Innehållsförteckning för October 2017 från Racecar Engineering

I have been involved in top level endurance racing since my first visit to Le Mans in 1983, and in more recent times I was a part of the Technical Working Group for the WEC, in my capacity as a representative of one of the manufacturers, the now-departed Nissan. So I have some insight into what has been happening lately. But first, a little historical context is needed. In the 1980s endurance racing was strong and well, but it collapsed as F1 defended its territory and squeezed it down, with Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley in the forefront of these moves. The time line is quite damning, and it followed closely, in character, the previous collapse in the early ’70s, when the ACO, concerned that the big 5-litre Porsche 917s…

 Engine dynamometer testing, detailed surface measurements and used oil analysis results all confirm the Driven system of lubricants reduces wear by 62%. Driven also provides 2% more horsepower and lowers temperatures by 6 degrees compared to traditional, high zinc racing oils. Developed for and used by NASCAR champions, Driven Racing Oil provides bespoke products proven to outperform standard synthetic oils and even "high zinc" racing oils. Trusted by professional racing teams around the world for more than a decade, Driven delivers protection and performance you can count on. CAMSHAFT WEAR REDUCTION Camshaft wear is measured in microns, and the human eye can only see down to 40 microns. As a result, two camshafts can “look good” but differ in wear by as much as 62%. Because the total amount of…

CORRESPONDENT I read your article on independent rear suspension for dirt track racing in a recent edition of Racecar (V27N7). We run a mid-engined rear-wheel drive rally car in gravel hillclimbs and sprints. The original car was written off and we are in the process of designing a replacement. We have always suffered from excessive wheelspin so are trying to come up with a better rear suspension set-up. Our first car had the rear suspension as per early Subaru WRX – two parallel arms and a forward link with MacPherson strut. We are looking to improve the rear suspension from a traction point of view only. Everything else works really well, but we suffer from excessive wheelspin. We have good struts and have tried various roll centre adjustments etc. We…

‘You need constant evolution, because it is like we are on a bicycle; you stop and you fall over’ If one thing characterises international sportscar racing at the present time it is change. The WEC is in a state of flux, with a question mark over LMP1 after the withdrawal of Audi and now the decision of Porsche to also quit, while there seems to have been a shift in focus, too, with many teams and manufacturers looking to the United States for their sportscar futures. Yet amidst all this turmoil and upheaval, one thing remains the same: Stephane Ratel and his myriad GT series are still going strong. That’s not to say Ratel and the SRO operation he founded 25 years ago are resting on their laurels, though, and…

While governments around the world continue to legislate on moves away from the internal combustion engine and into the domain of electric, a major OE supplier has indicated that German carmakers are likely to stop developing new combustion engines in six years as they focus on electric cars. Meanwhile, manufacturers are flocking like sheep to Formula E, for no apparent logic other than it has the magic word ‘electric’ attached to it and some vague notion that it will advance this form of propulsion. Strangely enough, I think that this all offers a positive opportunity for Formula 1. Clearly there is potential for confusion and some poor decision-making regarding a subject – air pollution from vehicle emissions – that has been around for a long time but on which attention…

The first Formula Student winner of the UK competition, which was celebrating its 20th edition this year, was crowned after Cardiff University narrowly beat the University of Birmingham. The team from Wales overcame an initial scare, when it failed to make the design final, to achieve strong scores in the cost and presentation events while topping the Sprint dynamic event with a maximum score of 150 points. Yet while that was welcome, there was a different atmosphere surrounding the 2017 edition, and it was noticeable when walking into the paddock for the first time how many empty garages there were compared to 2016. The paddock was decidedly empty by comparison to previous highly successful years. There was good reason for this, though, as Formula Student UK was hit this year…

The University of Hertfordshire’s UH Racing team took top honours in this year’s Class 1 Design event with it 2017 challenger, the UH20. An upgrade from last year’s Herts Formula Student entry, the team kept the same Honda CBR 500R engine that was introduced in 2016, along with its custom sump. The big difference for this year, however, is a turbocharger. By turbocharging the UH20 Hertfordshire has upped its power to approximately 80bhp, a hefty increase that equates to a power to weight figure of 400bhp. Having traditionally always run pushrod and pullrod suspension set-ups, UH Racing took a different approach to this year’s car and made the switch to direct damping, taking out all of the compliance and effectively going back to basics for increased performance. ‘It sounds a…

The goal of any simulator is to provide a realistic driving environment, where the driver is fully engaged with every aspect of the motion platform. This engagement does not come from replicating the racecar’s physical movement to stimulate muscle memory, but from the mental engagement of the driver with the sim. This is achieved through convincing the complex coordinated cues of the driver’s vestibular system, which in turn tricks the driver’s mind into thinking they are driving a real racecar. The human vestibular system is the labyrinth found within the inner ear and perceives and processes our sense of balance and spatial orientation. It is essentially a miniature organic gyroscope which is made up of three semi-circular canals and the vestibule. Linear accelerations in the x, y and z axes…

