chateau of the bad neighbor

Lotus = In - BMW = out

2009-09-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Following an intensive selection and due diligence process, the FIA has awarded the 13th entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to the new Lotus team.

The FIA also received an impressive application from the BMW Sauber team. As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid.

In addition, the FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams. The FIA will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010.

Detailed below is information about the new team that has been confirmed to compete in the championship from next year, joining fellow newcomers Manor Grand Prix, Team US and Campos Meta.

Company Name: 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd

Team Name: Lotus F1 Team

Country: Malaysia

Team Principal: Tony Fernandes

A partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs, 1Malaysia F1 Team returns the Lotus name as a constructor to Formula One for the first time since 1994. The team will initially be based at the RTN facility in Norfolk, UK, some 10 miles from the Lotus Cars factory. A 50,000 square foot fully equipped facility, RTN was built by Toyota for its initial Formula One programme and then used by Bentley for its successful Le Mans programme.

The team’s future design, R&D, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

Team Principal Tony Fernandes is the founder and CEO of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team’s Technical Director Mike Gascoyne has over 20 years of experience in Formula One having previously performed the same role for the Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan Formula One teams.

As part of its application to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the team has agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth and a wide variety of technical partnerships including Xtrac and FondTech.

The team is understood to already have a shortlist of six drivers, including both Malaysian and international names, and an announcement confirming their line-up is expected in late October. Oh dear, they aren't going to bring back Alex Yoong are they?

Shumi Comeback 2009 = not gonna happen

2009-08-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Schumacher has revealed he won’t return to Formula One racing at the European Grand Prix later this month. Schumacher had planned to replace the injured Felipe Massa for Ferrari at the Valencia race, but has been forced to cancel his comeback due to pain in his neck, which was caused by a motorcycle accident earlier this year.

“Yesterday evening, I had to inform Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali that unfortunately I'm not able to step in for Felipe,” explained the seven-time world champion in a statement on his official website. “I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however, much to my regret it didn't work out.”

USF1 Granted entry for 2010 Formula One Season

2009-08-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

USF1 is one of three new teams that will line-up on the grid next season and the team is already attracting attention from drivers around the world seeking a move into Formula One.

But with the team adamant that they want American drivers, USF1 is already turning away hopefuls, even those willing to pay a staggering amount to race in F1. Is it possible that USF1 have enough financing to set up their freshman effort, develop a completely new chassis, and be competitive enough to justify a long term commitment?

No, while it should be acknowledged that drivers with pre-existing sponsor cash will be needed, USF1 insists that those drivers be American.

"We've been offered well over three-quarters of our racing budget by two drivers already, neither of whom have raced in Formula One but both have won races in GP2," Windsor told Sports Illustrated.. "Both of them have massive sponsorship they can bring us from their home country. Ken and I have got to be very strong, look one another in the eye and say, 'No, we're not gong to accept that money, we're not going to hire those guys because we're going to remain true to our convictions.'

"This team is about helping young Americans (drivers) as much as it is about anything else." But, those drivers are going to have to adjust to the European tracks, be well know enough to attract team sponsors, and be talented enough help develop the car against an aggressive schedule. There are many names that come to mind, Marco Andretti, Scott Speed, Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick... Jacques Villenenuve. But, Andretti lacks talent, Speed has already been thrown out of F1, Patrick is going to be too costly (and will probably end up making $$$ in Nascar soon) and Villenenuve is, well, Villenenuve. Meaning, my money is he'll drive part of the year and possibly teamed with Rahal. Let's see how this settles out.

New Lotus Europa - this one's a type 46 Series 1A

2009-07-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's true, we've gone and purchased another Europa.

This one's a 1967 type 46, Series 1A. And, there isn't anything that it don't need!

But, that's what you get for $100. And no, that's not a typo.

See some photos.

German GP - Hamilton WFT!

2009-07-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Short post here - but the start of the race saw Lewis Hamilton wildly overtake all starters, thanks to KERS... then completely loose it and collide with poll sitter and eventual winner Mark Webber.

Hamilton then pitted for adjustments and new tires and then asked his team if he could just sit the rest of the race out. His excuse was to "save the car". My question is, since when does a reigning world champion not get back in the fight - particularly after nearly putting themselves and nearly the leaders out of the race. What happened to Press On Regardless, 10/10ths, and fighting till the end. Remember Shui's final race - Gilles pushing on harder after a spin - what of that? It's a disgrace.

F1: Siverstone

2009-06-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Silverstone, home of the British GP... for now.

In 2008 Donington was awarded hosting of the race, starting in 2010, however, given the current legal proceedings against the circuit's leaseholders, Donington may not be ready for 2010. And, once again the British GP is in jeopardy; Ecclestone in his infinite wisdom has determined that should Donington fail, Silverstone would not be eligible to host in 2010. It's no secret the both Ecclestone and Mosley detest the British GP, which is confusing giving that it is usually dramatic, well attended, and pulls huge home crowd attendance records.

Why is the British GP a constant source of frustration and why is it's spot on the calendar always in question? The British GP is the oldest continuously staged Formula One World Championship Grands Prix and was actually the first race of the first ever official World Championship - from time to time it has been the fastest circuit on the calendar and British fans supporting British drivers are perhaps second only to the Tifosi (who focus their adoration on a single team and not a nationality).

And those things may be at the root of why the British GP is constantly in flux, because it too is quintessentially British and we couldn't really imagine it any other way. The Brits love their motor racing and fans will flock to the race regardless of where the GP is held, if it is held. This year they've outsold the 90K available seats for Saturday's qualifying (compare with Turkey's 30K attendance over the 3 days race weekend). Are the local fans afraid that this will be the F1 race on their soil in the near future?

