Friday 18th March 2011

Chip Ganassi's Underground Test Track Revealed

Underground (not overground), V8s rumbling free...

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They like to do things a little differently in America. This is the Laurel Hill tunnel (Not named after the Fugees singer - that's Lauryn) in Pennsylvania, and it forms part of the Chip Ganassi racing team's test facilities.

Originally intended as a railway tunnel, but actually used as part of a now-abandoned turnpike road when it was built in 1940, the mile-long road is now an underground test track.

Ganassi's cars - he runs IndyCar, NASCAR and Grand-Am operations - are run down the tunnel up to a set speed, then coast to a stop while the aerodynamic forces around the cars are carefully measured. There's also a turntable at each end so the cars can be sent along in either direction. We want one.

This video capturing the V8 rumble of what we assume was a NASCAR was taken by a walker wandering by the facility - hearing that sort of noise coming from beneath a quiet Pennsylvania is quite eerie.

You can also find out more about this cracking facility courtesy of a nice feature done by the fine chaps at Racecar Engineering magazine.

 

 

[Stew2000]

Definitely on my list of "When I'm a millionaire..."

[deevlash]

article said:

cost to a stop

dun speld it rong

Apart from that, cool!

[chris.mapey]

That's a new idea for CY88 - where's "Dave & the lamp on a stick" when you need him?

[RenesisEvo]

This is news? Sorry, I'm an avid fan of PH, but this is a major let-down - this appeared in an RCE publication whilst I was at university, which I left not far short of two years ago. Very old news indeed.

[Riggers]

doogz said:

deevlash said:

dun speld it rong

Apart from that, cool!

The whole sentence is a bit wonky.

Cool toy though.

Yes. Yes it is. Know launger wonkee...

[Riggers]

RenesisEvo said:

This is news? Sorry, I'm an avid fan of PH, but this is a major let-down - this appeared in an RCE publication whilst I was at university, which I left not far short of two years ago. Very old news indeed.

Not really news, just thought it was something of interest...

I'd not heard of it before and the RCE piece on the web is dated March 9th...ah well...

[CampDavid]

Riggers said:

RenesisEvo said:

This is news? Sorry, I'm an avid fan of PH, but this is a major let-down - this appeared in an RCE publication whilst I was at university, which I left not far short of two years ago. Very old news indeed.

Not really news, just thought it was something of interest...

I'd not heard of it before and the RCE piece on the web is dated March 9th...ah well...

Well it's news to me.

It's quite an interesting idea. A fairly cheap way to test if that wind tunnel data is properly calibrated.

[chazwozza]

Cool, unmistakeably a NASCAR V8 noise!

[louiebaby]

I would have thought as well as testing Aero, it could also be used to test rolling resistance as well. I would have thought translating the power to movement with the lowest losses would be very important for a race team.

[bishbash]

Redneck wind tunnel?

[Allyc85]

RenesisEvo said:

This is news? Sorry, I'm an avid fan of PH, but this is a major let-down - this appeared in an RCE publication whilst I was at university, which I left not far short of two years ago. Very old news indeed.

Oh yea, so everyone should know then

[HalfMoon]

Brings a whole new meaning to "Tunnel Run"

[Stew2000]

Took a while. but found it: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?t=h&hl=en-GB&amp...

[V8 GRF]

RenesisEvo said:

This is news? Sorry, I'm an avid fan of PH, but this is a major let-down - this appeared in an RCE publication whilst I was at university, which I left not far short of two years ago. Very old news indeed.

Does PH run adverts in 'Pedant weekly' now?

I've seen so many comments like this on posts these days, who cares if it's been seen somewhere else before it'll be news to someone.

[chevronb37]

I take a vague interest in motor sport and I've never heard of that before so thank you for sharing it with us, despite the cynics. Fascinating stuff and Ganassi aren't short of success in the big American championships...

[chazwozza]

Allyc85 said:

RenesisEvo said:

This is news? Sorry, I'm an avid fan of PH, but this is a major let-down - this appeared in an RCE publication whilst I was at university, which I left not far short of two years ago. Very old news indeed.

Oh yea, so everyone should know then

I tend just to read P/H so I don't really mind if the stories aren't hot off the press, most people probably just read the main news feed anyway...

[RenesisEvo]

Ok I wasn't quite expecting such a strong response... My aim was merely to provide a little constructive criticism. Perhaps badly worded on my part.

To be fair to Riggers, the article is dated for last week, and does go into a little more detail than the original piece.

EDIT: the irony of course is that my day job is racing car aerodynamics, and it is an interesting tool.

Edited by RenesisEvo on Friday 18th March 12:44

[fatboy69]

This was, i am sure, the subject of a previous PH thread along with a video taken from outside in which someone walks towards the tunnel & is then standing over the entrance from which cars can be heard blasting down the tunnel.

I think that the video is also posted somewhere on YouTube.

[Mr Gearchange]

Awesome video. You can get a real sense for what it's like to hurtle down a tunnel in a race car.

[dave stew]

Maybe they could use it to prove that old chestnut of whether an F1 car can drive upside down in a tunnel....

Oops - I've punctuated with four full stops, not three - the resident pedants will be pulling me up...