Automotive Design
4 With the automotive industry being so competitive, it is not surprising that motorsport remains an important platform for research and development. Alistair Rae reviews some of the new components.
4 Étant donnée la grande compétitivité de l’industrie automobile, il n’est pas étonnant que le sport automobile reste une plateforme essentielle de recherche et de développement. Alistair Rae passe en revue certains composants.
4 Durch die große Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Automobilbranche ist es kein Wunder, dass der Motorsport auch weiterhin eine wichtige Plattform für Forschung und Entwicklung ist. Alistair Rae hat einige der neuen Komponenten getestet.
Learning lessons from motorsport
A
utosport International came at the end of International Motorsport Business Week, the first part of which included a variety of symposiums, conferences, seminars,
workshops and a Business Exchange for one-to-one meetings. Environmentally-friendly technologies were discussed in length at the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) International Low Carbon Racing Conference, which was headlined by Lord Green, the UK Government Minister of State for Trade and Investment. Lord Drayson, a former Minister for Science and Innovation, officially opened Autosport International, though his other main interest was the launch of Drayson Racing Technologies’ all-electric prototype race car. Autosport International is described as Europe’s largest dedicated motorsport trade exhibition. While this present article focuses on
developments from motorsport that can find their way into road cars, it is notable that Autosport International also recognises that there are technology transfers from motorsport to industries such as defence, marine and aerospace. This is due to the sport’s rapid development techniques, constant efforts to reduce the weight and size of components, and the knowledge of how to meet the required standard of reliability without over- engineering components and systems. Drayson Racing Technologies and Lola Group used the Low Carbon Racing Conference to
unveil their all-electric race car, the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV (Fig. 1). This car has been designed to demonstrate the potential of ‘green’ technologies in the harsh environment of motorsport. Lord Drayson commented: “Electric racing represents a considerable new business opportunity for motorsport and underlines the growing commercial potential of green racing and technology. Electric- powered racing is really taking off with the launch of the new FIA Formula E world championship for electric racing cars planned for 2013 and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of the push for innovation at such an exciting time for the sport and industry. “Indeed, the B12/69EV racing car that we
are unveiling today showcases advances such as inductive charging, composite battery power, moveable aerodynamics and electrical regenerative damping, making it one of the most innovative cleantech motorsport projects in the world. With over 850 horsepower, it aims to be the fastest electric-powered racecar to lap a circuit.”
Major components
Moving from complete vehicles to major components, a prominent exhibitor at Autosport International was Quaife Engineering. This specialist manufacturer of high-performance transmissions launched a prototype sequential transmission. Provisionally designated the QBE89G, this new in-line gearbox is the first from Quaife
Fig. 1. The Lola-Drayson B12/69EV has over 850 horsepower and is designed to be the fastest electric- powered racecar to lap a circuit.
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