Racecar Engineering1 min letti
Racecar Engineering
PIT CREW Editor Andrew Cotton @RacecarEd Email andrew.cotton@chelseamagazines.com Deputy editor Daniel Lloyd @RacecarEngineer Email daniel.lloyd@chelseamagazines.com Sub editor Mike Pye Art editor Barbara Stanley Technical consultant Peter Wri
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
Blood Type R
After a decade of racing GT500 cars based upon the second-generation NSX, Honda has elected to make a major shift for the 2024 season by introducing the all-new Civic Type R-GT in a bid to win the top class Super GT title for the first time since 202
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
Synthetic Reality
What is the future for motorsport powertrains? The answer is not simple and, over the next decade, there will undoubtedly be some false starts and missed deadlines, but all in the name of progress. Electrification, though it has its place, will not a
Racecar Engineering4 min letti
The 24-hour Sprint Race
The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a regular fixture on the motorsport calendar for a century now. The circuit, and car technology, have improved beyond recognition in that time. Reliability is also better than it ever was, so how hard can it be to win
Racecar Engineering4 min letti
What Once Was…
On 4 April 2024, my father, Michael, died, bringing to an end an extraordinary life. It’s a life that has since been recognised through tributes and messages from around the world, and they have been a source of comfort for me and my family. His love
Racecar Engineering5 min letti
News
The ACO’s bid to introduce hydrogen technology will take a step forward ahead of this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans when two cars featuring different technologies will complete demonstration laps ahead of the 6 Hours of Spa in May. The H2
Racecar Engineering12 min letti
National Staple
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is now in its third season with hybrid powertrain technology. Each campaign of the TOCA-run series’ electrified era has resembled a different stepping stone in the journey so far. Year one was about getting
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
The Wild Frontier
Formula E continues to be labelled ‘too quiet’ and ‘not fast enough’ to be deemed ‘proper’ racing. Yet the on-track action is more competitive than most championships, while the engineering behind the scenes is arguably more challenging and technical
Racecar Engineering11 min letti
Building Blocks
After five seasons racing exclusively under the Alfa Romeo banner, the famous Sauber name returned to the Formula 1 grid this year with a bright new colour scheme under the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber moniker. This exercise is set to last two seasons a
Racecar Engineering3 min letti
Position Positive
Recently, motorsport engineers and technology leaders gathered at the MIA EEMS conference, when their wide experience made for a well-informed, stimulating discussion. Their interest and determination is to secure a sustainable future for the sport i
Racecar Engineering11 min letti
Slow Ride
In 1997, the McLaren Formula 1 team came up with a very clever tweak indeed. It involved an extra brake pedal, which acted on one rear wheel only with the purpose of reducing understeer mid-corner by inducing oversteer via ‘brake steer’. Which wheel
Racecar Engineering7 min letti
Damping In The Wild
One of the most inherent beliefs in English-speaking culture is that one can see further if one has ‘stood on the shoulder of giants’. This article is proof positive of this. Yes, myself and ChassisSim have carved a reputation for being damper master
Racecar Engineering11 min letti
Coupé De Class
Mercedes-Benz has always had a knack for designing and building handsome, two-door coupés, from the older 220 saloons to the modern S-Class, combining sporty looks with high equipment levels and an extra touch of customer-pleasing quality. This tradi
Racecar Engineering10 min letti
Race On The Wild Side
Stepping into the Riley shop, I am immediately struck by a bright red Kar-Kraft Mk IV, a continuation car identical to the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Ford. It’s the latest project coming out of Riley Technologies of Mooresville, North Carolina.
Racecar Engineering1 min letti
Racecar Engineering
PIT CREW Editor Andrew Cotton @RacecarEdEmail andrew.cotton@chelseamagazines.comDeputy editorDaniel Lloyd @RacecarEngineerEmail daniel.lloyd@chelseamagazines.comSub editorMike PyeArt editorBarbara StanleyTechnical consultantPeter WrightContributor
Racecar Engineering6 min letti
Law Of Averages
The ongoing saga of Balance of Performance (BoP) took some dramatic steps in the early part of 2024. The FIA and ACO presented their new method of balancing the Hypercars to the media at the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Qa
Racecar Engineering4 min letti
To Be Or Not To Be?
The recommendation by the FIA to drop hybrids from the World Rally Championship in the middle of a rule cycle is a strange one but, at the same time, long term one that can be understood. On the face of it, the teams have been busy managing the techn
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
Back To The Future
Hybrid powertrains were introduced to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2022, at the behest of the manufacturers who felt they needed to race what they sold for the road. However, following a decision to closely examine what is needed to make
Racecar Engineering13 min letti
Star Fighter
Jedis posted the fastest lap of the season at two UK circuits last year, Brands Hatch Indy and Silverstone International. That news will come as no surprise to many on the British club racing scene, for this potent little racecar has been punching ab
Racecar Engineering11 min letti
Power Unit 2.0
A decade ago, a new era began in Formula 1. High-revving, naturally-aspirated V8 engines had had their day. Since then, manufacturers no longer talked of engines, but of Power Units. Mercedes High Performance Engines therefore became Mercedes High Pe
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
It’s (now) A Wing Thing
Peugeot has bowed to the inevitable with the updated version of its FIA World Endurance Championship contender, called the 9X8 2024. As expected, the Hypercar has been equipped with a rear wing as part of a major upgrade package for the first time. T
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
Transit Authority
The first SuperVan, built for Ford by Terry Drury Racing in 1971, was a decidedly analogue affair, featuring a tube frame chassis and the engine and gearbox from a GT40 mounted in the load area. It was used as a promotional tool, even lapping the Nür
Racecar Engineering7 min letti
Spreading Disease
One of the great paradoxes of motor racing is for something that professes to be a technical sport, it has the most Jekyll and Hyde relationship with technology of any area of engineering I have encountered. A few classic examples are Balance of Perf
Racecar Engineering10 min letti
Just Press Print
Today’s Formula 1 teams manufacture over 9000 3D printed parts each season. Yet to accurately print these components requires a whole realm of engineering practices, known as Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). This is essentially the methodolo
Racecar Engineering6 min letti
Business – News
The FIA will concentrate its sustainable powertrain efforts on the promotion of hydrogen stored in liquid form. After the first FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting of the year, the global motorsport body gave further details on its preferred strate
Racecar Engineering16 min letti
Control Environment
In the high adrenaline world of motorsport, the quest for speed, efficiency, and precision is part of the game. At the heart of this pursuit lies the complex and sophisticated realm of control systems – a convergence of mechanical innovation, electro
Racecar Engineering7 min letti
A Sportscar Named Desire
Looking through the list of manufacturers competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, it’s an impressive array of some of the biggest names in the motoring world. Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Peugeot, BMW and Lamborghini, to name just a
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
Ease Of Passage
When the GT3 category was launched, it had a wide variety of competitors. It was a class that featured the likes of Morgan’s Plus 8, resplendent with a wooden dashboard, as well as Corvette’s C5 Z06 and Aston Martin’s DBRS9. The idea was to provide a
Racecar Engineering9 min letti
The Cat’s whiskers
On 24 June 1951, Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead scored a historic debut victory with the Jaguar C-Type in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Designed as a competition car from the outset, the C-Type ushered in a new era at Le Mans of purpose-built racecars t
Racecar Engineering5 min letti
News
Having finally achieved its goal of an outright win on the Dakar with its RS Q e-tron, Audi has put an end to its rally-raid programme after three years. The German manufacturer had considered entering this year’s FIA World Rally-Raid Championship se
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