BING: Bing Is Not Google

2009-06-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, I have been playing with Bing for a few days and I'll come right out and say it. It's not half bad. Shocking, for a MS product, really. But, it got me thinking, what's Microsoft's game with Bing. Are they really going after Google? Is MS going to again try to step outside it's core competence to take on an industry leader and fail miserably. It's not that Bing is bad, but its not Google (Bing Is Not Google).

And I think that Microsoft knows this, which might explain their ad campaign. Bing's primary position is first to distance itself from Google by calling the product a Decision Engine, not a search engine... and then to denigrate "search" and by taking it to the furthest degree of uselessness, "search overload syndrome". Which might be fine, but in typical MS fashion they've also tried to game change "search" by introducing too many features in its initial launch... substituting ease of use and good UX for quantity and infinite options.

You see, Bing seeks to be more than a search engine, heck, even more than a Decision Engine. It wants to be a full-life product that redefines how you interact with the web. It starts by replacing results organization based on popularity/credibility with categorical/heirarchical arrangements. Similarly, instead of just searching and reporting links, for example with air travel, Bing establishes that it can help you find the best travel prices and the best destinations and can even predict when the prices are going to be optimal for purchase. Looking for a digital camera?, Bing wants to drive you, not to web pages and stores with products, but rather to pull the results and let users compare and shop directly within Bing.

And, admittedly all this sounds rather nice - except we know that Microsoft is behind Bing and... and that just seems weird.

Google has built its reputation based on simplicity and immediately obvious user experiences... backed up by good technology and well thought out design. The best parts of Bing are lifted from Google's search methodology. The most noticeable parts to Bing are improvements like video previews and infinite scrolling VS pagination on image searches. But those are UX tweaks, not something to base a new product on... particularly one pitched against such an established leader. Google obfuscates the technology to simplify the user experience; in typical MS fashion Bing add features , All of which goes a long way to explain the Bing product brand position and Microsoft challenging them on marketing positions and not functionality.

We'll have to see where this one nets out, but I have a feeling that in the end Google will update some of their functionality, Bing won't capture a significant part of the market share, and Microsoft will be out a lot of coin. The winners? Well, as much as Bing is a good product that won't turn "search" on it's head, the television brand marketing campaign is pretty decent, even if the overall concept is frustratingly simple. Congrats to JWT for getting away with it.

2010 FIA Formula One Shake Up

2009-06-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last year when the FIA announced their massive rule changes for 2009 things looks set to really shake up the established order of things. And, as we enter the end of the first trimester of the season, I'd say that the predictions were correct.

Now, recently the FIA has announced a planned budget cap to take effect for the 2010 season. For established teams this means neutering their ability to outspend the young upstarts... which has typically worked. But, a change like this spending cap , especially coming so quickly on the heals of a major rules shake up, could destabilize the established order of things permanently. For young hopefuls the budget cap represents a dropping of the red velvet rope to a club that they've long since we denied entry. Could new teams establish entry into the exclusive world of Formula One and make a big enough impact to run to the front? And for sponsors, since budget caps mean a limit on spending, will this open up a new breed of sponsor to international exposure? Are we about to see a return of the privateer to the pinnacle of motorsport?

Following the completion of the applications process for teams to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the following teams have been confirmed.

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO

RED BULL RACING

AT&T WILLIAMS

FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

CAMPOS GRAND PRIX

MANOR GRAND PRIX

TEAM US F1

VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES* / McLAREN MERCEDES

BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM* / BMW SAUBER

RENAULT F1 TEAM* / RENAULT

PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING* / TOYOTA

BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM* / BRAWN TBA

*These five teams have submitted conditional entries which the FIA has invited them to lift following further discussions to be concluded not later than close of business on Friday 19 June.

The maximum number of cars permitted to enter the 2010 Championship has been increased to 26, two being entered by each competitor. Pending completion of the discussions referred to above, further due diligence is currently taking place on other potential entries. And those people are:

Windsor/Anderson - USF1

Prodrive

Lola

Litespeed

Campos Meta 1

Epsilon Euskadi

Formtech

Superfund

N.Technology

Jenson Button - 6th Win of the Season

2009-06-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Jenson Button made it six victories in seven races as he stormed away from his only serious challengers - the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel during the GP Turkey in Istanbul on Sunday afternoon. Over the short haul, probably only Trulli's Toyota and Rosberg's Williams could have possibly held pace with the leading RBR and Brawn squads.

Notably off the pace was professional sidekick Rubens Barrichello. Rubeno's miserable afternoon included unnecessarily tangling with Kovalainen, a spin, nose damage after a collision with Sutil, and thankfully retiring after 47 laps. The GP world is talking about the retirement as the first noticeable chink in Brawn's reliability but I think they just asked him to pull over and stop embarrassing himself.

Go ahead, get your Twitter on and check out the coverage from both Jalopnik's & Brawn GP's live micro/bloggin'. I wonder how the FIA will try to stifle such unregulated coverage!

Stay tuned - we're heading to Maggots, Woodcote, and the Hangar Straight; Silverstone is next.

Get Your Lotus Europa Shirt!

2009-06-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Get your Lotus Europa tee shirt!

There are three to choose from:

Lotus 47-GT cutaway drawing

Eurostyle Europa logo on the front

Blueprint-style 4 views on the front.

All shirts have the Lotus logo on the back.

From Zazzle.com - 24 styles to choose from, in 11 different colors.

Round 7 Turkish Grand Prix | Watch the Kerbs

2009-06-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

*** UPDATE ***

Qualifying is complete:

Sebastian Vettel | RBR-Renault | 1:28.316

Jenson Button | Brawn-Mercedes | 1:28.421

Rubens Barrichello | Brawn-Mercedes | 1:28.579

What to Watch - the Kerbs:

As a relatively new facility the track surface at Istanbul is in good condition and the kerbs are not especially aggressive, which makes it quite straightforward to find a stable car balance. The team will seek a compromise between stiffer settings for the high-speed part of the lap to give a good change of direction, and softer settings for the low-speed section, particularly the final few corners to ensure good mechanical grip. The stewards and Monaco were relatively lax on the F1 drivers kerb cutting - in stark contrast to their treatment of the lower formula drivers on the same day. Different town, different stewards but the rumor is that all teams (especially Ferrari) have been warned that 4-Off penalties will be handed out if drivers cut the kerbs to excess. The ruling is that at least one tire must remain within contact of the road surface. It'll be interesting to see if the less aggressive kerbs in Turkey exacerbate the attack angles or just make the rules harder to enforce.

