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October 2019 • Vol 29 No 10 • www.racecar-engineering.com • UK £5.95 • US $14.50

Haas VF-19
The curious case of F1’s
most inconsistent car

Audi R8 LMS GT2 Formula Student Ginetta G60-LT-P1

Putting the wow into GT Tech trends that are rocking Can this reborn racecar take
racing’s brand new class the European FS scene the fight to Toyota in LMP1?
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 CONTENTS – OCTOBER 2019 – Volume 29 Number 10

COVER STORY TECHNICAL

8 Haas VF-19 55 The Consultant
Up close and personal with the US Are F1 suspension boffins really getting it wrong?
team’s troublesome Formula 1 car 59 Aerobytes
An FF2000 Reynard gets the wind tunnel treatment
COLUMNS 62 Formula Student UK
5 Ricardo Divila We examine MoRe Modena Racing’s winning car
Why the future of motorsport is so difficult to predict 64 Technology in Formula Student
7 Mike Blanchet The very best tech from the UK and German events
The puzzling world of present-day grand prix racing 72 Electric FS in focus
Secrets of Formula Student EV builds revealed
FEATURES 84 Danny Nowlan
Advanced simulation for racecar design
18 2025 F1 power unit regulations
What the paddock really wants from the future engine rules 90 Technical update
Ross Brawn defends the 2021 F1 regulations
26 Inside IndyCar
The unseen work that wins top-level races
BUSINESS & PEOPLE
36 Toyota TS050 LMP1
How a very different challenge now awaits the Le Mans winner 94 Business people
42 Ginetta G60-LT-P1 Brian Gush on his time as Bentley’s motorsport boss
Will a new AER engine transform this under-rated racecar? 98 Bump stop

The IndyCar field prepares to take

the green flag, but the work to
win a race starts long before this.
Turn to page 26 to find out more

Subscribe to Racecar Engineering – find the best offers online

www.racecar-engineering.com
Contact us with your comments and views on Facebook.com/RacecarEngineering

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 3

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STRAIGHT TALK – RICARDO DIVILA

The foreseeable future?

The crystal ball is dusted down as we ponder two vastly different possible fates for F1

S
o here we are at the race track on this combat with flame-spouting cars, prone to huge decisions with massive consequences. Ego, a
sunny, hot, 18th of August 2050, a spectacular crashes, with replays in slow-motion, tinge of lunacy or to put it politely ‘unconscious
Sunday. The sun is pleasant, the sulphate heroes and villains with massive social media psychological traits’ will drive many of the roads
particulate solar umbrella working reasonably presence, mostly groomed and used by big media taken, often completely against logic, in life in
well. We have a full grid of sleek Formula 1 rapid conglomerates to generate content and grab general and particularly in racing.
competition modules ready to race and millions eyeballs, the root of 21st century wealth. If you, dear reader, are as addicted to racing as
of virtual drivers mixed in, ready to race real-time I am, a word of advice here. Maybe it is something
with the physically present units. Thrill seekers that you should not look too closely at: ‘O, that way
Most spectators are at home on a holographic There are a slew of movies for youngsters taking madness lies; let me shun that. No more of that.’ To
ImersoVu™ viewing facility, giving TruFidelity™ a deep-dive into this, set in a post-apocalyptic quote William Shakespeare (King Lear).
experience of the event. There are, of course the landscape with this theme. It gives good box-office That said, I do feel that we stand in a particular
deep immersion fanatics who come to the venue and sets trends. It could just be schadenfreude, but time in history, at a crossroads that will determine
for the full experience, the noise now consisting of it does have a ring of the probable. long-range consequences for the whole sport.
just squealing tyres. They had to pay many carbon You doubt it? Then I suggest having a look at Most motorsport sanctioning bodies are now
credits for the footprint they were leaving by the WWF, stock car racing and random internet wrestling with the problems, trying to resolve
travelling to the race, the climate emergency now viral items. Nobody has gone bankrupt catering to them, and also trying to recapture past glories,
improving, but not yet over. the lowest common denominator, and these traits but not necessarily successfully, there is too
The cars are electric powered using much of a tinge of deja vu, providing old
energy coming from an induction grid solutions to new problems.
under the track. Driver interface is It is a different world we live in now
by direct neural connections from an and its centre of gravity – financial,
electrode studded skullcap and the cars moral and intellectual – is shifting from
have autonomous capacity, or could be the Euro-centric one that prevailed
driven remotely. In fact, some are, but to in previous centuries. May you live in
count for points in the championship the interesting times, as the saying goes.
racecar needs to be manned. A business model that was
The protective suit is light and airy; appropriate for the 20th century when
no combustibles, thus no more Nomex. used by motor racing is as obsolete as
The only burns anyone could have would most other practices of the time, be it
be from not having enough sunscreen, economy, social behaviour, politics or
spilled scalding espresso or from the Will the future of F1 be all-electric like Formula E (above) or might clothing styles. It is in its last throes, but
faux-charcoal (CleanBurn™) grill cooking it go in a very different direction, embracing noise and spectacle? no discernible new direction can be
Meatable™ meat-free burgers. seen emerging in the mists. Remember,
are not being reduced as far as I can see, humanity bell-bottoms and sideburns were de rigueur then. I
Road irrelevance being built ‘from crooked timber’ as the British- hope they will not return, though.
These vehicles have absolutely no relevance or Russian philosopher Isaiah Berlin once said. Given that those in charge are slightly younger
similarity to most of the transport in the world, Life being what it is, neither of these scenarios than me, but not that much, maybe we need a
where the fleet consists mainly of urban mass will come to pass, but there will be a mixture generational change to see what is the golden
transport and hi-speed trains between cities, of several of these elements with some as yet way. If there is one; but then that is the cynic in me.
where 80 per cent of the population now lives. unknown factors also thrown into the mix.
Individual civilian transport is now just If you study history, trends can be observed Welcome change
helicopters, for the well to do, and governmental and plans made with these in mind, but the best Cycles will come and go, much as beards have
limousines. After all, we are all equal, but some are laid plans tend to come a cropper because it is made a re-appearance and tattoos are now almost
still more equal than others. very difficult to forecast due to a lack of data. This obligatory, but we can say with certainty: ‘The bad
The media frets that the spectator count is improves year after year with computing progress, news is that nothing lasts, also the good news is
slowly declining, most of the fans being millennials and artificial intelligence, but for societal change it that nothing lasts’. It will be different, deal with it.
who got the bug in their youth, the younger will usually follow feeling rather than logic. I will close this rant by making a mental note
people do not seem to be attracted to it now. ‘The heart has its reasons which reason to get some more popcorn in and to sit and watch
But wait! This is but one view of tomorrow, knows nothing of,’ the French mathematician and as it all unfolds, and also to charge the lithium
there are others, of course, and surely the obverse philosopher Blaise Pascal once said. Pascal spoke batteries in my flat screen OLED crystal ball, it
can also have its say. This would be a gladiatorial about faith here, but it is oh so true in too many has been in blank screen mode lately.

I do feel that we stand in a particular time in history, at a crossroads

that will determine long-range consequences for the whole sport
OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 5
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SIDETRACK – MIKE BLANCHET

Formula 1 conundrums
There is much that is puzzling in grand prix racing this season argues our columnist

F
errari continues to receive a lot of stick for lies in understanding how to optimise ‘Pirelli’s lot more pressure and workload on the drivers
its failure so far to unseat Mercedes in the pernicketies’, especially in differing conditions. when they make the transition. Which doesn’t
Formula 1 turbo-hybrid era. Yet the fact Trying to get these tyres consistently into their explain why Gasly made such a good impression
remains that, prior to Red Bull-Honda recently narrow operating window is a first-order priority. during his debut year at Toro Rosso before falling
coming on strongly, only Ferrari has presented a Otherwise, it’s almost a case of other developments apart at Red Bull. So maybe it is just coincidence?
consistent challenge to the Silver Arrows – no mean being just wasted effort. Its drivers’ fatal attraction Nonetheless, I’ll bet aspiring F1 drivers and their
feat considering the resources that the latter has for each other hasn’t helped either – I’m not privy management might have second thoughts now
brought to bear to achieve its current dominance. to their contract details, but standing them down about following this route to Formula 1.
On top of that Ferrari’s PU development, in from the following race’s Friday practice sessions Dan Ticktum’s case is somewhat different, but
particular, represents a massive achievement in in favour of Haas’ development drivers would be still in context. He seemed well on course for a Toro
becoming the current performance benchmark. my way of enforcing their respect for the team and Rosso seat, but was booted out of the Red Bull
One other thing worth mentioning about stopping them driving into each other. programme after dismal SF results that belied his
Ferrari is that it is the only manufacturer and racing initial foray into Japan last year.
team that has contested F1 grands prix every year Not so Super? Another puzzle. I’m not one much for statistics
since the world championship’s inception back in A couple of other happenings have caught my (lies, damned lies etc.) but how come there was
1950. Many famous marques have come and gone attention recently. Why is Super Formula seemingly such a discrepancy between fastest laps in the
but Ferrari has been prominent for nearly 70 years, the kiss of death for F1 junior drivers? Stoffel Hungarian GP? The majority of these occurred
which is amazing. It’s fair to mention that McLaren Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly both performed between laps 49 and 69, logically when fuel
and Williams have impressively chalked loads had reduced. Setting aside Max
up the half-century, also that all but Verstappen’s time, set at the end after
one of the current F1 teams have deliberately stopping for new softs, there
existed for at least 20 seasons, even if was over 4.6 seconds between Lewis
tortuously and under different names. Hamilton (next fastest) and the slowest
in that period (Antonio Giovinazzi). Even
American dream Charles Leclerc was nearly two seconds
Haas, which is the only current F1 down on the Mercedes and fifth placed
team without any such heritage, Carlos Sainz close to 2.5. This is in contrast
hopefully will be sufficiently successful to qualifying, when the gap between pole
in the coming seasons to become and 10th place was only 1.469 seconds.
part of the veterans’ club in due
course. Its presence is very welcome Hammer time
and important to grand prix racing, The tight nature of the track, meaning
XPB

not only in making up numbers overtaking is tough and that cars run in
but in widening Formula 1’s team It was difficult to make sense of the huge difference in pace between traffic in dirty air, has to be a factor. But
ownership base outside of Europe – Lewis Hamilton and other F1 drivers during the Hungarian Grand Prix one would think that qualifying, with the
significant perhaps for Liberty’s growth top three teams’ cars and PUs optimised to
aspirations. Its clever business plan is different and very impressively in the highly-rated Japanese a degree that lesser outfits cannot match, would
to my mind refreshing. If permitted to continue – championship, but have ultimately failed the test throw up more of a gap than the race performance
probably not – it might allow more similarly worthy when promoted to F1 teams. The answer could did. There can be no doubt that Hamilton, having
team start-ups. The regulations do allow a 26-car be coincidence, of course, or it could be that the changed tyres at the beginning of his late-race
grid (if there are enough garages, of course). spec Yokohama tyres used in SF do not require chase of Verstappen and probably having turned
I have mentioned previously that, given its anything like the babying of F1’s tyres and the up his PU as well, set a faster lap than if Mercedes
erratic performances, the American outfit might cars can be driven flat out virtually all race. This is hadn’t gambled on this strategy. Even so, to be
do better by focussing on extracting the maximum definitely not good preparation for F1. Plus, with nearly 3.5 seconds slower (example Daniil Kyvat)
from the existing chassis rather than throwing in all respect for the professionalism of SF teams is an absolute age in modern racing. Such a large
developments that may just confuse the picture. and the closeness of competition, their level of delta has not been evident at previous rounds, so
Romain Grosjean’s insistence on resorting to engineering is inevitably not to an equivalent did some drivers go into follow-my-leader mode
the as-designed initial car specification, without sophistication, the depth of data gathering, analysis because of the difficulty in passing cars?
obvious detriment, kind of proves my point. and implementation of a much lower order, and Then one of the marks of a great racing driver is
Perhaps a finger should be pointed at Haas’ the number of personnel far less. Added to this, the the ability to relentlessly bang in very fast lap times
engineering team, but almost certainly its problem complexity of the hybrid F1 cars imposes a whole throughout the race. Just like Hamilton.

Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly both performed very impressively in

Super Formula, but have failed the test when promoted to F1 teams
OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 7
FORMULA 1 – HAAS VF-19

‘We keep fixing things,

changing bits, adding stuff,
and it keeps getting worse’
There Haas
to be a
answer

One of the biggest mysteries of the 2019 F1 season is why the Haas
VF-19 has shown such great pace and yet failed to deliver solid results.
Racecar spoke to the car’s chief designer, Rob Taylor, to get to the heart
of the issue and to find out how the team is attempting to resolve it
By SAM COLLINS

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 9

FORMULA 1 – HAAS VF-19

The monocoque needed a new front bulkhead due to a rule change requiring four nose attachment points. Dampers, torsion bars, wishbones and uprights are all courtesy of Ferrari

F
rom the very moment it rolled out
for the first time Rob Taylor, the chief
designer at the Haas F1 Team, had
an issue with this year’s VF-19. It had
been launched in a predominantly black livery,
in deference to a new title sponsor, replacing
the grey and white Haas CNC inspired colour
schemes of previous years, and, as Taylor
explains:‘The black colour makes it hard
for the guys back at the factory, because it
accentuates all of the imperfections. It’s a
remarkable difference from the paint last year,
which was grey and sombre, but that also sort
of camouflaged the surface. I’m not saying that
there is anything wrong with it, but the whole
car is a fabrication of lots of different elements Ferrari engine in the rear of the VF-19. Haas has had a PU supply deal with the Scuderia since its inception
so trying to get them all perfectly aligned is
almost an impossible task, and when it’s painted fairing here there and everywhere. It results in had to change by regulation. The suspension
black you can see all of these imperfections and there being a patchwork quilt down the side, pickups and kinematics are subtly different but
think to yourself, oh my lord, would I buy one of and you paint it black and it all shows up.’ overall the chassis is heavily an evolution of
these? And the answer is no!’ Livery issues aside, the Haas VF-19 is very the VF-18. The biggest differences come from
much an evolutionary design incorporating investment in manufacturing technologies to
Paint it black many of the overall concepts used on the 2018 reduce the lead time and the weight of the
To be fair, these imperfections are not that car. As with all the Haas F1 cars so far it utilises a chassis. The parasitic weight can be found in
unusual due to the way current F1 machinery is very high proportion of components supplied the laminates in places. You have to remember
constructed and if every chassis on the grid was by Ferrari and developed for the Italian team’s that the monocoque is still a hand-made thing
painted black like the Haas then they too would 2019 design, rather than the American branded so there is a lot of gain to be had by making it
likely be showing the same kind of flaws. ‘You car. However, the monocoque itself is developed easier to laminate, which in turn probably makes
look at a bare monocoque and what you are jointly by Haas and Dallara in Italy. it lighter. Overall, though, it is very close in terms
looking at it is about 15 or 20 different pieces,’ ‘We have been forced into some changes for of concept to last year, they are very similar.’
Taylor says. ‘You have got the main structure, this car,’ Taylor says. ‘For example, we had to do a Working with Dallara gives Haas not only a
then you have sidepods, Zylon panels, bits of new front bulkhead as the nose fixation points slightly different approach to other teams, but

‘The biggest differences come from investment in manufacturing

technologies to reduce the lead time and the weight of the chassis’
10 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019
‘In principle you could take our inboard TECH SPEC: Haas VF-19

suspension parts and fit them to the Ferrari’ Chassis

Dallara carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure.
Engine
Ferrari 064, turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 featuring direct injection.
Suspension
Ferrari supplied double wishbone with pushrod actuated torsion
bars front, pullrod rear; ZF Sachs dampers.
Steering
Ferrari supplied, power-assisted.
Transmission
Ferrari servo-controlled hydraulic limited-slip differential with
semi-automatic sequential and electronically-controlled gearbox,
quick-shift (eight gears, plus reverse); composite casing;
AP Racing multi-plate clutch.
Brakes
Brembo carbon-carbon.
Seatbelts
Sabelt.
Wheels
OZ Racing.
Fuel Cell
ATL.
Weight
743kg including driver.
The cooler positions are an evolution of the VF-18 layout, except now there is one fewer circuit in the system

Disc world

T
he Haas VF-19 features a braking system from Italian specialist Brembo.
It is unsurprisingly extremely similar to the version used on the Ferrari Brembo brake assembly
SF90. The aerodynamic rule changes introduced into Formula 1 at the on the Haas VF-19
start of the 2019 season have had a noteworthy impact on the design of the
brake discs and pads used by the teams, as the reduction in downforce and
simplified wings have seen top speeds rise, but apex speeds fall.
‘This meant we had to make a big step from 2018 as a result of the new
rules, as obviously the brakes have to do a lot more work,’ Giovanni Clemente,
Brembo Racing’s Formula 1 race engineer and telemetry data analyst explains.
‘This year’s brakes are under a much higher thermal stress but the peak
torques are actually slightly lower than they were last year. The peak torque is
dependent on the tyre and the grip that you have from the track surface, and
with the lower downforce level the cars have lower grip.’
The brake manufacturers involved in Formula 1 have long supplied a range
of varying friction materials for different race tracks and at times for different
driver preferences, and as a result of the aerodynamic regulation changes

‘At some tracks the teams want to

Brembo has widened its offering for 2019.
‘To cope with the increased demands we have a new drilling pattern for the

retain heat in the disc for longer’

front discs with 1500 holes, seven layers of them,’ Clemente says.‘Those discs
have been introduced specifically to cope with the demands of the new cars,
and we will use them at the toughest tracks for us, like Bahrain, Abu Dhabi,
Singapore, Canada and Monaco. So those are available to teams along with
versions featuring 800 holes and another with 1200 holes.’
Changes have also been made to the brake pads for the exact same reason,
and again a range of different pad designs is available to the teams.‘There are
different patterns for brake cooling with the pads too, but the design priorities
are a bit different as the pads play a key role in the stiffness of the whole
system,’ Clemente says.‘That means that the key with the pad drillings is not to
reduce the overall stiffness when compressed [between piston and disc].
‘For 2019 we have brought in some new patterns and new shapes,’
Clemente adds.‘This was a lot to do with the way different teams decided to
split the heat between the caliper, the disc, the tyre and the rim. At some tracks
the teams want to retain heat in the disc for longer, for example at Silverstone,
where most of the heat goes into the tyres, so it’s important to keep both at
high temperature as the track layout there means you may not be able to keep
the friction material in the operating window. The other extreme is Bahrain,
where you can easily overheat them, so there they want to get the heat out.’ A rare shot of a Brembo F1 disc, as used by Haas, showing internal cooling channels

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 11

FORMULA 1 – HAAS VF-19

‘We attempted to change the configuration of the aerodynamics on

the VF-19 without losing the good things from last year’s racecar’
also opens up some different ways of working package without making too many changes ‘We knew we had some Achilles’heels with that
for both it and the Italian firm. ‘Most of Dallara’s the better you are. With the first Haas [VF-16] car, especially with low speed aero, so for this
other products are built to a budget as they are we had an excess of cooling capability a lot year’s car we set about targeting what it was
trying to make a profit from selling them, but of the time because we could not trade the that was causing those issues,’ Taylor says.‘We
ours has a different focus,’ Taylor says. ‘While demands off against each other all that well, attempted to change the configuration of the
we keep an eye on the cost it is not the top but with the more you do, the more you are aero without losing the good things about it as
priority. [On the other hand] it’s completely able to trade things off against one another. we recognised that last year’s car had some very
alien to everyone else in the paddock, in that That shows in a lot of the implementation of the good things about it and we wanted to retain
your technology partner has a totally different cooling we have on the car this year.’ those. It did, however, have a recurring negative
viewpoint to anyone else in F1.’ Aerodynamic demands also played a key theme in one particular circumstance, and that
role in the cooling system layout, and this is is what we attacked in terms of aero.’
Carbon copies another area where Haas has to develop its own
Having a lot of carry-over on the monocoque is concept and parts separately to Ferrari. Using Clipped wings
not likely to leave a great deal of performance the Ferrari wind tunnel along with the team’s Another factor the team had to cope with was
areas unexplored, and indeed next year’s VF-20 own CFD capability (split between the US and the new regulations aimed at improving the
is probably going to be another similar design UK) work on the VF-19’s aerodynamic package quality of the racing in general, with simplified
too. ‘The rules with the monocoque are fairly was aimed largely at resolving a number of front and rear wings along with smaller
constrained,’ Taylor says. ‘The size of the cockpit shortcomings identified with the VF-18. bargeboards.‘It ultimately was not a dramatic
opening is defined, as is the fuel cell, and the
overall length of the car is dominated by that.
‘Even the leg box and the front of the tub is
constrained, [and] if you stripped off all the stuff
around it then you would struggle to tell [all the
different F1 monocoques] apart.
‘To say how much performance comes
directly from the monocoque is very difficult,’
Taylor adds. ‘Yes we can make it lighter and
we can calculate what that in theory brings in
terms of lap time, but otherwise it’s very hard to
quantify how much performance gain comes
from the chassis. You can make a monocoque
really bad, really easily. It is not just weight,
one wishbone point which is compliant, for
example, could plague you for the whole year.
That is an extreme example, but you can’t ever
really say that this year’s monocoque brings While the Haas livery might evoke F1 cars of yore the relationship with its new sponsor has caused its own issues this year
0.2 seconds a lap compared to last year.’
The iterative approach to development
has also been taken with the cooling system
of the Haas VF-19, with coolers located in each
sidepod along with those mounted in the
centre of the car above the bellhousing and fed
by ducts inside the roll hoop.
‘You can see that the sidepod duct is
slightly different to the VF-18 but the size of
the aperture is about the same. Under the
bodywork we have evolved it quite a bit and
you could not say it is a cut and paste from last
year,’ Taylor says. ‘The cooling layout has one
fewer circuit than in 2018 but in general it is
a reasonable revision of what we had before.
We have learned more about how to optimise
the drivetrain we have and how to manage the
cooling demands in terms of different tracks,
ambient temperatures, throttle loads and
deployment modes. With one of these cars you
are trying to get it to work in 10 or 15 different
configurations, and the more efficient you
can be about optimising all of those into one A lack of rear downforce is plaguing the Haas VF-19 this season, resulting in overheated rear rubber at some of the races

