BR Engineering is a racing car manufacturer founded in 2013 by Russian businessman Boris Rotenberg along with its sister team SMP Racing, and which quickly gained international fame, initially with the BR01 LMP2 prototype, designed by a team led by the experienced Paolo Catone (who won pole position at the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona), and later with the BR1 LMP1, developed jointly with Dallara and which led to a fierce dispute with Rebellion Racing in the 2018-2019 WEC super season.
In May 2021 the duo SMP / BR Engineering presented their latest project. This time with a focus on the domestic market, the BR03 prototype was presented, developed to participate in the events of the Russian Endurance Challenge, and serve as the basis for a new category, the SMP Racing Monocup. According to Mikhail Aleshin, project director of BR03, two cars are already finished and the expectation is that 20 cars will be built to compete in the next season.
The prototype was designed by a team of Russian engineers, with a high index of component location, although items such as the engine and transmission are imported due to the lack of local option. Recently, the model made its first public appearance at an event of the Russian Circuit Racing Series, championship sponsored by the SMP banking network that brings together several categories such as TCR, FIA GT4, small touring cars and CN Class prototypes.
Little information has been released about the BR03, but the development plan is ongoing, with pilot Vitaly Petrov (ex-F1) highlighting that the test program has shown excellent reliability for the Russian project. Also, according to test driver Victor Shaytar, the team has already managed to beat the mark of 1:37.6 at Moscow Raceway, recognizing that with longer development time it would be possible to reduce the mark by 1.5 seconds. Anyway, it is already a similar time to that obtained by GT3 models when the Blancpain Sprint Series racedon the Russian circuit in 2015, which would position the BR03 close to a LMP3 in performance.
Chassis & Powertrain
So far, little information has been released about the construction of the chassis of the BR03, in addition to the fact that the prototype has a single-seater configuration and that entry into the cockpit is through a kind of removable canopy.
In terms of mechanics, the model has Öhlins shock absorbers, AP brakes and Forged Seven+ 18” wheels from Braid. The engine is a Renault 3.5 V6 with 420 hp prepared by BR Engineering, matted to a 6-speed Sadev sequential transmission, for a declared weight of 850 kg.
Aerodynamics
The aerodynamic concept of the BR03 follows a line present in many prototypes outside the Le Mans regulations, by mixing elements of a Formula, mainly at the front section.
Superlite Aero 
Lovefab Enviate Hypercar 
TMC M1 
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Metalmoro JLM AJR
The frontal section of the Russian prototype features a splitter with a raised central section (1) and aerodynamic profile (2). It is also interesting to note the air intakes (3) for cooling the LED headlights (this may come as a surprise to a few, but LED lighting systems reject a considerable amount of heat and even in street applications heat exchangers and electric fans may be deployed to ensure that the system remains in the ideal temperature range).
Still at the front, we can see that the splitter ends in what appears to be a diffuser (4), which has a gurney flap on the trailing edge. We can also see a refinement in the air intakes for the front brakes (5).
The radiators are mounted vertically on the sidepods (6).
On the side we can see a NACA duct that serves as an air intake for the rear brakes (7) and an air intake for the engine (8).
The rear end of the prototype is dominated by the two-element wing (9), which works in conjunction with the gurneys (10) of the rear fairing and a rear diffuser (11) that spans the entire width of the BR03.
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Sources
SMP Racing Unveils Their New BR03 Endurance Racer. Available at: http://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/05/18/smp-racing-unveils-their-new-br03-endurance-racer.html
BR03: Available at : https://www.brengineering.ru/en/br03/
Виктор Шайтар о тесте болида BR03: В этой машине удобно находиться. Available at: https://smpracing.ru/news/autoworld/novosti-br-engineering/viktor_shaytar_o_teste_bolida_br03_v_etoy_mashine_udobno_nakhoditsya/
BR ENGINEERING – BR03. Available at: https://www.braid.es/en/news/br-engineering-br03.html
Презентация спортпрототипа BR03 на Moscow Raceway. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqEg5_eXaKw
Алёшин рассказал о развитии проекта прототипа BR03 и том, продолжит ли он карьеру гонщика. Available at: https://www.championat.com/auto/news-4467773-alyoshin-rasskazal-o-razvitii-proekta-prototipa-br03-i-tom-prodolzhit-li-on-kareru-gonschika.html
