Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i Racecar Engineering

That the field would close up in the final stages has been the hope since the early days of the latest Formula 1 rules cycle, which arrived in 2022 off the back of a cracker in 2021 and is now approaching its conclusion. After two seasons of Red Bull dominance, patient F1 fans were rewarded with a fierce battle for the constructors’ title last year. McLaren overcame Red Bull to win its first championship in 26 years, while Ferrari also chimed in on the battle. Mercedes won races, too. Between that trio, seven different drivers stood atop the podium in one exciting season. The 2025 campaign therefore has a lot to live up to, but logic dictates it has a good chance of providing a nail-biting finish the fans, and…

The 2024 season was a broadly successful one for Matt Stone Racing (MSR) in the Australian Supercars Championship. With two wins added to its tally, MSR finished seventh in the teams’ standings, an improvement from 10th place the year before. In RE V34N2, we visited MSR to witness first hand how a team approaches the jewel in the Supercars crown, the Bathurst 1000. MSR has competed at Bathurst once more since then, earning a second consecutive top 10 finish with one of its Chevrolet Camaros. However, for all its greatness, Bathurst is just one stop on the 13-round championship schedule, which stretches from February to the end of November. Consequently, preparing for the full campaign represents a totally different challenge to suiting up for one very particular endurance race, with…

Polaris has a long history of racing, dating back to its snowmobile efforts in the 1960s and ’70s Those paying attention to this year’s Dakar Rally will have noticed that, on some stages, the factory-backed cars in the T1 class would be overhauled by pint-sized buggies, tearing past the lumbering beasts as they exploited their greater agility. Those were the SxS class, otherwise known as Side-by-Sides or UTVs (utility terrain vehicles). This is a relatively new addition to the Dakar, introduced in 2017 on the back of an explosion in popularity for such vehicles with both recreational and competition users. Readers in the United States will be far more familiar with the SxS concept, though it is becoming increasingly common in Europe, providing exceptional off-road performance in a more compact…

Its name is steeped in Norse mythology. The Valkyries were believed to decide who should live and who should die on the battlefield. They were also beings that transported the fallen to Valhalla, where warriors would fight during the day and feast all night. Perhaps appropriate, then, that Aston Martin’s Valkyrie should carry the name forward into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Originally scheduled to race for the first time in January 2025, at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the LMH-spec Valkyrie’s first competitive steps were not taken until late February, when two cars made their long-awaited debut at the FIA World Endurance Championship season opener in Qatar. Aston Martin is the third constructor to race a non-hybrid LMH car in the WEC, after Glickenhaus and ByKolles, neither of…

Currently, there are only two Formula 1 teams without boots on the ground in Motorsport Valley, the colloquial region of central England with the highest concentration of motorsport engineering facilities and talent. The majority are either based there entirely, such as Williams and Aston Martin, or have satellite offices, such as Racing Bulls, which in addition to its Italian headquarters operates an aerodynamics outpost in Milton Keynes. However, later this year, Ferrari will be the only European squad without a British link because the other one is opening a new technical facility aimed at harnessing the many benefits Motorsport Valley has to offer. Sauber has been situated in Hinwil, a small town east of Switzerland’s largest city, Zürich, for more than 50 years. Its footprint in central Europe has expanded…

Where does the water go after we flush the loo, or have a shower? Most of us give it no thought because such mundane, daily actions are taken care of by a complex sewerage infrastructure. Literally, out of sight, out of mind. In basic terms, waste water is funnelled via pipes to a treatment plant where contaminants are removed. The treated effluent is then returned to the water cycle, usually deposited into rivers. But what if flushing the loo could also be the catalyst for generating fuel for power? Maybe even the kind that could be used to run a racecar. A team from Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the University of Warwick’s research arm for collaboration with wider industry, is investigating just that potential. Its students and researchers are building…

Once upon a time, in the early years of motorsport, success was largely dictated by who had the fastest car. Outright performance was king, and engineering innovation was the primary differentiator. However, as technological advancements escalated, the pursuit of speed became an increasingly expensive game. The rising cost of competitiveness began to erode the sport’s accessibility, concentrating success into the hands of manufacturers with deep pockets and gradually edging the privateers out. The levels of technology reached are great for the engineers working in it, but not necessarily for the health of the competition. The FIA World Endurance Championship’s late LMP1 hybrid category stands as a prime example of this unsustainable escalation, with only manufacturers entering and budgets of around €500 million. To counteract such runaway costs, modern motorsport introduced…