12 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

FORMULA 1 – HAAS VF-19

In the first quarter of the season both of the VF-19s normally qualified
in the top 10, before a quite sudden and unexplained drop in form
change, certainly not as dramatic as you might
expect,’ Taylor says.‘The changes were made
not to slow the cars down, they were to change
the wake. Whenever the FIA try to slow the cars
down they take 20 per cent off and we find 25
per cent over the winter, so it cancels out. By the
roll out we were back to where we started from.
‘The biggest change would be to write the
rules to force teams to build an overtaking car. If
you started the fast cars at the back, for example,
you would develop the car in a different way,
but it’s not, it’s a fast car [that’s needed] now
and that is all we are interested in,’ Taylor adds.
‘We don’t design the car with running in a
wake in mind, I think that is an area beyond
our knowledge. We have never researched or
developed the methodology to even assess
that. We can certainly note the influences of
cars following, but to develop the car in that
direction is not part of our remit. We simply try
to develop a fast racecar, and hopefully along
the way you start to understand, perhaps from The bargeboard height in F1 was reduced for 2019, but they are still very complicated. Note the reshaped sidepod inlet
past experiences, what makes a car sensitive
to following and minimise that. Particular yaw
angles or particular instances of onset of wind
‘I wouldn’t say it’s not responded to upgrades, but
or something, if it works in that respect it is
probably good at following another car. But it’s a
it is difficult to figure out what the problem is’
relatively immature set of metrics for us.’
it is difficult to tease out what the problem is. crosswinds or yaw, then you can get more lap
Black ops We keep fixing things, changing bits, adding bits time out of it. Those are quite subtle things to
The bodywork of the VF-19 did draw a huge and it keeps getting worse. At the moment it is tease out as they are just moments in time, but
amount of media attention around the proving rather hard to put a finger on. We know moments that have a big effect on the driver.’
mid-point of the season, but not because of what is wrong, we are just losing rear downforce.
its design. Instead it was due to social media Racing is a funny thing. Sometimes it just slaps Pain in the Haas
comments made by the CEO of the team’s title you in the face and you realise it was obvious. Indeed, the driver comments about the way the
sponsor, the company responsible for that You have to build yourself a set of metrics you car feels have at times livened up some of the
revealing black livery. At the time the sponsor believe in, it is an evolutionary process. You look race broadcasts as the pit to car audio is played
was embroiled in a legal fight about the origin at the data, you look at what you were doing out to the media and fans.
of its logo, and just before the British Grand Prix last year, you think you understand what was ‘It’s hard to judge what makes a driver
the sponsor’s twitter feed announced that it was good with the changes you made last year. comfortable, but you have to design the car
ending its partnership with the team, citing poor Every engineer must say this, you think you to the best data you have, the physics of the
performances. The now deleted tweets referred understand what it is that makes a car go fast, thing, not what a driver might feel, then it’s
to the VF-19 as ‘a milk float at back of grid – a what the good features are, and you set yourself about making them believe in it,’ Taylor says.
disaster for us.’ Ultimately the partnership was the task of improving those features.’ ‘For one thing, you have to tease out of the
not ended and the CEO left the company. The A quick look at the results from both races drivers what they are actually talking about,
branding has remained on the Haas cars. and qualifying this season show clearly that to try to understand what it is that is making
But the VF-19 is no milk float. Indeed it has the performance of the VF-19 is very erratic. At them feel uncomfortable. That is a challenge in
proved itself to be a fairly rapid and capable some tracks it is capable of setting fast times in itself as sometimes the language is a bit intense
racecar. In the first quarter of the season both qualifying, but fading in the race, while at others and until you sit down and have a long term
cars normally qualified in the top 10, before it is just off the pace all weekend. discussion about it you don’t always understand
a sudden and unexplained dip in form. From ‘It would be ever so easy to just look at the what it is they want. You really want to see if
that point on it was clear that the car could headline numbers from the wind tunnel and you can see a recurring theme when they say
produce quick laps, as one of the two VF-19s think that is the answer, just the headlines. As something, sometimes they are picking up
did in Austria to qualify fifth, but it was very with most things in life it is the detail that is the on something very subtle and it’s interpreting
inconsistent and generally struggling for pace. bit that really kicks you in the nuts, so you try what they are trying to say and linking that to a
‘It was clear after Barcelona that there was to fix those things,’ Taylor says. ‘Sometimes you physical outcome. We use this word stability
something anomalous happening, enough to are not chasing a particular number, sometimes all the time, for instance, but what the hell
make us have a think,’ Taylor says. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s about reshaping the aeromap to create a does that really mean? The drivers rank the
that the car has not responded to upgrades, but benign car that turns in better, isn’t effected by stability of the car on turn-in, but really that is

14 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

FORMULA 1 – HAAS VF-19

just about his intuition on what it feels like …

The things we see as the good things we have
enhanced, but they have just not delivered
overall. It is a head scratcher.’

Hot and tyred

Tyres are part of the issue for Haas, and the
thinner tread of the 2019 Pirellis is thought to be
a major factor in its struggles to find consistency.
‘The rear tyres are getting very hot, you could
put more wing on, get more drag and just go
slower down the straight, that is the problem
you have to consider,’ Taylor says. ‘In Monaco
there is the old thing of sticking a lot of dirty
downforce on, Gurneys and things, because you
don’t care about the drag. Doing that does not
get you a fast car, though. It’s been infuriating,
but this is a really good car, we know it has got
the speed. But it’s got speed on a new set of
tyres and it’s got speed if it likes the circuit.’ Much of the rear suspension layout on the racecar was dictated by the use of the composite-cased Ferrari transmission
Adjusting the car to suit different tracks and
conditions would be the obvious solution, but
it may not be possible to get the VF-19 into the
window where it needs to be aerodynamically
while at the same time making the tyres work.

The Haas team has

been fairly extreme
in its attempts to
resolve the VF-19’s
handling issues The mirror housing treatment on the VF-19 is not quite as complex as it is on some of the other 2019 Formula 1 cars

‘It may not have the scope to be set up the ‘In principle you could take our inboard do stuff, so it might be that they don’t supply
way it perhaps needs to be, so you need to suspension parts and fit them to the Ferrari, us shims to get to the position we want so we
decide what you want to give up,’ Taylor says. but there are some subtle things which are simply make our own. To get outside the main
‘The tyres this year need more downforce. You different, not so much in terms of performance, goalposts we would have to make more parts
could argue that we should have pointed at the but for installation things,’ Taylor says. ‘So we and we have done that in the past, we are
headline figures rather than the subtle stuff we have different thicknesses in place for some quite capable of making stuff ourselves.
did, but we thought the headline figures were in parts, and we have holes in some components Homogeneous steel bits are quite easy. We can
the right place, so our focus wasn’t there. At the that the Ferrari does not have as we use them make brackets, shims, camber bits, and that
end of last season the bits that we concluded in a different way to Ferrari. So you couldn’t is no problem. However, if we then decided
that we needed to focus on were not the big swap the wishbones between our car and the that we wanted to make a set of wishbones
headline numbers as the weaknesses of last Ferrari, for example, because the brake lines are then we could do that, but it’s a change of
year’s car were not to do with headline figures, different, but fundamentally the kinematics of condition, it’s the reaction time and making
but you might argue that the weaknesses of this our car and their car are the same.’ sure that you have done your homework to
year’s car are to do with those headline figures. make sure you get what you wanted. They
‘We have tried everything we can in terms Prancing Haas have got to be safe and repeatable.’
of set-up to try to compensate, we change lots This commonality with the Italian car results in Haas has been fairly extreme in its attempts
of stuff on the car, nothing stands still,’ Taylor the Haas being largely limited to the range of to resolve its car’s inconsistent handling, going
adds. ‘We are trying to use all of the adjustability adjustment designed by Ferrari for the SF90, as far as fitting the season-opening Australian
we have got to deliver what the tyres need. But and this may be hampering the efforts to Grand Prix aero package to one of the two cars
there is a limit to what we can do and there is improve the consistency of the VF-19. ‘We have for both the British and German GPs. Perhaps
not enough of a lever to pull.’ basically the same range of adjustment as the infuriating, or perhaps revealing, the car fitted
In terms of the suspension design the VF-19 Ferrari, though we can make our own bits and with the old spec bodywork qualified sixth for
shares almost all of its suspension components fiddle around with the bits they supply too,’ the German Grand Prix, ahead of the car with
with the 2019 Ferrari and a significant number Taylor says. ‘It is very difficult for us to change the latest specification parts. It shows that
of parts with the Alfa Romeo (formerly Sauber). the end conditions as the two extremes are there is indeed a very fast car concept at the
This includes the dampers, torsion bars, most fixed by the geometry of the bits we get from heart of the Haas VF-19, but the team needs to
linkages, wishbones and uprights. our partner. But with intermediate steps we can understand why it remains inconsistent.

16 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

FORMULA 1 – 2025 POWER UNITS

The power
of dreams
Major power unit changes in F1 are
now on hold for a few years but the
shape these new rules will take is still
a hot topic in the paddock – we asked
Formula 1’s movers and shakers what
they would dearly wish to see in the
2025 engine regulations
By SAM COLLINS

‘We are in motor racing for two

reasons: firstly marketing and
secondly technical development’
OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 19
FORMULA 1 – 2025 POWER UNITS

I ‘From our
t was all going to change in 2021. Alongside
the massive aerodynamic and chassis ‘We could have an engine
that will have a higher hybrid
perspective we
rule changes Formula 1 was meant to be
introducing a completely new power unit; component, renewable
but that will not now happen. There remains energies or electricity’
some speculation that a higher rev limit and a still believe that Toto Wolff
more potent MGU-K will be utilised, but for the
next five seasons the power unit will remain
largely as it is right now. Yet the revolution has
internal combustion
not been cancelled, merely delayed.
Early in 2019 F1’s chief technical officer, Pat
engines are part of ‘More power would be
Symonds, revealed that completely new power
units would be introduced in 2025. Right now
the global picture’ great. Less expensive
would be outstanding’
the discussions are starting on this, but there Zak Brown
are some varied opinions in the paddock about And 2035 is an important year. A number of
what should be in the new regulations, and major European nations will have introduced ‘A normally-aspirated, high-
simply by asking a selection of team bosses and legislation to outlaw the sale of new combustion revving V10 or V12 engine
technical staff what they would like to see you engine only passenger cars by then, and that would be a wonderful thing
end up with a very long wish list. has led some to say that the future of F1 is as a to have back in F1, but
Racing Point technical director Andy Green fully electric racing category. While not going unfortunately I think they
is clear about what he thinks is needed. ‘I think that far, Mercedes F1 CEO Toto Wolff does are rather outdated’
what we have now is an incredible piece of agree that the hybrid element might increase. Christian Horner
engineering in the back of the car, but it could ‘I think that we are in the middle of a transition
just be too incredible. I think what we have is of technology, at least on the road car side, ‘There will be new forms of
potentially something where the technology and as much as we, most of us, are fans of the fuel coming up in the next
bar of the power unit is just way too high and loud, traditional engines, it’s not where the few years, whether you are
I think I would like to see something that is technology goes and where the perception on talking about more biofuel
just slightly simpler. I think I’d never say no to sustainability goes,’ he says.‘I believe we’ve done so a different composition,
more horsepower, the sport can’t have enough the right thing in keeping the regulations almost or even synthetic fuel’
horsepower. We need to make the cars harder to stable for the next term because it would have Cyril Abiteboul
drive. I think more power coming from a simpler caused a tremendous amount of development
power unit is what it should be.’ to come up with the new formula. Also, it is
Even though the current power units not quite clear where this next generation of ‘We want to see even
have reached previously unthinkable levels of power unit actually should be. Listening to our higher efficiency, and green
efficiency and are now producing in the range chairman of Daimler, we expect 50 per cent of technologies used … it is
of 1000bhp, more power is something that is a our fleet to be either hybrid or electric by 2030, developing and promoting that
common theme in the paddock. ‘More power so I think if this is the direction technology goes, kind of technology that is the
would be great. Less expensive would be we could as well have an engine that will have a reason Honda is racing in F1’
outstanding,’ chief executive of McLaren Racing higher hybrid component, renewable energies Toyoharu Tanabe
Zak Brown says. ‘I don’t know that it’s achievable
but if we could have some diversity in the
engine itself and not be limited to a certain The 2025 power unit could have an
amount of cylinders, things of that nature, I ERS to match or exceed the potency
think that would maybe spice up the show too.’ of the one used in the Toyota LMP1

Search engine
Yet while there seems to be a hunger for more
power there is also a note of caution from some
quarters. ‘The romantic in me says let’s go back
to loud noise, high revs, normally aspirated,’
says Red Bull Racing team principal Christian
Horner. ‘To have a normally-aspirated,
high-revving V10 or V12 engine would be a
wonderful thing to have back in Formula 1,
but unfortunately I think they are rather
outdated now. We have now got a period of
stability with the engines, so it’s important
that Formula 1 makes the right decision for
the future. Obviously the automotive sector is
moving an awful lot at the moment and what
technologies are going to be relevant then?
Because when that engine comes in in 2025
that’s going to have to be for a five- to ten-year
period, so we are actually talking up to 2035,
which is a long way down the pipeline.’

20 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

 proportion will go up, and maybe the
technology we use to store energy will change,
or how we generate electricity, but I think you
have to bear in mind that the units we have now
are only five-years-old. I will be very happy to
keep working on this type of power unit, we so
often hear people saying that the future is full
electric, but people are starting to realise that
we won’t get rid of internal combustion engines
tomorrow, and actually it is a very efficient way
to turn fuel into propelling energy, or even
into electricity. I think it is fine to continue
developing ICE technologies in F1, already there
is a lot of technology we are using in F1 that has
not yet transferred to road cars because it needs
to be affordable, but it is coming.’

Road relevance
It’s been said that F1’s current power units lack
relevance to production cars. Regardless of
whether this criticism is justified or not there is a
clear desire to make the 2025 units much more
relevant to production car technology.
‘For Honda that is the right direction, we
want to see even higher efficiency, and green
technologies used,’ Honda F1 technical director
Mercedes power unit in the Racing Point. The team’s tech director says that the current F1 PUs are simply ‘too incredible’ Toyoharu Tanabe says. ‘Actually it is developing
and promoting that kind of technology that
or electricity. Today, it’s maybe around 20 per Remi Taffin, F1 engine technical director at is the reason Honda is racing in Formula 1. So
cent, maybe that ratio is going to go to 50 per Renault Sport, agrees. ‘I think they should be those for us are the key technology pillars of
cent. As long as it’s an exciting engine, the more electrified, I think there is a lot we could Formula 1. Actually to increase the efficiency is
sound is something that we need to address imagine, but I would still see a kind of power something we need to think about how to do,
or at least talk about it, but I believe the hybrid unit like we have now with a combustion engine as it is really not easy. When we [came] back to
component is going to increase after 2025.’ and an ERS,’ he says. ‘I think the electrification Formula 1 in 2014, one per cent improvement

By 2035 a number of major European nations will have introduced

legislation to outlaw the sale of new combustion engine only cars

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 21

FORMULA 1 – 2025 POWER UNITS

‘I think Formula 1 needs to retain some level of internal combustion

engine in the power unit rules, otherwise what is it, Formula E?’
was not easy but it could be achieved, but now and the assumption is that everything will be high-revving, normally-aspirated engine, but
we are chasing gains of 0.1 per cent. We believe all-electric, but actually a lot of them are giving still probably the way forward if we want to be
that it is very important for the technologies we a misleading statement. When they mean relevant, not just to car makers, but to society.’
develop in racing to be used on future road cars. going all-electric they mean actually going The form (or indeed formulation) that the
Not just the technologies, though, we also use hybrid, but I think that is a little down to media 2025 fuel may take is actively under discussion,
it to develop the skills and knowledge of our hysteria, and wanting to get that headline. The as the sport aims to increase its relevance to
engineers, and that too can be shared within all-electric headline sounds better but it’s not the wider industry.‘I think it’s important to
the company. It’s a good training place.’ reality. The reality is that you will have to have look at the fuel that we might use on the road
multiple things to meet global transportation tomorrow in road cars and we keep on working
Heat retention? demand. It’s a combination of electric and and developing new technologies towards that,’
While the current power unit regulations were internal combustion, including diesel. So I Taffin says.‘With the fuel it is early days, we have
instrumental in bringing Honda back into think Formula 1 needs to retain some level of had some discussions about what the fuel of
Formula 1 not all the manufacturers remain internal combustion engine otherwise what are tomorrow should be. For example, you look at
convinced that every element of the layout is they, Formula E? Besides, if everything went all- the percentage of biological components we
right in terms of road relevance. ‘In my opinion electric there is not enough power generation, use in the fuel, we are quite happy to increase
we need to look over the next couple of years as you have to build more power plants and that percentage, but we need to make sure that
at the MGU-H and its road relevance, because there is no appetite for that in certain parts of whatever we use is available around the world.’
it’s clearly a component that was introduced the world, you just end up in a debate about It may be the case that Formula 1 does
for that purpose,’ Renault F1 managing director nuclear power and things like that.’ not settle on a single fuel (or a single engine
Cyril Abiteboul says, before adding a caveat configuration) and will open it up to entirely
to that statement. ‘Right now, we don’t see Fuel for thought different fuels to compete against one another.
any application on road cars but it may come. One area where road relevance could be directly ‘I think it would be a challenge to police, but in
It may actually be in the pipeline of some increased is with the type of fuel used in the cars the auto industry they have been pushing hard
manufacturers, so we need to be careful not to and Renault in particular is calling for the sport for separation on specifications of engine oils
be basically in reverse in that respect. And then to consider this with the new rules. ‘Something and transmission fluids as they all want the best
diversity of technology would be great, but we to be discussed is not necessarily the next protection and fuel economy for their product,’
also need to be careful not to open up the field generation of engine but the next generation Tsurusaki says.‘The manufacturers don’t really
and create some discrepancy.’ of fuel, because we still believe that Formula 1 is care about an industry standard that they
Wider technological relevance is a major about hybrid technology, not full-electric, for have to sacrifice something for. That’s already
reason that many companies, not just car a number of reasons,’ Abiteboul says. ‘Clearly happened with engine oil and it could happen
manufacturers, are active in Formula 1, and we need more power and sustainable power with fuel too. There is technology that could see
many are warning against any steps being taken and long races, but there will be new forms fuel pumps mix a specific blend tailored to your
to reduce that relevance. ‘We are not looking of fuel coming up in the next few years, car. So you drive up to the pump which then
at it to be a commercial engine, we are looking whether you are talking about more biofuel, dials into your car and delivers the perfect fuel
at it as the future,’ Mobil 1’s global motorsports so a different composition, or even synthetic for the engine which might be a 98.3 octane
technology manager David Tsurusaki says. fuel, coming from non-fossil sources, that with particular additives, for example, rather
‘From our perspective we still believe that could be attractive and that would require than the standard 98 available now.’
internal combustion engines are part of the new development. So, probably the way One of the biggest demands from
global picture. Sometimes you talk to people forward. Less exciting, obviously, than a very independent teams is that whatever the new

Most of the F1 teams are calling for a lower cost unit. The current 1.6-litre V6 hybrid era started back in 2014 Honda says it is in Formula 1 to help develop road car technology

22 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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 FORMULA 1 – 2025 POWER UNITS

It may be the case that Formula 1 does not settle on a single fuel but
will open it up to entirely different fuels competing against one another

Audi has invested heavily in developing synthetic fuels. Could this sort of tech play a role in the future of F1? Variable compression ratios could be a feature of the 2025 PUs

power unit is it needs to be affordable. But with

the manufacturers calling for increased road
‘Over the next couple of years we need to look
relevance it is not clear exactly how this could
be achieved. One suggestion is to follow the
at the MGU-H and its relevance to road cars’
lead set by the 2021 chassis regulations and
increase the amount of control parts used, with incremental basis year to year or every two It could be sustainable, reasonable and good
the electronic systems, MGUs, energy store, years, it is not stopping you from developing for all but this is not happening in any state in
fuel system and even the fuel itself all but it is saving you the big money from when the world. You look at the world, and think of it
candidates for standardisation. you go racing. This may sound weird but it is in five or ten years time, but then ten minutes
‘We obviously don’t want Formula 1 to cheap to develop, but very expensive to race.’ later we go to the pit wall and try to win a race.
go to a spec fuel or to be very restrictive,’ We could have that care, to have it drive us,
Tsurusaki says. ‘We are in motor racing for Powering on but it’s going to be costly. But if we have a 30
two reasons, firstly marketing and secondly As the process of developing the regulations year roadmap it would allow us to select an
technical development. Remove the technical for the 2025 power units has only just started area to develop and then freeze. Incremental
development then all we need to do is put up there is an opportunity to ensure that the rules development could work, we need to set the
a billboard. There is a lot of commentary out are written in a way that satisfies all of the goals, set the roadmap and do it all step by
there saying that the fuel used in Formula 1 is objectives stated here, even though some of step, the regulations should drive us to achieve
not road relevant, but we don’t agree with that them do seem contradictory. those goals. That would help in preventing us
at all because it does have relevance to what ‘At the end of the day I think there is still a spending massive money on small things that
we will do in future. This power unit is not question about what is going to be next,’ Taffin give us just milliseconds, instead we spend
relevant to what is on the road today, but it says.‘We could argue that Formula 1 should go all the money in areas that give a real benefit,
features a lot of things which could be relevant back to a V8 or a V10 but this simply will not very specific matters that will be a performance
in the future and it’s the same for our fuel.’ happen. We have to be realistic, closer to what is differentiator but also tackle a wider problem.’
going on in the wider world. I think that applies Before we conclude, it has been quietly
Tighter controls to everything, the ERS, the fuel, the ICE. What suggested that a proposal for further power unit
Another cost reduction could be a tighter should we do for 2025? We need to take a wider downsizing has been tabled, which calls for a
homologation of parts in the power unit. It look at the world and see what is happening. turbocharged 850cc engine with an extremely
might be argued that this will reduce the There are plenty of companies around, not only high (but potentially variable) compression
potential R&D gains and technology transfer in the automotive industry but other areas, ratio, gasoline compression ignition and
to production cars, but surprisingly some PU studying how people will travel in 10 years. I feel variable valve timing. This would be mated to a
developers are in favour of it. ‘I think we could that [it’s up to] the FIA or F1 or us, the people much larger and more potent hybrid system. At
accept having only one specification of energy in Formula 1, to start thinking like that, to start present there are very few details on this.
recovery system per year, but that is not saying caring. It may be strange as competitors but we The new regulations are likely years from
we have to keep the same system for five or ten need to have those high level discussions, to taking any tangible form, but the work is only
years,’ Taffin says. ‘Should we be throwing our care a lot more about the wider world. just beginning. It is clear, though, that the
resources away by trying to get 0.03 seconds ‘We need to get together and tackle it from resulting power units will be different to what
per lap by having three different ERS A to Z,’ Taffin adds.‘It may seem unrealistic but Formula 1 is using now, quite how they will
specifications per year? If we worked on an we could have a roadmap for the next 30 years. differ will remain unclear for a while yet.

