Innehållsförteckning för November 2015 från Racecar Engineering

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrestled with reality, and posed the interesting example of reality perceived being by the shadow cast on the wall of the cave by the light of the flickering fire. True reality would be only grasped by leaving the cave and seeing the real world. One interpretation of the allegory of the cave is about human ignorance and a people who are unable or unwilling to seek truth and wisdom. But there was another philosopher that looked at the world another way, Aristotle, Plato’s chief disciple. Against Plato’s belief in mysterious entities called Forms, available only to the intellect and whose presence provides the foundation for all material beings, Aristotle eschewed the Forms for an empiricism that begins with particular material beings as the most real…

Motorsport is a dynamic environment, and as such, the ability to alter a car’s behaviour on-the-fly is essential to maintaining a competitive edge. The use of rotary calibration potentiometers (known as ‘Cal Pots’) allows instant alterations to an engine’s behaviour, meaning that the car can be optimised for changing conditions. Before exploring the functionality of the Cal Pot, the base engine calibrations must be understood. Most ECUs will provide a degree of flexibility for setting multiple fuel and spark maps (as well as others) in a single calibration file, and applying these calibration settings effectively can assist with optimising engine performance, driveability and reliability. Fig 1 shows the availability of four base calibration groups which provide multiple calibration maps for different engine functions. Knowing the engine behaviour induced by the…

John Surtees has always been thought of as an engineering sort of driver, and indeed rider. From his earliest days he’s been fascinated by things mechanical, which no doubt helped him as he went on to become world champion in both cars and bikes, and, he tells us: ‘If I hadn’t been a rider I would have developed a career in engineering’. Now he’s hoping that that love of engineering will rub off on some of today’s youngsters. But he’s not just talking about it; in typical Surtees style he’s doing something about it, starting up a new scheme to encourage young people into engineering through the Henry Surtees Foundation. The Foundation was set up by John Surtees (81) in the immediate aftermath of the death of his 18-year-old son,…

Grand prix winning team boss Guy Ligier has died at the age of 85. Ligier came to F1 at the relatively late age of 35 as a driver in 1966, but he had already found success in other sports – rugby and rowing – and business; his construction company played a large part in the building of the French autoroute network. As a driver Ligier raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1964 and achieved a best finish of sixth in Formula 1, at the 1967 German Grand Prix. With the death of his close friend Jo Schlesser in 1968 Ligier hung up his helmet to concentrate on building racecars – his cars always carried the type-number prefix ‘JS’ in honour of Schlesser. Ligier bought Matra Sports in 1974,…

Rapid TPM Software is a new user-friendly interface designed for turbocharged petrol engine add-on modules Rapid TPM is an advanced platform allowing professional tuners to manage and customize the setting parameters, to maximize the concept of ‘custom-tailored calibrations’. The software interface is conceived as an alternative to the tuning console and, indeed, it represents the evolution of the well-known tuning device. It allows you to: • Monitor and control the setting parameters that are displayed in both graphical and numerical mode • Easily perform real-time tuning via USB, both on the road and on the dynamometer • Download standard calibration pre-set by Rapid technicians (the ‘configuration’ number then appearing in application lists) • Download up-to-date firmware versions for applications already supported and for new applications. Rapid TPM Software is available…

Following Silverstone’s recent round of the World Series by Renault, there must be many people relieved to hear that Formula Renault 3.5 is to continue, despite being dropped by the French manufacturer after 11 years’ support and promotion. Jaime Alguersuari Snr’s company, RPM, will continue to promote and organise the championship in 2016, with only technical involvement from Renault. This news has, not surprisingly, been welcomed by the teams, given the investment in chassis, together with engine leases etc., that they have made. More than that, though, is that the formula has been a very successful one, with Sebastien Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz just some of the former FR3.5 stars currently driving in Formula 1. This makes Renault’s decision a little difficult to understand. Maybe it’s because of…

The latest rung on the endurance racing ladder, LMP3, became a reality this year, and the challenges of constructing cars to cost caps and weight limits were discussed in detail in our September issue (V25N9). The category also has its own aerodynamic limitations, with somewhat smaller diffuser volume than in LMP2 and a rear wing limited to a single element of 300mm maximum chord and 1600mm maximum span. Thus, although the front end package is not dissimilar to that of an LMP2 car, total downforce is obviously short of that produced in P2. Ginetta’s technical director, Ewan Baldry, commented that at the end of a CFD development programme carried out by TMG (Toyota Motorsport) in Cologne, Germany, the Ginetta was producing around 1050kg (10,400N) of downforce at 150mph. This would…