Lowering the whole racecar by 15mm decreased total downforce, despite a front downforce increase, and decreased drag The latest variant of the DJ Firestorm uses the compact, lightweight 2.5-litre V6 Cosworth KF ex-DTM engine to help give it nimble handling. But with a power deficit to the competition, aerodynamic efficiency is important and, along with the usual quest for a good aero balance, this was part of our focus in the MIRA full-scale wind tunnel. In baseline configuration the car appeared to have a somewhat rear-biased aero balance but by the end of the session various means of refining the balance had been established, and the session’s best figures showed good progress. Balanced set-ups at other downforce levels could also be divined from the data and trends that were recorded,…

Harry Scott Jr, a team owner in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2013 until 2016, has passed away. Scott started in NASCAR as a co-owner of Turner Scott Motorsports with Steve Turner in 2013, the operation entering cars in the Camping World Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Later that season Scott bought the assets of Phoenix Racing, a team competing in the NASCAR Cup, renaming it HScott Motorsports. The team closed its doors at the end of 2016. Matt Braid, the managing director of Australia’s premier motorsport series, Supercars, is to leave the organisation at the end of the 2017 season. His departure is said to be due to a change in his personal circumstances which means he is now unable to travel extensively. Professor Helen Atkinson has been…

There is a wealth of expertise on UK shores that will not simply dry up after Brexit The timetable for Brexit negotiations to conclude means that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union is scheduled to take place in just 18 months, at the time of writing. With long lead time pieces often being produced and developed in the UK, this means that time is running short for teams and manufacturers to make up their minds whether or not to commit to UK-based motorsport suppliers. Yet, as is well known, the majority of the F1 grid is based in the UK. That includes teams, suppliers and manufacturers that also have interests around the world. The LMP2 manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic deal with UK companies for the electronics,…

For over 40 years, racing teams and drivers from across the globe have turned to Goodridge for its highly-developed fluid transfer systems. Confirmed for the 2018 show, Goodridge provides a truly bespoke service, either via build-to-print or full service support, for a comprehensive range of fluid transfer applications. Manufacturing in 10 facilities globally and supplying customers around the world with a unique combination of design, innovation, reliability and outstanding service its state-of-the-art CNC machinery carries out the tube manipulation for the OEM, automotive, motorcycle, motorsport, defence and specialist industrial sectors. Find Goodridge on Stand E260 and for more about the products Goodridge has to offer then go to: goodridge.com It’s not without good reason that the majority of teams in top tier motorsport trust Eibach and its knowledge of race…

Since I wrote my column in the August edition of RE (V27N8), which predicted we shall shortly be buying transportation as a service provided by autonomous EVs and that the automobile and oil industries will have seriously contracted, both France and the UK have announced a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. I had suggested readers should make up their own minds what this might mean for motorsport, but then Mercedes withdrew from DTM and Porsche from the WEC, to put their resources into Formula E. That’s BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche in FE. But why is the internal combustion piston engine, which has dominated road transport for over one and a third centuries and has been developed and promoted through motorsport, suddenly be staring…

Formula Student is made up of 13 different organisations across the Globe, who each run their own competition in their respective country. To prepare students for the motorsport industry, teams are encouraged to take part in as many of these competitions as possible. However, to achieve this, teams need to be able to compete with the same car at these different competitions and therefore require consistent regulations. This is why the FSAE Rule Committee was initiated to generate an overall set of regulations and, aside from minor changes relating to the running of each competition, the technical requirements were to remain the same. This year, however, Formula Student Germany (FSG) issued a new set of regulations which included significant differences to the FSAE rules. One of the main changes relates…

 Databytes gives you essential insights to help you to improve your data analysis skills each month, as Cosworth’s electronics engineers share tips and tweaks learned from years of experience with data systems How does your system react when there is a failure on the CAN bus? Back in 2014 we explained a little bit about CAN, in terms of how you generate a CAN stream, what the IDs mean, gains and offsets, bits and bytes, etc. Back then a lot of the on-car systems were relatively simple and didn’t feature their own controllers. But as modern day racecars become more and more complex, many previously trivial ancillary components and systems on a car now have their own in-built controllers and strategies. Many of these then exhibit different behaviours and outputs…

The MIA Business Growth Conference, which 250 delegates attended at Sahara Force India before the British GP, was positive, motivating and exciting. It’s clear from the motorsport business leaders who spoke, and the delegates’ questions, that our industry is taking a positive approach to the challenges and opportunities being created at this time of relative uncertainty. Otmar Szafnauer, COO of the Force India F1 team, reminded us that as we survive and succeed in the world’s most highly competitive industry on a daily basis, so we are in a great position to take advantage of the opportunities being created. To hear the views of all the successful business leaders go to www.youtube.com/user/motorsportindustry. The exciting business of motorsport combines high performance engineering with sports entertainment delivered on a global stage. The…

Manufacturers in motor racing have to re-establish trust with their customers The last week of July gave a snapshot of the identity crisis that continues to surround motor racing, as Mercedes announced its withdrawal from the DTM, Porsche confirmed that it would leave the World Endurance Championship, and both opted for a presence in Formula E. Meanwhile, more than 60 cars run by customers, some with manufacturer support, started the Spa 24-hours. The leap into Formula E is not necessarily for manufacturers to advance their electric technology, although that will undoubtedly happen as currently restricted parts of the car are opened up for development. According to German magazine Sport Auto, in which Michael Steiner, member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Porsche AG, was interviewed, the majority…