24 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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INDYCAR – INSIGHT

Prep school

Ed Carpenter, driver and owner at

ECR, pits during this year’s Indy 500

26 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

Ever wondered what it takes to ready a team and racecar for
a top flight motorsport event? A performance engineer at the
Ed Carpenter Racing IndyCar operation gives us the inside line
on a procedure that is as fascinating as it is vital
By STAN SANDOVAL

T
his is my first year working as
a performance engineer for Ed
Carpenter Racing (ECR), and I’ve
already come to appreciate that,
while races will always be the showcase events,
the work that goes on behind the scenes is
equally impressive. A team’s preparation for
an IndyCar race weekend is an amazing feat of
engineering in and of itself.
Not only that, but it is massively influential
on how competitive a team is on a given
race weekend. A closer look at the extensive
resources committed by each team to prepare
for an IndyCar race reveals just how competitive
the series has become, both on and off the track.
The first opportunity teams are given to run
the car is during pre-season testing. In-season
testing is so limited in all forms of motorsport
these days that every chance to get on track is
vital. And so while the winter snow piles up in
Indianapolis, we’ll usually head out to Florida,
Texas, or California in search of suitable testing
conditions. Winter testing is the first chance
teams get to shake down a new car, work out
the kinks on a new development project, or
begin honing in on the race set-up.

Learning curves
Another benefit of pre-season testing can be
the chance to gain familiarity with a new track.
From the very moment testing begins, teams
are always trying to learn just as much about the
race track as they are the cars. For new tracks,
this information is doubly valuable as there is no
prior circuit data to work from.
While track time is far and away the best
method to mimic race conditions, due to its
restrictions other avenues are often sought
to continue to develop the car away from the
track. For instance, aerodynamic testing can be
carried out in full-scale and model wind tunnels.
Similarly, seven-post shaker rigs can be used for
damper development, as well as gearbox dynos
for drivetrain testing. Much of this can be carried
out close to where the team is based, too.
The Auto Research Center in Indianapolis

A wise engineer once told possesses all of these testing facilities and is
right down the road from the ECR shop. Each

me that 90 per cent of the work of these methods helps to develop the car in
individual areas without having to use any of

you do in the office is simply to

our allotment of test days (though full scale
wind tunnel testing is also restricted).

make your life at the track easier

Not only do these methods improve the
car, but they also help us make the most of our
track time. From the wind tunnel, shaker rig, or

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 27

INDYCAR – INSIGHT

From using the wind tunnel, shaker rig, or gearbox dyno, we can
narrow down our test plan to the things that look most promising
gearbox dyno, we can narrow down our test
plan to the things that look most promising, and
then spend the time moving forward with our
plan and investigating other areas of the car that
we might not otherwise have had time for.

Data-driven
Without data, we engineers would really
struggle. Analysing data is a huge part of every
engineer’s job. Practically every decision we
make these days is data-driven, and going
through all the information at our disposal is
essential for making an informed decision.
A wise engineer once told me that 90 per
cent of the work you do in the office is done
simply to make your life at the track easier, and
going through all the various forms of data
is the best way for engineers to be prepared
heading into the race weekend.
Setting the car up right is also vital, of course.
Before a race weekend we turn to set-up data
from the year before to use as a starting point. Nothing beats track time but with testing limited dynos and simulation will also play a part in preparing for an IndyCar race
This usually begins by us asking what was the
most effective set-up we ran last year? Often you
see first-year teams struggle because they don’t
have any reference to start from. Conversely, you
see teams perform well at the same tracks year
in and year out because they’ve figured out a
set-up that works for them there.
Set-ups can vary so much from track to track,
and from street course to road course to oval,
that having a good starting place for each track
can make a huge difference. At ECR, it’s no secret
that Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a strong
track for us. A large part of that is simply having
a good baseline to start from every year and
then continuing to improve it.
With a starting set-up selected, data from
past years can also be used to assess set-up
changes. If, say, you wanted to reduce mid-
corner understeer, what is the most effective
way to do it? Having a log of set-up changes that The ECR team moving equipment into place at Indy. It has plenty of data from the speedway and usually goes very well there
have been tried in the past can be very useful
when confronted with handling deficiencies. a very effective and useful tool. There is a tonne the driver to trial potential set-ups. Engineers
Often there are many adjustments that can of innovation and development that goes on can use this simulation data along with driver
correct the same issue. However, knowing that behind the scenes that is constantly improving feedback to come up with a short-list of possible
a set-up change was effective in correcting the accuracy, efficiency, and capabilities of set-up changes to try during the weekend.
the balance, and whether it may have also simulation. Even when not 100 per cent precise, Lap time simulation can also be used to
compromised another area of the car, can help it can be used to detect trends or relate things compare set-ups, and this is done completely
keep an engineer on the right path. Every race comparatively, which is still crucial. numerically and does not require a driver to
engineer has a story about ‘going down the With track time being so limited any sit in a simulator. With the car fully modelled
rabbit hole’ on a set-up that didn’t work out; it additional data generated by simulation can mathematically, it can be used to compare how
is not a fun position to be in. help engineers determine what would be a various aspects of its set-up, such as gear ratios,
worthwhile use of track time when writing aero configurations, or ride heights, would
Simulation a session plan. The two primary forms of change the performance of the car.
Of course, you won’t always have all the data simulation we use to prepare for a race weekend Lap time simulation can also be used as a
you require, and simulations are a great way are the driver-in-loop simulator (DIL) and lap predictive tool throughout the race weekend, as
to generate data that you otherwise wouldn’t time simulation. While the DIL is thought of factors such as changing conditions can wreak
have. Using numerical models and historical primarily as a training tool for drivers, it is also havoc with a car’s performance. Sometimes
data, with proper correlation, simulation can be a method that engineers can utilise along with the weather can change in an instant; the wind

28 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is notorious

for affecting a car’s top speed, and thus how
it should be geared, while ambient and track
temperature can have a massive effect on
downforce and thus ride heights. This can leave
engineers scrambling for answers.
But with lap time simulation – and some
amateur meteorology – they can make a more
informed decision on how to set up a racecar
using simulation to get data in cases where
historical data might not be sufficient.

Action plans
Similar to set-up data, we also look at how past
races have played out strategy-wise to try and
predict the best course of action for the race at
hand. The primary consideration for any strategy
is how many pit stops do you plan on making,
and on what laps do you plan on making them. Engineers Justin Taylor, Peter Craik and Matt Barnes discussing set-up with general manager Tim Broyles at the Indy 500
This is dictated by a number of factors such
as fuel consumption, tyre degradation, traffic, understanding of how races have played out in cars towards the back of the field will take the
and cautions. Some of these we can investigate the past can be very handy in the heat of the opportunity to pit for fuel and tyres (it’s a pit
before the race weekend has even started, moment, as similar situations will often present stop that opens up your fuel window, gives you
others we wait for track data from practice themselves year after year. a fresh set of tyres for very little, if any, track
before making a decision. By looking back at position loss, with the majority of the race still
previous races though, we can get an idea of Proceed with cautions to be run). Similarly, if a caution comes out just
strategies that typically work well. We will look Historically, some races are littered with cautions before a normal fuel window were to open,
at the winning strategy from the year before, (often starting at turn 1, lap 1), while other races most cars would pit anyway and stretch their
the strategy of the car that made up the most have typically gone all-green. Because cautions fuel rather than wait for the window to open
positions throughout last year’s race, as well as slow down and bunch up the field, when a when the race is back under green.
the strategies that our cars used. caution falls, it has knock-on effects on fuel Researching how teams have handled
Going through the old timing and scoring consumption, traffic, and therefore strategy. these decisions in past races, and then seeing
files we can see where time was made and But predicting when a caution is going to how these situations then played out for them,
where time was lost to try and understand why occur is almost impossible, so analysing how can take a lot of the guesswork out of making
it was that one strategy worked better than teams have reacted to cautions in the past strategy calls during the race.
another. Was the tyre degradation too great can help us come up with a game plan should For taking traffic into account, a factor such
that a car lost time late in a stint? Or was the car one occur during the race. For example, if a as how hard it is to overtake at each track plays
consistently slower over the course of the stint caution comes out early in the race, typically a role in strategy decisions. Electing for a three-
because they were trying to stretch their fuel in

Every engineer has a story about ‘going down

order to make one less pit stop?
Maybe the strategy itself wasn’t necessarily

the rabbit hole’ on a set-up that didn’t work out

quicker, but then a timely yellow made it look
like a stroke of genius on the day. Having a good

Race engineer Peter Craik debriefs driver Ed Jones The main consideration for a race strategy is how many pit stops do you plan to make and on what laps will they happen

30 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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INDYCAR – INSIGHT

stop strategy and running flat out might not be

the best choice if you are stuck behind someone
running slower because they are two-stopping,
and you are unable to overtake. At that point,
you are effectively running two-stop pace but
still making three pit stops.
Another situation where traffic comes into
play is when deciding between pitting and
going to the back of the field with fresh tyres
or staying towards the front on tyres that are
worn out. How difficult it is to get through traffic
can help determine which option you would
choose. While this is a hard metric to quantify,
by going through past races at that same track
we can see how teams in these situations have
acted before, and how it worked for them.

Track types
One of the biggest challenges of competing in
IndyCar from an engineer’s perspective lies with
the diversity amongst the tracks themselves.
The existence of ovals and road/street courses Ed Carpenter embarks on a qualifying run at the Indy 500. A clear strategy for this needs to be devised during practice
on the calendar makes for radically different
approaches depending on the type of track. simply, the set-up for an oval is designed to
Different aero kits are used for road/street do one thing: turn left. Oval set-ups are very
courses, short ovals, and superspeedways. asymmetrical compared to road and street
Since ovals have much higher average and course set-ups. Even the tyres are staggered
top speeds than road and street courses, to allow the car to naturally turn left. But
aerodynamic configurations are a much larger finding an effective set-up for an oval can be
consideration. For the majority of the road and extremely difficult. Thankfully, with Ed Carpenter
street courses, teams will run with maximum behind the wheel, we have one of the most
possible downforce. However, on ovals, this is experienced oval drivers in the sport. His
far from the case. The concept of trimming, that direction and feedback are always invaluable as
is removing downforce in exchange for drag we continually improve our oval package.
reduction, is much more apparent (especially
during qualifying). Teams will often go to Find the gap
extreme lengths in trimming their cars to try to Not only do the cars themselves differ; so do
eke out every last bit of speed on ovals. some regulations and team procedures. On
Because of the increased speeds on ovals, ovals there is only one tyre compound and
cooling also becomes a bigger factor. Engineers no push-to-pass. Therefore, there’s no need to
have to balance the aerodynamic benefit of spend practice time comparing compounds
blocking up radiator inlets while ensuring the or calculating the additional lap time benefit
racecar does not overheat. and fuel consumption that comes with using
Gearing also differs massively between push-to-pass. However, since ovals use single-
ovals and road/street courses. At road and car qualifying, we will dedicate practice time ECR race strategist Ben Siegel reviews the timing and scoring data
street courses, the gearing is often dictated by to running a mock qualifying run. This involves
corner entry speeds, minimum corner speeds, trying to find a gap where you can essentially on an oval. Therefore, how the teams go about
and where on the track the driver is able to shift run in isolation, so the tow doesn’t skew your using their track time also differs between the
gear. On ovals, the gearing is not dictated by results or read on the handling. different types of tracks used.
the same criteria. The higher gears are called Another key difference is how drivers save When the race weekend finally arrives there
‘run gears’ and are chosen to cover the spread fuel on a road/street course versus an oval. is still plenty to do before the green flag drops.
of speeds encountered during race conditions, Better fuel mileage is primarily achieved on We arrive on set-up day; this involves moving
such as when leading or in the tow. Lower road/street courses using a technique called into the track for the weekend, unloading the
gears are based on launches from a pit stop or lift and coast. On ovals, the tow is so powerful car, finalising session plans for practice, pre-
race restart speeds. Combined with the higher that driving in the slipstream of another car can fitting adjustments that we want to try, and
speeds seen on ovals, the difference in approach save fuel. In both cases, we will usually dedicate the track walk, of course. After set-up day we
means that the gear ratios chosen for ovals and practice time to quantifying how effective these come back the next morning and finally get to
road/street courses differ massively. fuel-saving techniques can be. However, while go out on track for practice.
Car set-ups are also extremely different this can be done pretty much anywhere on a The primary focus of practice is to work
between road/street courses and ovals. Put road course, it requires traffic to get a good read on the car set-up for qualifying and the race.

Teams will often go to extreme lengths in trimming their racecars

as they try to eke out every last bit of speed for the oval tracks
32 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019
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While tyre degradation sets in fairly early, due to tyre temps often the
best lap to set a time during qualifying is two or three laps into a run

The track walk is a traditional part of the first day at the circuit for many teams Honing pit stop drills. Races can be won or lost here and time must be set aside for practice

However, there is also so much more to be done. slope (increase in lap time each lap due to tyre
It’s a chance for the drivers to learn or reacquaint wear). Usually, the primary tyres will have a
themselves with the track so that they can push slower ultimate lap time but less degradation
to the absolute maximum when it counts. It’s than the alternates. Therefore, there is often a
also a chance for the engineers to acquire data crossover point, a certain number of laps into a
on tyre degradation and fuel consumption in stint, where the primaries will become quicker
order to decide on a strategy for the race. And, than the alternates. Additionally, there is another
for the team, it’s a chance to scrub tyres while point later in a stint where the primary’s initial
getting some valuable pit stop practice. So a lot time loss to the alternates is recuperated due to
of information needs to be gathered in a very their degrading less. This data informs strategy
short amount of time during practice. decisions as teams decide which tyre they would
On road and street courses, the teams run prefer to spend the majority of the race on.
on two different tyre compounds throughout
the weekend: the primary tyres (blacks) and the Pace vs fuel
alternate tyres (reds). Teams are given a limited The compromise between pace and fuel
amount of each for a race weekend and must consumption also needs to be investigated quite
use both during the race. Thus, the strategy thoroughly, often after qualifying during the
as to how best to use your allotment over the morning warm up. While working on the set-up The ECR crew ready for the start of the IndyCar race at Long Beach
course of the race weekend is an important during practice, engineers will see what kind of
consideration. While teams are required to use fuel mileage the racecar will typically get when Then it’s race day. By now you’ve got your
both compounds at some point during the running hard. But it is vital to also see what best possible set-up, you’ve selected a tyre
race, beyond that the decision is totally that of the drop off in lap time is when running with a compound to start the race, you know where
the teams. Deciding which tyres to qualify on, different fuel mixture, or lifting and coasting to you’ve qualified, and you’ve got a general
how many laps to do during qualifying, and save fuel. As mentioned earlier, stint lengths strategy in mind. While a lot of effort has gone
which tyres to run during the race itself are are sometimes shortened or stretched based into predicting the best strategy, the truth of the
very important decisions that are made based on tyre life or cautions. This then dictates what matter is that every engineer has to react in live
on the results from practice. kind of fuel economy the driver will need to time as the race plays out, just as the drivers do.
achieve in order to make the strategy work. Many plans have gone out the window after
Qualifying plan We will also dedicate time during practice to lap 1, turn 1; it’s simply a part of motorsport.
For qualifying we will often look at which lap running in different fuel mixtures to see how The race itself is a pressure-cooker
during a run is the fastest during practice. While much fuel we can save, that way we know what environment; crashes, passes, and even rain can
tyre degradation sets in fairly early, due to tyre is reasonable to expect in terms of stint length seemingly come out of nowhere. By watching
temperature sometimes the best lap to set a before the race even begins. data as well as timing and scoring in real time,
time during qualifying is two or three laps into a Measuring the lap time deficit incurred by an engineer works with the driver over the
run. We’ll use data, along with some calculations saving fuel is an important consideration too, course of the race to deliver the best result.
about how long it takes to complete a lap and as it makes no sense to save fuel in order to But there is only ever one winner. All the hours
the duration of each qualifying session to come avoid making a pit stop if doing so means you spent testing, analysing data and practicing on
up with a plan for each round of qualifying. will then lose more time than it would take to track have helped one team cross the finish line
To analyse race pace, we will often simply stop and refuel. All of this data and more before all the others. The race may have started
characterise each tyre as having an ultimate has to be gathered over the course of practice in two hours ago, but the hard work it took to
pace (best possible lap time) and a degradation the days leading up to the race. win it started long before the green flag fell.

34 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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LMP1 – TOYOTA TS050

Final flourish
T
he eighth season of the FIA WEC
will be the last allowing the current Toyota will face some very different challenges in
breed of hybrid prototypes before
new hypercar regulations arrive in the 2019/20 WEC but with a raft of aerodynamic
2020. It will bring to a close a golden era of
endurance racing in which gasoline and diesel
updates and Le Mans winning pedigree its TS050
raced against each other with parity, while
turbo and normally aspirated engines were also
still goes into its final season as the car to beat
welcomed. But perhaps most significantly, a By ANDREW COTTON
host of different hybrid solutions were tested,
including battery, flywheel and super capacitors,
while a range of energy recovery systems were
also trialled in competition, including kinetic
and heat recovery systems.
Toyota raced Audi, Porsche and Nissan
during this era and, ultimately, all the cars
converged to a similar concept; turbocharged
engines with battery hybrid systems. But the
Japanese car maker is now the last of these left
standing. With the TS050, introduced in 2016,
TMG and Toyota won Le Mans twice, in 2018 and
2019, as well as World Endurance Championship
titles for manufacturers and drivers.

Closing the gap

Despite a new set of regulations that have
introduced a balance of performance system on
top of the Equivalence of Technology, with the
specific intention of closing the gap between
the fastest cars, Toyota has introduced a raft of
aerodynamic upgrades for this final iteration
of the TS050. This includes a new nose, revised
location of mirrors and a smaller airbox as the
most obvious changes to the naked eye. Under
the skin, minor modifications have also taken
place, with an emphasis on reliability.
The car will face some new challenges
this year, including a balance of performance
system that will be cumulative, meaning that
throughout the season a successful car will be
gradually slowed using a variety of devices,
such as fuel flow, hybrid boost, weight and
fuel energy per lap. The car has also started the
season with a 14kg weight penalty compared
to the end of last season, which Toyota
calculated to be worth four tenths of a second
around Barcelona and Silverstone. Therefore,
efficiency was the main target for the upgrades,
in order to mitigate any penalty either already
applied or coming later in the year.
In the meantime, Toyota says that the
developments made by the non-hybrid designs
it races against since the start of 2018 have been
significant. The non-hybrids raced with minimal
testing at the start of the so-called super season
(which encompassed two Le Mans 24 hour races

36 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

 ‘It is always good to keep developing and as
development is allowed for non-hybrid cars then
we had to anticipate that they would be quicker’

Toyota’s TS050, a car which has already won Le Mans twice,

starts the new 2019/20 WEC season as the clear favourite

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 37

LMP1 – TOYOTA TS050

and only concluded in June of this year) and

development has been ongoing throughout One of the more obvious
that time. Also, a new Michelin tyre has been changes to the TS050
introduced this season with a view to closing is the higher nose
the gap on the hybrid Toyotas, and so Toyota
concluded that it could not stand still and wait
for the BoP to balance things up.
With the first race having taken place at
Silverstone at the start of September (after
Racecar went to press) the season has now
moved to a winter calendar, which has meant a
great deal of adjustment for the teams.

Fewer contenders
The competition ranged against the Toyota
has reduced in the WEC this year with the
withdrawal from the top class of both the SMP
cars and ByKolles. The former is the most keenly
felt, having finished third at Le Mans with the
AER-powered BR1 that was designed and built
by Dallara. The Russian team felt that this result
was the best that it could manage and it did
not trust that the BoP would work effectively
enough for it to justify the continuation of
the programme for a further season. Toyota
therefore faces the Rebellion team, with ORECA
chassis that can trace their origin back to 2014,
and Ginetta, which had its first truly competitive
outing at Silverstone (see page 42).
The TS050 was introduced when Porsche
and Audi were still competing. The regulations
at the time, under cost-saving initiatives agreed
‘You can see that the nose has changed a lot,
with the other manufacturers, were that the
chassis would be valid for two years, after which and that has affected the airflow over the car’
it could be upgraded. However, with both of its
rivals pulling out by the end of the 2017 season development and some help with the air over is supported by the now-standard rear view
and its budget accordingly reduced, Toyota had the car. The pure aero target is to gain efficiency, cameras that takes care of the field of vision
no reason to spend large amounts of money and that is the development [that we achieved]. centrally behind the driver, although the mirrors
on a new chassis. This, therefore, is the fourth That should not get worse, and that’s a clear are still required by regulation.
straight season with the same chassis design. target for the design group.’ ‘The car from a mechanical point of view
However, a new approach to the front of is not really different, and the rules haven’t
the car has seen it integrate a higher nose. This Mirror image changed much,’ says Litjens. ‘The hardware
change has necessitated a new crash test, which One of the key design changes that has been underneath the car is not worth spending a
was passed in the middle of the elongated introduced is the integration of the mirrors in huge amount of resource on, particularly with
2018/19 WEC super season.‘You can see that the the rear of the front wheel shroud, as Porsche the new regulations coming up and it was
nose has changed a lot and that has affected had in the final version of its 919. Toyota did mainly the aero people who were working,
the airflow over the car,’ says TMG’s project not believe that this was legal at the time, but and we have finalised this.’
leader John Litjens.‘We are also channelling air as it was then declared to be so it has now Another noticeable difference for the car
through the car, so [airflow] is split [over and done its own version of the design. That has is the reduced size of the air intake over the
under the car]. That base concept is still there, cleaned up the airflow to the rear wing a little, cockpit. The team has not made major changes
the undercuts are still there, it was just other and presumably reduced drag too. Rear vision to the cooling concept or efficiency though.

The Toyota is subject to a cumulative performance

balancing system throughout the 2019/20 season

38 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 39

LMP1 – TOYOTA TS050

‘The reduced air box was just one of the

things that was not addressed before,’ Litjens The air intake over the cockpit has been reduced in
says. ‘These are the aero things that in the wind size but the car’s cooling concept has not changed
tunnel you cannot really adjust because you
have the fixing there. These are not massive
things, but just things to fix.’
This is because wind tunnel models are
normally attached to a vertical post, and then
lowered onto a moving belt, which makes
airbox design a little more challenging.

