Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Racecar Engineering

Ethics does not inform you about the stresses in a wishbone The way different senses blend to create your consciousness is known as the ‘hard problem’ in neuroscience. Thus what you see, hear and infer from the life around you is said to colour your attitude and behaviour. So it would not be illogical to conclude that work environments will ipso facto have some defining characteristics created by the thought processes and culture of the participants. Diversity in a work environment breeds ideas by the interchange of different cultures or ways of life, but one thing that stands out is that we are all theoretically working to the same rules. And when anyone says `theoretically,’ they really mean `not really’, for different departments are working to different agendas. The design…

If Alternative Engine cars are too slow which teams would want to run them? Since the FIA invited ‘Expressions of Interest’ from engine suppliers concerning a so-called ‘Alternative Engine’ for F1, commencing 2017, the concept has been voted down by the F1 Commission. Nonetheless, Formula 1 czar Bernie Ecclestone has declared that it is not dead. And with him having been given, along with Jean Todt, a subsequent mandate by the World Motor Sport Council to propose ‘changes for the good of F1, it seems that the idea could be back on the table under this guise. The last time an equivalency formula was part of the engine regulations in F1 was in the 1980s, (apart from 2006, when – with special dispensation – Toro Rosso ran a restricted 3-litre…

The Gusto business was started in 2005 in Beijing by Alex Hui, initially providing aftermarket road car parts before a love of racing took over. In 2008 Hui started to sell racing brakes and accessories from Ferodo to friends, and from there built up a company that in 2014 had a turnover of more than €8m. ‘I question whether or not something is working or not. Or, if it is perfect, I want to find out why,’ says Hui. ‘I learned, and [provided] technical support for the customer teams. Then I started to build more relationship with European engineers, and now we can do a complete car. ‘In 2010 we bought two [WTCC spec] Lacettis from RML and ran them in local championships with Teamwork [a team that is closely…

As a prelude to an upcoming new mini-series on a current GT car, we’ve been rummaging through the Aerobytes archives, comparing GT cars we have tested previously in the MIRA full-scale wind tunnel. International and national GT category names and numbers have fluctuated over the years, and the technical regulations never stand entirely still for long. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to look back at the responses to devices, and to adjustments that we have made, to see what makes these cars tick, aerodynamically speaking. Nissan 350Z Our first foray into GT aerodynamics was almost a decade ago when we examined the RJN Motorsport Nissan 350Z that was being developed for what was then called GT2. Our feature in the June 2006 (V17N6) issue looked at the fundamental challenge that arose with…

Dynamic Flow Solutions Ltd is an aerodynamics consultancy led by director Miqdad Ali, an ex-MIRA aerodynamicist who has performed design, development, simulation and test work at all levels of professional motorsport, from junior formula cars to World and British touring cars, Le Mans prototypes, up through to F1 and Land Speed Record cars. Contact: miqdad.ali@dynamic-flow.co.uk web: www.dynamic-flow.co.uk…

Extra Audi GT3s Audi has made a commitment to ramp up production of its new R8 GT3 in order to meet demand, and is now planning on delivering over 50 of the V10 cars to customers by the beginning of the 2016 season. Audi will not put an exact figure on the amount of GT3s it will now produce, but the original plan was for 45. The first two customer R8 LMS GT3s competed in the GT World Cup in Macau, entered by Audi Hong Kong and the Absolute Racing teams. The official Audi entries for the World Cup in Macau, from Phoenix and WRT, were factory development cars. The new R8 retails at €359,000, plus taxes.…

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt have been handed the power to make final decisions on many of the key issues to do with Formula 1’s future. The move, which was decided at the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in December, comes in the wake of mounting criticism over the effectiveness of the F1 Strategy Group. The Strategy Group is made up of six of the 10 teams – Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Force India – plus Ecclestone and Todt. With little progress on some of the problems facing Formula 1 throughout 2015 the WMSC has now tasked Todt and Ecclestone with taking the lead on several key decisions. In a statement the WMSC said the mandate was approved ‘by a near unanimous…

