 |
Work racing ahead at 2012 US GP siteComments Off 450 workers are pushing to enable Austin’s new Circuit of the Americas to be ready for the US grand prix later this year. Another recent setback, however, was 2 inches of rain in the last ten days. “We’ve got a lot of dry weather we know is going to be coming, and are hoping to be gaining some time,” said a contractor spokesman. He revealed that the first layer of track asphalt will be poured around April “so we can get other elements, the tire barriers (and) the FIA fence going on”, he told the local Austin American Statesman. The report said construction is scheduled to be essentially completed two months before the November 18 race. |
 |
Polyphony Digtial has today fully revealed the “X1 Prototype”Comments Off Polyphony Digtial has today fully revealed the “X1 Prototype”, a project in conjunction with Red Bull Racing. All races that exist in today’s world are restricted by regulations. However the X1 is a machine born from a fantastic “what if” dream of Polyphony; “What would the fastest racing car on Earth, free of any and all regulations look like?” Initially the X1 prototype was a single seater, canopied prototype wing car with covered front wheels. The performance brought about by the 1500ps direct injection V6 Twin Turbo would have been spectacular as is, with a top speed of 400km/h and a maximum lateral acceleration of 6G. But this concept showed an even greater advancement through the help of Red Bull Racing, who became a partner in this project. Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, the genius aerodynamicist Adrian Newey proposed that “Fan Car” technology, a dream that he had held to himself over the years be added to the X1 Prototype. A “fan car” is a vehicle having a fan mechanism which forces the air out from underneath the car, to reduce air pressure under the car’s floor. The resulting suction draws the car to the ground surface and creates a massive amount of downforce. And because it can create downforce regardless of the vehicle’s current speed, it dramatically raises it’s cornering speed even in low speed corners. The incredible ability of fan cars has already been proven in history. The Chaparral 2J fan car entered in the 1970 Can-Nam series was so fast that it was banned after just 1 season. Even in the F1, the BT46B fan car entered in 1978 by Brabham dominated the opening round of the series with extreme speed, and was banned just after that single race. With this proposal from Mr. Newey, the machine was transformed with a large fan added to the rear end of the body. With additional advice regarding the shapes of the front and rear wings and rear diffuser, its aerodynamics became even further refined. As a result, the X1 prototype attained an astonishing level of performance, reaching a top speed of over 450km/h, with a maximum lateral acceleration reaching up to 8.75G. This is a performance level that is at the very limits of what a normal human body can withstand. The driver who performed the shakedown test of the machine in Gran Turismo 5, was the world famous Sebastian Vettel. In his very first run on the Suzuka Circuit, he shortened the record time of the course by over 20 seconds. And in the test drive on the Nurburgring GP Course, he marked a record time of 1 minute 4 seconds, drawing out the incredible potential of the X1 Prototype. This is the dream of the fastest racing car on land, brought to life through the collaboration between Polyphony and Red Bull. Witness for yourself the power of the X1 through the in-game “X1 Challenge”, the first driving lesson ever in Gran Turismo to be performed by a top professional driver. Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing The results were thrilling. X1 is about evolution. Delivering the optimum combination of tested technologies in a single integrated design. This would be the future of racing were we not bound by regulations, but one that is achievable today. And as Sebastian has shown, it is about devastating speed coupled with real handling control. Today thanks to PlayStation®3 and Gran Turismo we can test drive the future. Kazunori Yamauchi, President, Polyphony Digital Inc and creator of the Gran Turismo series X1 sees the marriage of virtual and real worlds as we explore the boundaries of our technology and aesthetic senses. The X1 Prototype Project has been motivated by curiosity and passion, powerful forces that brought together the best the world has to offer in design, physics simulation, racing car product technology and driving. X1 Downforce Specifications Lets try calculating the cornering G’s of the X1 at 300km/h from the total tire load and coefficient of friction for the tires. The total load on the X1′s tires at 300km/h is 1142.7kgf at the front tires, and 1432kgf at the rear tires. The coefficient of friction for the tires isμ=1.97. From these conditions, the maximum cornering force that the tires can exhibit can be determined to be 5073kgf. Dividing this by the wet weight of the X1 of 615kg comes to be 8.25, which is the maximum cornering G of the X1. 