The troubled 1992 season experienced by the French team of Gérard Larrousse left heavy consequences for the future of the already struggling team. First, 65% of the team's shares were sold to the duo Gérard Godefroy and Claude Poiraud, founders eight years earlier of the small French sports car manufacturer MVS (Manufacture de Voitures de Sport), later renamed Venturi. Then Larrousse himself returned as the sole owner of the team. These events created a discontinuity of operations across the various departments within the team. After ending its relationship with Lola, which had produced chassis for Larrousse from 1987 to 1991, and concluding its collaboration with Robin Herd’s Fomet, which had built the 1992 car raced under the Venturi name, Gérard Larrousse decided to build the entire 1993 car in-house, starting with the chassis designed by Herd and already used in the 1992 Venturi.
 |
| LARROUSSE LH93, Philippe Alliot Hockenheimring, German GP 1993 |
The name of the new French car, LH93, reflects the team (Larrousse), the chassis designer (Herd), and the season in which it was used (1993). The LH93 was designed by French engineer Michel Tétu, supported by Tim Halloway, with Tino Belli continuing in the role of aerodynamic engineer. The front axle was moved backward to shorten the wheelbase, with the dual aim of improving maneuverability and allowing for a deeper front wing. The sidepods were enlarged to better cool the Lamborghini 3512 V12 engine, which had caused many issues the previous season and continued to power the French cars in 1993, paired with a semi-automatic gearbox developed by Larrousse with help from Lamborghini technicians.
 |
| LARROUSSE LH93, Érik Comas Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1993 |
Although Gérard Larrousse had reached an agreement with Williams to use an electronic suspension system developed by the British team, rising development costs and fears that the solution would be banned at the end of the season led to the project being quickly abandoned. As a result, the new LH93 retained very traditional push-rod suspension, lacking the now essential electronic aids to control pitch and roll.
 |
| LARROUSSE LH93, Philippe Alliot Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 1993 |
Larrousse’s stated goal for the 1993 season was to “get noticed” as a French constructor and attract the interest of Peugeot, which had announced its imminent entry into Formula 1 with the goal of forming an all-French team. Given the car available to the two French drivers, Philippe Alliot and Érik Comas, this goal proved very difficult to achieve. Despite some decent results and a few points earned, the objective was clearly not met, and Peugeot ultimately chose to exclusively supply McLaren for the 1994 season.
 |
| LARROUSSE LH93, Toshio Suzuki Suzuka, Japanese GP 1993 |
Due to the high cost of travel to the final two races in Japan and Australia, Gérard Larrousse hired rookie Japanese driver Toshio Suzuki, backed by a group of personal sponsors who essentially paid for his participation. The young Japanese driver replaced Alliot in those two races, but, unsurprisingly, achieved no results. The points collected during the 1993 season remained just 3, thanks to Alliot’s fifth place at Imola and Comas’ sixth at Monza, which still allowed the small French team to secure tenth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Comments
Post a Comment