Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Racecar Engineering

Hydrogen is an abundant element when it comes to fuelling propulsion. Its potential to replace liquid fuels in internal combustion engines is an exciting prospect for many car makers, and the drivers for its implementation in that regime are vast. However, there is another significant opportunity for hydrogen in vehicle propulsion in the form of hydrogen fuel cell electric power. A team of TU Delft technical department students and several engineers external to the university have designed, built, and raced a hydrogen fuel cell electric-powered prototype to demonstrate the possibilities for hydrogen in motorsports, mobility and more. The team, called Forze Hydrogen Racing, was set up to accelerate the marketing, activation and visibility of hydrogen and the technology inside fuel cell cars. The result is a collaboration of academic programmes…

The year 1935 provided an excellent grand prix season, the best that Mercedes-Benz enjoyed against strong and varied opposition in year two of the new 750kg GP formula. In its second season, the W25 was fully proven and raced as part of a group that was at last operating as a team, driven by two absolute aces in Rudy Caracciola and Luigi Fagioli. Caught napping by the Germans, who had been quicker to see the potential of the new rules, Alfa Romeo and Maserati introduced new and faster cars in 1935 that threatened to be sterner rivals in 1936. And the meteoric Bernd Rosemeyer was displaying uncommon skill at the wheel of his Auto Union. Major changes in the Mercedes-Benz equipment for the formula’s third year were clearly needed. For…

NEWS Geely Group Motorsport recently launched the new generation of its Lynk & Co Touring Car Racing (TCR) car, based on the refreshed 03 road car that was unveiled late in 2022. The car has been engineered and constructed by Geely Group Motorsport and its subcontractors and features a re-designed front and rear, having been adapted for the hybrid system that will be implemented by the series in 2024. Built to comply with all the latest FIA safety standards, including a new crash structure and rollcage, as well as an extrication hatch in the roof, the first cars will be delivered to Cyan Racing for the TCR World Tour programme, priced at €148,000 (approx. $160,000), as per the TCR cost cap regulations.…

Ford’s Mustang GT3 took to the track for the first time at Sebring in March, the initial step on its way to competition next year. The car, developed by Ford’s long-term partner in both production and racing, Multimatic, will be eligible to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar series, as well as ACO and SRO-sanctioned events. The Mustang proved to be controversial when it was first announced in that there was doubt cast over whether or not enough customer versions would be made available to fulfil the regulations. At the initial announcement at Daytona in 2022, there was no confirmation of a racing programme beyond the US, with only a two-car, factory-backed team and ‘customer Mustang racecars for the GTD class’ mentioned. However, since then, Ford has reassured regulators it…

F1 – 2023 ROUND-UP While the 2022-’23 regulations remained largely stable, there are four major changes: floor edges raised by 15mm; diffuser throat height raised; diffuser edge stiffness increased and and an additional sensor to monitor porpoising ‘Formula 1 cars all look the same. Paint each of them the same shade of white and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference…’ is a criticism often heard of the sport’s design direction. While perception is in the eye of the beholder, the overriding question is whether this is fact or fiction. While a case could be made that the previous generation of ‘top-down aerodynamics’ F1 cars shared numerous common design elements, there is absolutely no doubt the pace-setting Red Bulls are as different from the Mercedes W14 as it is…

Regular IMSA race fans will be familiar with the diminutive Global MX-5 Cup car, and the consistent entertainment it has provided for the better part of the last decade. While the Mazda MX-5 has always been synonymous with simplicity, developing the racing version of the fourth-generation MX-5 (chassis code ND) was an exacting engineering feat for four companies with an interesting set of compromises to consider. The four were tasked with building an exciting, competitive, professional-level racecar that had to be approachable for racers of all abilities, cost effective and extremely reliable. From the start, Mazda wanted a homologated car capable of running in multiple different professional and club categories around the world. This globally recognisable platform had to be synonymous with parity and accessibility. Since Mazda wanted the Global…

Michael Shank Racing, winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona for Acura, has been penalised for cheating, after being exposed for writing software code to send false tyre pressure information back to the series’ engineering team. The team has been allowed to keep its Daytona win (and the Rolex watches awarded to the winning drivers), but has been deducted points in both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ title standings, as well as receiving a fine of $50,000. Shank himself has been placed on probation until 30 June 2023. IMSA has strict limits on minimum tyre pressures and maximum camber angles in order to protect the Michelin tyres as teams have in the past run settings that have led to tyre failures. The governing body monitors those limits using live TPMS data,…

INDYCAR – SIMULATION IndyCar is sometimes referred to as America’s Formula 1. It is fast, open-wheel, open-cockpit and high-downforce racing, driven by underbody aero and front and rear wings. It races with a familiar format, but is a very different championship, with an equally exciting journey. In the late 1990s, the series raced under CART using Champ Cars. This was a relatively prosperous period for open-wheel racing in North America, with lots of sponsorship available and high viewing numbers. Technological development in that period was fast, using cutting edge wind tunnels, shaker rigs and all the other R&D techniques you might expect from top-level racing. Towards the end of the ’90s, however, the Indy Racing League (IRL) broke off from CART and two separate racing championships were formed. Viewing numbers…

OVAL RACING – AUTOGRASS Forgive the pun, but it doesn’t get more grassroots than Autograss. This is motorsport at its most accessible, with a wide range of classes to suit every budget and plenty of meetings taking place across the length and breadth of the UK. But just because it’s easy to become involved doesn’t mean it’s simple to succeed, as the racing is ferociously competitive, while there’s also a peculiar technical challenge that would test the skills of any racecar engineer – which is largely about nailing the starts… made on slippery, loose surfaces. But before we get to the starts, let’s go back to the start. Autograss grew out of ‘Jalopy Racing’ in the 1960s – basically oval track racing in farmers’ fields. Then, in the 1970s, the…

TECHNOLOGY – HYBRID AND EV MANAGEMENT Any energy management strategy must take into account not just the technical limits of how much energy you have to use, but also those imposed by the sporting regulations of a given series Racing has always been about energy management, but in recent years it has become a sporting focal point of many series, not to mention a useful marketing hook in these environmentally conscious times. Whether it is Formula 1, Formula E or the WRC, understanding energy flows within a racecar are critical to success. Ruaraidh McDonald-Walker’s career has spanned the who’s who of the cutting-edge powertrain development world, starting out at Cosworth before stints at Integral Powertrain (now Helix), then as development lead on KERS and ERS development at what is currently…

The three-year deal to supply Formula 1 with tyres for the 2025 season has been opened to tender by the FIA, with targets largely unchanged from the existing regulation set. The sole tyre supply deal also applies to Formula 2 and Formula 3, although the technical specifications for these series have yet to be defined. Pirelli won the contract to supply Formula 1 in 2011, and since then has established a series of compounds to suit the needs of the heavy GP cars on aggressive track surfaces. Teams also have to run more than one compound during the race, forcing them to make pit stops. ‘The targets set out in the tender will remain largely unchanged, with key characteristics remaining similar to the tyres currently in use,’ says the FIA.…

Team JOTA has unveiled its new Hertz Racing Gold livery for the Porsche 963, which will race at Le Mans and the remaining rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship this season. The team will take delivery of the car early in April, race it for the first time at Spa at the end of that month and then head to Le Mans in June. Sources at Team JOTA say it does not expect to challenge Porsche Penske Motorsport this season, but wants to accumulate race mileage ahead of a full assault next year.…