the blur

Why do ALL the cars dive low on the front straight??? When the shortest distance is to stay high into turn 1? I've been wondering this for years.

RDnomorecobra

me too ... obviously late in the race nose to tail they are doing it to break the draft ... but I notice all of them doing it at other times, even when qualifying.

63Corvette

Mario Andretti, for one explained the cause as "STAGGER" or difference in tire circumference between right and left tires. The difference is engineered to cause the car to turn LEFT at a rate determined to cause the least resistence and wear to the tires. This effectively means that the driver has to actively turn RIGHT to cause the car to go straight. Because a car loses some speed to tire resistence in a turn, the driver simply allows the car to follow its engineered course to the left as it exits the turn,, and then lightly turns the car back to the right approaching the turn-in point for the following turn. This also has an added benefit of blocking the inside line to the next turn. Mario explained that the Lotus Team and Colin Chapman had never heard of "stagger" before he brought the concept from Indy oval usage to Formula 1, and never even measured the circumference of their tires.

BrianCunningham

Thanks

I was just about to ask the same think

Always thought it was the marbles

Solofast

It's the aerodynamic interference with the wall. The aero interference with the wall causes higher drag and even though the distance is longer it pays to get away from the wall because you will pick up more speed sooner if you aren't close to the wall. If you are close to the wall the amount of air going around the outside front tire is diminished and all of that air has to go to the inside of the tire, but then it can't go around the side pods because the wall blocks it off. Result is a big drag increase...

the blur

I wonder how many seconds difference it is? Going through the turbulent air, or diving down.

But why do they dive so far down??? I'm surprised to learn they want to be that far away from the wall. I would figure mid field would be far enough.

RDnomorecobra

Pretty funny that we think we know how they can get around the track faster. Lol

63Corvette

I am NOT an Indy expert. However, this video of current driver Tony Kanaan shows that he does NOT take a line away from the wall in a C7 Corvette. He does take such a line in an Indy car. I stand by my remarks about the reasons (above) that Indy drivers take the line that they do. (My co-driver, Indy driver John Martin agrees)
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/23/i...hot-lap-video/

the blur

I did a little googling before, and yes, they do talk about stagger, and it's easier to let the car turn, than drive it straight. But I also bet the air against the wall plays a factor too. The air has no where to go, so they would have a squeeze the air into the wall.