Courage C65 (LMP2) - Judd (2004)

In an era when sportscar racing was dominated by big works teams, Yves Courage set up shop near the Le Mans track to build and prepare his own cars specifically for the annual 24 Hours race down the road. They made their debut in 1982 Cougar C01 and ten years later Courage was a leading independent sports prototype manufacturer. In an era dominated by the works Audi and Bentley racers, Courage cars often picked up the 'best of the rest' result. New regulations to increase safety and cut costs were introduced in 2004 and hence two classes were born; LMP 1 and LMP 2, intended for high profile works teams and privateers respectively.

With the C65, Courage were the first to introduce a new car to fully comply with the LMP 2 regulations. Although it ran as a LMP 675 car in 2003, it was specifically designed for the new class. As per the LMP 2 rules, the C65 features a symmetrical roll over structure and a floorpan with regulated tunnels starting well before the rear wheel line, and the engine is mounted as a non-stressed member. The carbon fibre tub was pretty much carried over from the already successful C60 LMP 900 racer. A number of engines were available to be fitted in the spacious engine bay of the C65, the most popular and successful being either the 2 Litre Turbo Charged AER unit or the 3.4 Litre Judd V8, additional options included Mecachrome Ford V8 or the JPX V6.

Less than a dozen LMP2 Courage were built and the cars enjoyed great success between 2003 and 2008, picking up 12 Class wins and several championship wins in the LMP2 Class.