8.25G greatly exceeds the G’s felt during the launch of the Space Shuttle, and is roughly the same as that of a jet fighter plane at full afterburner. It is a figure at the very limits of what a human body can withstand. Test Calculation: Cornering G at 300km/h Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/110102929262/red-bull-x1-prototype-revealed-for-gran-turismo-5-video#ixzz13tUTExBi |
 |
F1 to have mandatory weight ratio in 2011Comments Off Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said the front-to-rear ratio must be 46:54 per cent, due to the arrival of Pirelli as the sport’s new exclusive tyre supplier. The teams want to avoid the kinds of surprise problems that arose in 2009, when a pre-season change to the Bridgestone tyre design resulted in the need to make expensive changes to the cars’ weight distribution. But if a mandatory weight distribution applies in 2011, all the teams will be in the same boat. “If the weight distribution remained free, then some would get it right by accident while others get it totally wrong. That’s what we want to avoid,” said FOTA’s technical boss Ross Brawn. |
 |
Ferrari hits back at media after Massa-Alonso reportsComments Off (GMM) Ferrari has hit back at reports that said Felipe Massa was unhappy with Fernando Alonso’s pit entry overtaking move in China. In a website entry headlined ‘False polemics’, the Maranello based team said the Brazilian driver’s comments were “taken out of context” in an attempt by “some news outlets” to “create bad blood” between him and Alonso. On Monday, we reported 28-year-old Massa’s comments to the Brazilian media when he said he ran onto the grass to let the charging Spaniard through in order to avoid “an accident”. But the Ferrari report said the incident “won’t change anything at all regarding the relationship” between the pair, with Massa and Alonso “travelling back to Europe on the same flight”. Team boss Stefano Domenicali suggested after the clash that Massa might be upset. “I have to say that Fernando, he is a racer, and I have to say that Felipe behaved very, very well,” said the Italian. “It is not easy, and I can understand what could be his (Massa’s) feeling, but this episode has not changed our philosophy and for me that is the most important thing,” added Domenicali. The veteran Italian reporter Pino Allievi said Spaniard Alonso’s aggression could have been a turning point in his relationship with Massa. “(It was) an abrupt way of reclaiming the team leadership with an unexpected and chilling manoeuvre,” he wrote in La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Typical of someone who, behind the peaceful exterior, hides the killer instinct of a champion,” Allievi added. |
 |
Renault R30 analysisComments Off There were high hopes of a remarkable racing car on January 31st when the Renault R30 was unveiled, with a front wing that resembles very much the 2009 version, even though Alonso had pinpointed that that was precisely one of the main problems of the 2009 car. Nevertheless, next day the car that made its debut in the racetrack and the characteristics of the front wing of three stacked elements was totally different. Specifically, it’s very similar to the one that McLaren has. The changes made on the R30 are very deep and one has to pay much attention. The rear wing is also new, with a drop in the middle where the sharp fin gives it the aerodynamic support. The nose’s cone is absolutely different from the rest of the scuderias, contrary to the 2010 trend which is V shaped. Even though it is still a bit bulky, it lacks the extra protuberance underneath, with the purpose of gaining more resistance. The wings are a clear evolution and contrary to the other three cars previously launched by Renault, the R30 has huge sidepod air inlets that extend down to the vehicle’s floor. Instead of rectangular air inlets (more conventional) they are bigger in the high part than in the low one. There’s no doubt that the team is quite interested in the temperature, because over the engine’s cover are connected heat stickers. The engine’s exhaust have been moved towards the back and more to the middle of the car. Specifications
Car dimensions and weight
Engine
|
Contacts and information
|
Social networks |
Most popular categories |