Secret testing
The new schedule has meant that the upgraded
car had to be tested in secret mid-season, and
early in 2019, in order to avoid interfering with
the preparations for Le Mans. The car first ran
at Paul Ricard in France in January, and then
had another test at Aragon after Le Mans in
preparation for the new season, which started
Toyota will target a new outright qualifying lap
with the Prologue in Barcelona at the end of
July. In a way it has been fortunate that the car
record at Le Mans, and a 3m12s lap is possible
has had its development signed off so early,
as the new hypercar regulations were finally been behind. In any case, it was not an option able to cope with changing conditions, and this
confirmed at the Le Mans test day in June, and for us to stand still and count on the others not we know from the work done with Michelin.’
released to the wider world at the race. developing. We have seen some interesting How much of a performance advantage
Before then, the staff at TMG had stopped progress on the non-hybrid side since Le Mans the new tyres will give will take time to assess,
work on the new for 2020 car pending a positive last year and this year so we kept going, and and Toyota was not able to predict their effect
outcome. Once Toyota and Aston Martin now we have the success handicap on top.’ until after the first race of the season. ‘Not
confirmed their hypercar programmes TMG has all teams will benefit in the same way, and it
been flat out working on its new machine ready Gripping stuff is difficult to put maths behind it,’ explained
for the start of the 2020/21 season. The change to the tyre regulations is one that Vasselon. ‘We know what the target was, and
‘The new regulations came quite late, Toyota believes will help the privateers the most what were the problems, [but for] the exact
so we had to keep our team busy,’ says the this season. Michelin introduced the 2018/19 result we don’t have a picture.’
team’s technical director, Pascal Vasselon of tyre long before meaningful track testing had The Toyota began its final season at
the development of the TS050. ‘They have started with the new cars, and so took steps Silverstone running in its high-downforce
been working with reduced budget and that during the season to address the performance configuration but there is a low drag kit that
has had an impact on the full car. It is always issue. ‘It seems that the tyre issue was one of has been designed, and will likely debut at Spa
good to keep developing, and as development the main issues for them [the privateers] being in May, 2020. The team will no doubt target a
is allowed for non-hybrid cars, we had to caught out when conditions were changing, so new outright qualifying lap record at Le Mans,
anticipate that they would be quicker. If you we expect that Michelin has done a proper job,’ believing a 3m12s lap is possible. It would
do nothing, and the non-hybrid teams have says Vasselon. ‘We do not expect a huge step in be a fitting way to close one of the great
done what they have done, we could have outright performance, but [that they are] better engineering exercises in racing history.

The view most of the privateer LMP1s will likely

have of the TS050 this season. Note the mirror
set into the rear of the front wheel shroud. This
helps to clean up the airflow to the rear wing

40 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 41
LMP1 – GINETTA G60-LT-P1

A new The Ginetta G60-LT-P1 is currently being run

hope
out of the factory but the company is looking
for a partner team to race the car this season

Ginetta did not have a successful 2018/19

WEC campaign, contesting just two races,
but its G60-LT-P1 is now back in the mix with
a new powerplant plus a much improved
performance potential. Racecar spoke to the
team behind the car to find out more
By ANDREW COTTON

T
he 2019/20 WEC sees a return of The G60-LT-P1 was originally designed to be
one of the most eagerly anticipated able to take multiple engine choices, including
challengers to Toyota in the shape Mecachrome, AER as well as the Gibson engine,
of the Ginetta G60-LT-P1. Ginetta’s to allow maximum choice for its customers.
full programme has yet to be revealed as This meant that the gearbox casing and rear
Racecar went to press, but the team behind the suspension was designed by Ginetta, while
development of the car is optimistic that it can gearbox internals were done by specialist Xtrac.
show strongly in what is the final season for P1 To do its own casing design was a decision
before new regulations come in in 2020. taken by Ginetta in a bid to anticipate any
There is a likelihood that this generation of potential changes that might arise, and
car will be grandfathered, but that depends on ultimately it was right to do so. The team did compete at Le Mans in
the number of manufacturers that will build ‘Right at the start there was definitely not 2018, but the engine was noticeably down on
hypercars. For now, Ginetta is concentrating on going to be torque sensors,’ says Smith. ‘[But] power compared to others, and that started a
showing well this season. We did our own gearbox and we didn’t want to downward spiral of performance that included
The team ran the car at Silverstone, the get shot in the foot, so we package protected a loss of downforce and subsequent tyre wear,
opening round, at the beginning of September, [ourselves] for this and before the design was as well as the slow lap times that were inevitable
but at the time of writing was looking for a even finished, it was then definitely on and we with the reduced power levels.
partner team to run it in the remaining races. needed to have a torque sensor, so we were a
Ideally, it wants to sell the car and support the bit wise to potential rule changes. We did that Works in progress
customer team, but at this stage it could be that with engines too, package protection, not to The car did not compete again during the
the manufacturer has to run the car itself. ‘We compromise the base car. We had the CAD so-called super season, despite attempts by
are a production facility, but we can race the model [for various power units] but the first Ginetta’s owner Lawrence Tomlinson to take
cars,’ said Ginetta’s technical director Pete Smith car had a Mecachrome engine.’ over the licence so as to race it. This new season,
at the Prologue, the pre-season test for the The car was first featured in Racecar V28N3 therefore, is the first opportunity that Ginetta
season held in Barcelona in July. and the decision to run the Mecachrome engine has had to race the car competitively itself.
in the first iteration was made in conjunction ‘At the Prologue last year, we realised that
Full power with the Manor team, that ran it for a Chinese the Mecachrome wasn’t giving the power
The biggest change for the Ginetta, compared investor. They had paid the entry fee and that was promised,’ says the team’s designer
to last season, is that it is now powered by therefore owned the licence to race the car, Andy Lewis. ‘From an aero point of view, I had
the twin turbo V8 AER P65 engine which is but it was not a relationship that lasted the developed the car with a certain drag target,
producing the horsepower for which the car full season. The team took part in its first WEC because we knew it would have so much power.
was originally designed. This was the engine meeting at Spa in May 2018 but the Ginetta You get your aero balance and your downforce
that propelled SMP’s Dallara-built BR1 to a third only completed the minimum running time in from that. Then you look at ways to reduce the
place at Le Mans in June, so it has the grunt and qualifying and did not even start the race, due drag, and when you develop a car you target an
the reliability to perform well for Ginetta. to issues that were not related to the car. efficiency, the highest that you can.

42 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

 ‘We can go out and do a
quick lap, maybe faster than
the Toyotas, but putting
that into an entire race
is a big challenge for us’

‘If you go down that curve to shed that drag

With its new AER P65 twin turbo V8 engine overcoming the power off, you start to lose efficient downforce,’ Lewis
deficiencies Ginetta struggled with last season the team has now adds. ‘That is where we were at Le Mans. Now
been able to concentrate on sorting the car’s aerodynamic package we are able to put that downforce back on, and
what you see here is that we are running high
downforce, and we are making more rear wing
options that we had homologated in the first
instance but had never manufactured.’

Weighting game
Now that the power issue has been addressed
and the aero on the car can be set up properly,
the team can start to do some more advanced
testing, including playing with the weight
distribution, and it expects to be able to make
good use of the new Michelin tyres that have
been developed for this season.
‘One of the philosophies with the car, driven
by the regulations, is that you have these huge
tyres on the front,’ says Lewis. ‘The other LMP1
non-hybrid teams are using carry-over chassis
[designs] from P2 and cannot [easily] turn the
tyres on. They probably have a helping hand
this year because the tyres are bespoke, but
the whole philosophy of this racecar was one

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 43

LMP1 – GINETTA G60-LT-P1

‘The whole philosophy of this racecar was one of forward weight

distribution, to bring the aero to the front and turn on the tyres’
of forward weight distribution, to bring the
aero forward and turn on the tyres. If you are in
a situation where you take all the drag off the
car, you are also in a situation where you make
compromises on where your aerodynamic
balance is, and now we are not in that
compromise. Now we can turn on the front
tyres and get them to work.’

The long game

The Ginetta’s long-distance running was still
a topic that had to be addressed ahead of
the Prologue, but efforts in this area were
being made, chiefly because the separation of With changes to the pit stop
refuelling and tyre changes in the pit stop has rules the ability to use tyres
put the emphasis back on to saving time in the over multiple stints might
pits by using the tyres over multiple stints. prove crucial this season
This feature will be especially important at
the long-distance races, including Sebring in
March and Le Mans next June. However, while with their resource,’ says Lewis. ‘With us, getting If Ginetta can put a full programme together
the Ginetta development team expects good everything together [is the issue], we can go this could be a surprise package for the series,
results over a single lap, putting together a out and do a quick lap, maybe faster than the but it needs experience of the different circuits
strong race stint, or full race, that will rival Toyotas, but putting that into a race is a big to be able to challenge Toyota. That said, this
Toyota is another matter entirely.‘In terms of challenge for us. They can do consistent, quick could be the only season in which it might
race pace it is going to be tough to beat a team lap times and that is the challenge for us.’ have a chance to compete for overall wins.

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The Awards will be presented at the MIA Dinner, NEC Birmingham, on Thursday 9 January 2020

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44 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

GT RACING – AUDI R8 LMS GT2

GR8
expectations

46 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

It packs almost 30 per cent more power than its GT3 sibling
and it has been designed to be the perfect weapon for
enthusiastic amateurs looking for a less full-on way in which
to go GT racing. Say hello to the new Audi R8 LMS GT2
By ANDREW COTTON

‘The GT3 is a pure racing machine,

but the GT2 is somewhere between
a racing car and a collector’s piece’
GT RACING – AUDI R8 LMS GT2

GT2 is a category that

hosts GT racecars
with more power and
less aero than GT3

The GT2’s very distinctive periscope-style air inlet gives engine power a boost thanks to the ram-air effect

S
omething needs to be done about
the nomenclature for GT racing. While
series organiser Stephane Ratel says
that now his house is completely
built, with customer racing the foundation and
manufacturer-supported customer racing as a
penthouse suite, where each of the categories
sits is rather confusing. And the introduction of
GT2, a class that will allow amateur race drivers
to compete against bone fide GT3 cars, and
which features more power and less aero, has
muddied the waters even further.
Ratel launched the GT1 class in the 1990s,
and later added N-GT in 2001. N-GT quickly
morphed into GT2, and raced alongside GT1
as the secondary class, which worked well and
was understandable. Then GT1 ended in a world
championship meltdown, GT2 became GTE in
Europe, GTLM in the States and GT3 became the
next class of customer racing cars.

Going for bronze

GT3 has become such a success that there are
an estimated 1000 cars racing in this single class The 640bhp 5.2-litre V10 power unit is lifted from the road car and is not restricted, as it is in the company’s GT3 racecar
around the world. Yet with more aero and power
the cars have evolved into something too quick
for the bronze driver at which the class was The future of GT3
originally aimed. GT4 was introduced to fill that

D
gap, and is proving successful on national levels. espite the great success of GT3 racing all around the world, the FIA is working hard to make changes
But Ratel wanted something new. to the format and it has held manufacturer working groups to establish a new way forward. It issued a
Enter the new generation of GT2 car, a questionnaire to the manufacturers earlier this year to establish changes that they would like to make
category that hosts GT cars with event more to the class, while it also attempted to split the category into one for pure sports cars, such as the Ferrari and
power but less aero than GT3. These are aimed Aston Martin, and one for platform cars, such as the BMW M6.
purely at the amateur driver market and This plan fell flat, but the FIA is persisting, and it now appears to have gone to another level in its efforts
manufacturers are signing up to this new GT by establishing the working groups without the category’s founder Stephane Ratel involved. Under new
division. Porsche and Audi have already built proposals for 2022, the FIA has also put forward a proposal for a new front structure, wheelbase, width
cars, and many more are expected to join them. and roof height, also freeing up engine development. The new width restriction will mean more than just a
The GTE and GT3 cars can share one base reduction in floor area and therefore downforce levels; it will also mean that the exhausts cannot run down the
and many manufacturers are subscribing to side of the car, a particular problem for cars that pack a V8 engine.
this, including Ferrari. And now GT2 and GT4 ‘Freeing up the engines makes the costs go crazy,’ said a representative of one of the manufacturers, who
can also share platforms, reducing the did not want to be named. ‘The hot vee engines that have the turbo inside the vee, you can run the exhaust
development costs for a manufacturer. up and out, but with the V8 you need a side pipe and either you run it through the car like DTM, or you run it
Audi launched its GT2 contender at the through the side. Nissan, Mercedes and Bentley need that.’
Goodwood Festival of Speed in early July, and By proposing new GT3 homologation rules based on all the waivers granted to date to all the
then gave it its track debut at the Spa 24 hours manufacturers, the FIA seems to be aiming to simplify its workload. However, one observer says that
at the end of that month. ‘The intention was to the proposal in its current form will open a Pandora’s box for upgrades and will push costs beyond the
have a car for gentlemen drivers that was easier customer teams. These discussions will no doubt continue.
to drive than the GT3, and in particular [with]

48 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 49

GT RACING – AUDI R8 LMS GT2

the downforce,’ says Armin Plietsch, Audi Sport

Customer Racing head of development. ‘In a
GT3 car you need the confidence in the corners.
Stephane Ratel’s wish was to find somewhere
between GT3 and GT4 in terms of downforce
but we want to have a powerful and attractive
car for the gentlemen which accelerates quickly,
so they go slower through the corners and faster
on the straights. That is the reason why this
regulation makes the car closer to the road car,
although it might not look like that.’
Indeed, the car has a monstrous air intake
over the roof, plus a front air intake that could
swallow a dog. It is based on the convertible
version of the R8, with a hard top built to cover
the cockpit. The Audi Space Frame forms the
basic structure of the car, comprising a mix of
aluminium and CFRP, while a steel roll cage is
fitted inside. Particular attention has been paid
to the aerodynamics, making the car both easy
to set up and to drive for the customers.
‘The underfloor of the car is exactly the
shape of the road car, so there is no diffuser
like the GT3 car to generate the downforce The steering wheel is more complex than the one in the GT4 and is adjustable for traction control, ABS and ESC stability
from the underfloor,’ says Plietsch.‘You have
flicks [front diveplanes that are homologated
and permanently fitted], front splitter and rear
The GT2 has a monstrous air intake over the roof,
wing, and the advantage of this is that they are
very stable so are not sensitive to pitch and roll,
plus one at the front that could swallow a dog
so it is easier for the gentlemen to feel. If you
create downforce from the underfloor it is very the road car engine due to the ram-air effect according to Audi’s press material, the engine
sensitive, so you have to be smooth through the from the roof, where we put emphasis on the fitted to the GT2 car puts out some 28 per cent
corners and that makes it even more difficult.’ roof and we gain 25mb ram-air effect that more power than its more professional sibling.
increases the power by 25-30bhp,’ Plietsch says. The cooling systems on the car have given
Power up ‘You are pressing the air into the engine, so the it a rather distinctive look, and no doubt this
The car features the same engine as the GT3, engine needs less effort to pump the air through will make a great Lego model in future. The R8
which is the 5.2-litre V10 taken from the road and it has more air in the combustion chambers, features a huge radiator at the front which cools
car. While the GT3 is heavily restricted down to and more fuel in the combustion chambers, and the engine oil and feeds an oil/water intercooler
around 470bhp on the Nordschleife for the VLN, then you get more energy out of it.’ at the back of the car. There are no fans at the
the GT2 car will be far more powerful.‘This car This means that the new car has around front, and air is guided out of the vents in the
has 640bhp which is the maximum capacity of 2.1kg/hp and as the GT3 is so heavily restricted, bonnet via fins to either side of the car. That
leaves cool, fresh air for the intake over the roof.
The suspension is very close to GT3, but with
less expensive materials. The road car already
features a double wishbone suspension, so the
mounting points were built into the chassis.
While the road car has aluminium wishbones,
the GT2 version has smaller, lighter bars. The
number of options for spring rates has not yet
been decided for the category, as the rules are
still being finalised but there will be adjustability
in the set-up according to the different circuits
on which the car will race. The dampers are
the same as on the GT3 car and so there is
adjustability in there, too.

High rider
The GT2 car runs with a higher ride-height
compared to the GT3, up to 30mm more, which
makes the car less vulnerable to wear. The
height is adjusted through the kinematics rather
than adjusting the mounting points.
The brakes are from Brembo with steel
discs at the front and rear. The brake calipers at
The car sits around 30mm higher than the GT3 R8. The calipers and steel brake discs are supplied by Brembo the front are from the GT3 car – as are the hub

50 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 51

GT RACING – AUDI R8 LMS GT2

The road car-derived gearbox has paddle shifting, but the

software has been updated so that the shift times are faster
carriers and wishbones – while the rear calipers there be a need to do so. Side impact protection The new GT2 cars are due to run in races
come from Audi’s GT4 machine. comes from encased foam that is also designed that are no longer than 60 minutes, but the
The R8 LMS GT2 is two metres wide and to protect a driver from small debris intrusion. Audi is fitted with a Krontec refuelling nozzle,
runs the same size rear tyres as the GT3 car. The ‘The steering wheel is much more complex and so mid-race refuelling is possible at races in
extra width over the road car was achieved with than on the GT4 car, so adjustable TC, ABS and the future. GT3 did start in exactly this way, as a
longer suspension arms, but required an all- ESC stability control,’ says Plietsch.‘The drivers low-cost, sprint race series, but rapidly evolved
new design for the bodywork to envelope the will still feel like they are making a difference. to take in 24-hour races. It is impossible not to
wheels.‘We knew with the road car bodywork In GT4 we have on and off, high and low, but imagine that the new GT2 class will do exactly
we could not package bigger tyres,’ says Plietsch. here you have different positions that you can the same thing. The first customer R8 GT2s
‘We asked if we could do two-metre wide cars adjust the TC to the conditions. will be delivered by the end of the year.
like the GT3, and Stephane Ratel gave us the ‘Due to the intake, there was no opportunity
feedback that two metres was okay for him. That to use a rear-view mirror so we installed a TECH SPEC: Audi R8 LMS GT2 (2019)
was okay for us to package the tyres and that camera there and that transmits the pictures,’
was important. For the GT3 car, when we went Plietsch adds.‘It’s from the LMP1 car. It is quite Body
to the 680 at the front, we couldn’t load them, so easy to get a camera, easier than a mirror, and Audi Space Frame (ASF) featuring an aluminium-CFRP
hybrid design with steel roll cage.
we had more potential than load. With the GT3 you can programme some tools in it. We put
Engine
upgrade package, we could do that, but with a lot of effort into the interior to have it like V10, 90-degree cylinder angle, four valves per cylinder, DOHC,
the GT2 car we have the [smaller] 660. This car a collector’s piece. The GT3 is a pure racing gasoline direct injection, emission control system using two
is heavier at the back because of the road car machine, this is somewhere between a racing exhaust gas catalytic converters for racing; engine management
via two Bosch MED 17 (master slave concept); dry sump
gearbox. The load distribution compared to the machine and a collector’s piece.’
lubrication (adopted from production); power output 470kW
tyre size is more natural than it was for the GT3.’
Aero tuning
(640bhp); Torque, more than 550Nm.
That road car-derived gearbox has paddle Drivetrain/transmission
shifting, but the software has been updated The main aerodynamic tuning device is the Rear-wheel drive; traction control (ASR); ESP; two electro-
so that the shift times are faster.‘It’s the same rear wing, which has rear-mounted swan neck hydraulically operated multi-plate clutches in an oil bath; S-tronic
7-speed double-clutch transmission with paddle shifters; mechanical
gearbox as is in the GT4 car, so it is really reliable,’ supports in order to keep the airflow disturbed
limited-slip differential; constant velocity joint driveshafts.
says Plietsch.‘The engine has a small check after as little as possible to the leading edge.
Suspension
10,000km and a bigger check after 20,000, so ‘If you need a lot of front downforce you Double wishbones front and rear; struts with coil springs and
the same as the GT3. The gearbox will last for need rake, and if you need less rear downforce adjustable dampers, plus adjustable stabilisers front and rear.
sure 15,000km, but we don’t know [what the you need less front, so you go down on the Steering
limit is] because we haven’t had one break yet.’ rake and go flat,’ says Plietsch.‘With these two Electro-hydraulic rack and pinion steering;
multi-functional steering wheel.
methods you keep the car always in balance.
Safety measures ‘The important thing is that the underside of
Brakes
Hydraulic dual-circuit braking system; Brembo steel brake
As is now standard in GT racing, the seat is the wing is not disturbed, and the easiest way to discs front (380 x 34mm) and rear (350 x 32mm).
bolted to the floor and the steering column achieve that is from the back and over the top,’ Wheels
and pedals are moveable. This keeps the driver Plietsch adds.‘You are not destroying the airflow ABS forged aluminium rims; front 12 x 18in, 40 offset;
protected by the A-pillar and allows access for through the support. It is very clear and there is rear 13 x 18in, 43 offset.
safety crews through the roof hatch, should a disturbance only at the back.’ Tyres
Front, 325-660/18, rear 325-710/18.
Fuel cell
The main tool for aerodynamic tuning FT3 safety fuel tank; 110-litre capacity.
is the swan neck mounted rear wing Dimensions
Length, 4568mm; width, 1995mm; height, 1280mm.
Weight
1350kg (dry).

52 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 53
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 TECHNOLOGY – THE CONSULTANT

Formula 1 spin doctor

Could a flurry of off-track excursions during the British Grand Prix
weekend be down to some basic errors in suspension geometry?

By MARK ORTIZ

Antonio Giovinazzi heads into the gravel at the British GP. Many F1 cars left the track at Silverstone and our questioner thinks driver feel might have been sacrificed for aero benefits

The truth is that the control arms only matter

Watching Formula 1 at
Silverstone during the British
Grand Prix weekend I saw
many cars just fly sideways off with respect to what they make the wheels do
the road. With this in mind, what
compromises can a designer make that depends on the design of the uprights and the When the front view projected control
takes road feel away from the driver? frame or tub. Additionally, each arm’s angle arms are parallel, camber velocity is zero. Most
I was taught a simple rule long ago depends on the other arm’s angle. current F1 cars are like this, or close. With zero
that the lower arm outer ball joint pivot In terms of front-view geometry, we want camber velocity, camber does not change
needed to be about half an inch above the two main things. We want some, but not an with heave displacement, whether due to road
inner pivot so the side force had to travel excessive, amount of jacking in an anti-roll irregularities or variation in downforce. The
in a line that brings the spring into play direction, and we want camber change wheels lean with the car in roll. This is dealt
(non-jacking). I’ve been on the grid and seen properties that prevent large amounts of with by not letting the car roll much.
cars that go against this rule and it gave me camber change in either ride (two-wheel
confidence I could attack them in the race. heave) or roll. We have a fairly wide range Jacking coefficient
So are the Formula 1 teams breaking this of values for these things that will work We would like the suspension to generate
rule to get aerodynamic benefits? acceptably, so the game is often one of some geometric anti-roll, although again we
satisfying other requirements – packaging, can live with a value of zero. We do this by
THE CONSULTANT load paths, bump steer characteristics, having the contact patch move outboard as
Rules regarding lower control aerodynamics, use of existing components, the suspension compresses and inboard as the
arm angles in independent compliance with rules – without having any suspension extends. We want the contact patch
suspensions have been a fixture really bad geometric characteristics. to move laterally no more than 0.15 times as
in racer mythology for decades. Ordinarily, we want camber to go toward much as it moves vertically. This ratio will be
The one I mainly encounter in the US is that the negative as the suspension compresses and the jacking coefficient; the ratio of jacking force
lower control arm needs to be level. toward positive as it extends, at a rate of 0.6 to lateral ground plane force.
The truth is that the control arms only matter to 0.9 degrees per inch of wheel travel (about If it’s 0.10, then each 100 pounds of lateral
with respect to what they make the wheels do. .24 to .36 degrees per centimetre). This is force induces 10 pounds of jacking force. This
Any control arm angles that make the wheels commonly called camber gain. I like to call it would correspond to a front view instant centre
do what we want are okay. What angles those camber velocity, although that’s not widely that is 10 times as far from the contact patch
will be will depend, among other things, on accepted terminology. We can live with values centre horizontally as it is above ground; a
the height of the control arms, which in turn all the way down to zero if necessary. force line slope of one in 10.