Cost saving is a concept that should be alien to motor racing, particularly in the engineering departments, yet today it sits at the very core of the sport. Expensive racing is that in which more money is paid out than is being recouped, or that the money being spent is not seen as good value. That value can be seen in a variety of ways: be it transfer of technology, good racing, or in the case of series such as the Blancpain Endurance Series, racing GT3 cars on great circuits. In Formula 1, Mercedes is clearly seeing the value and is comfortable with what it is achieving; Ferrari likewise, having closed the performance gap and increased its global brand value. Renault sees the value in competing, but has to change…

Five university engineering students from across the globe have been given the career opportunity of a lifetime as the winners of the 2015 Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy. Muhammad Zafar (20, from Saudi Arabia), Andre Plakhotnichenko (25, Russia), Daniel Sanham (24, UK), Zhang Zitong (22, China) and Alex Allmandinger (22, USA) were chosen after an intense international selection process. Each of the students will now receive a 12-month work placement split between the Red Bull Racing F1 team and Infiniti, complete with full salary. The winners have moved to England to work across a variety of roles spanning vehicle dynamics, vehicle design, aerodynamics and electronics. They will spend eight months at the Red Bull Racing factory and four months at Infiniti’s European Technical Centre. Now in its second year, this year’s…

Good view IndyCar has seen its TV viewing figures increase for the second year in a row. This season viewing numbers shot up by 16 per cent, and since the 2013 season IndyCar has increased average viewership by 38 per cent. For the year, combining NBCSN and ABC telecasts, IndyCar races averaged 1.1m viewers. That follows a 19 per cent viewership surge in 2014 over the previous year. Meanwhile, the season finale at Sonoma showed a 123 per cent increase in viewership over the 2014 race. R8 order book opens The new Audi R8 LMS is now available to customers. Audi is to build 45 of its second-generation R8 GT3 racers for customer sport and deliveries are set to begin at the end of October, ready for the 2016 season.…

Lydden Hill, the UK circuit chiefly known as a venue for rallycross, has unveiled plans for a redevelopment project at the Kent track. Lydden, which is Britain’s World Rallycross Championship venue and also in many ways the spiritual home of the sport, having staged the first event in 1967, has submitted a planning application to Dover District Council. The submission includes plans to build a part two-storey, part three-storey spectator hospitality building, two grandstands, and a two-storey building which will house competitor hospitality, administration and scrutineering facilities. The proposal also includes new two-storey engineering units and a site entrance building. It also suggests that an existing but unused entrance should now be used to help to ease the traffic flow on race days. Lydden, which is owned by multiple British…

Blair Julian, chief mechanic on Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Chevrolet, has been awarded with IndyCar’s Chief Mechanic of the Year Award. Scott Harner and Barry Wanser, also of Ganassi, jointly accepted the Team Manager of the Year Award. Lord Montagu, who established the UK’s National Motor Museum on his country estate in Beaulieu, Hampshire, in 1952, has died at the age of 88. As well as being the driving force behind the museum Lord Montagu was also a motoring journalist and a leading figure in the vintage car world. Former Bowman F3 boss Steve Hollman has now taken on a management role at the Buckmore Park kart track, replacing Chris Pullman as joint managing director after the latter decided to pursue other opportunities. Hollman will manage the well-known…

Visitors can look forward to a spectacular new attraction at Autosport International, a celebration of one of the UK’s most famous, successful and revered racing teams, Williams; which will also includes its vast Formula 1 motorhome. The Grove-based racing team, originally established by Frank Williams and Patrick Head in 1977, and the winner of nine Formula 1 constructors’ championships, will have a major presence at Autosport International 2016, with features celebrating its past, present and future. Williams will exhibit some of its most celebrated racing cars, alongside appearances from current drivers and famous faces who have played a part in Williams’ success, including its seven Formula 1 drivers’ championships. Unprecedented fan engagement will be a theme of Williams’ presence at the NEC and as part of a major development of…

In 2004 Maserati brought the MC12 to GT racing. It was a controversial car from the outset. In the US, the car was allowed to race in the American Le Mans Series, although in scrutineering the ACO pointedly turned their backs on the car as it passed through, making it clear what they thought of it, and it would never race at Le Mans. Just 50 were built and Stephane Ratel, who was in charge of the FIA GT Championship, largely based in Europe, was terrified of it. He remembers a telephone call from FIA President Max Mosley telling him not to worry, that through a newly-conceived system of performance balancing, this would be the last time that anyone tried to introduce such a car to GT racing. Ratel was…

The emphasis in season two will be placed on efficiency The FIA Formula E Championship enters a brave new world for its second season, which runs until summer 2016 and kicks off in Beijing on October 24 this year. For season two, the all-electric series takes the step from spec chassis and powertrain to a melting pot of freed-up technical solutions – which has been embraced by all bar two of its 10 teams. The technical road map implemented by the FIA, in conjunction with founding organiser and promoter Formula E Holdings (FEH), will see a diversity of packages this season as the series works toward its ‘one car/one driver’ plan for the fifth season in 2018/19; as opposed to drivers changing car mid race as is now the case.…

