White Wolves Photon Racing Team

The **White Wolves Photon Racing Team** is the motor racing team of the White Wolves. They currently compete in Formula 1, Formula E and the World Endurance Championship. The team is based at Motherbase, in the East Siberian Sea, but races out of the United Kingdom.

## History

The team's mottos are "*celeritas lucis*" which is Latin for light-speed; and "*driving innovation*"

## Formula 1

Following the team's success in Formula E, the team expanded operations and joined the FIA Formula One Championship for the 2018 season, using their own racecar, the PRT-02e, the predecessor of which was only used in testing.

Their Formula One car, much like the Formula E car, was an in-house design, with a power-train co-designed with McLaren. While conforming to FIA Formula One rules, the car managed to balance engine power, lightness and downforce. Since their inception, the team has used Total fuels, Elf lubricants and Pirelli tyres.

### History

#### 2018 season

The team's first year in Formula 1 was a very rough one. While the power unit inside the PRT1 was powerful and reliable, however the combination of chassis defects and bad luck on the track, spelled disaster for the team in the standings.

The PRT1 was powered by the Photon LS16-18, a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engine, built in-house by the team, a hybrid power unit that produced 950 horsepower. The chassis,on the other hand, was unprepared for the effects of high-speed and downforce. Nevertheless, the car secured 48 points putting the team in 7th place in the World Constructors' Championship.

#### 2019 season

Jack Fox achieved the first victory for the team and himself in Japan.

## Formula E

The White Wolves' first foray into professional motor racing was in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, which they joined shortly before the 2016-2017 season, alongside Jaguar and Techeetah.

In their first season, Photon Racing Team finished sixth in the Teams' Championships, with Jack Fox and Nicole Astel, the first female in the championship, as drivers.

In the 2018-2019 season, the new Spark SRT05e Generation 2 car was introduced to the championship. The power-train for this new car was jointly developed by the White Wolves and McLaren.

## World Endurance Championship

In 2019, Photon Racing Team entered the FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE Am class, driving two McLaren 720S GT3 race cars, numbered 64 and 65. The team completed all eight events of the 2019 WEC season, including the infamous 24 hours of Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe. The team did relatively well for their first time in endurance racing, despite a crash for car #65 at the *Arnage* corner at 3:53 AM. After the rear wing and wheels were replaced, the car was sent back to the track.

## Cars

### Racing

 PRT Super Endurance 300 Hybrid
 PRT-2RS
 PRT-SRT05e *"Thunderbolt"* | Formula E

## Current Fleet

### PRT-2RS

The *Photon Racing Team Mk. II Race Spec* is the team's current Formula One car

### PRT-SRT05e

The *Photon Racing Team Spark Gen 2 EVO* is the team's current Formula E racing car, based on the Spark SRT05e chassis.

### PRT Super Endurance 300 Hybrid

The *Photon Racing Team Super Endurance 300 Hybrid* is the team's current LMP1 race car. The car uses a hybrid configuration, with an internal combustion assisted by a secondary Hydrogen engine. Unlike other cars on the grid, the SE300H doesn't regain power for the hybrid system via braking, but rather from hydrogen cells replaced during pit stops. In testing, the car was planned to have a top speed of approximately 300 miles per hour, hence the name. In actuality, it has only reached 242 miles per hour in testing, qualifying or racing.

In 2021, the SE300H was tasked with attaining a sub three minute lap at Circuit de la Sarthe, which would require the car to average a speed of 169.34 miles per hour, as well as putting immense pressure on the driver. In the second qualifying period, a lap time of 2:59.723 was recorded for Photon Racing Team, making them officially the fastest team at Le Mans, and beating the previous record holder by just over 17 seconds.

## Future

In the future, the team hope to enter the FIA World Rally-Cross (WRX) Championship and advance into the LMP1 class in the World Endurance Championship

## Sponsors & Partners

Photon Racing Team is sponsored by Microsoft, ASUS, Advanced Micro Devices and Barclays. These sponsors are given advertising in return for payment, which helps to fund the racing team. Help for Heroes and the National Health Service are reverse sponsors, which means they are advertised on the cars for free, and receive charitable donations from the team. Since the NHS connection isn't a legally binding financial agreement between the two organisations, the FIA allowed Photon to bear their name in support. During World Endurance Championship races, the team is also sponsored by Poundbakery

Photon Racing Team is partnered with four companies, who provide specialist services to the team. Michelin provide the tyres for all the team's race events, a bond first established during the team's first appearance in Formula E. Sometimes, regulations may interrupt the team's usual pattern, in which cases, Pirelli are substituted.

Casio supply the team with time-keeping devices, such as watches and clocks, as well as providing them with accurate lap times.

McLaren collaboratively design and manufacture power-trains, engines and vehicles for Photon. Since their inception, the team has been supported by McLaren's expertise in power-trains for Formula One cars and power-trains and batteries for Formula E cars. McLaren also supplied the team with 720S GT3 vehicles for the World Endurance Championship.

Silverline Tools provide the team with the tools and equipment they use in the pits for all of their events, this includes anything from mechanics tools to protective equipment.