Replacing Displacement - Fuel Efficiency and Motorsport

[tommyhilla]

Hi all

Yes, yet another student survey for a dissertation. As the thread title suggests the basis for my project is looking at the ever increasing importance of fuel efficiency in Motorsport and assessing factors that pertain to this such as why it is now so important, what the future holds etc...


Little bit of background about me. I'm in my final year of a BSc (hons) in Motorsport engineering at the university of bath. I'm also a working Motorsport technician, having worked in both the European Le Mans Series on an Oreca FLM 09, and in the Britcar Endurance series running a Porsche and a Mosler. The Mosler I looked after won the class 1 championship last year. I guess what i'm trying to get at is that it isn't just academic, i do also have proper connection to Motorsport.

The survey isn't very technical, it is aimed at a wide audience, however i already have completed surveys from some very prominent people within the industry

I would like to thank anyone in advance whom takes time to complete it for me. Your contribution is greatly appreciated. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is also appreciated.

If anyone feels they have more they could add to the subject them please feel free to contact me

link: http://tolu.na/12dZK4n

Thanks again

Tom Hill

Edited by tommyhilla on Friday 1st March 10:33

[rev-erend]

You could look to the past.

Le Mans was run as a fuel efficiency formula a good few years ago (1980's ?). I believe. With the actual rules regarding engine size, turbos, number of pistons being fairly free.

[tommyhilla]

yeah i have conducted a literature review and have some good information on the past and present states. Need primary research also though.

The new WEC LMP regulations are specifically tailored to fuel efficiency with an increased capacity of energy recovery systems, and a set amount of fuel allocated. Also nice to see they have eliminated the fuel strategy somewhat by stipulating that all cars must be at full race pace at all times.

F1 is also going down this road with the new smaller capacity turbo engines, also utilizing increased capacity energy recover systems and the introduction of the Thermal energy recovery system (ters)

I think its quite an exciting time really, as long as the sport doesn't become dominated by purely efficiency. Hopefully that wont be the case, the WEC regs state that cars will have increased performance but also have up to 30% more efficient drive-trains.

The delta Wing is a really GOOD example of whats possible. Im sure with more testing and development it would be competing with the LMP1 cars without much problem. Shame it will likely never take off...

[Ljay06]

Great survey, very thought provoking and didn't take too much time to complete.

[TheArchitect]

Completed.

[vonuber]

Done.

[rev-erend]

Survey done.

[thunderbelmont]

Done.

[Mr Sparkle]

done

[wanacoop]

Dund it.

[davepoth]

Completed.

I think that the rules of a lot of formulas have become a bit too prescriptive in terms of powertrain.

A "you get x megajoules per race" formula for the powertrain, with no other restrictions other than that x will reduce in following seasons, would push the teams to build efficiently.

[Scuffers]

Here's a thought....


Why should motorsport be crippled by the green agenda?

[Hunky Dory]

Scuffers said:

Here's a thought....


Why should motorsport be crippled by the green agenda?

To avoid it becoming perceived as a wasteful, irrelevance to the majority of society in the future which would potentially alienate sponsors?

Only a suggestion, as you raise an interesting point that often prompts extensive debate!

[tommyhilla]

All my research thus far suggests that it is the links with the road car market that is pushing motorsport to become greener. As fuel prices rise we demand more efficient vehicles to get us further for our £. Motorsport has always been a development test bed for new technologies that, if effective, filter down in some way to passenger vehicles.

Recently it appears it has become more of a two way relationship, instead of tech transferring from motorsport, it is now coming from road vehicles. Small capacity turbo charged lumps being the main one at the moment.

As a fan of motorsport i would obviously like to see very limited restrictions, allowing teams to design and build the fastest most advanced vehicles, however with the current economic climate and the dwindling oil supplies, combined with a lot of political unrest, i see the green issue only becoming more and more prominent.

[otolith]

There is something amusingly ironic about attempts to reduce the fuel consumption of F1 cars - which are then taken round the world with an enormous entourage of equipment and crew, to be watched by people who travel from far and wide to be there. The CO2 coming out of the cars in the race is likely dwarfed by the carbon footprint of the day's catering.

[tommyhilla]

getting some very interesting responses, ill publish the data once i have collated it all. got replies from everything from F1 drivers, F1 engineers to journos and spectators

[tommyhilla]

otolith said:

There is something amusingly ironic about attempts to reduce the fuel consumption of F1 cars - which are then taken round the world with an enormous entourage of equipment and crew, to be watched by people who travel from far and wide to be there. The CO2 coming out of the cars in the race is likely dwarfed by the carbon footprint of the day's catering.

Yeah you are right, one transatlantic flight uses more fuel than a single car does in a whole season, including testing. Im not looking at that for this project but it is a key issue which will be noted in my conclusions

[davepoth]

Scuffers said:

Here's a thought....


Why should motorsport be crippled by the green agenda?

It shouldn't be crippled by the green agenda - it should be improved by the green agenda.

Motorsport has always worked best when it has improved the breed. Think of things like the Lotus Cortina, the Mini Cooper, the Delta Integrale, the Shelby Cobra, pretty much every "good" car has come about as a result of a motorsport programme. Also things like active suspension, disc brakes, traction control, and loads of other stuff has come about because of racing.

We're in a situation now where road car technology is moving ahead of race car technology, and that doesn't seem right. The current push in road cars is to get the most out of the least, and if we can point motorsport in that direction I think we'll get a lot of new technology and thinking that can trickle back down into the cars we drive to the shops again.

[Scuffers]

All painfully wrong.

Road car engines are already much higher tech than f1, the so called link is just words....

[tommyhilla]

Hmmmm I'll save judgement on that one till I finish the dissertation