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 55

 TECHNOLOGY – THE CONSULTANT

Current Formula 1 racecar suspensions are

constrained by the need to keep the control
arms very high for aerodynamic reasons. That is
At sixes and sevens with Late Model fuel weight
not really great from the standpoint of ball joint Last issue (September, V29N9) I said gasoline weighs about seven pounds per gallon. A number of readers have
and control arm loads, but designers accept pointed out that it’s actually closer to six, at least assuming we’re using US gallons and considering pump gas.
that to get the aero benefit. Seven pounds per US gallon is a whole number approximation that people often are taught to remember even
though it’s a little on the high side, because using seven rather than six will keep you from underestimating fuel
On the level weight if you’re doing mental arithmetic. One accepted international standard is 6.073 pounds per US gallon.
This year’s Formula 1 cars appear to be running That’s the lowest figure I’ve encountered so far: www.aquacalc.com says 6.25 pounds. One reader said he uses
more nearly level front control arms than in 6.3. The actual density varies considerably depending on the blend, the temperature, and the pressure.
the past. Previously, designers were trying to Racing gasoline generally contains a lot of aromatic compounds, which make it denser. One common one
keep the ball joints inside the wheel rim, in is toluene, which is around 7.25 pounds per gallon. Commercial race gas can contain as much as 30 per cent
order to get a small front-view steering offset toluene. If the remainder of the blend is 6.073lb/gal, that would be 6.43lb/gal – still a little closer to six than to
(ISO) / scrub radius (SAE). This required sloping seven, but significantly more than six. If the remainder of the blend is 6.25lb/gal, that would be 6.55lb/gal – a
the control arms upward toward the elevated little closer to seven than to six. The really exotic blends of the Formula 1 turbo era in the 1980s reached over
front portion of the tub at about a 0.15 slope. 80 per cent toluene. That would push the blend above seven pounds per gallon, although of course that’s not
That meant that the arms had to be parallel representative of race gasoline most of us are likely to see.
or nearly so, to keep the jacking coefficient According to the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), methanol is 6.59lb/gal and ethanol is 6.57.
from becoming excessive. With the even more In any case, a hundred pounds of fuel burn-off during a run is a reasonable round figure for an illustrative
severely raised ball joints being used now, the calculation when discussing effects on weight distribution and brake bias in a pavement Late Model stock car.
arms can have a little convergence, so the car
can have a little camber recovery in roll.
Even better geometry could be had by
raising the ball joints still further, running the

This would look pretty

freakish, but the
designers in F1 don’t
seem to be daunted
by that these days
lower control arm slightly downhill to the
tub, and the upper control arm a bit more
downhill to the tub. We may see this if the Cars like the Brabham BT52, pictured at a recent track display, would use fuel that was over 80 per cent toluene in the 1980s
current trend continues. However, to keep the
front of the tub at current height, that would
involve having the lower ball joint at about rules to see if this is still legal, but I certainly see catch the car by redistributing grip. If the car
the height of the top of the wheel rim and the no reason it shouldn’t be. Or, if both ball joints has some understeer, the driver is warned of
upper ball joint at about the height of the top are above the tyre, we could curve the upright impending breakaway by the need to steer
of the tyre! That would really put big loads on around the top of the tyre. That would look further, and can recover some front grip by
the ball joints and control arms in cornering pretty freakish, but Formula 1 designers don’t lifting a bit. If the car is dead neutral, there is
and braking. Then again, we are almost there seem to be daunted by that these days. less warning, and the rear has no reserve grip
right now. The upper ball joints on this year’s I don’t see any reason that driver feel should so we can’t lift without spinning the car – or at
Mercedes Formula 1 car is about midway be affected by this, except perhaps that large least it’s trickier to. There’s nothing new about
between the top of the rim and the top of the steering offset might require more boost for this, though, and I think it’s a separate issue
tyre. The parts can be made strong enough. the steering, and/or possibly designers might from front control arm angles.
There’s just a weight penalty. try reducing trail to reduce steering effort.
If we totally disregarded ball joint and CONTACT
control arm loads, we might want to put the Slide rules Mark Ortiz Automotive is a chassis
ball joints even higher, and run the control The questioner mentions cars sliding off consultancy service primarily serving oval
arms really steeply downhill to the tub. We’d sideways, as opposed to nose first or tail first. track and road racers. Here Mark answers
like to have a front view swing arm (FVSA) That suggests cars that are set up for very your chassis set-up and handling queries.
length between 60 and 100in (1500-2500mm) neutral handling; little understeer or oversteer. If you have a question for him, please don’t
and a front view instant centre height about a It has been recognised for a long time that a hesitate to get in touch:
tenth of the FVSA length. Not only would the car is generally fastest when set up that way, E: markortizauto@windstream.net
loads get pretty severe, but the driver might because at the limit of adhesion it’s making full T: +1 704-933-8876
have problems seeing past the suspension! use of both front and rear tyre pairs. However, A: Mark Ortiz
If desired, steering offset in a layout with the car gives less warning of impending 155 Wankel Drive, Kannapolis
really high control arms could be reduced by breakaway. It is also hard to catch when it lets NC 28083-8200, USA
using double ball joints. I haven’t checked the go, because both ends let go, and we can’t

56 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

 HIGH PERFORMANCE
SAFETY FUEL CELLS

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 57

 THE RACING CAR SHOW
NE C ,BI RM I NG H A M , U K
REG IST ER N OW
9 – 12 JANUARY 2020 A UTO S P ORT IN TER NATI ON AL. CO M
9 – 10 STRICTLY TRADE-ONLY DAYS

AUTOSPORT PERFORMANCE & TUNING

INTERNATIONAL
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CAR SHOW
 TECHNOLOGY – AEROBYTES

Time’s winged chariot

In a brand new series we embrace some old school aero with
our wind tunnel study of a Reynard SF79 FF2000 historic racer

By SIMON MCBEATH

T
his month’s new project features the
lovely Reynard SF79 of Paul Allen, a
regular visitor to the podium in the
UK’s Historic FF2000 race series. For younger
readers who might need an introduction to
these cars, the Formula Ford 2000 category
was introduced in the mid-1970s to bridge
the large gap between Formula Ford 1600 and
F3. Powered by the Ford 2-litre Pinto engine
and running on slick tyres the regulations also

Illustrations: Simon McBeath

permitted downforce-generating devices. The
category continued as a national series until the
late 1980s when it was supplanted by Formula
Vauxhall. Nowadays various popular historic
FF2000 series provide relatively low budget
slicks and wings racing for club competitors.
From our viewpoint an FF2000 study provides
not just a glimpse into the aerodynamic
thinking of its time, but also the opportunity
to re-learn some old aero lessons.

Uncomplicated aero
A quick tour of the Reynard SF79, an example
of which Adrian Reynard himself took to the
European FF2000 Championship in 1979,
reveals an uncomplicated aerodynamic
package. At the front a wide, shallow nose
just within the permitted 1350mm width
featured an adjustable splitter but was hollow
underneath. Various simple tabs and Gurneys
were available for aerodynamic adjustments
at the front – one contemporary competitor
chassis, the Van Diemen, featured a narrow
nose with single element wings at the front, but Top and above: The Reynard SF79 is a Formula Ford 2000 racecar, a category which was a driver’s likely first slicks and
there did not seem to be a strong indication wings experience from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. This particular example is currently competing in Historic FF2000
one way or the other as to which set-up was
best. The rear wing was an adjustable, modestly
cambered dual-element device, 1030mm wide
and in this case was cross-tube mounted via
tall end plates. There were no sidepods, and
the air/water radiators were mounted on either
side of the engine bay at a shallow angle to
the airflow. Apart from the panelling under
the chassis and engine bay there was no
aerodynamic underbody as such.

A key mission was

to address an end-
of-straight speed
deficit to other cars Wide, shallow nose with adjustable splitter. Narrow noses with single-plane wings were used on some other FF2000 racers

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 59

 TECHNOLOGY – AEROBYTES

The Reynard SF79 features exposed side-mounted radiators and a minimalist engine cover Classic rear end with beam-mounted rear wing the only downforce-inducing component

As ever, extensive preparations had been Table 1: Aerodynamic coefficients on the Reynard SF79 in baseline configuration
made by the owner and his support crew for
CD -CL -CLfront -CLrear %front -L/D
a range of configurations to be tested during
our four-hour session in MIRA’s full-scale wind Baseline 0.509 0.407 0.140 0.268 34.3% 0.800
tunnel. There was also a key mission; to address
an end-of-straight speed deficit to other cars Table 2: Comparative data
by looking for drag reductions. The session was CD.A CL.A
also the usual opportunity to obtain hard data Swift SC92 FF (1992) 0.456 to 0.498 +0.160 to +0.177
and log the responses of the car to the kinds of Spectrum 011 FF (2006) 0.400 to 0.450 +0.201 to +0.282
changes that are made at the track. And with Reynard SF79 FF2000 0.563 to 0.648 -0.370 to -0.596
the car coming from strong showings in recent 2008-11 Dallara F3 0.664 to 0.801 -1.324 to -1.916
races, would the numbers back up the driver’s 2012 Dallara F3 0.640 to 0.801 -1.420 to -2.091
assertion of a reasonable balance?
Table 1 confirms that the baseline results
Table 3: Power absorbed by aerodynamic drag in different configurations
showed the car, which has a 38 per cent
front/62 per cent rear static weight distribution CD.A min CD.A baseline CD.A max
with driver, was reasonably well balanced, if 100mph 41.0bhp 44.5bhp 47.2bhp
short of ideal on %front value. To put the other 125mph 79.9bhp 86.6bhp 91.9bhp
numbers into context let’s compare them to
other cars in categories either side of FF2000. The car with the driver on board weighs thereabouts, it would appear that aerodynamic
around 5250N (535kg), split 38 per cent front drag is a significant performance-sensitive
Comparison site (1995N) and 62 per cent rear (3255N). In highest parameter at higher speeds, with increasingly
To make direct comparisons between different downforce, balanced (38%front) configuration large gains in the power left available to
cars’aerodynamic data we need to multiply we saw 657N of downforce at 100mph (using accelerate the racecar (and overcome other
the coefficients by the frontal area in each case. the writer’s usual ill-disciplined mix of SI and forms of resistance) at higher speeds from the
These values then relate to the forces measured Imperial units) and 490N in low downforce lower drag configurations.
in the wind tunnel. Table 2 compares with CD.A balanced configuration. Thus, at 100mph Without the luxury of lap time simulation
and CL.A ranges for two different Formula Fords downforce represented between 9.3 per cent it’s impossible to say exactly what the relative
and two successive Dallara F3 cars tested during and 12.5 per cent of the car’s weight, and alters merits of high and low downforce and drag
our MIRA sessions. The Reynard FF2000 falls in with the square of the relative speed, e.g. rising would be, but from these numbers taken in
between FF and F3 on drag and lift/downforce, 69 per cent more at 130mph to 15.8 – 21.1 isolation, it looks as though drag could be
but as shown in the right hand column the per cent of car weight. At typical UK circuit the more sensitive parameter.
Formula Ford 1600s generated positive lift while cornering speeds, then, this is not insignificant
the FF2000, and of course the F3s, generated in terms of increased grip potential, but the CONTACT
negative lift, or downforce. The downforce range available from ‘high’ to ‘low’ downforce Simon McBeath offers aerodynamic
generated by the FF2000 may be modest, but was not particularly large. advisory services under his own brand of
it also represents the eradication of the positive Looking now at aerodynamic drag, a useful SM Aerotechniques –
lift that occurs with wingless single seaters as way to regard this is in terms of power absorbed www.sm-aerotechniques.co.uk.
In these pages he uses data from MIRA
well as the generation of real downforce. to overcome it, using the formula:
to discuss common aerodynamic issues
The benefit that downforce brings to grip is faced by racecar engineers
relative to the vehicle’s weight (more correctly BHPabsorbed = (CD.A x v3)/1225
the benefit is relative to the dynamic weight Where: v is speed in m/s Produced in association with MIRA Ltd
on the wheels at any particular moment, but
it’s simpler to think about the static situation Using this formula Table 3 shows the range
as a rough guide). So what vertical forces were of power absorption figures at two speeds for
being generated by the Reynard FF2000 front the minimum, baseline and maximum drag Tel: +44 (0) 24-7635 5000
and rear, and what proportion of the axle values found during our session. Given that Email: enquiries@horiba-mira.com
weights did these forces represent? these racecars produce a modest 135bhp or Website: www.horiba-mira.com

60 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 61

TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT UK

Class of the field

This year’s Formula Student UK event at Silverstone threw up some interesting
technical solutions, as always, but there was no amount of tech trickery that
could deny MoRe Modena Racing (MMR) of its well-deserved victory. Racecar
took a close look at the Italian team’s clever little M-19L racer
By JAHEE CAMPBELL-BRENNAN

T
he 2019 FSUK winner, MoRe Modena
Racing (MMR), took the competition
by storm, with a 119-point advantage
over its closest rival, Oxford Brookes.
MMR is based at the University of Modena
and Reggio Emilia and its Formula Student
journey began back in 2003, when it was run
out of a small workshop at a car showroom.
Today, the team fields three cars out of a
dedicated university workshop and comprises
approximately 80 mechanical, mechatronics,
electrical and management students.
The 2019 FSUK winning car, the M-19L
featured a carbon fibre monocoque for the fifth
year running, a longitudinally mounted gearbox
and a full aero package. ‘The main focus for 2019
was to optimise concepts and solutions from
the 2018 car,’ says Gianmarco Carbonieri, team
leader at MMR. ‘There were some components
that had reliability issues, for example the DRS
system in 2018 did not work correctly, so we
made sure that was fixed this year.’

That’s a MoRe The MMR team has worked hard to eradicate an aero imbalance it had with last year’s car while also improving the cooling
Weight was also a strong focus and by
optimising component development the and connecting rods to reduce displacement gearbox, so we removed ratios one and six. This
team managed to lighten the car significantly, to 708cc, but unfortunately on the bench we saves us some space and weight that we take
contributing to its dynamic performance had a crankshaft failure due to a manufacturing advantage of with a custom gearbox casing.’
targets.‘We had a design objective to reduce defect. We lost that engine and so had to MMR’s carbon fibre chassis concept is
individual component weight over the whole revert back to the standard 600cc engine. We an evolution on previous years’cars and is a
car by six per cent from last year, and actually lost around 7bhp by using this, but we’re still slightly different approach to the fully moulded
we overachieved this and lost nearly 10 per cent managing around 99bhp, so we reached our monocoques more regularly seen amongst the
of weight from last year’s car – we’re currently specific power target of 2kg per bhp.’ winning teams.‘We are using the cut and fold
weighing in at 196kg,’ Carbonieri says. The engine is mounted longitudinally, which technique without moulds for our monocoque,
The Formula Student regulations recently is an unusual approach for a Formula Student primarily to reduce costs,’ explains Carbonieri.
changed to allow an increased maximum team, as they usually opt for transverse.‘We are ‘Traditional carbon fibre monocoques were
displacement of 710cc. MMR took full advantage one of the only teams to use the longitudinal costing around €50,000 for the mould and
of this and therefore up-sized this year’s engine engine mounting,’ says Carbonieri.‘This brings another €10-15,000 for the part. Finished, our
to a 708cc Suzuki GSXR, something it predicted advantages in terms of space for accessories, it chassis is around €10-12,000 total.’
would generate more power over a wider also moves the heat from the exhaust further Using this method, carbon fibre and
speed range than the previous 600cc GSXR unit. away from the driver, fuel tank and electronic aluminium honeycomb panels are constructed
‘The original idea was to use a 708cc Suzuki components. The bevel gear transmission we in 2D and‘cut and folded’to form 3D shapes,
GSXR engine derived from a 750cc stock unit,’ are now able to use is more efficient in the creating a somewhat geometric appearance
Carbonieri says.‘We modified the crankshaft driveline. We only used gears two to five in this to the monocoque. Panels are then bonded

‘We are using the cut and fold technique without moulds
for our monocoque, this is primarily to reduce the costs’
62 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019
CFD plot taken along the longitudinal centreline showing the velocity distribution around the car’s rear wing

to form the finished part (see V28N9 for the we got to a 58 per cent front balance which
full method). The final chassis is lightweight, works better for us. Last year we had separate
weighing under 17kg, and has a high torsional radiators for our water and oil but this year we The M-19L’s very neat brake and upright assembly
rigidity, which improves vehicle dynamics. implemented a single air-water heat exchanger
One interesting feature of the MMR car for the water and used a water-oil heat monitor the airflow patterns, and we had quite
is the driver operated DRS (Drag Reduction exchanger to cool the engine oil. good success with that,’ says Carbonieri. ‘We
System). Used in F1, the concept behind this ‘Last year the radiators were fairly big so we also had displacement sensors on our dampers
technology is to reduce the angle of attack of have reduced the dimensions of the radiators so we used the data from those during track
the uppermost wing element (with the largest by 40 to 50 per cent. We have two coolers in testing to monitor compression of our springs
frontal area), reducing drag significantly where parallel and a larger pump with PWM [pulse due to aerodynamic load, this gave us a little
downforce is not needed. ‘We use a motor width modulation],’ Carbonieri adds. ‘We found correlation to the CFD simulations. We also used
and wire operated element, all the wires are this to be more efficient in terms of thermal this to fine tune the aerodynamic balance.’
integrated into the main-plane and endplates exchange. This configuration also gained us Vehicle dynamics simulation was another
so it is a neat solution,’ says Carbonieri. about 2-3kg of weight saving with smaller crucial aspect of the car’s development as it
‘Packaging the wiring was a little difficult initially radiators, less water and smaller sidepods, allowed the defining of suspension geometries
as we had some problems with the flap cutting with the latter also allowing us to rework the and critical dimensions. It also enables the
the wire, but we have addressed those now. The aerodynamic performance and reduce drag.’ optimisation of parameters such as spring and
motors and associated hardware are weighing damper rates, anti-roll bar stiffnesses as well as
nearly 500g and are mounted quite high [1m] Test of time understanding the influence and sensitivity of
on the car, but we made the judgement that the Testing and verification is an interesting the car to CoG location with regards to weight
effect on CoG was negated by advantages on challenge within FS. With only one year for transfer and the moments generated on track.
the straight section of the track.’ design and manufacture as well as limited ‘We used ADAMS to design our suspension
One of MMR’s key objectives for 2019 was resources, development work continues right layout and kinematics and then used VI Grade
to reduce unsprung mass as much as possible. up until very close to the event. In FS terms, to run lap time simulations to figure out where
This is why it aimed to bring new 10in carbon MMR actually had a fairly significant amount last year’s car was and where we could improve
fibre wheels to FSUK. ‘We made a prototype of test resource, both analytical and physical, on this,’ says Carbonieri. ‘For example, modifying
but unfortunately we had a problem with the which played a key role in its success. With the the CoG to see if we had any performance
supplier for this part so we only made one powertrain, MMR used analytical tools for the advantages or simulating a lighter car to see
wheel. With each wheel weighing just over majority of its development and calibration. how the lap times improved. This was very
1kg this is a 3kg saving across the whole car so ‘We ran powertrain simulations using 1D sim useful for our development process. We also
we’re certainly aiming to implement this design tools such as Simulink and used a dyno to used MatLab to understand the brake power
in the future,’ says Carbonieri. ‘We use M46J CF gather measured data,’ Carbonieri says. ‘We requirements and the heat produced during
and unidirectional reinforcements around the would correlate all of the 1D sim outputs on the simulated braking events, we used this to
centre. It’s a 10in diameter with three spokes, of bench to ensure they were producing accurate design the brake ducts and the discs. Last year
hollow construction. We are using aluminium data which allowed us to trust what we were we had overheating in our brake fluid which led
inserts to be certain that there is an evenly doing.’ Using this approach saves both time and the driver to lose confidence in the car, so we
distributed load from the hub into the wheel as money, allowing iterative concepts to be proven wanted to get that under control this year.’
carbon fibre is quite fragile in that respect.’ and verified in a short time frame. In terms of physical testing, the team had
For 2019 MMR had two main aims which Physical testing is not always possible, and access to three test tracks encompassing areas
drove the design of the car’s aero package. definitely not to the extent that teams would for acceleration and brake tests, plus a skid-pad
The first was to solve the aerodynamic balance like. This is particularly true with aerodynamics, and an autocross track to replicate what it
which was too rear biased on the 2018 car, where testing in controlled environments would face in the competition. MMR managed
and the second was to improve the cooling such as wind tunnels is often not available. around 150km of testing in the months leading
efficiency, which meant modifying the sidepods. Therefore, to correlate its CFD data, MMR used up to the FSUK event, using the time to optimise
‘We developed the aero package this year to a different strategy. ‘For our aero package we the aero and vehicle dynamics set-up.
address an understeer issue we had with the relied largely on CFD as we had no access to Overall, MMR built on previous experience,
2018 car, so we looked at more aggressive aero a wind tunnel, but we did try to correlate our and with a solid approach it designed, produced
on the front wing to solve this,’ says Carbonieri. CFD using a method of attaching string to the and raced a car that was very worthy of its
‘A lot of work went into our end plates and aerodynamic surfaces during track testing to impressive victory at FSUK in 2019 .

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 63

TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT

Schools of thought
Formula Student UK and Formula Student Germany were once
again hotbeds of innovation this year with inspiring and intriguing
solutions on show at both. Here’s our review of the most fascinating
technology and trends to come out of the 2019 competitions
By JAHEE CAMPBELL-BRENNAN

W
ith concepts ranging from a flexure is that the control arm is mounted and stiction of the system, although that idea
single-cylinder combustion to the chassis without a spherical bearing didn’t make it on to the finished car.’
cars to 4WD electric drivetrains, and instead uses a flexible section of material The car featured no downforce generating
this year’s Formula Student UK bonded and fastened to the arm. The benefits of bodywork; the entirety of grip generated was
(FSUK) and Formula Student Germany (FSG) this arrangement include reduced weight and mechanical and so the team at UCL focused
events were once again great adverts for the friction in wheel articulation, as well as a finer on creating a chassis that worked the tyres
ability and ingenuity of student engineers, and control of kinematic and compliance effects efficiently, generating heat and maximising
there was very much of interest on show at both within the system. grip. ‘We initially performed a study into
Silverstone and Hockenheim. which suspension parameters had the largest
Starting with the suspension, in general Flexible approach influence on tyre temperature and incorporated
the overall design approach to this across It was at first a little surprising to see flexures
the paddock has more or less converged to on a Formula Student car due to the fairly large
a common format. Springs and dampers are wheel travel requirement (a combined 50mm
positioned inboard of the wheels and the of bump and droop), whilst the control arms are
chassis is actuated via pushrod and bell-crank relatively short so there is a typically large range
assemblies. This year’s UCL car, however, of angle required for wheel articulation.
featured an innovative and novel approach ‘The entire approach to this FS car was
to suspension design in the form of flexures. towards mechanical grip rather than that of
In the context of control arms, flexures are aerodynamic grip,’ says Pete Weston, who
an alternative mounting technology to the played a key role in the development of this
traditional spherical bearing configuration. feature. ‘With the suspension we saw the
Traditionally, control arms are fastened to opportunity to try something a little different
the chassis via bolts in double-shear with and so have used flexures on the control arms.
articulation to allow for wheel displacement We initially began the project with the intention
provided by spherical bearings. The idea of of using torsion springs to reduce the friction

Flexures, seen here on the UCL control arms, are an alternative to the traditional spherical bearing approach Metz competed with an aero package for the first time this year

64 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

the results from that study into our design,’
Weston says. ‘We did extensive FEA on the
flexures. The solution was driven through a
combination of [using] x-section and the length,
and is designed to be flat at static ride height so
the nominal deflection is defined by a maximum
of 25mm of travel at the wheel either side of this
to equally load it in bump and droop. Material
selection was a big factor in defining a safe
flexure and we settled on SAE 4130, which is a
high UTS steel with a good fatigue life.’

