Innehållsförteckning för July 2022 från Racecar Engineering

Formula 1 is set to maintain its DI V6 turbo hybrid power units for the foreseeable future. However, after extensive discussions with the current and some intent OEMs, the next generation, set to arrive in 2026, will contain some crucial recipe changes. One of the most significant is eliminating the e-Turbo-style heat energy recovery system (H-ERS). The H-ERS is a motor-generator unit mounted on the turbocharger shaft of a Formula 1 internal combustion engine. The unit converts heat energy from exhaust gases into electrical energy. This is then used to power the car’s electrical driveline (either charging the battery or directly deployed to the kinetic energy recovery unit) to boost the power unit’s performance. It’s arguably the most significant performance differentiating system onboard the power unit. Party politics Understanding how…

Prior to taking to the track for its prehomologation test sessions, Peugeot’s 9X8 Hypercar began life as a 51.1GB digital project, made up of 15,267 files stored on a hard drive. Peugeot Sport’s teams spent two years modelling and simulating the Hypercar, utilising both existing software – adapted where necessary to suit the project’s specific requirements – and computer programs developed entirely in house. ‘One of our strengths is being able to create the tools ourselves to shape the design of the components we need,’ explains Francois Coudrain, powertrain director at Peugeot Sport. ‘Thanks to our software, we can envisage a wide range of dimensions, shapes and materials, and work on the weight of the car in line with the technical regulations. ‘As with the choice of the base concept,…

Many involved in motorsport will be familiar with the name Rob Schirle. For quite a while he was a very capable driver, competing successfully in karting and then excelling in one-make championships in the UK in the early 1990s, before graduating to international GT racing and Le Mans. He was also a well-known team boss, his Cirtek outfit at the forefront of GT competition for a number of years. These days, though, you will not see his name so often in the motor racing press, yet Schirle is probably more involved in motorsport now than he’s ever been. Name any top-line motorsport discipline and the chances are Schirle’s Protec fuel systems concern has some involvement in it. Indeed, its products are found in WRC, NASCAR, IndyCar, WEC, F2, F3 and…

‘We’ve been pushing AM very hard because we recognise its potential for supply of the wind tunnel testing components and realising our designs in the real world before they go to final manufacture’Axel Kruse, CEO at Sauber Technologies Leveraging a Formula 1 team’s engineering expertise and DevOps capabilities for other applications is nothing new. Teams up and down the grid have formed race team partner firms to sell their services to outside organisations for many years. However, this part of Formula 1 has evolved significantly over the past couple of years to accommodate the cost cap regulations and keep the staff’s amassed engineering expertise in house. The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team is run by Sauber Motorsport, part of the Sauber Group based in Hinwil, Switzerland. The start of 2022…

Bosch has extended its relationship with the Extreme E series as the official power tool supplier for Season 2. The German brand will provide equipment to service Extreme E’s electric SUV, the Odyssey 21. The IMSA organisation has continued its deal with Radio Show Limited to provide commentary on all IMSA series, including the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Prototype Challenge and other single-make series, including the Mazda MX5 Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. Commentary is broadcast on the public address system, IMSA.com, Radiolemans. com and SiriusXM Radio. Porsche has teamed up with Avalanche Andretti, the team founded by American racing driver, Michael Andretti, in the Formula E championship to form the company’s first customer team for the 99X cars. The collaboration was announced before the Berlin…

What happened?! We were told this would be a period of renewal for UK industry and the wider economy, following the pandemic, and we would all emerge stronger than ever. Services and products of the motorsport industry are undoubtedly in great demand, but we need agility and determination to overcome a further set of extreme challenges. We should expect hard work and constant change. Our main asset is our people, who are motivated by winning in a challenge-led environment. Competition is in the blood of motorsport businesses, so by utilising these skills our future is sound. Motorsport Valley could benefit from recent plans from government. The chancellor confirms its focus is innovation, boosting spending on research and development and the new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Its strategy will…

