STRAIGHT TALK – LAWRENCE BUTCHER Innovation nation Can motorsport technology be relevant again?
The last decade has seen big leaps in innovation stifled by regulatory bodies petrified of spiraling costs or, shock horror, teams gaining an unassailable advantage. However, it would seem that reality has bitten across the board, and racing at all levels is being left behind. Fortunately, the powers that be have woken up to this and it seems that technical innovation is back on the agenda as an important part of the racing mix. Yes, racing action is
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important, with closely-fought battles between drivers a sure- fire winner as far as the fans are concerned. But, if this was the only thing that mattered, wouldn’t every F3 race have a capacity crowd? Technology is undoubtedly still a big draw, both for fans and sponsors, and finally it is beginning to take centre stage again. We are not talking about the technology that allows
Peugeot has stated that it needs a Hybrid programme to justify its racing expense, and bring relevance to its production cars. This is the 908 HYbrid4
he next few years in racing could be pretty interesting from a technical perspective.
McLaren to spend two days in the wind tunnel developing a tiny carbon vane that is of no relevance to anything else on the planet, but real technology that people can relate to and which, more to the point, is beneficial to
development at a rate of knots. Engineers are in F1 because they like the challenge and good ones thrive in its high- pressure environment. And while refining an existing engine may be interesting, having a brand
“Sportscar racing is still the home of real innovation”
other markets outside the closed loop of motorsport. The 2014 F1 regulations, though slightly watered down from the original concept, will produce engines that are far closer to those running in today’s mainstream production cars – well, at least more so than 18,000rpm V8s. This can’t help but appeal to the car manufacturers who, even the most ardent supporter of independent operations must admit, are still a major force in these cash-strapped times. Clichéd as it may be,
racing is like war, and both occupations accelerate technical
new one to develop is a whole different ball game. During a recent conversation with an engineer working on Mercedes’ new powerplant, it became clear that although the project was a challenge, it was one the team relished. Give F1 teams the innovation ball and they are going to run with it. The encouraging thing is
that it is not just F1 embracing a drive towards road-relevant technology. In fact, the ACO rather got the jump on the FIA, with rules that actively encourage new technology. When it unveiled a set of technical regulations that
gave manufacturers free reign to develop a range of road car-relevant energy recovery systems, it was a clear signal that Sportscar racing is still the home of real innovation. By leaving the rules flexible enough to allow some free thinking, ideas have turned up that could have real benefits outside racing. Take for example the development of dampers that double as electrical generators, something the ACO has said it will allow. These are the sort of technologies that could see real-world applications, the development of which will be driven at a pace that only exists in the pressure cooker environment of motorsport. To steal another clichéd
phrase, the future does look bright. Provided that regulators stick to their guns and ignore calls from naysayers that say ‘the engines will be too quiet’ or ‘no one cares what is under the skin’. Motorsport looks set to once again assume its rightful place at the head of technological advancement.
February 2012 •
www.racecar-engineering.com 7
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