Still, engineers find ways to gain a competitive edge. Even within the tight aerodynamic constraints, they're able to tweak angles at the front, at the rear, and on the wings. Moreover, they can make mechanical changes. Springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and suspension geometries can be customized and tuned.
Off the track, engineers test the cars in wind tunnels and on shaker rigs. Wind tunnels provide a glimpse at aerodynamic behavior, allowing teams to make the tiny adjustments that could increase speed by a crucial fraction of a mile per hour. And shaker rigs enable them to tune springs and dampers.
Engineering also plays a big role on the track, not only during the race, but also in qualifying rounds. Wireless data acquisition systems let teams examine brake temperature, oil pressure, fuel pressure, damper displacement, steering input, throttle input, suspension loads, and ride height measurements, as well as front and rear downforce. In all, KV's vehicles employ 200 data channels, including "math channels" for analysis. "The amount of data we have to sift through is enormous," Jones said. "We'll be micro-analyzing everything at the speedway. That's where most of our advantages come from."
The changes resulting from all that data scrutiny may be small, he said, since the vehicles have to remain within the confines of the regulations. "It's somewhat more in the hands of the drivers than it was back in the days when there was a variety of engines and chassis. But, in the end, engineering can still make the difference."
If you've always dreamed of hanging with the pit crew at Indy, your opportunity has arrived. Littelfuse Inc., a KV Racing sponsor, is sponsoring the Speed2Design contest. Winners will attend the race, visit the pits, and talk engineer-to-engineer with crew members.
The Speed2Design promotion is connected to five Indy Racing League series races in Indianapolis (May 27); Fort Worth, Texas (June 9); Qingdao, China (Aug. 19); Sonoma, Calif. (Aug. 26); and Fontana, Calif. (September 15). Littelfuse will randomly select five participants to attend each Speed2Design event.
Click on the link to access the entry form for the
Speed2Design contest.
Pure racing car design has been stagnant for the last 20 years. From 1959 to 1979 was perhaps the most revolutionary time of car developement as mid engine cars, wide tires,disc brakes,spoilers, wings,ground effects all appeared in this time. The racing often became a parade of the fastest cars ahead of the rest and lost fans. Best example of this was the unlimited rules Can Am class, dominated first by Mclaren then by the Porsche 917 Can Am Turbo. I believe the 917 still holds the record for fastest closed circuit lap...Talledega at 240+mph. However the series soon died when all knew the Porsche would always win. Nascar meanwhile has just gotten rid of the 1957 Holley carburetor in favor of fuel injection!!
Beth: Jones said that the 200 data channels include some "math channels," which can crunch some of the numbers and help make sense of it all. That said, I think there's still a lot of manual data mining by the engineering team and the driver, too.
At least Formula 1 has more freedom to experiment with technology. Options are limited if someone wanted to introduce their new flux-capacitor powered engine to the world. 8^)
Beth, one effect of the tight rules is that driver skill, and luck on the track, is very important. Another is that the cost of the cars is kept within some limit. I saw a special where a famous driver talked about his cars in three series, Formula 1, Indy and NASCAR. The Formula 1 car cost ten times as much as the Indy car. Formula 1 has strict rules, but no standard for engines and chasis. This results in the high cost.
The engineering challenge in this highly restricted environment are still interesting and fruitful. It is just another twist on getting the most out of your mahcine.
I'm pretty surprised to hear that the Indy rules leave such little room for engine modification. It seems like everyone is competing on pretty much the same ground. That said, it's amazing how simple tweaks can cause the break out. I'm curious how the pit crews sift through all that data collected--is it a manual process, simply deciphering print outs or are they able to employ some modern data mining technology to help unearth the nuggets that will give them a competitive advantage?
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