Renault Sport Technologies has finished development work for the RS 01 race car, which was built specifically for the World Series by Renault.

Since the car was unveiled in June 2014, it has completed an intense development program, which took place on famous circuits like Vallelunga, Monza, Barcelona-Catalunya, Jerez, Aragón and Navarra.

During 17 days of testing, the Renault Sport R.S. 01 put in a total of 7,475 kilometers (4,645 miles) in all conditions, with drivers with varied backgrounds getting behind the wheel of the mid-engine racing car. Among them were Alexandre Prémat, Andy Soucek, Albert Costa, Mirko Bortolotti, Dimitri Enjalbert, Anthony Beltoise, Nick Castburg, Renaud Kuppens and Laurent Hurgon, as well drivers from endurance racing and Formula 1.

The drivers praised the ease of handling of the Renault Sport R.S. 01, comparing it to an open-wheel car, with the car’s stability, reactive steering and high level of downforce also getting good marks. Drivers had good words to say about the ABS braking system, the adjustability of the steering wheel, and the high level of torque supplied by the engine.

Times set on the aforementioned tracks place the R.S. 01 between a DTM car and the best GT3 cars, which is exactly what Renault wanted from the start.

Following the final test session at Vallelunga at the end of December, Renault Sport Technologies began assembling the first customer cars, as the first deliveries will take place in March before the first race at Spa-Francorchamps in the World Series by Renault.

As a reminder, the RS 01 is powered by a Nismo 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 producing more than 500hp and600 Nm (442lb-ft) of torque. Derived from the Nissan GT-R, the engine is mated to a Sadev 7-speed sequential gearbox and is able to push the RS 01 to a top speed of over 300 km/h (186 mph).

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