RACE PEOPLE RACE MOVES
of Medallion Financial Corp, and also a partner in ownership of RPM. Brown played a part in the re- structuring of the RPM NASCAR Sprint Cup programme over the winter months.
Brian Pattie is no longer Juan Pablo Montoya’s crew chief at NASCAR Sprint Cup outfit, Earnhardt
manager. Jenkins has previously worked in F3 with Hitech and Stewart, as well as F1 with Stewart and McLaren. McElrea has switched to his own Porsche Carrera Cup team.
Brian Pattie
Ganassi Racing. Pattie, who has crew chiefed for the Colombian since 2008, has been replaced by Jim Pohlman, who joined the Ganassi organisation in 2006 and has most recently been working with the engineering group in research and development.
Harry McMullen has taken on the role of general manager of NASCAR Sprint Cup outfit, TRG Motorsports. McMullen has previously worked for Roush Fenway Racing for some 30 years, including a stint as the team’s general manager.
Former Formula 3 guru, Bruce Jenkins, has joined the Australian V8 Supercars outfit Mother Energy Racing Team, replacing Andy McElrea as team
Greg Erwin, recently replaced as crew chief for Greg Biffle at NASCAR team Roush Fenway Racing (see above), has moved on to Richard Petty Motorsports where he will crew chief for AJ Allmendinger. Erwin takes over from Mike Shiplett as the crew chief on the iconic no 43 RPM Ford.
Australian V8 Supercars ace, Mark Skaife, is to take up the role of chairman of the category’s all-new V8 SC Commission in October. Joining Skaife on the
Seishi Ikeki INTERVIEW CONTINUED
Shoulder design, and the ability to push as much water out of the tread when it is wet, is an example of the attention to detail we consider for the N24 tyres.
Q
Do you do anything special to avoid punctures on such a
long track? Yes, we have some features to avoid punctures. We also run TPMS [tyre pressure monitoring system] to give the drivers the opportunity to know as soon as there is a problem. And the way the drivers drive the car is different. With the [Porsche] 997 we have this year, as opposed to last year, they turn in much deeper to the apex, so we need to take care with the kerbs.
Q
How many tyres are needed for a 24-hour race?
We bring four containers of tyres for our four drivers. This quantity obviously has a contingency for the different weather conditions we are likely to encounter, as well as the different compounds we need to maximise performance throughout the 24 hours. Nürburgring is so unpredictable. We’ve been going for over 10 years and have experienced everything from high temperatures through to freezing cold, but that’s part of the attraction for our engineers.
Q Mark Skaife
Commission will be three representatives of the teams: Tim Edwards (who will act as chairman), Brad Jones and Ross Stone, along with the series CEO, Martin Whitaker, and also Chris Lambden. The Commission will help oversee the expansion of the championship and the introduction of its Car of the Future, but its main role is to focus on rules, regs and formats.
How different is the Porsche tyre compared to the Nissan Z
tyres from last year? During tyre testing, to fix the compounds Peter Dumbreck [driver] told the engineers he found that oversteer is neutralised with the traction control. He also says the ABS is hugely impressive. This, together with the higher speeds – the Porsche is around 40 seconds quicker over a single lap – means there are greater loads. The Porsche is also heavier and the balance is different with it being rear-engined. So, while we retain the 18in diameter, we have had to do a lot of development to get the most from the 997.
Q
Is your race tyre testing done on track or by simulation?
We check the many new ideas by simulation, or by using our test machine equipment. And then, of course, we test on track, if the results from the
Falken Tyres concentrates its motorsport activities at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
September 2011 •
www.racecar-engineering.com 95
simulation suggest the ideas are worth developing.
Q Q
Is the N24 tyre a different tyre to that used in GT2?
Yes, for sure. There are technical differences demanded by the rules, but also by the type of racing we have, and the duty cycle of the tyre. We’d rather keep some of these secret.
Would you go to Le Mans, or maybe the WRC, in the future?
At the moment there are no plans to participate in either Le Mans or in World Rally. We prefer at present to concentrate our activities on the [Nürburgring] 24 Hours and realise our objectives to achieve a strong result.
Q Q
Why are Falken race tyres not for sale?
At present we don’t have the capacity to produce the volume of race tyres to support more than our own team.
What challenges are there in race tyre design?
The drivers demand a lot of performance from the tyre. But many kinds of performance have a trade off. For example: grip and durability, response and traction. And the conditions always change – temperature, surface, weather etc. So we have to find a good balancing point of performance. On the other hand, we are trying to improve all performance. We always try new items to improve the ability, but the exact materials are, for sure, confidential.
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