Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Racecar Engineering

In this edition we have taken a close look at fuels, or rather how powertrain development is adapting to new solutions being investigated for racing. Sustainable fuels have reached the level of being used in national motorsport, while the quest to develop hydrogen continues apace. There is also a huge effort being put into increasing motor efficiency, as well as developing software that manufacturers may be able to use in their road cars. It’s interesting to observe (from a great distance, admittedly) how the politicians are thinking, how that affects what happens in motor racing, and the cars we buy. It’s also interesting to note that the biggest competitors for our major brands in Europe, from China and the US, are not involved in motorsport over here. Companies such as…

While the person in the street might say that motorsport has nothing to do with sustainability, the person in the pit lane knows better. From the use of hybrids in Formula 1 to electric power in Formula E, our sport has been championing environmentally friendly technology for many years. The next big move in this space will be F1’s switch to 100 per cent sustainable fuels in 2026. Formula 1 is by no means alone in moving to lower carbon fuels, with the FIA World Endurance and FIA World Rally Championship both already there, as well as some series on a national level. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) will adopt 100 per cent sustainable fuel from the start of this season at the…

After four seasons with Acura, Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) made the switch back to running Cadillacs for the 2025 IMSA Sportscar Championship season. In doing so, it rekindled a long affiliation with General Motors, which started in the 2000s with Pontiac and Corvette in the Grand-Am Series, before continuing into the DPi regulations with Cadillac. WTR and Cadillac won the 24 Hours of Daytona three times together, as well as the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. It was, therefore, major news when the team switched allegiance to Honda brand, Acura, ahead of the 2021 IMSA season. That partnership took it through the final two years of DPi, and through the start of the current GTP era using LMDh cars. WTR started the relationship with Acura by taking…

General Motors has re-organised its management team for the 2025 endurance racing season, appointing Charles Leclerc’s former F1 race engineer at Ferrari, Xavier Marcos Padros, as technical director and Sean O’Shea as propulsion manager. Padros joins Cadillac after working with Leclerc from 2019 until last May, but is also no stranger to US racing, having been chief race engineer for the Richard Childress Racing team in NASCAR between 2015 and ’17. O’Shea will focus on development of the Cadillac V-Series.R’s hybrid powertrain. He previously worked for Bosch, which supplies the spec MGU installed in every LMDh car. Padros and O’Shea arrive at GM three months after the company re-shuffled its senior motorsport management, with Keely Bosn becoming Cadillac programme manager and Jessica Dane taking over the Corvette Racing GT3 arm.…

The planned Extreme H off-road series, which uses a spec Pioneer 25 chassis built by Spark Racing Technology and powered by a hydrogen fuel cell stack, will now allow car companies to bring their own fuel cell technologies. The car had been developed with a fuel cell designed by Symbio, part of the Stellantis group. However, after discussions with the FIA and manufacturers, including BMW, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota, the regulations have been opened up. ‘The decision behind this is if we have a single fuel cell supplier, that’s advancing their fuel cell,’ says Mark Grain, technical director at Extreme H. ‘If we open it up, we believe we are going to open the opportunity for a lot more, and faster, fuel cell development across different manufacturers. ‘This way we…

Haas has named Laura Mueller as race engineer, becoming the first female to hold the role in Formula 1. She will engineer Esteban Ocon, starting with the pre-season test at the end of February. GreenGT, a specialist in hydrogen fuel cell technology, has formed a strategic technical partnership with Pratt Miller. The collaboration is set to ‘drive the development’ of hydrogen-powered solutions for the defence, motorsport, mobility and industrial sectors. Autotel has introduced a new MS51 pit lane intercom system that has a range of up to 400 metres from the base antenna unit, and can service up to eight devices per base. The system can operate as a standalone with radio interface to the car, or integrate with existing team radio headsets. Aston Martin has appointed Andy Cowell as…

On 25 March, at the British Motor Museum, the MIA is holding its 22nd annual Energy Efficient Motor Sport (EEMS) conference. This event is always a sell out, with over 250 delegates and 30 showcases, but 2025 could be the most important year ever as climate change and net zero challenges are imminent, and increasing. EEMS is both popular and important among motorsport leaders as its focus is on the business growth opportunities of what is now called ‘the journey to net zero.’ Delegates will discuss the potential of new technologies and opportunities for collaboration and partnership arising from significant changes in the world of mobility. Previously, early starters have seized opportunities from the outset, their rapid response rewarding them well, but we are now on the cusp of a…

The build up to the 24 Hours of Daytona was a little more fraught than usual, with multiple GTP manufacturers needing to change their spec hybrid units. Porsche and BMW suffered battery and MGU problems, and teams played musical batteries at the pre-event test that continued into race week. Some of the issues were traced back to a faulty part in the Fortescue Zero battery, which, in turn, led to other parts of it showing up with problems. It was a matter of luck as to who was given an ill system, but it was noticeable that the Porsche 963s were most affected, having fitted brand new parts for the 24-hour race. Other issues were then flagged, including a leaking MGU, software drama and other battery-related gremlins. Understandably, given the…

When it comes to tyre models, most people are convinced it’s either an impossible task or you need a degree in rocket science to complete the job. Others just content themselves with the notion that it’s all hocus pocus. Even amongst those who accept they exist, I’m still blown away on a regular basis by the amount of misconceptions out there about what a tyre model is, and what you do with one. I don’t mean to trivialise the subject of tyre modelling, for it is no trivial matter, but there are certain key take aways a race and data / performance engineer can use quite readily. I discuss these at length in the ChassisSim bootcamps, but it’s time these insights where shared on a larger scale. That will be…

At least two new manufacturers are positioned to enter the Hypercar class in 2027, with Ford and McLaren ready to commit after years of consideration. Both manufacturers are expected to build LMDh cars and compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren was an integral part of the original Hypercar discussions and has long stated its ambition to race at Le Mans in the top class. The decision to develop an LMDh was taken to reduce the impact on the company’s other racing activities, though it is understood no decision has yet been taken on which engine the car will use. McLaren does not have a power unit that is suitable for LMDh in its production cars and so was in talks…