joemoia

story:

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...g-project//P1/


pics:

http://www.speedtv.com/gallery/view/...=750&width=844


Mid-Ohio lap Sim:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rah0R...layer_embedded

mgarfias

Holy cow. That thing fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Its uglier than Andrea Dworkin.

Everett Ogilvie

WOW! Regardless of how it looks, aerodynamically that thing takes it to another level - extreme lift/drag ratios.

DarkMastyr

uhh... Batmobile anyone?

grantar2

Agreed. Looks like a bonniville land speed record racer. I think that could finish off open wheel racing at the pro level in America single handed.

gbvette62

It seems to me that the clowns in Indianapolis have tried for years to kill open, wheel champ car racing. Only in the last year or two, has interest in the IRL and US open wheel racing seemed to make a bit of a comeback. That thing could be just what they need, to finally sink the IRL. The current Dallara has to much of a kit car look for me. That thing would be like watching a bunch of little kids racing Big Wheels!

I agree that reducing or eliminating all the wings, could improve overtaking, and open wheel racing, as a whole. Still, with such a narrow front track and no front wings whatsoever, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't understeer terribly.

It's an idea that reminds me of NASCAR's failed experiment, the Car Of Tomorrow!

BrianCunningham

Looks to be more @ home @ Bonneville than Indy

fej

How does something like that drive over curbs etc ala F1? How many more wrecks would there be with cars sticking their narrow nose in under someone and having the guy close the door with the giant rear end?

NHRA does fine on its own, I don't think we need dragsters running around road courses, even if the technology is there. Sex sells as the saying goes, and that car is not sexy at all, and looks nothing like what any "average" person drives, not that an average person drives an indy car, but they can identify with the chassis and design basis for the vehicle much more so than that delta wing car.

Fej

63Corvette

Joe, I read the stories and looked at the pictures. I'm no aerodynamicist but I think the F1 aerodynamicists are probably laughing themselves silly over this one. I can't see where the front end would get enough downforce for grip to allow for turn-in.....particularly on a relatively slow corner.

mousecatcher

slower corners require LESS downforce

Bink

Looks like something from Speed Racer. Yuck, maybe as a video game for little kids. Just my .02.

Scooter 94

This car is consistent with Indycar's typical approach to things: Ignore common sense; do it anyway.

Like when the 500 start time was moved an hour later and made it even less likely for a driver to do the 500/600 double...just another example of open wheel mindset the last 15 years or so.

AlwaysInBoost

interesting read, thanks for the link.

I like the idea of limiting power based on fuel consumption, but I also think he is making some bold statements calling F1 technology inferior... unless I missed something in the artical all they've done so far are simulations.

regardless I'm interested to see how/when/if it performs.

63Corvette

Perhaps my response lacked specificity. A wide track will always outperform a narrow track on corner entrance for a number of reasons, both mechanical and aerodynamic. I see no aerodynamic aids on this design to indicate that it will outperform a wider design of the same aerodynamics. Similarly, I see no mechanical advantage to this narrow track front design. Therefore I can see (I repeat, I am not a trained aerodynamicist) no reason to assume that this design would be superior to a current standard wide track front suspension design.

Scooter 94

You don't have to be an aerodynamicist to recognize when an engineer has his head up his ***...which the designer of the Deltawing obviously does. It's freakin' huge! Why not something smaller, like a P-51 drop tank or Jim Clark's Lotus. How complicated can that be?? Throw in a 1300cc sportbike engine, some skinny tires, and let 'er rip.

Zoxxo

You might want to do a little research before you say things like that.

"Ben Bowlby has spent the past 24 years designing, engineering and tweaking race cars - primarily the open wheel version. A graduate of the University of East London, he went to work for Lola in 1991 and stayed with that company through 2002. He created arguably one of the most durable and successful chassis of all time with the 2002 Lola in its five years of operation in CART and Champ Car. He left Lola for Chip Ganassi’s team in 2003, where he helped tune Scott Dixon’s title-winning Panoz." - Robin Miller

I'm guessing that it will actually be smaller than the current cars (or at least no bigger.)

The idea is a car design that takes things into the future, not back to the past. A P-51 tank (!) or even Clark's Lotus is not remotely safe enough for 225 mph *average* laps around Indy. Those were the days when people *regularly* died in the things.

The idea is 300 hp in a car with roughly HALF the weight of the current cars and much, much less drag.

Here's another good read on this:
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...ilver-vitamin/

Z//

Scooter 94

The man's an idiot to think any sponsor would wanna put their name on that monstrosity. (Yep, head up his ***.) Good engineer, but fails to grasp the most important thing...how it appeals to fans and sponsors. Good overall concept with getting lots of suppliers of parts/chassis/cars, lowering costs, while maintaining current performance levels, etc. But geesh, makes people puke just looking at it.

The trike configuration has never translated well into mass market passenger cars due to lousy packaging. This flying ***** is no different. Just worse.

mgarfias

Bump for flying *****.

parkerracing

With that narrow front track and (relatively) skinny front tires vs the rear, I can't see that thing being thrown into a corner at high speeds without the tail wagging the dog. /:\

Bink

Jimmy ran those narrow treaded tires because he didn't know any better. Slicks were discovered, later, by accident.