Aero smiths
Despite aerodynamic appendages now being
a common sight in FS, the philosophies around
the paddock are far from converged. Depending
on the resources available to each team some
opt for wingless configurations with simple Just two students were responsible for designing the Metz aero package and the team has only nine members
fairings to reduce drag while the more well-
resourced teams have developed complex do suggest that the additional weight and track and Metz’s package wasn’t any different
and extremely aggressive aero packages in the drag penalties of an aerodynamic package are in this respect. But the really impressive thing
search for downforce, with large chord and high outweighed by performance gain. about it was its complexity, despite there being
camber wings, dual tier rear wings with two or Metz arrived at FSUK this year with its first just nine members in the team. In fact, just two
three elements and high gradient diffusers. attempt at an aero package, despite competing students developed the entire aerodynamic
Despite the low speeds of the competition’s in FS for the last nine years. FS aero packages package from a blank sheet of paper.
dynamic events with maximum speeds only tend to be very aggressive in design due to the ‘Our aim with the aerodynamics of the car
around 75mph/120km/h, the overall results low speeds that result from the design of the was to build a solid and efficient foundation,’

The more well-resourced teams have

developed complex and extremely aggressive
aero packages in the search for downforce
TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT

‘The entire approach to this car was towards

says Alexandre Leys, team manager at
Metz. ‘We didn’t initially search for ultimate

mechanical grip rather than aerodynamic grip’

downforce figures but we wanted to be safe and
incorporate adjustability from which to create
an aerodynamically balanced platform. We
wanted our centre of pressure just behind the
centre of gravity and we accomplished this with
a 53 per cent rearward aerodynamic balance
to our 50:50 weight split, generating a total of
around 45kg of downforce at 60km/h.’
This was achieved using a relatively simple
tiered front wing which directs the air over
the front wheels to reduce lift and subsequent
downstream turbulence, with an outer dual
element tier and vertical end plates. The rear
wing was again not revolutionary but of a sound
and concise design; featuring three elements
along with an upper tier. The lowermost aerofoil
of the three-element assembly featured a very
long chord length. Presumably this is aimed
at maximising the potential of the extremely
turbulent and low energy air that has travelled
over the driver, main roll-hoop and engine
intake. This results in a more efficient flow on
to the upper tier, which also featured a neat
Gurney flap to aid flow attachment. The ingenious use of gas struts on the Strathclyde FSUK entry allowed the front wing to run in ground effect

Go with the flow allowed us to use a more aggressive rear wing are prominent, teams outsource engineering
The underbody aero also featured a high package and consequently increase the car’s solutions due to time, budget and expertise
gradient diffuser to promote mass flow. ‘Our overall downforce numbers.’ limitations. In this collaboration Ain Shams
two aerodynamicists worked for the first six To make its aero package Strathclyde used produced the chassis, suspension and bodywork
months solely on design and simulation and a simplistic but effective carbon fibre lay-up whilst the University of Sussex developed the
often had simulations running 24 hours a day,’ technique. ‘We have a pretty simple lay-up electric powertrain and other electrical systems.
says Leys. ‘Our sponsors, Safran, assisted with technique which means we could manufacture ‘From the start of the project, anticipating
the manufacture of the wings, with a foam core the entire aero package within two weeks but future complications, both teams agreed that
used for the aerofoil sections. The profiles were it’s also pretty lightweight, at only 7kg,’ says we would keep the car as simple as possible
cut by us with a wire-cutter but without the Lowther. ‘We had to stretch the limits on what for our first venture, with reliability at the
experience and help of Safran we wouldn’t have we could technically get away with, but it forefront,’ says Serdar Cicek, team leader of the
been able to manufacture them in time.’ resulted in the second lightest aero package of project. ‘As ever, there were plenty of obstacles
Metz’s implementation of sound the [FSUK] competition, so we are proud of that.’ to overcome. For example, the chassis was
aerodynamic theory coupled with its maturity manufactured in Egypt so when we received
in not attempting the unachievable was Joint effort it, we found there were some tolerances in the
impressive and should be commended, Occasionally, universities work with each other manufacture that were larger than expected,
especially when achieved with relatively small to develop an FS car and one such collaboration which resulted in some issues which we had
resource. Often it’s better to keep things simple for 2019 was that of Ain Shams University in to overcome, so we learnt valuable lessons
and do them well, rather than overcomplicating Egypt and the University of Sussex in the UK. In there. The chassis didn’t arrive until early May
the task and running into issues. all forms of motorsport, technical collaborations for various reasons so we only had around five
Another neat aero innovation was the front
wing design of the Strathclyde car. Regulations
necessitate a jacking point at the rear of the car
which when used will rotate the front wing into
contact with the ground and therefore damage
it. This usually means that the teams design
wings that are mounted relatively high and
therefore are clear of any potential ground effect
performance gains. However, to work around
this, Strathclyde installed gas struts and a pivot
point where the front wing is mounted to the
nose. So as the rear of the car is jacked up, the
front wing contacts the ground, compressing
the gas struts which consequently prevents any
damage. ‘Mounting the front wing in this way
meant we could utilise ground effect; reducing Imperial’s car features a largely
our drag and increasing the downforce,’ says Iain self-designed electric powertrain
Lowther, the team’s technical director. ‘This then

66 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT

TU Graz’s main focus has been on its switch to smaller tyres

TU Graz rear wheel steering system; the toe control arms are actuated by the motor assembly

AMZ’s mode decoupling suspension is similar to the FRIC system on the Porsche 919 LMP1 car The remarkably light AMZ car features four 37kW wheel-mounted electric motors

weeks before our car launch to prepare the car

and mate all the systems together. Therefore, we
TU Graz achieved one of the lightest cars seen
effectively only had nine weeks to complete a
running car, but never the less we managed to at FSG, weighing in at an impressive 150kg
get our car ready for competition.’
Many forms of electric vehicle battery packs of the car. Much of the 2019 car comprises of
Imperial measured require liquid cooling to keep the lithium- incremental changes compared to previous
Imperial University entered FSUK with its first ion cells within a very narrow temperature years, with particular focus on weight reduction;
Class 1 entry, having previously only entered the window, sensitive to +/-1degC, to optimise it achieved one of the lightest FS cars seen at
competition in Class 2, which is where teams performance. But with this solution the rate FSG, weighing in at an impressive 150kg.
are judged on their designs alone. The team of cooling is dependent on vehicle speed and One of the most substantial changes this
developed a car with an electric powertrain therefore the level of heat rejection. ‘With our year was the switch to a smaller diameter tyre
but the ingenuity with this project was its cooling solution, the positive is that when the developed by Hoosier. ‘We noticed that a lot of
battery solution. The battery was designed car is moving slowly and there is low air speed, the teams were putting substantial work into
and manufactured entirely in house and is air we don’t need to reject a large amount of their aerodynamic development and seeing
cooled. While that may not be revolutionary in heat,’ explains Thompson. ‘At the times where positive results. So this year our main focus
itself (see page 72), the battery is cooled using the cells are generating a lot of heat under has been on the smaller tyres and how to
passive airflow travelling underneath the car, acceleration, the air speed is high, so it works optimise the car’s behaviour with those, whilst
rather than the more conventional method of well in that sense. We have also done some also increasing our aerodynamic performance,’
active air cooling which utilises fans. analysis in terms of both computer simulation explains team leader Jodok Hammerle.
A team of four students worked on the and within a battery oven at our expected Dropping from 18in to 16in outer diameter
battery and used cells from an external supplier. worst case conditions, and while there is always tyres, the smaller tyre not only reduces
These were then used to build up the battery the possibility that the cells get a little too weight, but also the polar moment of the
modules, which were mounted underneath hot in unexpected conditions we have safety car and rotational mass, complimenting
the chassis rather than in the more common measures that will shut the car down to avoid vehicle dynamics. This change also required
location of behind the driver. This is not only unsafe conditions escalating. Our battery can some modifications to the kinematics of the
a clever way of reducing complexity and release the full 80kW limited by regulations and suspension to capitalise on these advantages,
cost, but it also has further dynamic benefits the pack has a capacity of 7kWh which will last allowing the team to feature some additional
such as lower weight and improved weight the whole endurance event, so we feel we have aerodynamic elements around the wheel to
distribution. ‘Some of our challenges were with produced a successful design.’ improve aerodynamic efficiency.
the manufacture, in order to fit the cell packs in A new rear wheel steering (RWS) developed
the tight space under the chassis as opposed to Graz routes by the students also featured on the TU Graz
in the sidepods or behind the driver,’ says Harry TU Graz entered the 2019 FS season with an car this year. RWS systems are used to influence
Thompson, who developed the batteries at the impressive history; three world records and two the yaw responses of a vehicle through actively
Imperial team. ‘We had to employ some very overall wins in recent years. Its main objective controlling toe at the rear wheels during
tight packaging tolerances so tolerancing and for this year was therefore to continue this cornering to reach optimum slip angles and
machining were our main hurdles.’ success by evolving the technology and designs maximum cornering grip. TU Graz’s system uses

68 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECHNOLOGY – FORMUL

inputs from steering wheel angle, vehicle speed CAD rendering of the TU Fast team’s car, the eb019
and a gyroscope to create a map of steering
input to the rear wheels for best performance.
‘In testing we were showing to be one to two
seconds faster around the circuit with the
system enabled, even gaining 0.3 of a second
in one hairpin alone, so it’s a great addition for
us,’ Hammerle says. ‘We currently use it for all
events aside from the skid-pad as our drivers
reported it was very difficult to drive [with it] on
that particular course layout. The total weight
for the system is 1.4kg so we are not incurring
much of a weight penalty with this.‘

Going TU Fast
Another one of the best German heavyweight
Exploded view of the TU Fast wheel assembly and packaging
teams is that of TU Fast from the Munich
Technical University. Having unfortunately
been disqualified for a software issue after
effectively winning the FSG competition last
year, it was determined to set the record straight
this year. So, having already identified the
formula to build a competition winning car, the
2019 entry was an evolution of the 2018 racer,
with incremental changes and updates, but
largely the same technical package.
That said, aerodynamics were a focus for
improvement for this year’s TU Fast car, with The vast majority of the teams running a 10in
the new aero package being 10 per cent more
efficient than last year. ‘Our extra aero efficiency wheel have moved to the new Hoosier 16in tyre
was due to a larger rear diffuser and underbody
modifications,’ says Gregoriy Garyuk, technical the electromagnetic field. If not under control the system passively, which was not ideal,’ says
director at the team. ‘Most of the effort was it can affect CANBUS communications creating Oliver Haselbach, chief technical officer of the
focused there and this then meant we had to malfunctions of the control systems on the car mechanical aspects of the car. ‘This year we
make adjustments to our front wing to maintain and can also damage the inverter itself. simplified the suspension system to utilise three
the correct aerodynamic balance, so we added spring and damper elements with one element
additional flaps to help this.’ Swiss watch at each of the front and rear axles acting to
Speaking to various Formula Student teams, Powertrain development was also a theme decouple heave/pitch modes, plus one central
it seems the vast majority of those running at AMZ Racing, the Zurich team. Its 2019 element for roll and warp mode decoupling.’
a 10inch wheel have this year moved to the contender is an evolution of last year’s car, with This system is an evolution of an initial
newly available Hoosier 16in tyre. TU Fast also the same basic concept. This features four 37kW concept introduced at AMZ three years ago
took this opportunity, leading to a revision of wheel mounted electric motors delivering and from a vehicle dynamics perspective it
its suspension kinematics, which is a pretty wheel torque to a remarkably light 158kg body gives a great amount of control and precision
standard change. However, it also chose to take and a well-developed aerodynamic package of reaction to input in multiple degrees
this opportunity further and it has downsized and suspension system. Where the 2019 of freedom, ensuring an optimal dynamic
its reduction gearboxes too, with the new powertrain differs to last year on the Zurich car response in a range of conditions. This
configuration now reducing the torque reacted is the switch from two electrical accumulators ultimately leads to a reduction in the variation
in the gearbox, while this alteration also gave it to one. This consequently changed the aero of contact pressure between tyre and track
a small weight advantage. concept around and necessitated a smaller surface and a set-up that produces maximum
TU Fast also attributes some of its speed rear air diffuser due to package redistribution mechanical grip. This is similar to systems that
on track to a completely (aside from the behind the driver. This allowed the sidepod area have been used in high level motorsport, such
motors, that is) in-house powertrain design. to be used for aerodynamics rather than pump as the Porsche 919 LMP1 car’s FRIC system,
‘We have developed the ECU, accumulator and electrical equipment packaging. and it will always benefit the car’s performance
and inverter in house,’ Garyuk explains. ‘This Development of its in-house inverters has throughout dynamic events, which AMZ has
year we also changed our communication also continued. The current design is half of the always excelled at anyway.
protocols between the ECU and the inverter weight of last year’s design and was achieved Lastly, there is also a new wheel upright and
which required a little work, but we have a great through moving from four single inverters motor assembly packaging that was influenced
inverter solution and none of the issues with to two double inverters, allowing further by a move to smaller wheels this year. ‘We have
EMI [electro-magnetic interference] that we packaging and weight distribution freedom. a new smaller tyre from Hoosier which meant a
have seen other teams have. The combination The tech that really shone on this car, change to the wheel packaging,’ says Haselbach.
of ECU, inverter and accumulator is very well though, was that of the suspension system ‘We are now using SLM 3D printed aluminium
adapted to the requirements of our car.’ which featured active wheel control. ‘Last year uprights which have integrated water-cooling
Electromagnetic interference can occur from we had a hydraulic active suspension concept channels for the motors, so it’s very complex
components like power inverters when they are actuating each wheel individually, but we ran and we are proud of that. In total we saved
not correctly shielded from the behaviour of into major issues which meant we had to run 6kg with this packaging update.’

70 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT ELECTRIC

Taking charge
Electric racecars
competed at FSUK way
back in 2007 – four
years before Formula E
was even conceived

The Team Bath Racing car makes use of a chain drive solid spool axle, which is a common approach on Formula Student designs that are running with a single electric motor

72 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

A large and ever-increasing number of Formula Student cars are now
electrically-motivated but, as Racecar discovered, developing such a machine
presents teams with a whole host of complications and technical challenges
By GEMMA HATTON

F
ormula Student may be an engineering
competition for universities, but the
innovations showcased by these
racecars are often a step ahead
of the motorsport industry. For example,
autonomous cars are now fully integrated into
the competition and the first electric racecars
competed at FSUK way back in 2007 – four years
before Formula E was even conceived.
In fact, in 2016 the electric FS car from
AMZ racing set a world record for the fastest-
accelerating electric vehicle, achieving
0-100km/h in just 1.513s, which still stands
today. In comparison the new generation of
Formula E cars accelerate from 0-100km/h
in 2.8s. Although this is not an entirely fair
comparison as Formula E and electric FS are
designed to a completely different rule set,
it does highlight the incredible standard of
engineering within these FS cars.
Today, over 32 per cent of FSUK teams are
now electric, with 39 teams also competing
in the electric category of Formula Student
Germany. It is no longer just the well-resourced
outfits that are taking on the electric challenge,
but the smaller teams are too.

Plugging in
As with any racecar, the first port of call is the
rulebook, and for electric Formula Student cars
complying with the rules is extremely tough.
‘One of the most important things to realise
when competing in electric FS is that you have
to go through two sets of entirely different
scrutineering at competition,’ says Ben Carretta,
technical manager at Team Bath Racing Electric.
‘As well as the standard scrutineering you also
have to go through an accumulator [battery]
scrutineering and a full electrical scrutineering.
It feels like the rules are trying to make you
jump through a lot of unnecessary hoops, but
when you start building the car, the rules are
actually quite a sensible guidebook on how to
design a safe electric racecar.
‘For an electric FS team starting up I would
say that the most fundamental thing is to have a
simple and reliable system, one that you know
is going to work, and then pay close attention
to the rules,’ Carretta adds.
With this in mind, most teams opt for a
two-year approach when starting an electric
project. The first year is spent designing, with
the final versions of the virtual car submitted
into Class 2 of the competition. Judges then
analyse their progress throughout the Design,
Cost and Business Plan events. The second year

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 73

TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT ELECTRIC

is then used to build and test the real car, ready

to compete in Class 1. To help further kick-start ‘With regards to distances they do in Formula 3 or Formula E and
we don’t have the speed requirement that these
the electric team, many universities will
continue to run their combustion car, which the batteries and series have either. Also, we need to consider the
rules. We could buy or produce an extremely
aids the transfer of mechanical know-how to
the electric team. This was the strategy that motors, we are not powerful motor but that would be unnecessary
mass as the electric Formula Student cars are

a road car and we

Oxford Brookes took with its new electric team, power limited. Furthermore, as the power
competing in Class 2 this year. increases the struggle of putting that power

are not a racecar’

‘Aside from our accumulator lead engineer, down to the wheels would be greater due to
pretty much everyone in the team is new to the limit of traction. We decided to build
electric vehicles and the challenges that they our own battery because we wanted to fully
bring,’ says Deepak Selvan, chief engineer of and say “this is feasible” but it’s bringing all those understand what was inside it.’
Oxford Brookes Racing Electric. ‘So having the systems together to create a reliable package
Class 2 and then Class 1 structure has been which is most difficult. We had people who were Batteries included
probably the most important aspect for making interested in battery technology, so that has With off-the-shelf batteries often heavy and
the switch to electric achievable. The biggest been an area that we’ve dived into ourselves, not customised for Formula Student, this is
challenge so far has been moving decisions with the help of our sponsors. It wasn’t an area where teams can make significant
forward in such an open and unknown problem necessarily an area that we decided we could performance gains. ‘In our 2017 car the battery
space. With an electric car there is a big phase make a massive improvement on. Formula weighed approximately 120kg; 2018 was the
of research and learning and what we struggled Student is a learning experience and if you had first time we developed a truly custom design
with most was defining where we cut that off people in your team who loved motor design which dropped the weight down to 67kg,’ says
and actually start making decisions. It wasn’t then that might be what you try and develop.’ Carretta. ‘We continued developing the BMS
actually an electrical challenge but more a ‘At the end of the day Formula Student is an [Battery Monitoring System] and other battery
project management one.’ engineering competition and in general you ancillaries and dropped the weight down again
have to ask yourself whether it is sensible to take to 48kg for this year’s car. Compared to off-the-
Skills audit the time and resource to develop something, or shelf solutions which can be around 70 to 75kg,
A team also needs to decide which components are you trying to reinvent the wheel, in which this is a huge weight saving.’
will be developed in-house and which case it may be better to buy something in,’ says Once the overall approach has been defined
will be bought in and this depends on the Natalie Kyprianou, the accumulator lead at Team the next stage is to develop a concept, and
expertise within the team. ‘It’s about looking Bath Racing Electric. ‘We’re building a prototype again there are several schools of thought here.
at who you’ve got within the team and what car and the requirements are very different to There are two parts to a car’s electrical system.
knowledge you have within the university and what you can buy off the shelf. With regards Firstly there is the high voltage, which is all the
figuring out what you are capable of doing,’ says to the batteries and motors, we are not a road components with an electrical connection to
Carretta.‘It’s easy to look at individual systems car and we are not a racecar. We don’t race the the accumulator (effectively the powertrain).

‘Having the Class 2 and Class 1 structure has probably been the
most important aspect for making the switch to electric achievable’

The location of the battery modules within the chassis can affect the weight distribution and CoG, which can change the vehicle’s dynamic behaviour. AMZ Racing’s design pictured

74 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT ELECTRIC

Secondly there is low voltage, which is all the

safety and data logging systems.
An electric car works through an
accumulator or battery providing power, but
this is often in the form of direct current (DC).
An inverter then uses a transistor switching
arrangement to convert this to three phase
alternating current (AC). This then powers
a motor which essentially rotates a magnet
(rotor) surrounded by copper coils (stator) and
the resulting oscillating magnetic field is used
to generate rotational motion which is then
mechanically coupled to the wheels.