The first two NASCAR electric prototypes have been revealed, following on from the series’ own CUV-shaped demonstrator in 2024. Ford revealed its new Mustang-Mach E demonstrator at the end of January, while Chevrolet introduced its Blazer EV.R in February. Both vehicles are intended to showcase their respective company’s electric technology as NASCAR continues to explore greener options. ‘While we will continue to race our proven and winning V8 technology in NASCAR for years to come, we continually look for ways to improve the combination of power, durability and efficiency to transfer learnings from racetrack to the showroom,’ says Eric Warren, executive director, global motorsports competition at General Motors, ‘especially as we bolster Chevy’s consumer EV line up.’ GM’s prototype Blazer is built on the NASCAR Gen 7 platform and is…

The FIA World Endurance Championship has updated its Balance of Performance (BoP) system with what it says is a more precise and detailed set of regulations. The work is done jointly between the FIA and the ACO, relying heavily on algorithms and AI. Responding to requests for increased transparency, selected details are then shared with the Hypercar manufacturers, but the organisers still keep certain data hidden to prevent anybody from playing the system. Underlying the balancing act is the need to give all competitors the chance to win, while preventing them from pouring unnecessary money into development. The latter is relatively straightforward – any evolution made to a car leads to a penalty in the system for a number of races. The former is the controversial element of the process.…

‘A lot of the decisions on configuration of things… are made from several years of trial and error; kind of brute force working through it in nature’ Cliff Daniels, crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports The process of assembling a NASCAR Cup Series car has changed in recent years as teams have moved from fabricating their own chassis to using the Dallara-designed, modular Gen 7 platform. Even though they operate in a much smaller box these days, successful teams still find creative ways to make speed. Racecar sat down with Cliff Daniels, crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports, to find out how the team builds a car to contest the Daytona 500. Hendrick is the most successful team in Cup Series history, with over 300 wins and 14 drivers’ championships…

When the TOCA governing body started its search for a replacement for the Ginetta Junior Championship, which left the British Touring Car Championship’s (BTCC) support package two seasons ago, three things stood high on its list of requirements. First, the new series should provide the frantic action that made the Ginettas so popular with spectators. Second, the car should be a recognisable touring car-style shape. Third, it should be designed from the ground up to suit drivers as young as 14 who might become future BTCC stars. The concept that fulfilled this brief best was the Chevron B1417. The ‘B’ is a nod to the traditional naming convention of the revived Chevron marque (see box out on p44), and ‘1417’ denotes the 14-17 age range of drivers classed as Juniors.…

Motorsport is currently enjoying something of a boom in manufacturer involvement. Following technical regulation changes, road car companies have seen value in what racing at the highest levels can bring to their marketing. Having been on its knees five years ago, the FIA World Endurance Championship now has eight manufacturers in Hypercar, with more waiting in the wings. Formula 1’s new rules for 2026 have tempted Audi and Cadillac to join as teams, and Ford as a partner to Red Bull’s power unit company. The FIA Formula E World Championship continues to serve the electric sphere well with seven OEMs on board, five of which have already signed up for the next Gen 4 era. It’s not just circuit racing either. The FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, whose season kicks off…

Tatuus is planning to introduce a second-generation Formula Regional chassis next year. The Tatuus T-326 is set to replace the T-318, which has been active in various junior series around the world since 2018. The new car will be powered by a 1.6-litre, three-cylinder Toyota engine developed by Autotecnica Motori in Italy. It will produce 270bhp and up to 360Nm of torque. According to Tatuus, the T-326 represents a ‘natural evolution’ of its predecessor and aims to ‘improve and refine the driving experience.’ The aerodynamics package has been updated with a profile aimed at reducing wake to make it easier for cars to follow each other. The car has also been made lighter and comes with revised suspension and steering systems. Its usage next year, and final technical figures, are…