Basic Course in Race Car Technology

Powerful and sporty vehicles exert a special fascination on many people, both on the road and on the racetrack, and many childhood dreams revolve around or on four wheels. One dream that can be fulfilled is the Volkswagen Golf VII GTI Performance, which was launched in 2013. It combines sporty driving performance with unrestricted suitability for everyday use. Figure 1.1 compares some of its technical data with those of the Red Bull RB6, the world champion car of the 2010 Formula 1 season. The Golf VII GTI is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with direct injection that delivers a maximum output of 230 hp. Prescribed by the regulations at the time, the Red Bull RB6 has a direct-injection 2.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that puts out about 725 horsepower. The maximum torque of the TFSI engine is 350 Nm, while the Renault engine of the Red Bull RB6 delivers “only” about 290 Nm. At this point, the Red Bull RB6 would have to admit defeat to the GTI in a quartet of cars. However, the Formula 1 engine reaches a maximum speed of 18,000 rpm. In the Golf VII GTI, the rev limiter is already activated at around 6800 rpm. The engine’s power is determined as the product of engine speed and torque, which straightens out the power ratios – even in the quartet of cars. A disadvantage for the Red Bull RB6 in this case, however, would be the consumption of 47–70 l per 100 km, which occurs under racing conditions. The standard consumption of a Golf VII GTI seems to be much better with 6 l per 100 km. In this form, however, the comparison has no significance. Racing engines are more efficient than standard engines, and their fuel consumption is usually considerably lower than that of standard engines in relation to the power output. On the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, the consumption of a Golf VII GTI rises to well over 20 l per 100 km.

The idea of racing the automobile is practically as old as the automobile itself, whose history began in 1885 with the maiden voyage of Benz Patent Motor Car Number 1 – a three-wheeled vehicle with a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine and electric ignition. On 29 January 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his invention at the Reich Patent Office under number 37435. This patent is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The professional staging of racing series or motor sport events requires a structured interaction between motor sport or automobile associations, marketing companies, organizers and participating racing teams. The main roles and tasks involved in staging a racing series are discussed in this chapter. A selection of some of the major automobile and motorsport associations and their associated racing series is provided.

The tires are the only link between the vehicle and the road. The contact surface between the tire and the road, the tire sip, is where all the forces required for propulsion, braking and steering are transmitted. The properties of the tires therefore shape a vehicle’s dynamic driving behavior in a decisive way. A serious examination of vehicle dynamics requires the following principle to be observed:

The subject area of vehicle dynamics describes, among other things, the relationship between driver actions, vehicle characteristics and the vehicle’s state of motion. The motion variables result from the forces acting on the vehicle, which are imposed on the vehicle by the driver through the operation of the steering wheel and pedals via the tires.

Aerodynamics has become the dominant competitive factor in high-performance racing. This section introduces the most important parameters for describing the aerodynamic properties of a vehicle and explains their influence on driving dynamics. With the help of these parameters, the dimensions in which the aerodynamic behavior of a racing vehicle differs from that of a production vehicle are clarified. In the further course of the chapter, the function and interaction of the aerodynamic components of a racing vehicle are described.

This chapter provides an overview of the contribution made by the suspension, steering and brake system to the dynamic performance potential of a racing vehicle. Design details of individual chassis components and parts for use in motorsport are described comprehensively in (Trzesniowski M, Handbuch Rennwagentechnik – Fahrwerk. Springer Vieweg, Wiesbaden, 2017).

Limited slip differentials are a component of the drive train and are used in the final drive or, in the case of mechanical all-wheel drive systems, in the transfer case. Since mechanical all-wheel drive systems are not permitted in high-performance racing with the exception of rally or rally-raid vehicles, the following explanations are limited to the use of limited slip differentials in final drives.

The term “overall vehicle concept” covers all the basic technical solutions or components that are required to perform the tasks of a vehicle. The vehicle structure or body-in-white acts as the carrier for the components. Figure 9.1 summarizes the main influences on the overall vehicle concept and its structure.

In the first decades of motorsport, the concept of safety was a foreign word for everyone involved, and death was a more or less accepted concomitant of motorsport. Even the deaths of spectators who were actually uninvolved in the race usually only led to a brief flare-up of indignation. Even the tragic events during the 24 h of Le Mans in 1955, in which according to official information the Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators lost their lives, did not lead to a rethinking of the subject of safety. People were used to worse suffering from the Second World War, which was just 10 years ago. Only the Mille Miglia, which was held on public roads, was banned after two passengers and 11 spectators died in an accident in 1957. A similar tragedy took place at the 1962 Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where Ferrari driver Wolfgang Berghe von Trips and 15 spectators were killed. Such accidents were favored by the fact that on the racetracks of the time there were no structural separations between the track and the pit areas or adjacent wooded areas and spectator stands.

The following data were determined at the Silverstone Circuit. At what speed does a Golf VII GTI pass through the “Copse” bend? (Fig. 11.1).