Current thinking
The most simplistic concept is a single motor on
a fixed rear axle and to increase traction during Teams can choose between batteries
cornering a mechanical differential or a chain with high power density or high energy
driven solid spool axle can also be incorporated. density. Because of the distances raced
To achieve further control of the vehicle and the demands placed on the battery
dynamics, a second motor can be added to high energy cells are often more suitable
drive the two rear wheels separately, along
with a chain drive single gear reduction or a
planetary gearbox. However, the most effective
method to maximise traction and dynamic can then be selected, with teams aiming to ‘We did also look at how much of a buffer we
control is to have independent motors driving match the torque and speed characteristics would need if we don’t get regenerative braking
each wheel. This four-wheel drive approach of the motor to suit Formula Student style working or aren’t able to keep the motors in
is costly, but it does give the teams using it competition. The operational voltage of the their efficiency band,’ Selvan adds. ‘We ended up
the opportunity to explore the benefits of chosen motors and inverters then dictates the working down from about 26 different battery
technologies such as torque vectoring. maximum voltage required from the battery. configurations to a short-list of three before
There are many different approaches to ‘We started with having a target voltage deciding on our final battery design.’
designing an electric powertrain. But for FS that we wanted to be at, based on the motor
usually the first stage is to decide between package we are running on to try and keep it Energy limits
2WD and 4WD and whether the motors are in the efficiency band we wanted,’ explains ‘You are only allowed a specific amount of
inboard or outboard, which then determines the Selvan. ‘From there we looked at a range of energy in every compartment, so this limits
maximum power requirement. This is dictated cells with different voltages and capacities the maximum number of cells of each module,’
by the rules which stipulate a maximum power along with data from our lap time sims on explains Andreas Horat, chief technical officer
of 80kW for 2WD and 60kW for 4WD. The motors what our energy needs were for endurance. at AMZ Racing.‘The maximum voltage of the

The most effective method to maximise traction and dynamic

control is to have independent motors driving each wheel

Putting more cells in series increases battery voltage, while putting more cells in parallel increases current. Batteries need to be designed to meet specific current and voltage targets

76 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT ELECTRIC

accumulator is on one side limited by rules, programme takes an aerial-view image of a track there different chemistries, but there are also
which allow a maximum of 600V, but in our with a known pixel-to-physical-distance ratio different types to consider, such as pouches
case it was also driven from the inverter. The and then runs a theoretical vehicle through a or cylindricals, with each cell offering different
inverter used in previous years specified the lap of the circuit. The physical characteristics power and energy density combinations.
maximum battery voltage which then leads to of the vehicle (weight and gravity etc) as well
the number of cells in series. Together with the as vehicle dynamic parameters (downforce, Perfect chemistry
estimated necessary energy, the number of roll, pitch etc.) are considered along with safety Most motorsport batteries are lithium ion
cells in parallel is fixed. We have 130 cells in factors, an aggressive set-up and all parasitic chemistries, with different cathode (positive
series. We then look at the current draw at losses at 100 per cent to simulate the worst electrode) materials. Selecting the optimum
maximum as well as the maximum charging case scenario. This model identifies the energy chemistry is a balancing act between achieving
current when recuperating [energy]. In the end required from the accumulator during one lap, the desired energy and power densities
the number of cells is adjusted to fit them in a and therefore the energy that is required for the whilst maximising safety. ‘Li-ion cells with iron
convenient way within the box. The cooling is entire endurance race as well as all the other phosphate or manganese-based cathodes
also considered during the cell placement.’ dynamic events at competition. are intrinsically safer than any of the primarily
The accuracy of this simulation can be cobalt based lithium ion cells,’ says Dr Dennis
Motor specs further developed by incorporating more Doerffel, chief technology officer at REAP
An alternative approach to determine the motor reliable data such as that from tyre tests. Also, Systems, which supplies battery components
spec is to focus on the desired tyre performance. the script itself can be extended to calculate the to Formula Student teams. ‘This is because their
’Calculations including mass transfer, speed- performance of different powertrain concepts to cathode spinel structure doesn’t collapse if it
sensitive aerodynamic loads and tyre data determine the potential number of points each is completely depleted at the end of charging
in combination with our self-developed lap concept could achieve at competition. and the anode cannot be overcharged because
time simulation as well as mass sensitivities ‘We only have to complete 22km for the li-ions from the cathode are depleted. The spinel
derived from post-season tests were used to endurance and we are limited to a max of structure does not collapse and the cells do not
find the event-point optimal key parameters 80kW for rear-wheel drive cars and 60kW for provide oxygen in case of thermal runaway. So
for the motor design,’ says Horat.‘A top speed four-wheel drive cars, so this already creates they are safer but often heavier.
of 115km/h and a maximum wheel torque of your window of both power and energy,’ says ‘Most cathodes are a mix of nickel, cobalt
395Nm yield the highest score prediction. Briefly Carretta. ‘We looked at the average power and manganese these days in order to balance
said, the motor design is driven from the tyre and speeds of previous cars to get an energy the advantages and disadvantages,’ Doerffel
side so we can reach the optimum performance requirement in kWh and size our battery. adds. ‘Cells which have a high manganese
of the tyres and the accumulator is driven from We then identified the power draw at each content – similar to li-ion phosphate cells
the capacity side to ensure we have enough individual point to see how much we would – can’t produce [their] own oxygen, if the
energy for the whole endurance.’ stress our batteries which then gave us an ideal cells overheat. So, they can be more easily
The next stage is to determine the amount power and energy requirement so we could look extinguished with C02. These manganese-based
of energy and therefore the capacity that the for cells that matched that and start building up cells have higher voltages than iron phosphates
battery must carry throughout one single the battery pack from there.’ which is why they have a higher energy density
discharge to complete endurance. For this, Choosing the ‘perfect’ cells for the battery and the current is a little lower so power
often a Matlab script called Lapsim is used. This is by no means an easy task. Not only are densities are quite similar. If you want higher

‘Battery packs must be designed in such a way that a thermal

runaway in one of the cells cannot propagate to the next one’

The AMZ car uses four 37kW motors with a refined rotor and stator design; these drive a wheel each and give it good traction out of the many tight turns that are typical on FS events

78 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECHNOLOGY – FORMULA STUDENT ELECTRIC

power and energy densities then you can go

for more cobalt content and less manganese,
but the higher cobalt and nickel content means
that if the cell catches fire it will be virtually
impossible to extinguish. Battery packs must be
designed in such a way that a thermal runaway
in one cell cannot propagate to the next.’
To get our heads around these power and
energy densities let’s look at other high voltage
motorsport batteries. In F1, the ERS (Energy
Recovery System) battery is discharged and
recharged multiple times per lap as the energy
from braking is stored in the battery which
can then be utilised later as additional boost.
Therefore, to achieve the power required for
that boost within the smallest F1-style package
available, these cells have high power densities
of approximately 10-17kW/kg, with lower
energy densities of around 90-120Wh/kg.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is
Formula E, where the battery has one single
discharge over the entire race and teams only
have a fixed number of joules of energy to play
with. Therefore, the batteries are designed to
contain as much stored energy as possible,
whilst the car is optimised to use this energy
efficiently. This is why Formula E batteries have
lower power densities of roughly 2.2kW/kg
but much higher energy densities of around
232Wh/kg, compared to Formula 1.

High energy
‘The longest race in Formula Student is
endurance which is usually half an hour or so
which requires high energy cells, rather than
high power cells,’ says Doerffel. ‘A high energy
cell can fully discharge in about 20 minutes,
whereas a high power cell can discharge in
six minutes with ultra high power cells
discharging within three minutes or faster. The
problem is that in a high energy cell there is AMZ Racing cools its motors by using water-cooling channels that are integrated within its 3D printed aluminium uprights
more internal resistance, so although it may
have a higher amp hour capacity rating, the manufacturers won’t tell you. This is why FS is but not the battery. Furthermore, the rules
watt hour rating may significantly reduce if so interesting, because the teams can choose stipulate that the battery has to be split into
you discharge with higher current. Also, either high energy or high power cells but isolated modules, each limited to 120V, 6MJ
regenerative braking with high energy cells they really need to identify the overall benefits of energy and a maximum weight of 12kg.
can be difficult as usually they charge at 1C and that is a question that can’t be answered Therefore, a high voltage battery would have to
[coulomb, a unit of electrical charge] so you without developing accurate simulation tools or be split into several modules, each accompanied
can’t push as much power back into the battery without testing cells and packs.’ by a positive and negative high current
when compared to a high power cell. Cell selection also depends on how the cells connection, BMS, fuse, contactors and other
‘Another interesting consideration is the are packaged within the battery box as this can ancillaries – all adding weight to the overall
cell manufacturer’s data sheet,’ Doerffel adds. affect the overall performance characteristics. battery box. Alternatively, teams can choose
‘As manufacturers have to ensure their cells The number of cells in series determines the lower voltage batteries and save weight but
can provide the life cycles they specify, you voltage, while the number of cells in parallel take the hit on motor and inverter performance.
can usually push the cells more than what determines the current and capacity. Therefore, ‘The Formula Student rules require you to
the data sheets say because racing usually the more cells in parallel, the higher the current take the battery out of the car when charging
doesn’t require the stated cycle life of 3000 or and the more cells in series, the higher the for safety reasons, which is a big design
so cycles. However, it is difficult to find out how voltage. High voltages results in low currents limitation as it means we can’t make the battery
much more you can push them safely because which is beneficial for the motors and inverters, structural like you can on other electric racecars,’

‘The Formula Student rules require you to take the battery out of the car
when charging for safety reasons, which is a big design limitation’
80 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019
The cells need to be arranged in such a way that the air can
effectively flow in between them and through the battery
says Kyprianou.‘So then you think“we will design our motors ourselves and although we the shutdown line is broken and therefore the
split the battery in two”, but the rules specify have continued to optimise the rotor and stator battery isolates itself completely, so you have a
that each module has to be identical so not design, the main design concept remained really robust and simple safety system.’
only does it double the electronics, switches the same for the past few years which allowed Although some teams develop their own
and mass, but also the risk of failure as you’re us to continuously improve our motor every BMS, the majority buy off-the-shelf tried and
effectively building two batteries.’ iteration, reaching 22Nm and 38kW at a weight tested systems. However, this still requires some
of 2kg in the 2019 season,’ says Horat.‘Cooling level of engineering from the teams.‘Our BMS is
Cool running of the motors is really important, so for this not specifically designed for Formula Student,
Cooling the cells is another vital consideration year’s car we have integrated the motor cooling so the teams still have to understand how it
that needs to be thought about early on in the inside the upright so that the motor needs no works and do a lot of engineering,’ says Doerffel.
design process. Most Formula Student batteries additional cooling casing. So we effectively cool ‘There is a lot of electro-chemistry inside
are air cooled, with a fan circulating the air. our upright which in turn cools the motors. This batteries that engineers are still understanding
Therefore, the cells need to be arranged in allowed us to design a lighter and stiffer upright.’ and I think one of the biggest concerns is that
such a way that this air can effectively flow in batteries are very quiet. They sit there and
between the cells and through the battery. Safety systems they look quite peaceful, and students can
‘Our research showed that for what an FS Once the motors, inverters and cells have been underestimate the safety risks of them.’
car has to endure, with the hottest and longest selected and the battery configuration has been Overall, there are a huge number of factors
cycle being the endurance, active air cooling optimised, the next challenge is to integrate to consider when developing an electric
was suitable,’ says Kyprianou.‘We have fans the BMS and other safety systems.‘We have our powertrain, and a whole host of additional
inside the battery and pass air though the cells predominant shutdown system which is a single factors to design a high performance one. But
rather than liquid. Liquid cooling adds a lot of loop that goes around the car and it has various with competitions such as Formula Student
risk and there’s a lot more work involved.’ systems such as emergency stop buttons, [in] encouraging students to face these challenges
It’s not just the battery that requires cooling, the BMS or the ECU that can break that electrical early in their careers, the next generation of
often the motors do too, as is the case with line which then causes the car to shut down,’ engineers will be able to solve the mysteries
AMZ Racing’s car.‘We started nine years ago to says Kyprianou.‘So, if anything goes wrong of electric technology much faster.

The geometry of the water cooling channels on the AMZ Racing uprights can be seen here in this CT scan. This approach had a knock-on effect of improving the upright’s design

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 81

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Left are examples of the Li1x4p modules

82 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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An example of the Li1x6p module

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 83

TECHNOLOGY – CHASSIS SIMULATION

Trace engineering
Our resident simulation expert runs through some of the more
advanced channels available for design and structural analysis

By DANNY NOWLAN

S
ometimes I get suggestions
from some of my customers for
articles, and often they are very
clever ideas indeed. As a case in
point, one ChassisSim customer – Adelaide,
Australia-based damper company Supashock
– suggested I write a piece on ChassisSim’s
advanced data logging channels, and how
this pertains to racecar design and structural
analysis. Given that this, and the use of in-
depth data analysis, is one of ChassisSim’s
unsung strengths, I agreed this was a subject
that deserves to be explored in some depth.
ChassisSim boasts a fully transient nature
combined with a plethora of data channels.
If you combine all this with the fact that it
also uses a full multi-body vehicle dynamic
model you will understand that you can get an
excellent snapshot of what the car is doing, so
you can then make some very informed calls
on what you are doing with the racecar. The data examined in this piece is based on a traditional Formula 3 chassis, such as this Dallara pictured at Macau last year
As an example of how this all works, let’s
consider suspension geometry by doing a Going through the traces briefly; the first trace trace is the rear tyre contact patch lateral forces
force analysis so you can see what you need is speed, second is engine RPM, third is steer/ in kgf and seventh is the roll centres.
to take into account. To start, take a look at neutral steer, fourth is throttle and fifth is front The first thing you will take away from
the simulated lap trace shown in Figure 1. tyre contact patch lateral forces in kgf. The sixth Figure 1 is the lateral forces that are returned.

Figure 1: Plot of lateral forces and force-based roll centres for a simulated F3 car

84 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

You can get a good snapshot of what the car is doing, so you can then
make some very informed calls on what you will do with the racecar
wishbone element. All you need to do to tie
Figure 2: Double wishbone EQUATIONS this up to your suspension is re-do the analysis
suspension analysis in Figure 2 and Equation 1 and re-apply it
EQUATION 1
to your suspension geometry. You can then
cross reference it to the roll centres presented
in Figure 1 and, hey presto, you have your
wishbone loads. This allows you to calculate
these load cases with excellent accuracy.
Also, the process for the longitudinal forces
is nearly identical to their lateral counterparts.
The only thing that makes this just a little bit
trickier for independent suspensions is how
the pitch centres change when you go from
braking to accelerating.
In any structural analysis one of your most Where you can really make all this work to
vexing questions is; what are the loads and your advantage is if you have access to finite
what do you design to? The great thing about Where: element analysis (FEA) software. The applied
a correlated and representative simulation Fx = sum of all the forces in the x axis lateral and longitudinal forces give you the
model is now you are no longer guessing. You Mo = sum of all the moments about the contact patch contact patch load forces for the entire lap.
have this in full Technicolor and we can see F21 = force on the lower wishbone Looking at the ride height data both in pitch
from Figure 1 that the peak front contact patch F34 = force on the upper wishbone and roll you know how the body is moving.
lateral force is 514kgf and the rear peak lateral F = applied lateral force on the contact patch You can then do some very accurate fatigue
contact patch lateral force is 606kgf. R = tyre radius analysis testing, not just of the suspension
R/2 = tyre radius divided by two arms but of the chassis too.
Back to basics The other really cool thing about the
This data has several uses. For instance, if you ChassisSim advanced data logging channels
need something quick and simple you can is shown in Figure 2. Going through and doing is that they allow you to quantify the spring
combine it with the roll centres to determine the force analysis you get Equation 1 (the forces. ChassisSim will return all the spring
the loads of your individual elements. The terms for both are below the equation). forces zeroed in the air as wheel forces, and
way you accomplish this is by going back to The significance of Equation 1 is that you this is illustrated in Figure 3.
basics. Let’s consider a simple force analysis of a now have the tools at your disposal to figure For a damper manufacturer, like Supashock
typical double wishbone suspension arm. This out the total lateral forces applied to each for instance, this is very useful on so many

Figure 3: Illustration of spring and roll bar forces for a simulated F3 car

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 85

TECHNOLOGY – CHASSIS SIMULATION

Figure 4: Channels that can be used for differential tuning with a simulated F3 car

levels. Since this is at the wheel, if you have a

Table 1: Longitudinal forces through a low-speed corner
pushrod, bell crank suspension you can do
Forces Mid-corner Corner exit
your pushrod and damper forces in one hit.
Force x FL (kgf) 107.64 228.05
Also, knowing what the roll bar forces are
you can also get a clear picture of the forces Force x FR (kgf) 138.83 163.97
going into the roll bar, so you can then size Force x max FL (kgf) 662.18 606.23
the bar elements appropriately. Force x max FR (kgf) 196.14 276.07

Tuning diffs Table 2: Longitudinal forces through a high-speed corner

Another great thing you can do with the
Forces Mid-corner
advanced simulation channels is differential
Force x FL (kgf) 151.49
tuning, as is illustrated in Figure 4. Walking
through the channels, those of most interest Force x FR (kgf) 101.00
are the fifth trace, which shows the applied Force x max FL (kgf) 776.32
longitudinal forces at the contact patch, and Force x max FR (kgf) 309.22
the sixth trace which shows the maximum
possible longitudinal forces. But to illustrate the compromises involved all the help you can get. So, in this case we
What you might find especially interesting in differential selection let’s review this for a might have to live with the differential being
about Figure 4 is that for this low-speed corner high-speed corner on the very same lap. This over-locked in the low speed corners. But the
it shows we are caught in a compromise. The is illustrated in Figure 5 (next page). Here the important thing is that these channels give us
locking ratio on this differential is 20 per cent. situation is very different. This time around the the numerical tools to quantify all this.
Right at the mid-corner condition we have the differential settings work very well and just Another thing we can look at is using
condition that is shown in Table 1. after corner exit the numbers look quite good, simulated yaw rate to quantify the control
What Table 1 illustrates is that in the as illustrated in Table 2. As can be seen the power of the steering. For reasons that
mid-corner condition we have over-locked differential in this corner is working very well. are largely driven by technophobia most
the diff, but later on the diff setting kicks in. What is quite interesting in high-speed regulatory bodies have seen fit to ban yaw
The great news is you can now look at this corners is that your speed isn’t just a function rate sensors. However, if you have a well
and get a much better gauge of where your of grip, but it’s also a function of drag and how correlated simulation model the yaw rate pops
compromises are. This means that when you much engine force you can put down, and out in the wash. That is, if you plot yaw rate vs
play with the differential settings this will take minimising your drag. Given how distinctly steer angle you can plot the control power of
out an awful lot of the guess work. underpowered Formula 3 cars are you need the vehicle. This is illustrated in Figure 6.

Yaw rate sensors are banned by most regulatory bodies but if you have
a well correlated simulation model the yaw rate pops out in the wash
86 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019
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TECHNOLOGY – CHASSIS SIMULATION

Figure 5: Longitudinal forces through a high-speed corner for a simulated F3 car

Figure 6: Yaw rate vs steered angle for a simulated F3 car

The important thing in Figure 6 is that available but ChassisSim now has well over 150 feed structural analysis so you can quantify the
the slope of this curve determines the control logged channels that cover both chassis and loads going into the racecar.
power. The steeper the slope the more powertrain. It gives you plenty of options to Also, the returned tyre forces, both applied
effective the steering is. So, if you have a driver really drill in to what the racecar is doing, then. and maximum, give you key insights into
complaining that the steering isn’t responsive In closing, the case studies presented differential tuning and other useful things like
you now have the tools to start exploring this. here represent a small slice of a multitude of steering control power are an added bonus.
Please note that what I have presented here in-depth analysis you can do with advanced But perhaps the most exciting thing about
is merely the tip of the iceberg. I can’t speak simulation channels. The simulated contact all this is that what we have presented here
for the other simulation packages that are patch loads have a wealth of application to has merely scratched the surface.

88 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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TECH UPDATE – 2021 F1 REGULATIONS

F1 races into the unknown the season after next with some sweeping changes to the technical regulations that are aimed at improving the quality of the show and reducing costs

Formula ’21
In 2021 Formula 1 will see wholesale changes to its technical regulations
based upon a completely new approach to framing them. At the British
Grand Prix the men in charge of devising the new rules package, Ross
Brawn and Nikolas Tombazis, outlined this radical philosophy
By SAM COLLINS

B
etter racing, more spectacular cars move to larger single spec wheel rims and the to create the rules have evolved mainly due to
and lower costs are all part of a ‘new’ introduction of low profile tyres. political pressures or whatever. At no point has
Formula 1 being introduced in 2021. Some further details were then revealed there been a serious look at where F1 should
Under the ownership of Liberty during a briefing at the British Grand Prix, sit, but that is what we are doing now. I have
Media the sport has set about a fundamental hosted by Ross Brawn, F1’s managing director heard some comments from the teams about
re-evaluation of its present and its future, with of motorsports and technical director, and the things we are doing but I have to ask why is
the aim of creating a completely new set of Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of single seater it that where we are today is this holy position
regulations. Previously, a number of details technical matters. At this meeting Brawn stated: that should not be changed? I think that is
as to the form these new rules will take have ‘We have arrived with the current cars without wrong for many reasons, and what we are doing
emerged, such as the outline aero concept, the a lot of structure. The decisions and directions is putting it into a much better place.’

90 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

 ‘We are trying to
push the rules to the
extreme to identify
any loopholes
or unintended
consequences’
changes are entirely possible after the rules are
published, too. ‘The group we have at FOM will
not stop working when the rules are issued,’ he
says. ‘As we see the teams solutions evolve we
will analyse them and start to understand if they
are starting to negate the objectives, then we
One controversial aspect of the 2021 rules is the use of spec parts, which will include hubs and wheel nuts can steer it back again. This is not a one-stop
shop where you just issue a set of solutions and
leave it alone. We are going to monitor, develop
and tune the solutions constantly to make sure
we maintain the objectives.’

Cost cutting
While the new aerodynamic package is aimed
at improving the show in F1 by making it easier
for cars to follow and overtake, other moves
are being made to try to close up the field by
levelling the playing field and reducing costs
for teams through both rule changes and the
introduction of a $175m per season cost cap.
Part of this process will involve the
standardisation of a lot more components, with
fuel pumps, rear impact structures, the steering
wheel, steering column, driveshafts, pedals
and DRS mechanism all thought to be under
Pit equipment, such as the wheel guns, is also set to be standardised as part of the cost cutting measures consideration. The hubs, wheel nuts and the
wheel guns are all set to be spec components
‘At no point has there ever been a serious too, as the FIA feels that teams are spending too
much money on trying to gain 0.1 second in a
look at where Formula 1 should really pit stop.
The process had already started, with a standard
sit, but that is what we are doing now’ gear cluster considered and a tender issued,
but this concept was later dropped. However, a
The first and most urgent area to be tackled temporarily.‘Currently there is a lot of work move to simplify the transmission still seems to
by Brawn and his team was the overall aero going on to break the rules!’ Tombazis says. be a certainty.
package. However, with the publication of ‘We are trying to push them to the extreme ‘Following the gearbox tender which was
the new rules now delayed to October the to identify any loopholes or unintended cancelled, we have decided to introduce a far
rule makers are taking the opportunity this consequences. So right now the aerodynamic more frozen specification of the gearbox to
extra time gives them to fine-tune the aero department have put on a different hat, not ensure that there isn’t really any performance
package. ‘There are some areas where work on that of a rule maker but more like one of differentiation between gearboxes,’ Tombazis
the rules is still going on, for example we are an aerodynamic department at a team. For says. ‘There will be a reduction in R&D costs as
not completely pleased about the front wing, example, they are seeing how they can stretch a result of keeping certain parameters of the
both from an aerodynamic point of view and the rules; can they for instance come up with a gearbox frozen and to a fixed specification.’
an aesthetic one,’ Tombazis says. ‘There is good front wing that meets the rules, creates more There will also be changes to the suspension
reason that it is very wide but aesthetically we downforce and is more efficient but at the same systems. ‘We are banning hydraulic suspension
realise that it is not the best result.’ time [does not] negate some of the good things which is used by some teams, and limiting the
that have been achieved for the following car type of mechanical components used to more
Insider knowledge performance. If such cases are found then simple solutions,’ Tombazis adds. ‘For example,
Unlike previous attempts to come up with new clearly we will react to avoid such issues.’ things like inerters which don’t add anything to
regulations the process with the 2021 rules This work is likely to result in a number of the show, they just add complexity and have no
has seen Brawn’s team of ‘poachers turned detail changes to the regulations before they road relevance, these are things that we don’t
gamekeepers’ return to their old ways, at least are issued and, according to Brawn, further think should stay in the future of Formula 1.’

