Le Mans Prototypes Codexery

Debora SP93

A two-chassis prototype raced at Le Mans and in hillclimb events.

The Debora SP93 was a C3-class sports-prototype built for hillclimbing and the French Coupe Alfa Romeo. It was later revised into the Debora LMP294 in 1994 for the same series. Both versions used a 3-litre Alfa Romeo V6 engine and were campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by Didier Bonnet Racing. Only two chassis were ever made—#C393-01, which raced at Le Mans, and #C393-02, built for the Coupe Alfa Romeo—and both were shared between the SP93 and LMP294 configurations.

The SP93 first appeared during the 1993 Le Mans test session, with Yvan Muller, Georges Tessier, Gérard Tremblay, and Didier Bonnet listed as drivers. Entered by Didier Bonnet Racing in the LMP class, the car qualified 18th overall and was the only LMP-class entry at the event. Muller, Tremblay, and Tessier drove in the race but retired after 253 laps due to engine failure, though they had completed more laps than three of the cars that finished. For 1994, the car was upgraded to the LMP294 specification, and Bruno Miot drove it in the test session, qualifying 19th overall and second in the LMP2 class. In the race, Georges Tessier, Pascal Dro, and Bernard Santal took the wheel, but an accident forced a retirement after 79 laps. The car then sat unused for four years until R.D.C. Schweiz entered Josef Pfyl in the 1998 Interserie round at Most, with the car reverted to SP93 specification and classified in Div.II-Euroserie. Pfyl finished 15th overall and 11th in class in the first heat, but that result was not enough to qualify for the second heat, and the chassis was never raced again.

Quick Facts

Car name
Debora SP93; Debora LMP294
Category
SP93: LMP; LMP294: LMP2
Constructor
Debora
Predecessor
Debora SP92
Successor
Debora LMP295
Team
Didier Bonnet Racing; R.D.C. Schweiz
Engine name
Alfa Romeo
Capacity
3,000 cc / 3.0 L

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

The Debora SP93 first appeared in the test session for the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Yvan Muller, Georges Tessier, Gérard Tremblay and Didier Bonnet listed to drive. Didier Bonnet Racing entered it in the LMP class, and the car set a time fast enough for 18th overall, being the only LMP-class car to attend the event. In the race, Muller, Tremblay and Tessier drove, but retired after 253 laps due to engine failure; they completed more laps than three of the finishers. For 1994, the car was updated into the LMP294, and Bruno Miot drove it in the test session, setting a time good enough for 19th overall and second in LMP2. In the 1994 race, Georges Tessier, Pascal Dro and Bernard Santal drove, but an accident forced retirement after 79 laps. The car was not raced again for four years, until R.D.C. Schweiz entered Josef Pfyl in the Most round of the Interserie in 1998, with the car reverted to SP93 specification and classified in Div.II-Euroserie. Pfyl finished 15th overall in the first heat and eleventh in class, but was not fast enough for the second heat, and the chassis was never used again.

Reader's Guide

The Debora SP93 is notable as a low-volume prototype built for both hillclimbing and circuit racing, with only two chassis ever constructed. Its participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1993 and 1994, under Didier Bonnet Racing, marked its most prominent appearances, though both outings ended in retirement—first due to engine failure after 253 laps, then due to an accident after 79 laps. Despite not finishing, the 1993 car completed more laps than three of the race's finishers. The car's dual life as the SP93 and later the LMP294, using the same two chassis, reflects a pragmatic approach to endurance racing. After a four-year hiatus, the car reappeared in the Interserie in 1998, reverted to SP93 specification, but only contested one heat before being retired permanently. Its legacy is that of a modest, privately entered prototype that competed at Le Mans and in European hillclimb and series events, ultimately ending its career in the Interserie.

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