Creativity and Technology Conference

2009-06-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

The CaT conference was held yesterday, June 3, in New York City, gathering together creativity professionals and tech-side development companies for a discussion of furthering creativity through technology.

Organized by Creativity Magazine, the event consisted of presentations, discussions and A-list creative case studies, as well as a (kind of lame) gallery of tech products from some of the sponsors (names w/held to ensure that I get to go back again next year).

NYT = most relevant discussion point: how the Grey Lady is using technology to re-imagine the news experience and developing for the future. The NYT is actively embracing new media technology and distribution platforms - while a lot of dead tree media naively follow their established and dying roots.

Ben Palmer = best all around presenter. Ben has an answer or an insight on most everything, but not in a arrogant way - more like genuine, learned, and persuasive. I'm not sure that I've ever heard anyone disagree so respectfully and yet still get the point through that he thinks your perspective is seriously fucked.

Augmented Reality = most hyped technology. It seemed that most of the discussions mentioned AR in some fashion or another. The NYTs had the most practical application suggestion when they talked about pointing your iPhone's camera at a real estate classified in a printed copy of the Times and being able to take a AR tour of the building for sale, within the iPhone's display. There were also a lot of poor uses of the technology mentioned - like pointing your webcam at a print ad or print out and seeing 3D model animate.

Flat out on the streets of Monte Carlo!

2009-06-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

**UPDATE**

The race was fantastic - not a single safety car period, which is certainly a first for this street course. The Brawns were never seriously challenged however fantastic tire strategy by Ferrari kept them in the hunt all weekend. Qualifying, if they replay it on Speed, should not be missed.

Monaco
01	J.Button	1:40:44.282
02	R.Barrichello	+7.6 secs
03	K.Räikkönen	+13.4 secs

The Monaco Grand Prix, Round six of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, is widely considered to be the most prestigious motorsport event in the world, only really rivaled by the Monte Carlo Rally and Le Mans. Set around the spectacular harbor backdrop of Monte Carlo, the race winds around the barrier-lined streets of the Principality, providing a fantastic spectacle of speed and noise for the thousands of fans who pack the grandstands and viewing areas.

The 3.340km (2.075 mile) street track is the slowest circuit of the year with the cars averaging speeds of just 160kph (100mph) throughout the 78-lap race. From a technical point of view, the weekend will see the cars running with maximum aerodynamic downforce to take full advantage of the low speed corners. With its twisty narrow streets, frequent elevation changes and the famous tunnel, Monaco is a unique race venue which provides a challenge for man and machine.

Monaco may be the most unique race on the Formula 1 calendar, but for the engineers the challenge remains the same: fine-tuning the car to achieve maximum performance around the demanding street circuit. It's an unforgiving place, the twisty streets require an unusual set-up and total commitment from the driver. As a street course, the track usually offers low grip in the early part of the weekend, but come Sunday, the track will be nicely rubbered-in and will continue to improve until the final lap of the Grand Prix. The new regulations particularly wide front wings and KERS could make for a chaotic few laps at the start of the race.

Rule Change Analysis ::: Diffusers

2009-05-12T07:02:00.001-07:00

As previously mentioned, the 2009 rules changes were meant to be game changers, a technical shake up intent on leveling the playing field if only by clearing the board and making everyone start from a fresh sheet of paper.

At its heart, one of the key tools the regulations employ is reducing the effect of aero wake on following cars - so that cars can travel closer with less loss of downforce... all of which should allow for more passing at the entry or exit of corners and overall tighter grids. And, by looking at the cars you can see the wildly increased front wings vastly out proportioning the scaled down rear wings. But, what you can't see are the diffusers - and that's where some of the real technical gains have clawed back performance gains from losses suffered by the new regulations.

Brawn GP have a cunning interpretation of the rules, one that allows for greater diffuser efficiency by employing more complex rear sections that actually incorporate suspension, floor, and rear crash structures to create a double decker diffuser. And, because great minds think alike Toyota and Williams also debuted similar twin floor concepts.

Diffusers Explained:

1.The key role of the diffuser on a modern racecar is to accelerate the flow of air under the car, creating an area of low pressure, thus increasing downforce. Meaning, the shaped piece of bodywork at the rear of the car draws the air out from under the car sucking it to the track, creating aerodynamic grip.

2.How's it work: the air passing under the wing has further to travel than the air passing over the top surface. This causes the air under the wing to accelerate, resulting in a drop in air pressure, this creates a difference in pressure between the upper and lower surfaces. This difference essentially means the wing is pushed down by the higer pressure above, generating what is known as downforce.

3. With this in mind, the role of the diffuser on a racing car is to speed the airflow up underneath the car, reducing its pressure, creating a greater difference in pressure between the upper and lower surfaces of the car. This means more downforce and aerodyamic grip, allowing the car to corner faster.

These rules are not unique to the so called "Double Decker" diffusers, they apply to all teams' interpretations of the regulations and have been in use since Lotus started the ground effects movement. But, given their greater efficiency are double decker diffusers the killer app for F1 2009? In a word, "NO". Were it that simple, Toyota would have considerably more than 26 points and Williams would be placed higher than 8th in the Constructors Standings.

NKOTB, Brawn GP are dominant

2009-05-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

So, I've been remiss. We are already 5 races into the 2009 F1 Season and nary a blog post since Aug of last year. A number of things transpired to cancel my trip to Watkins Glen last year and shipwrights disease set in. Let's see if I can remedy that...