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 91

TECH UPDATE – 2021 F1 REGULATIONS

Areas where complexity has increased over recent Formula 1

seasons have been a particular focus for the cost saving efforts
With Mercedes and Racing Point,
representing both ends of the 2019 grid,
known to have developed fully hydraulic rear
suspension systems, this is something of an
unexpected move. Indeed, the additional
reduction in freedom in terms of suspension
design is perhaps even more of a surprise
considering that F1 had been contemplating
the re-introduction of active suspension.
‘We did evaluate active suspension as,
compared to the very complicated hydraulic
systems currently in use, an active system would
be potentially cheaper than the current systems,’
Tombazis says. ‘It was rejected as we felt that if
cars were developed to work in a very specific
optimised window like ride height or whatever,
then the aerodynamic characteristics would
mean that the following car would be much
more sensitive to the wake and would as a result
suffer bigger losses than now.’

Reducing complexity Hydraulic suspension, as used on the Racing Point, could be banned while gearboxes will be simplified and homologated
Areas where complexity has increased over
recent seasons have been a particular focus for to regulate that more, which is missing from the sentiments in meetings with the teams. ‘I think
cost saving efforts, and as with the suspension current Formula 1 regulations.’ we need to understand that there will be
these will be significantly restricted. ‘The Under the bodywork there could be further push-back on some of these things, but the
radiators, for example, will be simplified by changes with tighter limits placed on the teams have different objectives. Our objective
regulation as this is an area of huge expenditure electronics used on the car, in an attempt to is to make Formula 1 more entertaining, more
by some teams,’ Tombazis says. ‘They are very force the drivers ‘to drive the car unaided’. The accessible and more sustainable, and this is
flimsy and have to be changed very frequently, last time this was attempted (in 2015) in the the first time in the history of the sport that
they have extremely complex shapes.’ form of a ban of those on the pit wall from there has been such a deep study into what
This is an area which has seen some telling the drivers what they can do to adjust is needed,’ he says. ‘We are going to be very
significant differences between teams in recent the car, it was widely criticised and ultimately proscriptive to begin with because if we are not
seasons with the introduction of centreline dropped part way through the season. we won’t achieve the objectives.
cooling and various approaches to charge air ‘We are still looking at the electronics of ‘Regarding the complaints we have heard
cooling. Any tight restriction or standardisation the car and removing some driver aids. That of that the cars will all look the same, there is an
of coolers, or even just the cores, could have a course is a sensitive subject, but we are working exercise that Pat Symonds has done, by taking
substantial impact on the wider car design. to avoid any unwanted consequences,’ Tombazis the paintwork off all of the [current] cars and
Notably, the aerodynamic model of the says. ‘We are discussing a reduction in pit to putting them up on the wall, you cannot tell
2021 car shows a small airbox and longer car telemetry, we would really like to leave the them apart,’ Brawn adds. ‘You need to be an
sidepods than found on 2019 cars, suggesting drivers alone during the race to handle all of the extreme geek to pick them out, and even
that centreline cooling will not be a feature technical aspects of the car. There would still within our office we could only pick out two
in F1 from 2021, and that the low side impact be radio communication for strategy or safety, or three. We know that even with these very
structure approach used by all teams bar but there would not be communications about proscriptive regulations the fertile minds in
Mercedes may also be outlawed. temperatures, or telling the drivers to do certain Formula 1 will still come up with new solutions.
Changes to the chassis construction itself are things. We would prefer the car and driver to Compared to the current regulations the
also on the horizon, as the rules strive to make have responsibility for that and not have the teams will probably find it frustrating, but if the
the cars a little more rugged. ‘We are looking at continual help from the pit.’ teams take the approach that it is the same for
simplifying the lower part of the chassis, and everyone, and by doing a better job than the
having structures under the chassis that protect Game of clones rest they will find that they are two tenths faster,
it from kerbs and damage,’ Tombazis says. ‘It’s It’s fair to say there are some big changes on the not two seconds, that is what we want.’
also an area which is quite difficult to regulate way in Formula 1 then, and it’s clear that the rule Between now and October many more
in terms of the permitted deflection, so we are makers are expecting some severe criticism. And details on the specifications of one-make parts
working on that. There will be a realignment of indeed, one team’s technical director told us: will likely be released and many debates will
some of the materials regulations to stop some ‘These rules are not very good, it is not IndyCar, be had about the pros and indeed the cons of
of the more exotic materials, but there will still there will be nothing for you to write about as these new rules. Ultimately, it will not be clear
be allowance for some innovation. We also all the cars will be the same.’ if they achieve what they set out to do until the
want to continue with the modern industrial But Brawn is ready for and expecting 2021 season is well underway, but it is clear
trend of additive manufacturing, but we want such criticism and has clearly heard similar that it will be a very different Formula 1.

92 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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BUSINESS – PEOPLE

Interview – Brian Gush

Life of Brian
Bentley’s recently retired motorsport director recalls some of
the highlights of his 20 years with the famous marque
By MIKE BRESLIN

I
f one thing encapsulates Brian Gush’s time at Bentley it us in 2002 to make something different. So I commissioned
would be the signing off of a limousine designed for the [engine designer Ulrich] Baretzky to do a complete new engine
Queen at Millbrook, and then driving on to Snetteron for for us, which was a 4-litre direct injection. This then separated
the roll out of the EXP Speed 8 Le Mans car. Gush, who has us from the Audi engine; the block, the crank, the heart of the
recently retired, was so much more than a motorsport director, engine was different. That was a bespoke Bentley engine, but
you see. In fact, while he was masterminding the marque’s the perception persisted, probably through lack of clear PR on
triumphant return to La Sarthe he was also designing a large our side, and Audi not doing much to dispel it.’
chunk of the Bentley Continental GT road car, wearing his other After its success at Le Mans motorsport took a backseat at
hat as the firm’s director of chassis and powertrain. Bentley for some years, but it was never wholly forgotten. ‘Then
The early 2000s were a very busy time for Gush, then, who it was road car work, we’d closed rtn, the facility, and I ramped
was actually just the second motorsport director at Bentley, the down the team to just a very small number of guys that I had
first being founder WO Bentley himself. The reason for this was around me, and then we did things like the high speed record in
because Bentley was not really that interested in motorsport 2007, we were aiming for 200mph [on ice!] and didn’t quite get
after the halcyon years of the Bentley Boys in the 1920s, and it, so we went back in 2011 and got it,’ Gush says.
even though its cars had often worn badges like‘Mulsanne’and
‘Arnage’it had not been to Le Mans for 70 years when it rolled Second coming
up in 2001, with Gush at the helm. But Bentley was always looking for an opportunity to return to
Bentley went on to score a famous one-two finish in the racing and there was even the chance of a Le Mans comeback in
great race in 2003, yet it’s actually that comeback year that the late 2000s‘We came close to going back in 2008, when we
is Gush’s proudest moment of his 20 years in charge of the started looking at the P1 class again,’ Gush says. ‘It would have
company’s motorsport activities.‘We came back and nobody been a similar engine and we were talking to Lola at the time,
knew what to expect of us, and we pulled third place out of the but the financial crisis just stopped that in its tracks.’
bag, and that was fantastic. Because it was unexpected,’ Gush The car that Lola made became an Aston Martin, in name
says.‘In 2003 there was a lot of expectation because we’d put at least, and Bentley had to wait a further five years before
a lot into it and there was the feeling that we had to do it then. its motorsport return, this time in GT3 – a category that has
‘We came back to But in 2001 nobody knew what to expect.’ a customer sport philosophy at its heart, so in some ways it
echoes the era of the Bentley Boys.
Le Mans in 2001 Bentley boy
and nobody knew Gush had come to Bentley in 1999, after working with parent
company Volkswagen in his native South Africa and then in Bentley’s three-year Le Mans campaign
what to expect of Germany for some years, and he quickly looked for a way to was hugely successful and culminated
us, then we pulled get the marque back to Le Mans.‘There was that feeling that in a victory for the Speed 8 in 2003
Bentley belonged at Le Mans, for sure, but there was not a clear
third place out of path to get back,’ he says.‘But then with the Racing Technology
the bag, and that Norfolk project that had stalled I saw the opportunity to get it
together. It was the right thing to do for the brand at the time,
was fantastic’ as we were trying to establish ourselves to a younger audience,
and there’s no better business marketing tool than motorsport.’
The rtn project mentioned above refers to a stillborn
Volkswagen racecar. ‘rtn started out with an Audi project, that
was the R8C, which then was dropped,’ Gush says. ‘And then
VW picked up the organisation and designed a complete new
car, that they had on the drawing board for their W12 engine;
and then that got dropped. I then saw that there was an
opportunity to pick up where they had stopped and negotiated
a deal with Audi for some 3.6-litre engines.’
Bentley’s win in 2003 is now a part of Le Mans folklore, but
if there is one thing that rankles with Gush it is that some of the
company’s glory often seems to be, at least partly, attributed to
Audi. ‘Because we were using an Audi engine there was a touch
of Audi about it, yet the project had nothing to do with Audi.
The car was completely, uniquely designed,’ Gush says. ‘Nobody
calls the McLaren a Renault, do they?
‘And Audi didn’t do much to dispel it, they were quite happy
to just let it run,’ Gush adds. ‘And that’s, a bit, what prompted

94 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

 ‘At that stage the P1 rules were so expensive, with
hybridisation, you could no longer do LMP1 as a small
manufacturer; Toyota, Audi, and Porsche were spending
RACE MOVES
research budgets on it,’ says Gush. ‘And then, racing the
Continental, the only set of regulations open to us was GT3, Alberto Blanco, the race strategy
because of the four-wheel drive, all our cars are permanent engineer at Mahindra Racing, has won
four-wheel drive and that’s the only regulation that allowed Formula E’s Modis Engineer of the Year
you to remove the four-wheel drive. The GTE regulations do not Award for the 2018/19 season. The
allow you to do that. So then GT3 was the obvious choice. award was instigated to celebrate the
There was a lot of scepticism, the FIA just basically said to us, unsung heroes of the FE paddock and
you can’t do it, you will never get within the guidelines, you to recognise outstanding engineering.
will never get it within the performance windows. And it was Blanco, who first worked in FE as a
quite satisfying to show that we could.’ reporter, was chosen ‘for his outstanding
In fact, Bentley has gone on to use the size of the contribution to the sport and his team,
Continental as a plus-point. ‘What you do is you take what you with a special focus on innovation’.
have and you use it to your advantage,’ Gush says. ‘So you have
got a good footprint, and pressure times area equals force. So, John Borghetti, a former boss of
if you have got a big area and you create some low-pressure Virgin Australia, has joined the board of
areas then you have got good downforce.’ Supercars as an independent director.
XPB

Borghetti joins Supercars CEO Sean

Gushing praise Alain Prost has taken on the role of non-executive Seamer, Archer Capital’s Peter Wiggs
Of course, any real advantage is negated by the Balance of director at the company that’s behind the Renault and team owners Brad Jones and
Performance, so how frustrating is that for a pure engineer like Formula 1 operation, Renault Sport Racing Ltd. Four- Rod Nash on the board.
Gush? ‘That’s always a challenge, but if you are a competitive time F1 world champion Prost replaces Renault Group
engineer and there’s a rulebook, then off you go,’ he says. ‘The executive Thierry Bollore on the board; the latter is Matt Breeden is now the president of
GT3 Balance of Performance is there to create close racing, no longer involved with the F1 team after taking on the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association
and I think the SRO have done a great job in that. They have extra responsibilities as Renault Group CEO. (SVRA) in the United States. Breeden
got it right, they have 12 manufacturers involved in GT3, and has held executive positions in
there is no other race series in the world, wherever you look, Former driver Gil de Ferran is to head motorsport companies for over 15 years,
that has got 12 OEMs that are building cars… [And] You then up the management team of the new including spells at IndyCar and Champ
make a difference where you can, which is in pit stops, in McLaren IndyCar programme, which Car, while most recently he served as
reliability, and in creating a stable racecar.’ the organisation is to undertake in chief financial officer for Indianapolis-
Gush’s last race as Bentley boss was at this year’s Spa 24 partnership with established outfit Arrow based Racetrack Engineering.
hours at the end of July – which was sadly not a success for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports next
the marque – but he is not quite done with motorsport and season. Arrow SPM co-founders Sam Dick Jordan, who was the PR man for
as well as a 1966 Lotus Elan and a collection of old British Schmidt and Ric Peterson will continue US racing sanctioning body USAC for
motorcycles to look after in his retirement he also has a Ford in their current roles within the team. over 50 years, has died at the age of 74.
Escort rally car – which he has built himself – that he intends to Jordan, who started working for USAC
use in historic competition. He will keep himself busy then, just Petronas has announced its second in 1968, was inducted into both the
not quite busy as he was in the early 2000s. global hunt for a trackside fluid engineer National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and
to work with the Mercedes team during the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of
the 2020 Formula 1 season. To apply Fame, while more recently he received
for the role, interested candidates can the Jim Chapman Award for excellence in
visit Petronas Lubricants International motorsport public relations.
LinkedIn page or email ptfe2020@pli-
petronas.com by September 25. Markus Schafer and Frank Markus
Weber have joined the board of
Cliff Daniels is now crew chief on the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. This
Hendrick Motorsports No.48 NASCAR follows the departure of Ola Kallenius,
Cup Chevrolet driven by seven-time who has stepped down after assuming
champion Jimmie Johnson. Daniels the role of chairman of the board of
was previously Johnson’s race engineer Daimler AG – the Formula 1 team’s
during the 2016 Cup season and last year parent company – and Bodo Uebber,
he joined Hendrick’s competition systems who has left his position as Daimler’s
group, before re-joining Johnson as his chief financial officer. Schafer now takes
race engineer earlier this season. on the role of non-executive chairman,
replacing the late Niki Lauda.
Paul Williams has been appointed
director of motorsport at Bentley, NASCAR Cup operation Front Row
replacing Brian Gush (see interview, Motorsports has swapped the crew
left). Williams, who has been at Bentley chiefs on its No.36 and No.38 cars. Seth
since 2008, moves from his current role Barbour has now taken over running
as director of powertrain, where he has No.36, while Mike Kelley goes in the
overseen the design and development other direction to tend the No.38 car.
of the all-new 6-litre W12 engine that Kelley is in his first year with Front Row
powers the Bentayga, Continental GT and Motorsports, having moved from Roush
the new Flying Spur models. Fenway Racing for this season.

OCTOBER 2019 www.racecar-engineering.com 95

BUSINESS – PEOPLE

Monchaux replaces Resta as RACE MOVES – continued

Alfa Romeo’s F1 tech boss NASCAR officials fined Chris
Gabehart, the crew chief on the
Jan Monchaux is now technical a simple but strong message to Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota,
director at the Alfa Romeo F1 the whole company – they value and Chad Johnston, the crew
team, replacing Simone Resta, continuity and believe in the existing chief on the Chip Ganassi Racing
who has returned to team and the work No. 42 Chevrolet, $10,000 each
Ferrari after fulfilling we have been doing. after both cars were found to be
his short-term It is now up to us to running with a lug nut that was
deployment at the prove them right.’ not safely secured at the Pocono
Swiss-based operation, Meanwhile, round of the Cup Series.
which was previously Ferrari man
known as Sauber. Alessandro Cinelli IndyCar team co-owner Richard
Monchaux, who has been hired as Marshall suffered an injury
has been promoted the new head of aero at Eldora Speedway when he
from the role of head of at Alfa to replace fell from the top of his team’s

XPB
XPB

aerodynamics, was at Monchaux. Cinelli transporter during the Kings

Ferrari himself from 2010 Simone Resta has left Alfa has worked at Ferrari Dave Greenwood, who was Kimi Raikkonen’s Royal World of Outlaws event.
until 2012, working in the Romeo to return to Ferrari for 17 years, having race engineer at Ferrari in F1, is now the At the time of writing Marshall
aero department, before started in F1 at Tyrrell technical director at the United Autosports was said to be ‘on the mend’.
moving to Audi Sport as its head in 1997 then going on to Williams sportscar squad, where he will work with
of aerodynamics. He then joined two years later before joining the its LMP2 and LMP3 teams in the WEC, the Nick Leventis, the founder of the
Sauber in the same role. Scuderia at the height of the Michael European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans Cup Strakka Racing GT team, and also
At the time of writing it was not Schumacher era in 2002. He became championship. Greenwood was with the short- one of its drivers, has been banned
known what position Resta was head of the aero experimental group lived CEFC TRSM (Manor) programme for a time from motorsport for four years by
to take at Ferrari but it has been at Ferrari in September 2015. after leaving Ferrari at the start of 2018. the FIA for an anti-doping offence.
reported that he will concentrate on ‘I join this young team with Leventis has said the violation was
the Scuderia’s 2021 car. the mission to build on the solid NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief unintentional and that the drugs
‘I am very excited about this new foundations that have already been Nick Harrison has died at the age concerned were prescribed by a
challenge and I am looking forward laid and to help produce results on of 37. Harrison had been working doctor and supplied by a personal
to starting in my new position,’ track,’ Cinelli said ‘I am confident we on Justin Haley’s Kaulig Racing trainer, but because he has now
Monchaux said. ‘The owners, board can continue in the right direction No.11 Chevrolet this season, after retired from racing he will not be
and team principal are sending and bring more success to the team.’ spending the last five years at appealing the decision.
Richard Childress Racing.

OBITUARY – Jean-Paul Driot NASCAR suspended Truck Series

William Storey is no longer
associated with controversial
Jean-Paul Driot, the managers who have crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz, truck Haas F1 sponsor Rich Energy.
founder of the hugely worked for the firm. chief Austin Pollak and engineer The flamboyant former boss
successful DAMS single Indeed, it’s been said Jonathan Stewart for three races of the energy drink concern
seater outfit and its that one of Driot’s after the No.2 truck they work on has had his appointment as a
e.dams Formula E strengths as a team boss suffered a ‘loss or separation’ of director terminated, according to
offshoot, has died at was to always find the right ballast during the Eldora dirt information filed at Companies
the age of 68. people for the job. track round of the series. House in the UK. Storey had been
Driot set up his team to DAMS took its first in dispute with shareholders of
run in Formula 3000 at the major title in Formula 3000 A Renault Formula 1 team the company since just before
XPB

end of 1988 and it became in 1990, with Eric Comas member was taken to hospital the British GP, when he wrongly
known as DAMS, standing at the wheel, and it went after a road accident involving announced on Twitter that the
for Driot Associes Motor Sport, in 1989. on to win 147 races in professional-level one of the team’s trucks on the sponsorship deal with Haas
Described by those who worked single seater racing, including F3000, day after the German Grand Prix, had been terminated.
with and for him as hands-on but GP2, F2, F3.5, GP3 and Formula E. DAMS while it was travelling between
savvy enough not to get involved with also won races in sportscars in the late Hockenheim to the next race Former Benetton and Renault F1
the technical side of things, Driot was 1990s and early 2000s. at the Hungaroring. The truck’s boss Flavio Briatore is to enter
never in racing for the money – he Renault, which worked with DAMS in driver was taken to hospital but politics in his native Italy, where
was a successful crude oil trader – and Formula E (with the e.dams operation), he suffered no serious injuries and he has formed a party called Il
hence he could employ drivers on their said in a statement:‘We are deeply was discharged three days later. Movimento del Fare, which he
ability rather than the backing they saddened to hear of the passing of our The accident happened on the says is ‘totally independent of any
brought. Because of this DAMS became a friend, Jean-Paul Driot. The sport has lost M1 motorway close to the city current political party’ and ‘at the
springboard for talent, with pilots of the a spirited man, one who identified and of Gyor in Hungary. complete service of the citizens’.
calibre of Olivier Panis, Romain Grosjean nurtured its future champions. He was a
and Sebastien Bourdais driving for DAMS pragmatic racer, driven by passion, ready
during their career. But it’s not just drivers to take risks and relish every moment. u Moving to a great new job in motorsport and want the world to
who have honed their craft at DAMS, His enthusiasm was absolutely and know about it? Or has your motorsport company recently taken
and Eric Boullier and Vincent Beaumesnil inspiringly refreshing.’ on an exciting new prospect? Then email with your information to
are among the many engineers and Jean-Paul Driot 1950-2019 Mike Breslin at mike@bresmedia.co.uk

96 www.racecar-engineering.com OCTOBER 2019

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 BUMP STOP

Turn of the century

PIT CREW

T
Editor his month I chalk up a century of editions that I have between Formula 1 and Le Mans has cost both of the
Andrew Cotton
@RacecarEd edited. While I am not one prone to celebrating categories, although one far more than the other.
Deputy editor milestones of any sort, of this one I am proud. The Another aspect of the time since I took over at the helm
Gemma Hatton
@RacecarEngineer last eight years have been some of the most exciting in 2011 is the uncertainty surrounding the future of fuels. We
Chief sub and news editor in terms of technical development in motorsport, and they have talked about diesel, petrol and hybrid, and now electric
Mike Breslin
Art editor have seen some of the biggest changes since the Lotus 79 is in the mix with Formula E attracting huge manufacturer
Barbara Stanley revolutionised the world of aerodynamics in racing. In this interest, but there is no clear guidance which will be the
Technical consultant
Peter Wright era, rather than aero, we have witnessed a massive evolution dominant fuel in the medium-term future. Governments
Contributors in terms of powertrain. Top categories have adopted hybrid seem hell-bent on it being electric without considering
Mike Blanchet, Sam Collins, Jahee
Campbell-Brennan, Ricardo Divila, technology and the tech appears to be spreading to other the environmental impact of the technology, only the air
Simon McBeath, Danny Nowlan,
Mark Ortiz, Stan Sandoval
categories, including IMSA’s DPi and IndyCar, while at Le Mans quality issue, and the manufacturers know that a change of
Photography NASCAR’s Ed Bennett confirmed that the US stock car series government could easily bring about a different direction.
James Moy
was also looking hard at ways of introducing it. F1 power units This is the first time in history that there has been such doubt
Managing Director
Steve Ross Tel +44 (0) 20 7349 3730 have hit 50 per cent thermal efficiency, a true milestone. and at a time where we need cheap short-term solutions,
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return. There has always been suspicion between them, go small capacity engines, turbocharged. There was a plan
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Mans, and the rest is a way of off-setting this profit. It still logic was that all manufacturers have them already in their
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ISSN No 0961-1096
USPS No 007-969 pressure. There are other series that they can choose, and restrictions, and so weight is not going to feature. I do wonder
more are appearing every year. The US endurance racing what the next eight years will bring, but by the time my time
scene is more stable, but even there it appears that there is no as editor of this magazine is up I hope that we have finally
agreement on what hybrid system should be used, and the got some clear direction on powertrain and fuels, while I also
manufacturers are pulling in different directions. hope the next revolution will bring even more great racing.
Whatever the often-repeated mistakes that sportscar
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racing makes, not having a powertrain that could be shared ANDREW COTTON Editor

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• Racecar Engineering, incorporating Cars & Car Conversions and Rallysport, is published 12 times per annum and is available on subscription. Although due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate and up-to-date, the
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