VW GOLF BTCC
instead the available testing time being spent learning the existing set up. The chassis remained very similar to that of the road going car, retaining the standard suspension system and geometry, as well as components such as anti-roll bars. While these compromises limited the car’s ultimate performance, it was a proven package in Estonia and had the pace required for the BTCC field. The team’s first outings were not without incident – as is to be expected when starting the development of a completely new and relatively unknown package. However, it was immediately apparent that the Golf had the potential to be a competitive car, reinforcing Hollamby’s opinion that a move to BTCC was the right call. ‘Last year was hard work. Every circuit we went to was a new learning experience. We would start off a weekend around three seconds off the pace but, by the last race, this was normally down to about a second. Technically, it has been a steep learning curve, but also as
that is what is happening at the moment. If we hadn’t adopted the new engine we would not have been racing this year, as with the lack of power it would not have been worth it.’ The swap to forced induction has also seen an increase in reliability, thanks
The swap to forced
induction has also seen an increase in reliability
a team boss looking after drivers, attracting sponsors, but I think we have come a long way.’
NGTC ENGINE The biggest change for the team heading into the 2011 season was a move from the naturally aspirated Lehman / VW engine to the turbocharged NGTC (Next Generation Touring Car) powerplant. ‘In our debut year our biggest problem was that we were always at the bottom of the speed traps. We knew the NGTC rules were coming and we were preparing for that. Now we have the turbo engine, it has jumped us up and we are now through the traps at the same speed the Fords were going last year. However, we have still not been quicker than the fastest naturally aspirated car. The blanket boost restrictions maybe need a bit of a review, and
to the less stressed nature of the NGTC unit. After all, producing 300bhp from a turbocharged 2.0-litre is considerably easier than squeezing it out of a non-turbo unit. Despite being a completely different beast to the outgoing engine, fitting the new power unit was not as complex as one would expect. The engine’s electronics are integrated with the existing wiring installation and the only major change is a move to a Pectel ECU. The increased power has improved the pace of the car considerably, with the low rpm torque delivery providing higher corner exit speeds. However, although the overall speed has increased, this does not provide the complete picture of the car’s performance, as Hollamby explains: ‘There is a lot more torque out of the corners. It is funny because in some corners we are no quicker
52
www.racecar-engineering.com • September 2011
The AMD / Milltek Golf uses the new 2.0-litre turbocharged Next Generation Touring Car engine, but blanket boost restrictions to achieve parity with the naturally aspirated cars mean it’s not yet running to its full potential
Above: custom bellhousing allowed the Sadev gearbox to be rotated slightly, improving driveshaft angles and allowing the car to run lower
Left: new
multi-position, fabricated rear damper mounts allow the rear to be adjusted without compromising spring / damper functionality
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