F1 Recap: it's now post-Race #5, the circus is back in Europa, and Brawn are in the lead. Wha?" Don't know who Brawn is?

Well, to sum it up, Brawn is formerly Honda, now powered by Mercedes, and purchased by Michael Schumacher's former Technical Director (at Benetton & Ferrari) Ross Brawn for a dollar (or some such nonsense). Spoiled-brat-turned-golden-boy, Jenson Button is 4-for-5 in a completely unprecedented, unforeseen championship lead. Team mate Rubens Barrichello is, typically for RB, second to his team mate but still an impressive second in the championship. Remember, these folks were the 9th placed team in 2008, 8th in 2007, and 4th in 2006... so they've been sliding backward for some time. Of course, Brawn has a history of technical and strategic wizardry and rules revisions for 2009 were intended to be game changers...

Over the next bit of posts I'll explore some of the changes in those rules, some of the advantages that Brawn GP have achieved, and try to remind you that although Brawn have command over the season thus far, every race has been well contested and we've not seen the in-race, runaway dominance of previous seasons.

We're now into the European leg of the F1 season, typically this is where the largest technical advances are introduced - stay tuned.

Vintage Racing: Lime Rock Park VS Watkins Glen

2008-08-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Times are tough, people. Choices have to be made and the decisions aren't always easy. Especially when deciding which of the two vintage races to attend over the next two weekends. Sure, we could hit 'em both, but for the sake of this exercise, let's say we can't.

Lime Rock Park: Rolex Vintage Festival
150 cars entered for the weekend
$45 a day, per person. Kids, don't know.
Might get a couple lunch time laps IF there are enough Lotus owners to qualify

On Track: they won't send me an entry list, but last year it was mostly stuff I have very little interest in. There will be no large bore formula cars, no GTP or CanAm cars, and very sports racers of interest. We've already established that there won't be any Lotus 47s or 23s.

Watkins Glen: US Vintage Grand Prix
650 cars entered for the weekend
$45 for the weekend. Kids free
For an extra $20 you can get laps on track, the autocross event, and the Gelnkhana old course laps!

On Track: F-5000 reunion / Triumph is the featured marque / 29 different Lotus cars entered

For now, the plan is to hit the US Vintage GP. We're going in convoy with a handful of other Lotus owners (2 Elans, 1 Sport 190) and a Porsche GT3 (to follow behind and pick up whatever falls off the Lotus). We'll report back with photos when we return.

And yes, LRP is the photo on the left. LRP is set in a beautiful valley in NW Connecticut. The photo on the right is The Glen... which sits atop a windblown hill in a decidedly less picturesque area of New York State. Aesthetic don't count in this debate.

Phil Hill 1927 - 2008 - American's Formula One Champion.

2008-08-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

Sad, but true - the news is that Phil Hill, the first American to win a Formula One World Drivers Championship, passed away at 10:30 this morning. Hill was 81 years old and lived a long and competitive life - including winning the LeMans 24 race ('58 & '62) and was a prolific automotive journalist that contributed volumes of text to Road & Track. At a time when too many racers expired at the wheel, Phil Hill pushed on, made history, and lived to tell about it.

Got something to say, a memory, or a kind word to his family?
http://www.philhill.com/remember_2.html

He will be missed - especially for his contribution to "doing the donut" (hint, it's 28 seconds in).

Adding disk brakes to your Europa? Where is the ideal placement?

2008-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Recently the question of ideal caliper placement has been bandied about, at least in highly nuanced Europa modifying community. Factors like suspension location, rim diameter, and cooling notwithstanding, there are other, more physics-minded calculations to be taken into account. Which is why I'm never surprised to see some AutoZone hopped up Civic handling poorly. It is amazing the amount of time/money spent on ill though out modifications purchased out of the backs of car magazines.

Now, onto selecting the location for our Europa's rear calipers.

The following is from Dave/2560. Lets say that the caliper friction center is 6" from the axle center, the tire is 24" diameter, and the braking action is capable of 1G of deceleration. If the caliper were at 270° 1G of stopping torque would add 2G of down force on the bearings (Total:3G) AND 1G deceleration (pressure on the front of the bearings)(Grand total: 3.16G at 200°). However, if it were mounted at 90°, the 2G down is now up giving a total of 1G up (added to 1G deceleration, that is 1.4G at 315°). But remember that the 2G force is always 90° from the mounted position and the 1G of deceleration is always pushing the tire to the rear (pressure on the front of the bearings). To neutralize the deceleration force on the bearings the caliper should be at the 150° position. This would also bring the 90° positions excess G force down by 1. This seems to be the ideal position.

Now, try to find a caliper that will bleed properly in that position!

F1 Coverage: Street racing Valencia style

2008-08-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

Monaco seems to be first to mind when thinking about temporary street races in Formula One - certainly more so than the US Grand Prix when it was run though the backyards of old people in Arizona. However, Valencia has little in common with the Principality... only that they are both high priced locales and run their circuits to blast along high priced waterfronts. You see, for every tight 1st and 2nd gear corners at Monaco there are long straights, wide corners, and generous braking zone with which to set up a pass or overtake before the corner. F1 officials suggest that Valencia's average speed over the lap will be around 140 mph. Compared with Monaco's 96 mph the difference is staggering.

Of course, like Monaco, this is a temporary circuit run on public roads - so dramatic shifts in camber, changes in road surface, negligible run off areas, and the ever-present concrete barriers that line the circuit threaten DNF in a very real way. .

Opening practice for the Valencia-hosted European Grand Prix starts Friday, August 22.

The Chapman Strut...

2008-08-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

... is not a McPherson Strut.

Of course, neither is a McPherson strut (because some FIAT engineer named Fornaca actually invented it in the 20's). But, that's another story.

