Yes, it is just over four years and hopefully it will go on longer. I think most people are happy, and we hopefully don’t get any engine issues.
Do all the participating teams drive the same engine?
Indeed, we setup every team with the same engines. We have a pool of 50 engines which are recycled within that pool. Each engine goes around 50 hours before being rebuilt. Certain components are replaced during this process, while others are replaced during the second build etc. Every component has its own lifecycle span, it’s a continuous evolvement of parts on the engine. You could have an engine that’s four years old, but most of its parts will have been replaced.
How did the collaboration with Motul originated?
We got involved with Motul in 2011 while working on the Nissan LMP2 engines, they basically came to us with the request to consider their oils. At that time, we had a contract with Renault, who historically have a link to one of the competing oil brands. So, we started the relationship back then, except for Renault. The collaboration turned out to be fantastic. We’re delighted with the support they give us, the products, … and this goes well beyond engine lubricants. All of the machine shop cutting fluids are all supplied by MotulTech; hydraulic oils, workshop oils, workshop fluids, … the whole range of products within the company are now Motul lubricants. Because we have very precise machine operation to do, it’s a very critical process for Gibson. At first, we were very nervous, but it worked out very well.
![You have multi-year contract for LMP2, right?](https://d23zpyj32c5wn3.cloudfront.net/images/masonry_bricks/pictures/56053/big/20190615_untitled_6642.jpg?1561394631)