Is it simply a romantic notion that Adrian Newey still works at a drawing board? Question I have been reviewing several of your past newsletters on live axle suspension design, in particular, the one from September 2007 on the design of the Satchell Link rear suspension with comments from Terry Satchell. It occurs to me in reading many of your writings, coupled with Satchell’s comments in your newsletter mentioned above as well as his other writings on suspension geometry, that what is commonly referred to as the 2x2D graphical approach can be used very effectively in designing a 3D suspension linkage. I have read elsewhere many comments that disparage this approach with the naysayers claiming this is a 3D problem and should only be solved using either 3D graphic or…

Williams Advanced Engineering has scooped a £17m contract to work with global defence company General Dynamics UK to bring its F1-bred technologies to the state of the art Scout Specialist Vehicle (SV). The contract will see Williams Advanced Engineering, the arm of the Williams group that brings F1 tech to market, design and manufacture what it describes as the Scout SV’s ‘Core Infrastructure Distribution System’. This is the power and data backbone of the vehicle, which will enable the distribution of power and data around the armoured fighting vehicle, Williams tells us. Formula 1 has long used sophisticated electronic data logging and with this project Williams will be tapping in to its expertise in data analytics and systems integration. Scout SV is the replacement for the British Army’s reconnaissance vehicle…

Holden, the Australian arm of General Motors, has entered into a multi-year promotional license agreement in Australia and New Zealand to promote the Star Wars movie franchise through its V8 Supercars programme. Shell has extended its technical partnership with Ferrari for the next five years in a deal that was announced at the Italian Grand Prix. Shell will carry on providing Ferrari with its performance fuels and lubricants package, while it has also committed to continue to dedicate 50 full time technical staff to the partnership every year. Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said: ‘Historically the engine is at the very core of Ferrari, which means that everything we do with Shell is working around our heritage as an engine constructor. Already this season the work that Shell has done…

A company that plans to build five new race tracks in China has snapped up the Miller Motorsports Park to use for training personnel and as a template for its ambitious Far Eastern enterprise. Mitime Investment and Development Group bought the Utah race circuit and test facility from Tooele County for $20m and now intends to upgrade the facility. Tooele was keen that any new owner should keep the track as a going concern after previous lease holders the LHM Group of Companies decided to let go of the venue earlier this year. Tooele County commissioner Shawn Milne, who has driven efforts to find a new owner, said: ‘The commission recognised early on that we cannot afford to have the facility close. There are over 90 workers employed by the…

Performance Friction Brakes founder and CEO, Don Burgoon, lost his life in a car accident in Italy in mid-September. The 60-year-old was involved in a collision with another car in which a second person was also fatally injured. The loss of Don was a considerable blow to the industry. But despite the suddenness of Don’s passing, plans are already in place for his succession. PFC has been restructured in accordance, to continue onward and upward with Don’s vision. Mary Ann Burgoon, Don’s wife, continues her service on the board of directors and will serve as its chairman. Effective immediately, Don’s chosen successor and daughter, Nina Burgoon, will assume his day-to-day responsibilities as president of PFC. Tom Davis has served PFC as its CFO and Don’s trusted financial advisor for over…

Useful information Ticket prices: • Trade tickets – £28 • MSA members – £23 (available later in the year) • BRSCC members – free (available later in the year). Members will need to contact the BRSCC for tickets • Live Action Arena – £11 How to book – www.autosportinternational.com/trade or call 0844 335 1109 Stand rates AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL & PERFORMANCE CAR SHOW • Shell scheme – £345 per m2 plus VAT • Space only – £320 per m2 plus VAT AUTOSPORT ENGINEERING Turnkey shell scheme package: fully equipped 6m2 stand package including shell scheme walling, carpet, power socket, strip light, nameboard and a table and chairs. • 6m (3x2) – £2425 plus VAT • 9m (3x3) – £3638 plus VAT • Space only – £320 per m2 plus VAT The shell scheme price includes a modern attractive shell scheme system with fascia…

Wheel producer EVO Corse has announced that in 2016 it will be the official wheel supplier of the Czech Skoda Octavia RS Cup, a new race series dedicated to the Octavia, that will start next year replacing the old Ceska Pojistovna – Skoda Octavia Cup. There is a strong history of cup style races in the Czech Republic, and in the past Ceska Pojistovna has been one of the most successful, not only in its home country but throughout Europe. During its 12-year term (from 1998-2010) the Skoda Octavia Cup was contested by over 120 drivers, some of them now well-known, such as former ERC champion Jan Kopecky and two-time European Touring Car Cup winner Petr Fulin. There are several similar branded cups, directly or indirectly supported by vehicle manufacturers…