A Chapman Strut, is however quite similar, and being a strut designed by Chapman it is one device that performs multiple tasks - namely shock absorbing and wheel location. Unlike a McPherson strut, Chapman's strut is located at the rear of a car and is statically mounted so that it exhibits no influence in wheel deflection or toe. As such it resists high lateral forces amazingly well for its light weight... although it has disadvantages in terms of height and side-load.

Lotus first used the Chapman strut on their Formula 2 car, the Lotus 12. The 12 is historically regarded as a failure in terms of championship points - and it was. However, the 12 should be noted as pioneering a number of significant innovations:
- 5 speed indirect gearbox
- magnesium "wobbly" wheels
- spaceframe chassis

Behind the Badge: Ferrari

2008-08-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most famous logo in racing is the prancing horse symbol of Scuderia Ferrari.

The badge is composed with three stripes of green, white and red bent over the top of a yellow shield with a black horse above the initials SF (for Scuderia Ferrari). Ferrari road cars employ a similar but rectangular version of the badge, minus the SF designation.

So, what's the history? In a nutshell, it was after Enzo Ferrari's victory at the Savio track in Ravenna that he met the Countess Paolina, mother of Count Baracca and Italian Air Force flying ace. Baracca was know for painting a horse on the side of his planes for luck. When Baracca was killed his squadron repeated the fashion but changed the original red horse on a white cloud to a black horse on a yellow background; yellow being the color of the city of Modena Baracca's birthplace and the place where Ferrari would eventually set up his factory.

Ferrari first used the cavallino rampante when he was driving and privately entering Alfa Romeos in 1929, again during the 30's on the Alfas that his fledgling Scuderia Ferrari campaigned, and continued he practice through the 40's when he was managing the racing division for Alfa Romeo. After World War 2 and his departure from Alfa, Enzo kept his cavallino rampante logo and applied them to cars of his own construction.

Interestingly, the black horse on a yellow shield is also the Coat of Arms for Stuttgart, the city in Germany where Porsche is located.

Scoops and Spoilers: the NACA Duct

2008-08-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

The NACA duct is a very special air inlet device that allows cooling air to be pulled into ducted chamber with a minimal flow disturbance over the larger mechanical body. Unlike, say, a hood scoop or a snorkel which stand up in clean air for a ram effect but leave an effluent wake of dirty air in their path - the NACA duct is a submerged inlet that uses a shallow ramp and curved walls as a depression within the larger mechanical body. The ramp allows air passing along the body to slip down into the duct and the curved walls help direct the air flow AND increase the air speed. Air's velocity must increase through the constriction... cause you can't leave out the equation of continuity & pressure must decrease because of our friend Energy and the conservation there of.

More simply, the design works because, perhaps more importantly, the curved walls also develop counter rotating vortices which in turn push away the slow moving boundary air adhered to the mechanical body and suck in the faster moving air.

Fortunately for race car design these aerodynamically efficient ducts are excellent for charge cooling and venting air intakes for mechanical and human components. NACA duct are however minimally effective for significant air volumes and are therefore rarely used for either jet or large bore engine systems. That work is still left to the snorkels and scoops and their superior ram air effect.

Oh, and NACA stands for National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, aka NASA's grandfather.

Lotus 47GT-74

2008-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

During the winter of 1966, Lotus debuted the type 46 Lotus Europa. A relatively attractive car, it was quickly on pace in the Lotus tradition of added lightness and nimble handling. Unfortunately, the 1470cc Renault 16 motor that powered it was, um, a bit anemic. But, at about 1380 lbs the type 46 put it to good use - especially with it's pioneering mid-engine layout. Yes, the Europa was only the second mass produced mid-engined sports car (after the Matra d'Jet)... before Ferrari and Lamborghini caught on.

And, as Colin Chapman knew that on-track success yielded sales results the 46 would be quickly pressed to earn its keep. But not with a measly 82hp!

Enter the Type 47GT.
While numerically after the type 46, the 47s started hitting the track before the 46s hit the show room. While visually similar and dimensionally identical the 47 had significant changes under the skin to make it an effective track weapon. Out with the Renault and in with a 165hp Cosworth modified motor mated to a Hewland FT 200 gearbox. The rear suspension was also radically redefined to accept the magnesium rear uprights and radius arms from Lotus' then current formula cars.

The 47 was immediately successful and took first & second places in their debut race, the BOAC 500.

Today, perhaps due to the low build number, there are few being run in vintage racing.
Which brings us to today's subject, type 47GT-74.

I have been following this car on and off for the past 6 years as it was owned by Ed Mettleman and stationed in nearby CT at Lee Chapman Racing. It never seemed to get the attention that it deserved and seemed to have a number of DNFs due to mechanical woes. This always confused me as all of the components are fairly well understood. In period the Tecalemit-Jackson fuel injection had a nasty habit of burning the cars to the ground - but these were routinely replaced with Webers.

Well, the car has been sold, to whom and for how much - I don't know. But I do know that it is now a stablemate at GMT Racing in Danbury CT. I spoke with JR at GMT yesterday and he informed me that the new owner already has 4 events completed in the car - but reports that he is very unhappy with the handling of the car. I would be interested in knowing more about this particular malady - but looking at the other cars that GMT runs might be a good indication that their set up is off based on their baseline experience.

Unfortunately the car will not run at the vintage races this fall at Lime Rock. But, I hope to see it again in person soon and would very much like to document more of the car's history.

UPDATE 08/15/08: apparently Simon Wilson-Taylor is the current custodian of this vehicle. Good luck Simon - I'd like to think that you'll ring me when you are done with it.

Drive to NYC... 180 miles & back safe and sound (and sweaty and tired and nearly deaf).

2008-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

This AM I had to follow my wife to a doctor's appointment - I took the
Lotus as I've been using it a lot lately (300+ miles this weekend!).

