RE: McMurty Automotive targets Goodwood hill record

[RB Will]

J4CKO said:

I wonder how it would manage on the TT course ? I cant imagine any bike getting anywhere near that with its patented "st to a blanket" technology.

Slinks back to a place of safety.....

I think this was the first TT year we didn’t have the traditional argument thread

[williamp]

tight fart said:

That would make a good road sweeper, or how about selling a couple to Spa to dry the track out?

Thats a good idea. Imagine if as the f1 pace car...fast enough to keep the warmth in the f1 cars tyres, with the ability to create a dry racing line within a lap or two..

..not sure they habe the budget for the sponsorship, of course..

[Kiwi G]

You all know I needs to run on a certain toll road in Germany that shall not be named. Could it just maybe beat the impossibly rapid 919.

[Pommy]

Max Chilton was on the Seen Through Glass podcast and mentioned this and said it was something like only a few seconds slower round Silverstone than a newish F1 car.

Bonkers

[Silver Smudger]

samoht said:

Looks like it was recorded at 25 fps and played back at 50 !

Also looks like Max left a good six inches to the wall near the top, quite correctly given the consequences all-around of a mishap, but seems that's not even the absolute limit.

That reaction from the marshal on the right of the start line speaks volumes!

[b0rk]

The Hypno-Toad said:

The interesting thing is will it now lead to a spate of cars being specially built to run up the hill? I can see a number of race teams and the small high end, limited production car companies thinking that might be a very good way to get some excellent publicity. Trouble is it might end up like when the teams were building soap boxes to come down the hill....

I’m not so sure it’ll lead a load of made for the hill specials as the plan McMurtry have is to eventually produce a road legal Spéirling with the fan. The car running now is supposed to a prototype of that vision. I’d suspect the next jumping off point is some form of single mark race series.

Every year Lord March allows a whole variety of manufacturer developed prototypes to run up the hill, either because of the manufacturer or because they’re interesting. A load of identikit “cars” from small volume manufacturers or race teams all built for the hill are not IMHO going to pass the interesting test to be invited to run.

[48k]

georgefreeman918 said:

48k said:

the tribester said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Ok, I take it back, Chilton just did a 39.140 just now. That's an unofficial record.

I apologise.

And although he is the development driver for the project, that was his first drive up the drive in it.

No it wasn't. He's had a run every day. Managed a 41.2 on Friday, saying he backed off when he came under the bridge and saw people drinking champagne the other side of the straw bales.

I watched the run in awe at the speed of thing. Visibly it was noticeably so much quicker than anything else.

However, it did have me thinking that a mechanical problem, or a slight driver mistake could cause a massive accident - not only for the driver, but the crowd.

I’ve never been to Goodwood but on the screen, it looks like very little run off (mostly grass so a car out of control is unlikely to slow at all even if dry), the barriers are hay bales and the crowds of people are stood very close to the edge of the track.

Perhaps I’m being a party pooper and that’s the whole point of Goodwood, to get up close and personal with the cars. Fine on a ‘safe’ parade lap, but when pushing the limits of a car feels wrong to me.

If I ever do go, I won’t be standing on the outside of the corner after the highest speed section!

It's a fair comment. Ironically the deaths there have happened on a straight section (Lotus type 63 spearing in to the finishing gantry killing the driver and a marshal) and after the end of the course (motorbike having a tank slapper throwing the rider into the trees) which are both freak accidents, but like you I'm not sure I'd want to be stood on the outside of the exit of a corner when they are doing high speed runs.

[Sway]

georgefreeman918 said:

I watched the run in awe at the speed of thing. Visibly it was noticeably so much quicker than anything else.

However, it did have me thinking that a mechanical problem, or a slight driver mistake could cause a massive accident - not only for the driver, but the crowd.

I’ve never been to Goodwood but on the screen, it looks like very little run off (mostly grass so a car out of control is unlikely to slow at all even if dry), the barriers are hay bales and the crowds of people are stood very close to the edge of the track.

Perhaps I’m being a party pooper and that’s the whole point of Goodwood, to get up close and personal with the cars. Fine on a ‘safe’ parade lap, but when pushing the limits of a car feels wrong to me.

If I ever do go, I won’t be standing on the outside of the corner after the highest speed section!

It's somewhat deceptive. Where there are high speed corners, there is invariably a series of rows of rather large bales, plus some crowd distancing. It's really quite difficult to get close to the outside of a corner except by the very start of the run when cars are doing much lower speeds.

https://youtu.be/P9Qah2MRxnI perhaps gives a better indication.

[ajprice]

The first (only?) crash this year was yesterday when an AMG GT went off at the first corner. It was burnouts off the line and wiggling but it can still get a decent speed to the first corner, and there was a grass runoff and several rows of hay bales outside the corner that the AMG barely moved. Driver and passenger were fine.



Chris Hoy had his off in a GT-R a few years ago too, different part of the track, high speed, the hay bales did their job and the crowd were still a distance away.

[48k]

ajprice said:

The first (only?) crash this year was yesterday

There were a few this year, but relatively minor and the straw bales did their stuff. I still wouldn't want to stand on the outside of a corner though. For example - the Lancia losing a wheel - not sure if that was a strut failure or wheelnut issue but if that had happened on a corner rather than a straight you wouldn't want to have that launching over the bales at you.