It is only recently that a dedicated company has specifically handled commercial projects Williams is a name synonymous with F1 success. The team secured nine constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships between 1980 and 1997. In the past decade, however, another arm of the Williams group has also been making headlines: Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE). Throughout its history, Williams has been involved in projects outside of F1, but it is only in recent years that a dedicated company has specifically handled bespoke commercial projects. Craig Wilson, managing director of WAE explains. ‘It commenced with the development of the flywheel energy storage device, which was named under Williams Hybrid Power. That device was not able to be used in F1, but we continued to develop it, because we saw potential in…

BILSTEIN Bilstein will be demonstrating its motorsport and tuning proficiency to the public and the industry in Hall 20, where it will be showing products and spectacular show cars. OHLINS Ohlins’ updated motorsport range for both racing and rally will be on display, complete with an updated TTX46 racing shock absorber. An upgraded shock absorber kit for the Polaris RZR will also be launched. This new kit comes with the Ohlins ORQ 16/46 shock at the front and the large ORQ 18/50 shock for the rear. TRELLEBORG An innovative seal material designed to accelerate performance in motorsport is to be showcased at Autosport International. The material is Turcon M12, from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based sealing material. ‘It is medium-filled with a complex mix of non-abrasive mineral fibres…

Whatever your thoughts about a motorsport series without human drivers involved, this is a technically intriguing prospect John Lasseter directed a Pixar film about autonomous motor racing in 2006, called: Cars. No humans were involved in the races, with the cars being transported by autonomous trucks, and serviced by Luigi, the tyre-changing forklift. Okay, the vehicles all had human personalities, but they did not have two arms or two legs. The film brought in $10bn over the five years after its release. If one is picky, there were not any actual cars or tracks involved, but who really needs them with an autonomous racing contest? Just a screen and a computer will do. Yet according to a recent announcement by Formula E and Kinetik, from the start of the 2016-2017…

His car got launched into the air, spun around, and landed flat while travelling backwards Question A fellow Locost [Caterham 7 type sportscar] driver had a relatively minor incident caused by chassis bracket failure on a road course where he ended up with a severe back injury. I am hoping you might be able to shed some light into a safer way to mount seats, or to cushion the impact to the driver in an incident where the chassis impacts the ground first. Foam? Collapsible brackets? I’ve looked into a lot of information, but I’ve only really only come up with preventing compression injuries in front end impacts. I’ve read an account of a crash at Texas Motor Speedway where, due to a suspension failure caused by hitting a pothole,…

Well-known motorsport fire suppression system manufacturer Lifeline has set up an arm in the United States to market its products in North America. The new operation is to be called Lifeline USA and it has been initiated as a result of a partnership with James Clay, a race team owner and driver and also the founder of BimmerWorld, the motorsport parts company specialising in BMW. Lifeline USA will be based in Dublin, Virginia, from where it will service and refill the entire range of Lifeline fire suppression systems. While initially the company will focus on selling to the road racing market, there are plans to develop dedicated oval track and drag race systems. Clay said: ‘I am very much looking forward to bringing the existing Lifeline products to the market,…

We are in the public eye very much with the motorsport programmes and we can deliver obvious success and good news In motorsport you need to expect the unexpected. In rallying even more so – from kangaroos in the road to snow storms. But you might have forgiven VW Motorsport director Jost Capito for relaxing just a little in September as his Polo equipped team closed in on its third world title. Then the storm hit, and VW’s rosy world changed forever in what even Capito refers to as ‘Diesel Gate’, the scandal in which Volkswagen was found to have fiddled its road car emissions tests in the US. It’s no secret that it’s hit the VW Group very hard indeed, and motorsport has not escaped, with both the Porsche…

NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, Robin Pemberton, has left the organisation and former team boss Scott Miller has stepped in to fill the high profile position. Pemberton joined NASCAR in August of 2004. Since then he has overseen all areas of NASCAR competition and been credited as a key figure when it comes to bridging the gap between the sanctioning body and the racing community. Miller will now take on Pemberton’s role and will be responsible for managing all competition efforts related to technology, inspection, rule development and officiating. He will report directly to executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell, and work closely with senior vice president of Innovation and Racing Development, Gene Stefanyshyn. All three are based at NASCAR’s Research & Development Centre in…

The launch of the ‘Roborace’ series in support of Formula E set the alarm bells ringing, and it was hard to stop them. Autonomous vehicles driving around for an hour is not my idea of a fun race to watch, unless there are imperfections deliberately built in. With no driver on board the safety margins are so different that perhaps it could be the modern day banger racing with the only safety concern being the spectators. The cars could be made out of tin foil. Or they could have cannons on them, with three shots per race to blow up the car in front. This idea suddenly could make sense – it’s entertainment rather than racing. Perhaps the spectators could fire the cannons by app? One of the major problems…

Communication with your driver is fundamental to understanding what is happening behind the steering wheel and under the bonnet, particularly if telemetry isn’t available during an outing, as you are totally reliant upon the driver to relay any irregular performance with the vehicle. Visual aids such as displays and LEDs allow the driver to quickly understand what is happening in the car and make changes to his/her driving style to compensate for this while also allowing them to feedback any vital information to the pits. Displays are now so advanced that it is very easy to over-complicate matters and get carried away with their features. Data from the vehicle can be displayed in a manner of different ways which we will now look over with a few examples to make…

One of the most common questions that I get regarding simulation is this: ‘What happens when I don’t have tyre data or I have serious doubts about the tyre data I have been given?’ It’s an important question, too, because if your base model is way off it can take a lot of time to get yourself back on track. Fortunately the fix for this is actually pretty simple and its basis comes as a spin off of using a second order curve fit of the traction circle radius vs load characteristic. If you can combine this with some baseline simulated or actual data, not only can you get a really good start point but you’ll also get a good idea of set-up sensitivities. This technique is something I’ve been…

Races for cars without drivers, or autonomous vehicles, are to be included on the support race package from the start of Formula E’s season three – which runs from the autumn of 2016 and in to 2017. Kinetik, which describes itself as an investment company specialising in emerging technologies, has gone into partnership with FE to run the series, races for which will be held on the same tracks used by the Formula E electric racecars. The series is to be called Roborace. The races are to last an hour, and in common with Formula E each team will use two cars per race – there are to be 10 teams in all. The cars themselves will be identical, but there is to be some scope for engineering creativity as…

US fuel company and iconic motorsport sponsor Sunoco has won the prestigious 2015 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award for its efforts in using the US stockcar platform to publicise its brand. Sunoco, which is the official fuel of NASCAR, has been involved in the sport since 2004. It impressed NASCAR with its efforts off the circuit as much as its fuel supply at the track: ‘Sunoco utilised an integrated marketing approach to engage fans, customers and employees through promotions, B2B, digital, broadcast, event marketing and social media,’ NASCAR said. Steve Phelps, NASCAR chief marketing officer, said: ‘For the past 12 years Sunoco has been synonymous with high performance both on and off the track. Delivering a creative multi-channel marketing campaign that produced engaging content and drove positive business results made Sunoco…

The sooner we wake up to the business opportunities in entertainment, the better the motorsport industry is going to be It was interesting, while visiting the PRI show in December, to see the diversity of motorsport, and the willingness to accept new motorsport in the US marketplace is really refreshing. Take the off-road scene, where you can either go point to point and destroy your car over 1000 miles driving flat out with unlimited technology, and that is entertainment. Or, you can do ‘Best in the Desert’ and go round in circles and 58,000 people will watch you doing it. That’s entertaining. And new motorsport brings new fans. We have clearly found another group of people who love motorsport, have suddenly found that Formula E, delivered to a street in…