After the appointment I had to head off to work - I usually take the
train 70 miles into Manhattan. I was between stations and the Dr.
office was just off the Taconic Parkway, so I thought I'd follow it
south to the next station... then the next... then the next. By the
time I got to Croton I called in to see when the next train was and
got the response 58 mins. So, I drove in.

Getting into the city at that hour was a breeze. The car ran
flawlessly and I managed to avoid 99% of the road hazards and pot
holes. My car is set up for the track and rather stiffly sprung - so
once into the city it was fairly unpleasant. It was hot too.

In the parking garage I got the premium spot next to the Ferrari, 911,
and high end MBs... car visible from the street - must be good for
business as they put all the lookers there (when I drive my 84 533i
into the city they part it in the 4th circle of hell and it takes 30
mins to get it out).

I checked the traffic cams online before heading out - and all looked
good. And, I made it out the West Side H'way and over the George
Washington Bridge to the Palasades without any traffic. However, the
Major Deegan feeder from the Palasades to the NYS Thruway as stop and
go for 20 miles. Car and driver temperatures got hot, really hot, but everything kept
humming along and I eventually broke free of the rolling parking lot
when I hit the Harriman toll plaza. From there home it was 90 mph the
entire way. Or, according to my speedo 45mph. I checked against the
mile markers and my speedo/mile counter is EXACTLY 50% off.

I made it home in one piece, my ears hurt from the SuperTrapp, I lost
10 lbs in water weight, and I got about 30 mpg for the entire trip. Seriously though, my pants were soaked - I looked like I'd entered a wet t shirt contest (and lost) even my shoes had sweat stains it was so hot.

Worse, I forgot to get water before getting into the car -- so I had nothing to drink.
I picked up a 6 pack of Bass at the Hess just down the street and cracked the first two while I pulled into my driveway - my four year old daughter had to drag my steaming, slumped body out of the car.On the Thruway, at speed, I noticed a pronounced bit of a vibration - so this AM I check out the right front suspension. The verdict is a worn tie rod end, boot is torn, and that's where the slop is. I've know about the mis-matched tie rods (left has no boot / no grease fitting) and I've been looking for a reason to swap these out and regrease the trunnions. Now I have it.

But, I won't be driving into Manhattan again any time soon. I got away
with it today, but I much prefer the twisty roads in upstate NY to the
grind of the grid.

Lotus ::: Project Eagle

2008-07-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

Here it is - the new Lotus! And this one's a 2+2 with a 3.5-litre Toyota V6 good for nearly 280HP. Seems like its got a whole lot more kit too, including Alpine sound system with Bluetooth and iPod connections, standard air, traction control, ABS and leather seats and trim. Not exactly added lightness. The business end of the suspension gets 350mm four-pot AP racing brakes, Eibach springs & Bilstein dampers.

Looks wise, it's a huge reminder of the M250 concept car that got binned a few years ago. And that's a good thing. I like it a whole lot better than the Europa S - which isn't available in the states anyway.

Available in the US = yes, Patrick Dempsey is rumored to be receiving the first one. Odd given his association with Mazda?

Price = $90K-ish
Top speed = estimate 165

0 - 60: estimate 5 seconds

By the time we get to Woodstock

2008-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

... we'll be 70 miles strong!

Saturday afforded the opportunity to go on a massive drive, converting the normal 27 miles to Woodstock to over 70 miles. Half the mileage on the way home, but twice as fun and three times as many corners and twice as fast. Lotus alchemy? Nah, just a carefully planned series of backroads. In fact, we only hit one stretch of road that was in any way occupied in any noticeable way.

The road less taken - New Paltz to Woodstock: 299 - 44/55 to Kerhonkson
Granit Road to Accord
209 back to Pine Bush
Route 3 to Cherrytown
Route 3 to Krumville
Route 3 to Olive/28A
28A to Boiceville/28
28 to Mount Tremper/212
212 to Bearsville & Woodstock

The road less taken - Woodstock to New Paltz:
212 to 375
375 to 28
cross 28 to Dug Hill Road
Dug Hill Rd to Hurley Mtn Road
Hurley Mtn Road to Tongore Road
Tongore Road to Clayton "pegleg" Btes Memoril H'way
to Lucas turnpike
to 213 to Mohonk road (over Mohonk Mtn)
to Mtnrest Road
Home

Why Free costs more than Not Free!

2008-07-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

The following article might go a long way into understanding why there is a second Internet bubble coming - and how so many more people in the interactive space seem to possess a unique lack of qualifications.
READ IT

I find it interesting, and a little disturbing, to see pre-bubble trends repeating themselves in such an obvious fashion; huge investments into a crowded development/market-space focused on a single product type that is promising to make everyone rich. WidgetBucks, like so many social networking / web 2.0 start up is nothing more than an e-commerce referral/pyramid scheme glommed onto an ad network.

I also believe that there is a dangerous trend in what should be a tactical stronghold. Let's call it, "Why Free costs more than Not Free".

A social ad network knows that they offer little value beyond the immediate service of displaying ads/widgets in a context that should be more relevant to a user... based on assumed points of interest. So, they seek to bolster their value, and one way is by offering ideation, creative, and development services. Unfortunately, they often devalue these services by not representing their true costs - they call it "added value" and would argue that it's a competitive advantage. Advertisers are supposed to do the math and figure that they are getting top notch creative services for free. And, everyone likes Free. Or so they think.

In my opinion, the position that ad networks should take is that their networks are only as good as their ability to contextual creative AND the execution of said creative. This would strengthen their position, especially if they were able to point to specific partner relationships and developments, and were able to use THOSE examples as the strategic advantage. Suddenly you have something tangible to tout, advertisers understand their fee structures, and the medium and the message suddenly have value again. I think that often people hear Free and think "this doesn't cost anything, what a bonus" -- what they should hear is that they've been given something without value.

