were announced by the FIA in May 2020, which would see a decrease in maximum power output from 585 kilowatts (784 horsepower), to 500 kilowatts (670 horsepower), with a minimum car weight from 1,100 kilograms (2,400 pounds) to 1,030 kilograms (2,270 pounds). Several manufacturers raised concerns about the tight timelines implied by the new regulations to design and build new cars.

Carbon fiber monocoque. Photo Credit: Bercella

For SGC, however, with Bercella's 25 years experience in providing structural parts for racing and sports cars with more than 1,000 monocoques produced so far, coupled with its consolidated know-how and reliability on demanding racing projects, the American team felt partnering with this company was the right choice.

Bercella accepted the challenge and committed to deliver the SCG007 chassis, FIAS (Front Impact Absorbing Structures) and RIAS (Rear Impact Absorbing Structures) in due time, dealing with the new technical regulatory landscape for the first time.

Now, with the incorporated composite components, SGC says its SCG007 is an entirely new prototype racer. The racer will rank in the category “Hypercar” in the FIA World Endurance Championship 2020/2021. As of the race in June, it will have been 50 years since Ford GT40’s last American victory in 1969.

The Hypercar model’s composite structures are currently in the prototype phase and are scheduled for testing later this year.