TESTING
fixed or adapted during a race. This is the valuable time that can be clawed back during testing sessions by developing new strategies and components, getting driver feedback, and discovering the bespoke car set-ups that can be adapted circuit- to-circuit. What doesn’t get discussed is
time spent on the track to develop a race car. Traditionally, each team and driver could only rely on physical testing, with mechanics and engineers using test days to combine factory-based software and hardware changes on the track to look for any performance improvements. Teams would take their learnings back to the factory and, in the event the upgrades and tests were unsuccessful, start again. This takes a significant amount of time, effort and money; unlike simulators which can provide that same learning without ever leaving base. Simulators, specifically Driver-
in-the-Loop (DIL) simulators give drivers time to understand, develop and give feedback on the car before the season starts, as well as before and during each race. By testing the set-up, understanding the dynamics
❝ The main advantage of a DIL simulator is the highly dynamic, high fidelity, and low latency motion system
of the car, testing vehicle and driver behaviour on a range of circuits before physically taking the car out on track, teams can get much closer to a winning package. The main advantage of a DIL simulator is the highly dynamic, high fidelity, and low latency motion system that ensures drivers achieve consistent and accurate results every time.
TRIAL AND ERROR There is inevitably an element of trial and error when it comes to the physical testing of race cars. Tweaks to the downforce, toe-in, rake, calibrations and brake bias are done one-by-one, tested on the track and then fed back from the driver to the mechanical engineers waiting patiently in the pits. This is a timely
exercise and can see cars fail if certain changes are incorrect. DIL simulators are designed
to eliminate the unknown. By calibrating a number of in- and out-of-car changes, engineers can monitor the digital trace and combine with driver feedback to understand the effect on the overall speed and competitiveness of the car. They can creatively test new ideas through simulation in the safest environments, allowing them to push the boundaries of the cars to see how they react on track without putting the car or the driver at risk. “Physical trial and error is one of
the longest standing test methods,” says Cammaerts, “However, there is an inherent risk in using this method with a human driver in physical
Ansible Motion manufactures many of the parts itself
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