[Sway]

48k said:

ajprice said:

The first (only?) crash this year was yesterday

There were a few this year, but relatively minor and the straw bales did their stuff. I still wouldn't want to stand on the outside of a corner though. For example - the Lancia losing a wheel - not sure if that was a strut failure or wheelnut issue but if that had happened on a corner rather than a straight you wouldn't want to have that launching over the bales at you.

You can't stand on the outside of corners... They're not daft.

[48k]

Sway said:

48k said:

ajprice said:

The first (only?) crash this year was yesterday

There were a few this year, but relatively minor and the straw bales did their stuff. I still wouldn't want to stand on the outside of a corner though. For example - the Lancia losing a wheel - not sure if that was a strut failure or wheelnut issue but if that had happened on a corner rather than a straight you wouldn't want to have that launching over the bales at you.

You can't stand on the outside of corners... They're not daft.

Of course you can. Pretty much every corner on the lower section has crowd behind the bales.

[J4CKO]

ajprice said:

The first (only?) crash this year was yesterday when an AMG GT went off at the first corner. It was burnouts off the line and wiggling but it can still get a decent speed to the first corner, and there was a grass runoff and several rows of hay bales outside the corner that the AMG barely moved. Driver and passenger were fine.



Chris Hoy had his off in a GT-R a few years ago too, different part of the track, high speed, the hay bales did their job and the crowd were still a distance away.

Its all very well having the bales, but when there is that much kinetic energy, not every accident will involve the car hitting one whilst on all four wheels and it dissipating that energy quickly and safely.

Its if a car goes sideways and digs in and gets launched skyward, then goes over the hay bales.

Its a fine line between providing a spectacle, excitement and nannying it to death.

I remember going to air shows and did used to feel it was a bit sketchy, and time and again there have been accidents, same with motorsport over the years.

With things getting as fast at the McMurtry was, it does seem to be getting a bit too serious for an event that isnt on a purpose built track.

Maybe the timed runs should be on a closed course the day after or something, just have demonstration runs when the crowds are there ? Dont want to ever read of a car leaving the course and ploughing into the crowd. Still a risk for the driver but they choose that career.

[Sway]

48k said:

Sway said:

48k said:

ajprice said:

The first (only?) crash this year was yesterday

There were a few this year, but relatively minor and the straw bales did their stuff. I still wouldn't want to stand on the outside of a corner though. For example - the Lancia losing a wheel - not sure if that was a strut failure or wheelnut issue but if that had happened on a corner rather than a straight you wouldn't want to have that launching over the bales at you.

You can't stand on the outside of corners... They're not daft.

Of course you can. Pretty much every corner on the lower section has crowd behind the bales.

The lower section before the House is pretty slow in the grand scheme of things. There's only really the one double right hander before going down the straight past the House. Only thing likely to happen there is going straight on into the bales, which stop you pretty damned quickly. Between the first and second apices you're not putting in meaningful accelerations as that second apex is tough.

The high speed sections are incredibly well protected. They've been running this for years now, and are very aware of the potential issues and loss of the event entirely if something catastrophic were to happen. That'd significantly impact the fortunes of the whole Goodwood Estate - so have some very capable people designing the barriers even if they look insubstantial.



It's nothing like the early years. Then, it really was a bit wild west.

[swisstoni]

As a child of a certain era, seeing its grey, stubby shape flying along, I had flashbacks to this …

[anonymous-user]

Kiwi G said:

You all know I needs to run on a certain toll road in Germany that shall not be named. Could it just maybe beat the impossibly rapid 919.

unlikely, because the N'ring is a high average speed course (149mph average speed!!) so conventional aero works just fine

[J4CKO]

Max_Torque said:

Kiwi G said:

You all know I needs to run on a certain toll road in Germany that shall not be named. Could it just maybe beat the impossibly rapid 919.

unlikely, because the N'ring is a high average speed course (149mph average speed!!) so conventional aero works just fine

Hmm, is there any scope for adjusting the level of downforce so it activates in the corners fully and perhaps reduces on straights ? Conventional aero works but being stuck down to the corners, surely that would enable a higher speed, 5.19 in the Porsche 919 Evo, wonder if it could beat that ?

And, could they stick the motors to blow ? for example to provide propulsion or additional braking or are the motors set to suck and need time to spin up ? Probably not practical and wouldn't make much difference, think its Teslas cold air thrusters making me think of that.

[RB Will]

Listening to it at the start line it took about 5 seconds for the fans to spool up, sounded like a jet winding up so would guess any thoughts of varying the speed or direction of the fans by corner / straight is out the window.

Only think I can think with my rudimentary knowledge would be a drs flap sort of jobbie that shuts off the vents on the bottom partially

[ajprice]

RB Will said:

Listening to it at the start line it took about 5 seconds for the fans to spool up, sounded like a jet winding up so would guess any thoughts of varying the speed or direction of the fans by corner / straight is out the window.

Only think I can think with my rudimentary knowledge would be a drs flap sort of jobbie that shuts off the vents on the bottom partially

Some system like the opposite of a Harrier VTOL Jet, so instead of a jet engine with directional exhausts for movement, a single fan with directional or controllable intakes / flaps for variable suck.
(This is probably nonsense )

[ajprice]

Evo article with some tech info on the car https://www.evo.co.uk/electric-cars/204919/mcmurtr...