So here is the downfall, ad networks give something away for nothing and in the process devalue both the commodity and the relationships. They do it to gain marketshare. But then so do their competitors. Since you can't go back and start charging for something that used to be Free the only way to keep an advantage is to lower your costs OR innovate new developments and BOTH deplete the ad networks bottom lines. The bottom falls out when you realize that a $10M investment has resulted in some very expensive "tweaking the algorithms" so that the company can remain competitive in a flooded marketplace. So you spend the rest of your cash trying to buy up the competition and plug the leaks. If you are smart you'll have taken a modest investment, pocketed most of it, and waited for the gluttons to offer you $5M to be acquired.

And all of this could have been avoided & positions strengthened (possibly) if you'd represented real costs to advertisers. Well, you'd have to do away with human nature and the compulsion toward Free, but that should be easy. In fact, there must be a widget that does just that.

What! A Post that has nothing to do with cars, racing, or wanderlust? Go here then to be entertained.

Lime Rock Park - American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix

2008-07-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

We're going to LRP tomorrow for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix.
The immediate plan is to leave here around 7am and high-tail it over the backroads to the CT track. To make the drive interesting I'll be pressing for the lead in the Europa, followed closely (no doubt) by my friend Peter's Elan and a neighbor's Elise Sport 190.

LRP has just finished a $5M repaving project (concrete was still being poured on Tuesday!) and this is to be the first event at the reglorified Road Racing Center of the East. Here, take a lap with David Brabham:

What's on the race card:

Formula BMW
Although it's the lowest rung on the BMW ladder to Formula 1 it's not an entry level formula as all of its front runners have years of experience in karts, Formula Ford, and other smaller bore wings & slicks categories. Racers are as young as 15 and BMW takes a keen interest in grooming these drivers for futures in competitive motorsports. In addition to driver development, Formula BMW spends a lot of time with training for media relations, race car engineering, diet and exercise. The cars are equal so it comes down to driver talent and team preparation. BMW pours some of its own money back into the series by sponsoring 5 drivers in each series @ $5oK each. BMW have a long history in driver development and given their record you're more than likely to spot future Formula One talent here.

IMSA Lites
Admittedly, I know very little about this feeder series - but the concept is simple. Like its big brother, the American Le Mans Series, this is a mixed class series made up of various small bore sports racers. There are three classes with essentially similar chassis/body configurations but different horsepower ranges: 170hp / 185hp / 205hp. On a track like Lime Rock this could mean highly aggressive passing opportunities and lots of working through traffic - and making traffic work for you. Drivers learn to deal with cars of different braking, cornering, and closing speeds all on the track at the same time... just like ALMS. Base costs for cars alone range from $30K - $90K so levels of commitment and preparation also pay a huge factor. These racers will be a mix of drivers with more talent than money all jocking for full time sponsored ALMS rides.

American Le Mans Series
These are large bore sports racers, the offspring of dedicated factory developments, seasoned professional drivers, a history back to the glorious days of the CanAm and in the modern linage of the Le Mans Prototype class. Drivers like Michale and Marco Andretti will clash with current and former IndyCar winners, ex-Formula One aces, and sportscar champions from Le Mans. The budgets are nearly limitless, the horsepower is extreme, and on a tight track like LRP its going to take total commitment just to complete one lap in this highly competitive field. Lucky for us there are TWO races - each an hour long. LP1 and LP2 classes will be equally matched, so the new Acura and Porsche prototypes might take down the mighty Audi R10. GT classes will see battles between Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, and BMW.

Photos from the event - when we get back.

F1 Coverage: Mechanics of the Deal - Alonso to Ferrari

2008-07-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

Santander, a Spanish bank, has announced that it will be terminating its sponsorship of McLaren Formula One next year - a deal that, according to the German magazine Sport Bild is worth up to €25m per season.

It would seem that Santander's money has been well spent by McLaren as reflected in their results over the past two seasons - so why would Santander jump ship after only 2 seasons? Well, Santander's sponsorship of McLaren coincided with Fernando Alonso's signing with the team from Woking. Although, if you follow F1 you know that Alonso left after only one year to return to Reault from where he'd enjoyed two previous championships.

Driver contracts are easy, although expensive, to get out of. Corporate level sponsorship... not so much. I don't believe that the Santander contract specifically tied their deal to McLaren with an Alonso contingency, but F1 can be incredibly nationalistic at times and there is very little reason for the Spanish bank to be associated with a British team employing British and Finnish drivers.

Alonso, meanwhile, has been biding his time mid-field in a rather dull Renault. Similarly, Felipe Massa has been circling at or about the same grid locations in Scuderia Ferrari's fabulous F2008 - and his wet weather drive at Silverstone was embarrassing.

Ok, back to the Santander story line - not interesting news that some bank pulling their sponsorship? Well, what is interesting is where they are going - Ferrari. And from that, the implications of the deal seem to indicate that Ferrari have agreed a deal with Alonso for 2009.

Interesting... Alonso will leave Renault at the end of 2008 to become Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari team-mate in 2009. Two world champions at Ferrari!

Ferrari traditionally announces its driver line-up for the next season at the Italian GP at Monza, in September. But for now, all intelligence points to Alonso being fawned by the Tifosi in 2009. And Ferrari may well have signed Santander to pick up his €30m retainer.

Tobacco Sponsorship

2008-07-07T09:57:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I mentioned that Lotus introduced tobacco sponsorship to Formula One - 1968 / Imperial Tobacco's Gold Leaf brand of smokes. Due to in-place advertising restrictions on tobacco brands sponsorship became the dominant marketing force for tobacco manufacturers. The growth was explosive, the tobacco money was huge, and the impact lasting. Given the expansive tobacco budgets pit lane quickly became a contest between those with and those without - and operating budgets swelled to as much as $300M a year. Coincidentally, these boom years coincided with amazing developments in engine technology, aerodynamic understanding, Non-tobacco teams simply couldn't compete on the smaller budgets.

