The rec.autos.sport FAQ Part 3 of 7 Single Seaters rasfaq@bath.ac.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This will be posted monthly to rec.autos.sport.info and to news.answers. It answers some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) in rec.autos.sport as well as some others which perhaps _should_ be asked. The latest version of the rec.autos.sport FAQ should be available for anonymous ftp at mgu.bath.ac.uk (138.38.24.19) as file /pub/rec.autos.sport/ras0_1.1.faq. For information on FTP, send e-mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with with no subject line. In the body of the mail, put: send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources Whilst some care has been taken in the preparation of this FAQ, a few errors may have slipped through the Net (no pun intended). Please send any corrections or additions to rasfaq@bath.ac.uk. +++ Brief description of technical regulations for F1 The full text of the FIA technical and sporting regulations are availble for anonymous ftp from: ftp.metrics.com (198.133.162.1): ~/auto/f1/sporting.regs ~/auto/f1/technical.regs 1994 INDYCAR SPECIFICATIONS (The following information is largely - and in some cases solely - from the "IndyCar 1994 Media Guide") Chassis ~~~~~~~ The 1994 rules allow the cars to have a maximum length of 195 inches, with 190 inches being the required minimum. The maximum allowed width is 78.5 inches measured by projecting a line from the outside rim surface through the hub center. The maximum height of the car from the highest point to the lowest point is 32 inches. The maximum rear wing height is 32 inches at the superspeedways and 36 inches on short ovals and road courses. The cockpit must have a minimum opening of 30 inches by 14 3/4 inches. An unfueled car, complete with lubricants, coolants, tires, etc. must have a minimum weight of 1550 pounds. Aerodynamics ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Andy Brown from Galmer gave Racecar Engineering the following figures for the Galmer G92, the car which won the 1992 Indy 500. Downforce Drag L/D Cd Speed for measurements Short Oval 3460 lbs 1310 lbs 2.64 1.397 165 mph Street Circuit 3040 lbs 1070 lbs 2.84 1.141 165 mph Speedway 2835 lbs 972 lbs 2.92 0.669 220 mph Fuel consumption is higher on a street circuit such as Long Beach than on a short oval such as Phoenix: consequently the car has to be set up so that it pulls less drag. By way of comparison, in the days before cab roof fairings, a Cd figure of 1.0 was typical for a high-drag truck. These days trucks are down to the region of Cd = 0.6 The figures quoted for the 1991 Indy 500 winning Penske PC20 in speedway trim were 3010 lbs downforce at 220 mph with 1075 lbs drag (Load/Downforce, L/D, = 2.80) Brown commented: "I'm always a little cautious of comparing figures from different wind tunnels because experience has shown them all to vary slightly. The L/D figure is usually close though, and I'm pleased to see that ours is better than that quoted for the PC20. Provided we're both telling the truth, that is !" Note: The downforce is approximately double the weight of the car, so the car could drive upside-down with a suitable bit of road. Tires ~~~~~ IndyCar racing tires are Goodyear Racing Eagles, weighing 16-29 pounds, depending on whether they are rain or dry tires, and whether the tire is for the front or back of the car. The tires have a rim diameter of 15 inches and are either 10 inches wide (for the "undriven" tire) or 14 inches (for the "driven" tire). The cars are limited to two-wheel drive, with the choice of front or rear-wheel drive being optional. Teams are limited to 28 tires per event at short ovals and road courses, and 44 tires per event at 500 mile events. Engine ~~~~~~ Several types of engines are allowed: turbocharged, overhead camshaft eight-cylinder engines with a maximum displacement of 209 cu-inches; production-derived, single non-overhead camshaft turbocharged motors, with pushrod valve mechanisms and a maximum displacement of 209 cu-inches; without the turbocharger, stock blocks are allowed up to 355 cu-inches. Turbines were finally banned in the early 1970's. If you can get a diesel to run on methanol, diesels would still be a legal :-) Horsepower figures are difficult to ascertain, as these figures are kept closely guarded by teams but are typically 700 to 850 horsepower, depending on turbocharger settings. IndyCar tests have clocked cars accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds, and from 0 to 100 mph in 4.2 seconds. Engines are typically rebuilt after 400-500 miles of use. Fuel ~~~~ IndyCars are fueled by methanol, sometimes called wood alcohol. It is a non-fossil fuel produced commercially by hydrogen and carbon monoxide under pressure and is supplied to IndyCar by Valvoline. IndyCar chose methanol because of its high octane rating and because water is and extremely effective fire fighting agent - when mixed with ethanol, water will quickly dilute it to the point of non-flamability. One of the main dangers of methanol is that its flames can not be seen in daylight. Cars must have a minimum fuel efficiency of 1.8 miles