(In August 2007, Zytek announced that it had won a two-year contract to develop and supply KERS systems for the Formula 1 2009 season, in an exclusive deal with one team. That program has three development phases: bench/dyno system, mule car development, and race-ready system.)

The ethanol-fueled engine is a newly designed Zytek 90° normally aspirated 4.5-liter V-8 with four overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder with an output of 625 hp (466 kW). The three-phase induction electric motor is a direct-drive Zytek proprietary design powered by the on-board Li-ion pack, supplied by Zytek shareholder Continental AG of Germany.

The car is based on a Zytek 07S carbon fiber/aluminum monocoque employing typical wishbone suspension with rack and pinion steering and fitted with a Ricardo 6-speed sequential gearbox using a Zytek electronic gear shift system.

Initial tests of the car were held at Donington Park in the UK in July with additional tests ongoing in the UK before the car is transported to the United States for a final shakedown at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah prior to departing for Petit Le Mans.

The hybrid will be unveiled at and compete in the ALMS Green Challenge at Petit Le Mans (4 October), in addition to the season-ending Sports Car Championships at Laguna Seca (18 October). The team’s plan is aimed squarely at Sebring 2009 and predicated on testing and progress.

In 1998, Zytek developed a hybrid powertrain for Panoz in the form of the Q9 hybrid racecar, a modified Panoz GTR-1. The car finished second in class at Road Atlanta but failed to qualify for the 24 hour race.

We are delighted that, on the 10th anniversary of the Panoz Q9 hybrid Le Mans car, we have been able to resurrect the project with the help of Steve Pruitt and Corsa Motorsports. Obviously, our technology has progressed rapidly over this period and our new car encompasses these advances.

However, the whole of idea of the Q10 is to increase our rate of development of hybrid drive trains for road car use. The motorsports arena is a perfect environment to develop new ideas and train engineers. The vast majority of Zytek’s road car products have evolved from our involvement in motorsport. Races run under the Le Mans rules are, by far, the most rewarding development medium since they encourage new technologies in a competitive environment. Their endurance character enables us to evolve road car technologies in a more structured situation than most other series, which tend towards one make springs. The Le Mans organizers seem very much in touch with the real world needs to save fuel and lower emissions. We look forward to developing our Q10 hybrid racecar over the coming years starting with a “toe-in-the-water” at Petit Le Mans in October.

—Bill Gibson, Zytek CEO