wasn't that caused by Audi's refusal to equip the car with tire pressure monitors, and a flat tire that would have been seen with them? Very sad either way.
The prototype flips are different as they are built to a separate set of technical regulations.
However, it seems like the LMP flips have been cured, and the R8 was used in 05 and I imagine it is still legal. Has there been some form of rule change?
Last time I had looked into it, they did not know what caused the flip. Thanks for info, though. Sad indeed
The same aerodynamic principles that caused to the CLR and 911 GT1 flips applied to the BMW LMR flip as well. The BMW and 911 flips were virtually identical in nature, the CLR, of course, was much more dramatic because of the greatly higher speed. The exact same things caused all 5 flips, though.
Yes actually, there has been a rules change. The rear diffuser is shorter, rear overhang shorter, front overhang longer and front diffuser longer. This is to try to move the centre of downforce further forward to avoid backflips. In addition, when seen from the front or back (in a cross section) the floor between the front and rear wheels has a chamfer. That was done to reduce theffect of a crude aerofoil shape of the car when travelling sideways to prevent the cars taking off when in a high speed slide (happens all the time in NASCAR Races at the big tracks. You'll see a car slide sideways at high speed and then it just takes off).
I believe these rules were added for the 05 season, and all new chassis had to meet them. Older chassis were allowed to compete for one more year. "Hybrid" rules were also made for older chassis which were modified to meet the new rules. As of the start of the 2007 season, the Hyrbird chassis are now illegal for ACO competition (LMES and LeMans). However, they are still legal in the ALMS. (An effort to get more cars into the series)
Actually, the rule is AC or a 15kg lump of lead. The closed cars must have the AC, others can choose. 1 or 2 open car teams choose to fit un-needed AC systems as they are lighter than 15kg or something like that.
Rumour has it that Audi got the 15kg weight addition added to the rules because they couldn't get their deiesel behemoth down to 900kg. Crafty buggers! lol
Anybody else find Air Restrictors to be a huge step backwards?
Make the cars use smaller fuel injectors and let the cars evolve that way (allow the engineering and technology to be applicable to road cars improving performance with less fuel)
Saying you can only have so much air is just dumb.
Petroleum based fuel - non renewable
Air - everywhere
I've never actually thought about that myself. Good idea, though.
However... couldn't then the engineers just use a stronger fuel pump? They'd just shove the fuel through the smaller hole faster to get the same amount of fuel
In that case, they'd just make a bigger hole :P lol They'd have to limit both flow rate and size to keep teams from reading around the rules. Even then, Audi would find a way to bend them... they always do :P
Exactly my point. Limit the fuel rate, so the engineering will create a more efficient fuel system, that will trickle down so my Civic can get 40mpg and have 250hp.
I'd love to see those two types of body styles in LFS for our Prototype class. I think having two styles like those would be the best bet. Could run them on the same track at the same time. I am just smiling thinking about (Wishing really hard)
Agree 2 body styles would be great, but the Bentley was really Just an Audi with a closed roof, nothing more. Maybe one with a NA V12, and one with a Rotary, or a Turbo Flat 6 would be cool.
The problem with that is everyone likes different things. We could have 5 different concepts and still not get what everyone wants incorporated in some way.
For what it's worth, though, I want it to be a closed cockpit car, side exhaust and LHD.