‘The rear wing is the adjustable thing to get performance out of a car and give you a direction in set-up quickly. This [Peugeot solution] is not that. You are allowed one adjustable aero device, for balance, which is an important thing, [and the Peugeot’s is at the front] but when you are in the car you don’t feel the difference. When I first drove the car, the biggest thing for me was the difference compared to a P2, and I understand having followed a Hypercar how hard they are to drive. They are very complex cars, and are going to take a lot to get your head around. But as long as it produces great racing, it should be good. ‘We haven’t got into much set-up yet. We are…

At Le Mans in 2021, the ACO confirmed its commitment to the LMP2 class, effectively sending a torpedo into the side of the plans of LMDh manufacturers to flood the Prototype market in Europe and Asia with their products. It was a welcome announcement, not only for the chassis constructors, but also for the teams. LMP2 will be a non-hybrid version of LMDh, and the development costs will be largely soaked up by the manufacturers involved. ‘As far as the ACO is concerned, I strongly believe the LMP2 class is an important part of endurance racing, and endurance has always been a share between manufacturers and privateers. That balance is important for us, and we need to keep it because we never know what will happen,’ says Thierry Bouvet. For…

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, American University in Washington DC, USA, and Ulster University, UK Sporting career: 14-time FIA Middle East Rally Champion; won 61 international events as a driver (1983-2002) Hobbies, interests and charities: Patron of a wide range of charities and ambassador for road safety in the UAE; supports motorsport officials’ and young drivers’ education, training and research to promote motorsport safety; supporter of classic vehicle movement and automotive heritage FIA history: Vice president for sport and member of the World Motor Sport Council (2008-2013, re-elected 2017); founding member and chairman of FIA Region I; vice president for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (2013-2017); member of Innovation Fund Steering Committee…

I wrote an article about 10 years ago about using a technique called aeromap surface fitting to create a ride height sensitive aeromap. This has gone on to form a ChassisSim staple in formulae as diverse as V8 Supercars, Sportscars and high-downforce open wheelers, but is not without its traps for new players in the game. How to overcome this will be the focus of this article. To set the scene, we need to briefly discuss how downforce is generated. The two processes are illustrated in Figure 1. The first of the two main methods of downforce generation is airflow directed underneath the car. This accelerates the air and, following Bernoulli’s Theorem, the resulting pressure drop creates downforce. The second mechanism is air flowing over the wings, which can be…

It was never going to be an easy marriage, but the rules of engagement appear to be clearer now than ever before as the FIA, ACO and IMSA seek to balance two-wheel-drive cars with four-wheel-drive ones and give each equal chance of victory. The manufacturers building LMDh cars, on an homologated chassis and supplying engine and aero, are working together to deliver a competitive and reliable package in time for the Daytona 24 hours in January 2023. The LMH manufacturers, meanwhile, have given up significant performance to make the marriage work, which will allow them to race around the world, including in the United States, with their cars unchanged. Juicy carrot It’s a big, juicy carrot on the end of a short stick, but bringing the concepts together has not…

Peugeot Sport has signed a multi-year partnership with Marelli, a leading global automotive supplier with extensive expertise in the field of motorsports and high-performance technologies. This crucial technological partnership is based on the development of the most efficient electric solution to match the extreme performance requirements of the hybrid powertrain system on the 9X8 Hypercar. Specifically, Marelli is providing the engineering and supply of the bespoke, high-performance electric motor and silicon carbide-based inverter that are part of the front axle electric traction system. The focus of the development is to maximise efficiency and reliability in the system, while adapting the motor and inverter technology to make effective use of the weight and volume allocated by the team. ‘We are excited by this new collaboration with Peugeot Sport,’ said Riccardo De…

F1 / Le Mans clashes: ‘One of the challenges we have is that the FIA doesn’t have autonomy over calendars, so WEC works in the way that all the championships bar F1 works, whereby promoters propose a calendar and then it’s up to the FIA to accept or not that calendar. So it’s down to a bit of negotiation, but I would certainly be very supportive of there not being a clash.’ F1 political power: ‘It’s a situation we’ve inherited. It’s something I know the president is very keen to ensure that the FIA has visibility over. The way the Formula 1 commission is set up gives the FIA the opportunity to decide not to support… I was going to say block, but delay support on certain things.’ Governments driving…