In 1976 however Germany outlawed tobacco sponsorship, followed in 1984 by Great Britain and France in 1992. Oddly, as the global shift in tobacco marketing headed to greater restrictions, more tobacco manufacturers sought refuge in the world of Formula One. As a result, the very savvy Bernie Ecclestone was able to create a temporary safe haven and get exemptions for teams for a number of years.

Craftily, as car designers and engineers find their way through the rule books looking for loop holes and the unique advantage, so too have Formula One marketers sound escape clauses for marketing tobacco products without promoting them. The first instance of this that I can remember was redesigning both the camel image and the Joe Camel likeness for placement on the cars at banned races.

Significantly more successful is the wordplay iteration that Jordan F1 created for Benson & Hedges by modifying their script-based logo:
"Bitten & Hisses" in 1997 - mascot was the snake Hissing Sid
"Buzzing Hornets" 1998 - 2000 - mascot was a hornet
"Bitten Heroes" 2001 - mascot was a shark
"Be On Edge" (BENSON & HEDGES) from 2002 onwards

Marlboro, the long term sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari as taken a more graphically subliminal approach. Because of the now European-wide ban on marketing, they are not allow to display their image, likeness, brand assets, or logo anywhere on the car or uniforms. They have however substituted the spelled out Marlboro for black bars, kept the red and white color scheme, but replaced their white chevron with white boxes. No one can claim that there is anything remotely brand oriented, and yet the identification is unmistakable. Since Marlboro's contact runs till 2011 it remains to be seen what innovative ways they will market their brand in the highly regulated world of tobacco advertising. Oh, the budget for 5 years = $1B

Bump Steer

2008-07-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Since we are talking about cornering and steering, let's discuss bump steer. Simply put, bump steer is the effect that immediate toe and camber changes have on wheel and steering angles. Generally speaking it happens, obviously enough, after hitting bump. In road cars the driver feels this as a wriggling of the steering wheel, but because they are not at the limits of adhesion, driving heavily damped suspensions, riding on massively compliant tire sidewall, little drama happens. In a race car the effect can be perilous.

Technically what happens is that the tire is connected to the chassis via suspension arms - so as the wheel travels vertically up/down it travels in a single arc that is the compromised sum of the arcs of the two suspension arms. With each degree of movement the effective length of the arms change. This reduction will pull the toe-in/toe-out measurements to a measurable degree. If the car is on the mechanical and aerodynamic limit of there will be no available driver inputs to correct the inevitable loss in traction and the driver must move into compensation mode - all with a corresponding loss in speed or track position.

Mechanically, since it can be measured, bump steer can be accounted for - and race car set up begins with this type of balance and trade off. Does the chassis engineer try to design/adjust-out the bump steer, do they make other adjustments to compensate for it, or do they try to use bump steer to their advantage? Bump steer is a complex function of the relative lengths of the A-arms to the steering rod, the angles they all go through when deflected, and the caster/camber angles the chassis designer built into the car. Bump steer cannot be totally eliminated, but by changing the angle of the track rod relative to the A-arms, the tendency to move the wheel assembly can be minimized.

Your friend Ackermann - or how turning happens

2008-07-03T17:50:00.001-07:00

Ackermann Angles
So, you wanna go around corners do you? Well, if you've got 4 wheels and you've ever driven around in grass, mud, or wet pavement you've clearly seen what looks to be 4 tires going in different directions or arcs as you turn. Go ahead, check it out. The reason for this is that in order to complete a turn the inside and outside of the tires have to take different arcs - inside turning tighter than the outside. To achieve this your front wheels need to turn in different radii and to achieve that, you need Mr Rudolph Ackermann (before RA horse drawn cars kinda plowed through turns).

Technically what needs to happen is the wheels' steering pivot points need to be arranged both inboard and off the centerline of the steered axle... imagine a small hockey stick shape connected to the center of your wheel.

Many forms of racing however use anti-ackermann for different reasons. Dirt track cars may use it because they use the throttle to turn the car into the corner then balance the car with throttle attitude and counter steering - where you'd be on opposite lock and turning right through a left-hand corner. Formula One cars will use anti-ackermann on tight street courses, like Monaco, because their peak lateral forces happen at higher slip angles as the tire increases load. Roll and camber may also play a part if the inside tire is not heavily weighted in transition.

Gold Leaf Team Lotus - colors, sponsorship, and marketing in motorsports

2008-07-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you not in the know, Team Lotus introduced the modern concept of sponsorship, to Formula 1 racing in the late 1960's. The brand, Imperial Tobacco's Gold Leaf brand of cigarettes.
What was at first received as vulgar billboarding of these race cars soon became the norm, and away went the national team colors that used to adorn cars from greats like Lotus, BRM, Honda, and McLaren. Ferrari, in keeping their Italian Rosso Corsa are really the only team to keep that flame alive.

Here are some samples of that epic shift, played out on the sides of formula cars, sports cars, and race car transports.

Wanna go racing?

2008-07-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit remiss in getting out my racing bug for some time - in fact, I only made it to Lime Rock twice last year. Short sessions in the BMW and the Lotus just weren't enough. I've been thinking about breaking out the F-5000 car and renewing it's career - but it's a costly beast to run.

Then I was thinking that I should just cage the Europa, you know, for safety reasons. But it'd also allow me to run the few hillclimbs in the area and take that vintage racing. I've got the build spec and several examples to draw from... but then this came along and presented itself as a purchase option.
It's good to have options - but the costs are a stretch.

Night life

2008-07-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

So this is the Europa at night - first night home. It being a Lotus it, of course, needed work right off the trailer to the tune of a seized front caliper. Whipped the old one off, mounted a spare, re-used the old pads, buttoned it up and there it sits.

Hard to believe that this was a year ago.

And here we are today.