Racecar Engineering October 2016

The kinetic energy of an LMP1 racecar at maximum speed is equivalent to 1kg of TNT Motorsport is dangerous – it says so on the ticket. It always has been and always will be, just as descending stairs is dangerous. It’s an activity which is right up there as a cause of accidental death with pedestrian road accidents, drugs and alcohol. Or, to put it another way, motorsport is remarkably safe; if you are going to have a high-speed crash in a car, make sure it is in a racing car. But this was not always the case. The early races, city-to-city contests, had only been going a few years before nine fatalities during the Paris-Madrid caused the French government to halt the race in Bordeaux and ban all open road racing.…

Creating the shape of the first genuinely supersonic car presented severe initial problems Designing a car that is capable of traveling at 1000mph undoubtedly presents unique aerodynamic, structural and mechanical challenges. However, the engineering requirements of Bloodhound SSC are defined just as much by the fact that the longest track available is a water-laid playa, a flat desert area, just 12 miles long. The Northern limit of the track is defined by an embankment leading to a road, and the southern end is bounded by sand dunes – so there is no chance of any over-run. The rules governing the World Land Speed Record (WLSR) stipulate that the velocity should be measured over a distance of one mile, and that a return run should be made within one hour. The average velocity…

Cars from Porsche, Lamborghini and McLaren have already been announced for next year‘I don’t think that GT4 is a GT3 replacement. Fundamentally the manufacturers want to see GT4 as purely a customer situation’ One year on from announcing that he would be developing the GT4 concept, Stephane Ratel has unveiled big plans for the category in 2017, starting with a two-region European series, stretching to three in 2018. Meanwhile, around the world, the concept is considered to be complimentary to the still-growing GT3 class and a viable national series alternative to the TCR touring car initiative. With the Blancpain Endurance Series enjoying entries of more than 60 cars the Sprint series also with a robust grid, and with the Pirelli World Challenge and Creventic series gathering strength, it is hard to see…

The technical rule book for GT4 is pretty open. Telemetry is forbidden, and each car must carry an SRO data logger to ensure that parameters can be accurately measured. All bodywork dimensions and shape must remain original, including the front and rear overhangs, while material used for bonnet, boot lids, bumpers, doors and wings must be original. Soundproofing may be removed from the doors, but there are no other modifications allowed in this area. The minimum weight of the car must be more than 1000kg, and the series will retain the success ballast model to balance the performance. The engine location, make and type must remain original unless the manufacturer is granted a waiver by the SRO. The internals of the gearbox are free to develop, while the gear selection grid…

Many who were there remember the 1999 Le Mans 24 hours as one of the truly great races. BMW was victorious after a wonderful battle with Toyota, while Mercedes made headlines with its CLR – examples of which flew spectacularly on three occasions during the course of the race weekend. Audi started a new era of its racing heritage with the new R8R and R8C models that year, too. But there was a name missing from the line up that many had expected to be there: Porsche. In 1998 Mercedes turned up with a mid-engined CLK, a ground-up racing car, and used it to win every round of the FIA GT Championship. Never the less, Porsche won at Le Mans, the jewel in the crown. However, a radical re-think was necessary…

One problem with this suspension design in the original Lotus application has been that there are very high points of load at the pivot under the diff QUESTION The other day I was looking at ads for racecars and I saw one for a very competitive SCCA GT3 car which I believe said it had a Winters solid axle and incorporated a Lotus link. Is this a type of four-link with side location, unlike either a Panhard bar or watts-link? Anyway, what is a Lotus-link configuration? What is the complete configuration, how does it work, and what are advantages or disadvantages compared to regular three- and four-link setups for a car with a solid/live axle? THE CONSULTANT I haven’t seen that exact term used before, but I would assume this is the layout used…