FEATURE AUTOMOTIVE & MOTORSPORT
ust a few kilometers left to the finishing line. Jari-Matti Latvala hopes he can still overtake his rivals in the last couple of kilometers to sweep the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Team to victory. He already has over 300 kilometers of the snow-covered rally route behind him. Now comes the critical moment: the driver in front of him grazes a concrete wall in the fourth-to- last test, and ends up stranded with a broken steering system. Latvala seizes the opportunity to take the lead, which he defends right up to the finishing line – so it is victory for Toyota in the 2017 Rally Sweden! An engine has to be optimally developed so that it can operate efficiently and smoothly under such extreme conditions as these. That is why Toyota’s racing professionals put their trust in Kistler when it comes to developing the engines for their rally vehicles. Toyota can look back on more than seven decades of experience in motor sport. The Japanese automobile manufacturer groups its various motor racing activities together under the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing umbrella. “Overcome every obstacle to build better cars, and develop new technology and solutions under the extreme conditions of motor sport”: that’s the motto for the many teams of dedicated experts who constantly strive to optimise the engines at Toyota Motorsport in Cologne.
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BACK AT THE TOP AFTER 17 YEARS TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2017 after an absence of 17 years could not have gone any better: team leader and world champion Tommi Mäkinen and his crew can claim credit for two outright rally victories and third place overall. At first, nobody believed that such a success was possible, as Mäkinen explains: “2017 was actually intended as a development year, but the team couldn't have wished for a better start in the championship.”
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY MUST MEET ENORMOUS REQUIREMENTS The foundations for the Japanese rally team’s success were laid in 2016, when Toyota decided to opt for Kistler’s measurement technology to develop its engines. “The engine is the beating heart of the vehicle. Alongside the rally driver’s personal skills, it’s the engine’s performance that makes the difference between victory and defeat in competition. That’s why we – together with our partner, Kistler – devote our absolute attention to it,” Mäkinen explains. “Rally cars have to meet enormous requirements, so the measurement technology has to be suitably reliable and rugged.”
12 FEBRUARY 2018 | INSTRUMENTATION
Pushing the limits to ACHIEVE THE BEST
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has achieve maximum engine performance in its rally cars – thanks to Kistler
MOBILE SOLUTION FOR 100 PER CENT TEST RESULTS In the past, the Japanese automobile manufacturer used to carry out all its engine testing on the test bench. Martin Gerhardt, senior engineer R&D at Toyota Motorsport, explains: “We were able to simulate numerous scenarios on our test systems, with exhaustive testing of our engines’ performance. But those simulations couldn’t provide 100 per cent replication of the reality, so we started searching for a mobile solution that would allow us to test and optimise maximum engine performance under real conditions.” The search mounted by Gerhardt and his
team eventually led them to Kistler’s KiBox. This tried-and-tested indication system combines all the hardware and software needed for data acquisition in one compact, intuitively operated measuring system. It delivers detailed information on combustion quality in each individual cylinder, and makes all the relevant key data for engine development available in real time. Another benefit: this flexible system is equally suitable for mobile use and for test bench applications. Even with high g-forces and
/ INSTRUMENTATION
accelerations, the KiBox delivers reliable measurement data – making it the perfect choice for motor sport. Additionally, operating temperatures ranging from 40°C during rallies in southern Europe to -20°C in Scandinavia present no obstacles for KiBox.
ALL-ROUND ON-SITE SERVICE CATERS TO EVERY NEED The Toyota Yaris WRC rally car underwent several months of preparation for the test phase before the World Rally Championship season began. The compact KiBox indication system was also installed in the vehicle and commissioned. Tobias
Rally cars have to meet enormous requirements. During a total of 13 races, motor sport professionals drive over gravel, asphalt and snow. (Source: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing)
When it comes to developing the engines for its rally vehicles, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing puts its trust in Kistler's measurement expertise. (Source: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing)
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