per gallon and have a maximum fuel capacity of 40 gallons. So you want to race an Indy car - how much will it cost ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following information is quoted from the IndyCar Racing, Feb 93. These represents the startup cost of a team. Buses and transporters do not have to be bought every year. A chassis can be sold second hand at the end of the year. Engine rentals $2,250,000 Workshop Equipment: $130,000 Spare Parts: $1,350,000 Development parts: $125,000 Two chassis: $960,000 Workshop Expenses: $125,000 Payroll and taxes: $540,000 Travel & lodging: $110,000 Hospitality bus: $320,000 Insurance: $100,000 Transporter: $320,000 9 Sets of wheels $80,000 6 Test sessions $220,000 Entry fees: $25,000 Pit Equipment: $185,000 Freight: $25,000 Hospitality expense: $160,000 Uniforms: $25,000 Electronics & telemetry: $150,000 ======== TOTAL: $7,200,000 How does the F1 points system work? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first six finishers get 10, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively. Pole position and fastest laps get no extra points. All 16 races count towards the drivers and constructors championship. FOCA gives subsidised travel for the top ten teams. The exact value of this as well as the prize money for the teams is a closely-guarded secret. For the first half of the season, the teams are chosen by the previous year's constructors championship. From the ninth race onwards, the results from the last half of the previous season are combined with those from the first half of the current season. How does the IndyCar points system work? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finish Points Finish Points Finish Points Points 1 20 5 10 9 4 Pole position 1 2 16 6 8 10 3 Led most laps 1 3 14 7 6 11 2 4 12 8 5 12 1 The extra points for pole position and leading the most laps can both go to the same driver. For this reason you sometimes see a driver conquering 22 points, which means, he won the race (20), got the pole (1) and led for more laps (1). What are the IndyCar flag rules ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blue flag with the yellow stripe (stationary): displayed to slower cars indicating that a faster car is attempting to pass. It is NOT a move over command on road courses (not sure what it means on ovals). It is merely advisory, although drivers can be called in for not checking their mirrors. Yellow flag (stationary): displayed when there is a car stopped off line. it is also displayed at the flag station prior to waving yellows as a "backup". There is no passing allowed from the flag to the incident. Yellow flag (waving): displayed when there is great danger such as a car stopped on the line (or just about anywhere on the pavement at a natural terrain road course). Again, no passing until you pass the incident. Double stationary yellow: displayed on road courses indicating a full course caution. Yellow flag with red stripes (stationary) (aka surface flag, debris flag, hazard flag or oil flag): displayed when there is oil, water, debris, etc on the course. Anything that could create a hazard. Normally kept up for 1 lap until everyone has seen it, then it is dropped. Black flag (from designated black flag station and the bridge): displayed when they want the driver to report immediately to his/her pit. Reasons vary from rule infractions to a mechanical problem that requires immediate attention. If the black flag is displayed from all corner stations, the session/race is red flagged and immediately ends until the course condition that causes the red is cleared. White flag (waving from a corner station): displayed when a safety truck is between that station and the next station. White flag (stationary) is displayed at the station prior to the waving white. It is also displayed for 2 stations for a slow moving race vehicle. The white flag is waved from the bridge indicating last lap. Checkered flag: displayed at the end of the race. Green flag (from the bridge): starts or restarts a race. Green flag (from a corner station): displayed if its been waving yellow for more than a lap. Red flag: displayed only from the bridge to stop a session or a race. +++ Qualifying at Indy, other ovals and road courses Andretti vs Mansell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 1993, Michael Andretti was faced with an unfamiliar car which was reported to be tricky to drive. He did relatively little testing. He had little time to learn many of the circuits on the race weekends. Whether his lack of success was due to a combination of these factors or from a lack of talent has been debated at length. In 1993, Nigel Mansell was faced with an unfamiliar car which was well sorted. Apparently it was comparatively easy to drive on ovals, where Mansell was most successful. He was able to do a lot of test miles. He had little time to learn some of the circuits, and struggled at some of these. Whether his success was due to a combination of these factors or from his talent alone has also been debated at length. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The rec.autos.sport FAQ rasfaq@bath.ac.uk