Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Racecar Engineering

ENDURANCE – BMW M HYBRID V8 COOLING It’s not only the system level targets that must be met, but also the overall vehicle-level targets of aerodynamic efficiency, weight and packaging, all of which have an impact on vehicle performance In last month’s issue (‘Exchange programme’ in V33N10), we talked about motorsport cooling systems and their importance in managing the conversion and dissipation of large quantities of energies moving around the racecar. We noted that racecars are essentially energy conversion mechanisms, but the actual process of energy conversion is far from ideal and the resulting heat generated must be rejected from the systems, both as a matter of performance and robustness. The architecture of the systems that manage this heat rejection is crucial in maintaining the optimal temperatures required for efficient…

Whether it is an engine, battery or gearbox, engineers are constantly trying to quantify the performance of components using metrics such as power, energy, speed, efficiency and range. In reality, these performance figures can only be achieved if parts are effectively controlled to operate at their maximum potential, and this is where the subjects of this feature come in. ‘Control systems are the basis of what makes a car run nowadays. You wouldn’t be able to run an engine or an electric powertrain without a control system operating in the background,’ highlights Rui Lopes, principal software engineer at Prodrive. ‘A control system essentially harnesses all the raw capabilities of a vehicle and synchronises them together to achieve the maximum performance possible of the vehicle as a whole. We use control…

The FIA introduced Technical Directive 18 at the Singapore Grand Prix, designed to curb the practice of flexing bodywork. The TD was intended to provide clarity around bodywork design details, ‘in particular front and rear wings,’ according to an FIA report. ‘There are a lot of clever engineers out there looking to get the most out of the regulations, and we have to make sure that everyone has a common understanding of where the boundaries are, and we have to be fair and balance them across the whole group in how we apply them,’ said FIA single seater technical director, Tim Goss. ‘In recent times we have seen a little bit too much freedom being applied to the design details of aerodynamic components.’ The flexibility contravenes Article 3.2.2 because it…

BMW was late to the party, announcing it would take part in global prototype racing midway through 2021. It took some short cuts to ready the car for the opening race of the season, at Daytona in January 2023, after half a year of testing. Notably, these included using the Dallara chassis that was also destined for use by Cadillac, a modified 4.0-litre V8 engine from its DTM programme, plus the spec hybrid system and battery that are mandatory under LMDh regulations. The M Hybrid V8 hit the track for the first time mid-2022, but the scale of the job to get the car up to speed against its opposition was huge. There were issues with the development of the hybrid system that held up proceedings for all competing manufacturers…

Extreme E is now three seasons into its ambitious journey of taking electric motorsport out of the city, into the wild. Created by Formula E architect, Alejandro Agag, the championship’s aim is to highlight the destructive impacts of climate change by staging short off-road races in affected environments such as Greenland, Senegal and Chile. Stars such as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg lend their support to entries, while established teams like Andretti Autosport, McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing compete. Although Extreme E is a spec series where the motor, inverter, battery, chassis, along with a number of other components, are tightly controlled to keep costs down, it hasn’t been exempted from technical evolution. The Odyssey 21 of today is a tougher, more reliable beast than the Odyssey 21 of three…

‘We understood what it takes to be involved in motorsport on a low budget. It’s not about cutting corners’ Dean Crooke, director of engineering at Hyper Racer Most spec single seater series look pretty much the same these days. They all tick similar technical design concept boxes, largely because they’re meant to come across as baby Formula 1 cars, which is understandable, given the ambitions of today’s young drivers. But every now and then a car comes along that is genuinely different, both in terms of aesthetics and design philosophy. Something like the Hyper Racer X1, for instance, a ground-effect racecar conceived for low budget, club level, single-make racing that offers high downforce thrills, yet is simple enough for an owner / driver to run without a team or pit…

Although Porsche’s 991.2 GT2 RS Clubsport leaves the Flacht factory an impressive circuit car, it requires a few modifications and a capable team if it wants to compete at the sharp end at North America’s most prestigious hillclimb. The Clubsport builds upon the GT2 RS strassenversion and features a lighter carbon body, removable roof section, re-designed rear wing, larger front canards, an integrated safety ’cage and all the necessary safety accoutrements needed for track work and some wheel-to-wheel racing. In 2022, Brumos Racing purchased one of these rare cars with the intention of taking it to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. To tailor its Clubsport to the specific environmental challenges faced over a 5000ft climb to a 14,114ft summit, Brumos brought on five groups with the necessary expertise. Each…

There is a lot going on at Aston Martin F1 at the moment. Not only did the team move up the grid and, in the first half of the season, challenge the front runners on a regular basis, but it also moved to a new technical facility just ahead of the British Grand Prix in July. On top of that, it signed a deal to join up with Honda in a works partnership from 2026. This is the first new Formula 1 facility to be built in the last 20 years, and it will eventually bring together all the team’s engineering capabilities under one roof. The 400,000ft.sq building is on the Formula 1 campus at Silverstone, UK, and will house the team’s wind tunnel and simulator when it is completed…

In the midst of the great war, Hans Nibel assumed the responsibilities of chief engineer at Benz in Mannheim. Under Nibel were Robert Staffin, in charge of engine design, and Max Wagner, the chassis man. In wartime, Arthur Berger headed the Benz aero engine development effort, while director of the experimental department was a tall, serious engineer named Willy Walb. Under Berger’s watchful eye, Walb steadily built a reputation as a perfectionist among a group of perfectionists. This was the core of the capable crew charged by the board of the Rheinische Automobil und Motorenfabrik AG Benz & Cie with creating a new production car programme in the chaotic economy of post-war Germany. The team set its standards high, seeing no reason why they shouldn’t advance the technology of the…

The Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) has launched its first new electric car, a Tesla Model 3, and will race the cars in 2024 against the likes of BMW’s i4, Cupra’s Born and Volkswagen’s ID.3. Designed by Stockholm-based EPWR, the 550bhp car is 100 per cent electric, rear-wheel drive and will be exclusively charged with renewable energy during the season via Atlas Copco’s ZenergiZe energy storage system. The cars are built on the original chassis of each model and then modified for racing by EPWR, including conversion to a raw natural composite exterior using a high-performance natural fibre used in Formula 1 and elsewhere. Cars will feature common parts, have aero that allows close racing and no driver aids, such as ABS or stability control. Power is stored in a…