Racecar Engineering January 2022

Having been critical of the seeming inability of drivers competing in the FIA’s ‘road to F1’ single-seater championships – including in the premier category itself – to stay within track limits, onboard footage recently from Alpine F1 driver, Fernando Alonso’s, helmet camera actually shocked me. Reclined so low in the monocoque, with the high side protection and bulky halo strut immediately in front, it was akin to looking through a letterbox. At 200+ mph. Valentino Rossi made the same observation when he swapped car and bike with Lewis Hamilton in a recent TV feature. Previous video from cameras mounted on the roll hoop structure revealed no such limitation on sighting the car into and through high-speed corners. It’s reasonable to assume this ‘handicap’ applies to F2, F3 etc as well. However, as…

The NASCAR Next Generation vehicle has taken to the track in earnest in late 2021, beginning the final team tests prior to its debut at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, an exhibition race that starts the 2022 season. Its development has spanned several years, thousands of hours of design and testing work, numerous suppliers and, of course, one global pandemic. The following is a small part of the story of its development from an aerodynamic standpoint, as told by managing director of aerodynamics for NASCAR, Dr Eric Jacuzzi. NASCAR’s current generation vehicle, the Generation 6, or Gen 6 as it’s known, was introduced in 2013. With its forward emphasis on manufacturer identity, it was a breakthrough for the sport. It was the first time in many years that the entirety…

Until now, Formula E has been the only pure EV racing series in the upper echelons of motorsport. Though cheap compared to Formula 1, it is still the preserve of those with sizeable budgets, has a niche fanbase and isn’t exactly a relatable product for the average car buyer. However, 2021 saw the launch of a rules formula that has the potential to bring EV racing to the masses. Electric TCR (ETCR) comes from the stable of WSC (World Sporting Consultants), owners and originators of the phenomenally successful TCR Touring Car specification, which has been licensed across the globe. TCR championships run on almost every continent, and the rules create a cost-effective solution for tin-top racing (vehicles cost in the region of €100-150,000, approx. $113,300-$170,000), with development frozen and performance balanced. The…

The ETCR concept’s debut took the form of the Pure ETCR championship, run by Eurosport Events who are also responsible to the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR). The season ran over five rounds in Europe, with entries from three manufacturers: Cupra, Hyundai and Alfa Romeo (built and operated by Romeo Ferraris). The race format is quite different to a standard Touring Car event, having more in common with Rallycross. On the first day, the field of 12 is split by a draw into two pools. Each pool is then split into a pair of three-car ‘Battles’ for the first round. Winners face off in a second round with runners-up and third-place finishers doing likewise. The final day consists of a flat-out time trial as a third round that sets the grid…

Amidst rising political tensions in Europe, the Automobile Club de France staged what has gone into history as one of the greatest races of all time, the 1914 French Grand Prix. Appropriately enough, it was also won by one of the finest racecars ever produced; the Mercedes 18/100 Grand Prix. Scheduled for 4 July 1914, the sixth French Grand Prix was held just one week after the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Racing in those days was a very nationalistic affair and these real-world events added to the tension for the entries in the most prestigious race of the year. There was a record entry of 37 cars, purpose built by 13 manufacturers that represented the six countries competing, most of whom would be at arms before the end of the month.…

Q. Regarding your resolution line method of assigning roll centre height, it makes sense to me that the resolution line location depends on the distribution of lateral ground plane forces (grip, basically, as I understand it), but I wonder how / when to apply that method since we never explicitly know these forces. Don’t you need to assume a tyre model and a given slip angle to find those? It does not seem like you can find the resolution line just by starting with mass, g-force and some suspension geometry. THE CONSULTANT A. At least in my work, it is necessary to be able to work from a wide variety of inputs or knowns, to a wide variety of outputs or unknowns, with a wide variety of constraints amongst them. In most cases, when…