Innehållsförteckning för March 2023 från Racecar Engineering

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then you’re pretty sure what species of waterfowl is in front of you. But if it goes like a Ford Escort, sounds like an Escort and, perhaps most importantly, slides like an Escort, don’t be so sure there’s a Blue Oval fixed to the grille. This is because Welsh company, MST, has taken to building its own version of the classic rally car, in Mk1 and Mk2 form, each one completely new from the ground up, and not one of them bearing the name Ford. MST stands for Motor Sport Tools, a company that its boss, Carwyn Ellis, set up to sell tools and equipment to the motorsport community from its picturesque base on a…

It is increasingly obvious that the transition route to low-carbon transport is not clear cut. A straight switch to battery electric vehicles (BEV) is not the silver bullet some are advocating. While ideal for many applications, BEVs cannot – at least with current technology – meet every transport need. This is as true in racing as it is in general automotive. And while hybridisation has made impressive inroads into the sport, pure BEVs are still battery limited to short sprint races. However, motorsport cannot be left behind, and must de-carbonise if it is to retain both public support and, more importantly, marketing money. There are several options for lowering emissions from racing beyond sprints (side stepping the glaringly obvious issue of flying cars and hundreds of people around the world…

ENDURANCE – CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R With the collapse of the GTE / GTLM regulations in top-flight American endurance racing at the end of the 2021 season, General Motors faced something of a challenge. The rules for GT racing in the US had switched to GT3 and the company did not have a suitable car to enter the competition. Instead, it reached an agreement with IMSA organisers to downgrade its existing car to meet the performance windows set by the series’ technical team (see RE V32N4) and started work on a completely new racecar with which to enter global competition. A full 12 months before the car will make its race debut, Corvette launched the Z06 GT3.R and outlined some of the main differences between it and its predecessor. Key among…

Statistics tell us that in the grand prix seasons of 1952 and ’53, Ferrari and Alberto Ascari were the preeminent forces, winning two world championships in a row for both maker and driver. Ascari won an incredible seven championship grands prix in a row, indeed nine if we overlook Indianapolis, which in those days counted for world points. The driver was a marvel, a man of phenomenal talent and determination, in spite of anxieties driven by superstition. But he also had the benefit of being an exceptional racecar. Ascari’s dominant performance traced its origins back to a Sunday in early June of 1951. Ferrari engineering director, Aurelio Lampredi, was in his office at Maranello, as usual, when Enzo Ferrari reached a conclusion. The two men had been debating the sort…

In last month’s article about race strategy and preparation, Jeff Braun, race engineer with decades of experience and with victories in every major race in North America, illustrated the importance of understanding the rules, and helped put into context some specific features of endurance racing within the IMSA Weather Tech Championship, such as how neutralisations are handled, how teams can regain laps and how tyre management is regulated and can be managed to gain an advantage. In this second instalment, he focuses on how racecar set-up can be adapted to the specific needs of long duration endurance races, where sometimes professional and non-professional drivers share the same car. ‘I always try to do my strategy backwards,’ explains Braun. ‘First points I consider are how long is the race? And how…

It was not a surprising appointment, but Mahle has been confirmed to supply the single-seat US IndyCar series with hybrid powertrains, having met several of the milestones set by the racing series’ technical team. The new hybrid system is part of a project to reduce the environmental impact of racing, with the series switching to 100 per cent renewable race fuels, while support transporters will use 100 per cent renewable diesel to move from race shops to events. ‘We are delighted to have supported the NTT IndyCar series to develop the new push-to-pass hybrid system,’ said Mahle Powertrain managing director, Hugh Blaxill. ‘We’re particularly appreciative of the expertise and support we have received from IndyCar, HPD and Chevrolet during the system’s development, much of which took place during the significant…

Many were sceptical about the announcement in March 2022 that NASCAR would take one of its Gen 7 Cup cars to Le Mans to compete as the Garage 56 entry for the 2023 centenary race. It seemed to be an unlikely pairing for the race, but GM’s Hendrick Motorsport, NASCAR and IMSA are working to get the car prepared and ready for the Centenary race in June. The announcement was made at Sebring, and was immediately controversial. GM’s Hendrick Motorsport was confirmed to run a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which could have disadvantaged both Ford and Toyota, both of which compete in the US Touring Car series. Some claimed it was just a marketing gimmick, one that would take up a space on the grid instead of a more deserving competitor,…

TECHNOLOGY – WIRING LOOMS Wiring and electronics systems remain among the most widely developed parts of the latest generation of racing vehicles. The functionality, builtin redundancy and filtering capability of a modern motorsport electronics system are far advanced from the technology seen only a few years ago. This is partly thanks to the complexity of the latest generation of power units and the sheer number of interlinked systems on a modern racecar. However, as our understanding of the relationships between systems in a car develops further, so will the electronics and wiring between them. Each year, the reliance on electronics and electrically-powered systems in race vehicles increases. The introduction of hybrid powertrains, in particular, has led to immensely complex systems, and the information engineers want to gather from them is…

ABB will this year integrate its innovative Ability Optimax energy management software solution into the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, helping to maximise the energy efficiency of the series. Season nine of the all-electric racing series, of which ABB is official charging partner, started in Mexico in January, where ABB Ability Optimax was used in a live racing environment. Following successful trials during Season eight, ABB Ability Optimax will allow the championship’s engineers to monitor and analyse total race-specific energy output, helping drive more efficient usage. Up to 14 metering boxes will be located at host venues, collecting data on how much electrical power (kW) is being used by teams and other race partners at any given moment, and how much electricity (kWh) is consumed over any given time…

Show season drew to a close at Autosport International in Birmingham in January after a busy winter period. The MIA hosted its second CTS show at Silverstone in October, although that is not open to the public; the PMW show was successful in Germany in November and the PRI show was as popular as ever at Indianapolis in December. The return of the UK’s Autosport International Show, after a two-year hiatus, was welcomed by fans and exhibitors alike. Fans flocked back to the NEC in Birmingham over the four days. There was a strong focus on future technologies, with exhibitors such as the Dutch Forze Motorsport team, which demonstrated its latest hydrogen-powered prototype. The Business Forum gave an insight into the potential future of the sport, with the discussion led…