Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Racecar Engineering

TOURING CARS – BTCC The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is now in its third season with hybrid powertrain technology. Each campaign of the TOCA-run series’ electrified era has resembled a different stepping stone in the journey so far. Year one was about getting to grips with the 48V system, year two exposed some of the sporting shortcomings, and year three is now about making improvements. The headline change for 2024 is an increase in boost from the hybrid powertrain, which consists of a Cosworth hybrid system, Xtrac gearbox, Owen Developments turbo and an engine of the competitor’s choice. Through upping the turbo, the amount of power available to each driver at the push of a button, for up to 15 seconds per lap, has doubled to around 60bhp. This…

Full steam ahead for H24 The ACO’s bid to introduce hydrogen technology will take a step forward ahead of this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans when two cars featuring different technologies will complete demonstration laps ahead of the 6 Hours of Spa in May. The H24, which has been developed through the ACO and was demonstrated at Spa in 2023, will be joined by Alpine’s Alpenglow, which is powered by a combustion engine using hydrogen as fuel. The ACO originally planned to run only a fuel cell in its top-tier class, but combustion engine technology is evolving so quickly that the organisation decided to adapt its regulations to reflect that. The current plan is to introduce a hydrogen class at Le Mans in 2027, and the…

FORMULA 1 – SAUBER C44 After five seasons racing exclusively under the Alfa Romeo banner, the famous Sauber name returned to the Formula 1 grid this year with a bright new colour scheme under the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber moniker. This exercise is set to last two seasons as Sauber bridges the gap between Alfa Romeo’s involvement and Audi’s full takeover of the Swiss team for a factory effort in 2026. However, Sauber doesn’t want to simply tread water during the transition. The team adjusted its car design philosophy last year and is determined to make that work as it seeks to rise through the midfield. It also has a chance to set the table ahead of Audi’s highly anticipated entry into the series. Considering the level of investment…

INSIGHT – SPORTING TRIALS In 1997, the McLaren Formula 1 team came up with a very clever tweak indeed. It involved an extra brake pedal, which acted on one rear wheel only with the purpose of reducing understeer mid-corner by inducing oversteer via ‘brake steer’. Which wheel was braked depended on whether there were predominately right or left turns at a circuit. It was a secret mod’ that was rumbled by an eagle-eyed photographer, Darren Heath, who spotted brake discs glowing at unusual points in a corner, and then managed to snap a shot of the extra pedal on a McLaren that had retired from a race. Thanks to Ross Brawn, then Ferrari technical boss, this was subsequently called a ‘fiddle brake’ throughout the F1 paddock. By calling it a…

Formula E continues to be labelled ‘too quiet’ and ‘not fast enough’ to be deemed ‘proper’ racing. Yet the on-track action is more competitive than most championships, while the engineering behind the scenes is arguably more challenging and technically relevant to today’s automotive sector than the likes of Formula 1. Not convinced? Please read on. From the outset, the format of Formula E has been carefully orchestrated to prioritise the efficient use of energy from the battery. Throughout its nine seasons, and three generations of cars, the regulations have continued to limit the amount of energy available during a race, forcing teams to use the available energy as efficiently as possible to reach the finish line. Ideally first. Although this doesn’t sound particularly thrilling on the face of it, it…

This is the first time any manufacturer has opted to use a front-wheel drive, five-door hatchback as the basis for its GT500 challenger After a decade of racing GT500 cars based upon the second-generation NSX, Honda has elected to make a major shift for the 2024 season by introducing the all-new Civic Type R-GT in a bid to win the top class Super GT title for the first time since 2020. It marks the first time any manufacturer has opted to use a front-wheel drive, five-door hatchback as the basis for its GT500 challenger, and certainly marks a major departure from the NSX-GT that had become such an icon of the series. Although the NSX is no longer sold, no doubt there are many fans who would have been happy…

Stepping into the Riley shop, I am immediately struck by a bright red Kar-Kraft Mk IV, a continuation car identical to the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Ford. It’s the latest project coming out of Riley Technologies of Mooresville, North Carolina. Next to it sits a Riley & Scott Mk III in for a refresh. Its spot was previously held by a Ford Mustang GTP. These are all winning cars from designer Bob Riley’s long career, but form just a small part of what goes on at the business today. Riley has never been one to dwell on what went before, or past glories. Instead he prefers to think about the future. And so, we meet in Mooresville to take a close look at Riley Technologies’ latest Trans Am…

What is the future for motorsport powertrains? The answer is not simple and, over the next decade, there will undoubtedly be some false starts and missed deadlines, but all in the name of progress. Electrification, though it has its place, will not answer every series’ needs. Formula E will keep doing its thing, and other series, particularly those that use touring car base models, will probably move that way as well. For others, electrification is simply not viable. Formula 1 and sportscars, for example, are all likely to keep internal combustion engines until at least the end of the decade, albeit with a hybrid element. Though, as was announced recently, the FIA World Rally Championship has dropped its expensive and problem-prone hybrid system; new powertrain rules beyond the current homologation…