Team Nasamax & 2004

[Tim Northcutt]

In the "Which 2004 Series -- ALMS or LMES" thread, someone said that Team Nasamax will probably run LMES next year....

Here are some thoughts for Team Nasamax to consider....

Your Cosworth engine is basically the CART Ford-Cosworth engine...

No matter which series you run, this should be your approach to 2004:

Continue the "Long-Distance" development of the engine for Sebring, Le Mans and Petit LM races for the long haul...because there is a lot of development to be done...Buy another Reynard chassis as a "Test Mule" and use it for just that testing on courses like VIR, Road America, to continue that effort...

But for Every other Series race:

Run the engine at or near CART Specs to be competitive, becuase you have over a decade of data from road racing in CART, plus some 500-milers on ovals to work with as a baseline...

Restrictors would have to be figured into the equation, of course, but the ACO settings for turbo boost for a 2.54L engine are very similar to CART's settings already..

And the Series Choice should be a No-Brainer -- ALMS

Nearly all of the races are shorter in distance with the 2 hr. 45 min. time limit, so the reliability issue would not be as big of a factor...

You also would have a decade of data from CART teams for gearing, engine tuning, etc, for courses where CART races like Laguna Seca and Road America, that are also on the ALMS schedule, and if the ALMS does ever make the Mexcio race that was cancelled in April happen in the future, you'll have CART data from that track as well......

For places like Trois Rivieres and Miami, CART teams have tons of gear box and engine data from the many street circuits that they run every year to use as baseline....

You won't have to reinvent the wheel for 620 mi. races on road courses, a distance that the engine hasn't really run as of yet without major problems....and the 500 miler data on ovals is not an accurate guage due to the running more at a constant rpm range for virtually all of the race as opposed to the full spectrum that the engine would face over that same distance on a road course...

Just because you have the "Green Machine" gimmick, you'll probably get invites to LM anyway, but if you don't start showing some results as a competitor, the act could wear thin with the invite committee...

The nature of the ALMS season and the CART data factors would make this approach a more likely arena to see some racing success, which in turn will help you with your sponsors and your $$$ to develop the "Big Picture" item...the endurance side of the equation for Le Mans and/or the other two long distance classics...

Now...what are everyone's thoughts on this lengthy analysis???

[Tim Northcutt]

Sorry...the engine is a 2.65L engine...I mistyped it on that row of numbers...

[paul-collins]

The only difference between ALMS and CART for Cosworth would be the refuelling - refiring. The Reynard showed it had heat problems at Le Mans; likely the same problems would crop up at ALMS events.

Personally, I think they should be talking to Lola, if you're going to exploit the CART connection. 2004 spec, anyone?

[gttouring]

Right on with the advice- the chassis however should be a covered up champcar-why not? then they can take all he infor from the teams and really get some mileage for their money. if they run 750bhp at 12,000 rpm as a champ car then they should be in no trouble getting the fastest times and a win now and again. even if it is 700 hp Michel Jourdain's engine ran every practice, and race through europe and won the milwaukee miler without a rebuild or explosion why is NASAMAX having trouble with their reliablitity (and what is NasaMax stand for anyway?)

[JAG]

But Nasamax is a UK team, who will want to race in Europe, plus Sebring and probably PLM.

This year was only a small step in the water effort, with 2004 onwards the goal to be competitive.

Also bere in mind in 2004 the ACO will be changing the engine regs for Diesal and alternative powered cars (fuel tank size/restrictor size/engine size etc.) giving the Nasamax a big boost in its quest to be competitive.

I don't think the Champ Car link will have much bearing on the set-up etc of the car in the ALMS.

Also, I'm not sure about the details, but the alternative fuel the Nasamax runs could be applied to any engine.

[Tim Northcutt]

You make good points, JAG, but my whole premise is based on not having to reinvent the wheel, which is exactly what they are doing now...

Team Nasamax and Cosworth spent a lot of time in California trying to straighten out the whole power band issue on that engine, plus electrical...

They may be based in the UK, and want to race in Europe, but I don't think their prospects for success are nearly as good over there as they would be here by running the shorter races in ALMS....

In LMES, they will either not last the full 1000km distances at the speeds they'll need if they run CART specs, or they will continue as they are going now and be a slow backmarker and get their butts kicked in that series...which will not get them points for an automatic bid, and may ultimately cost them runs at Le Mans...

Concerning covering up a CART chassis...if it could be done and still meet the ACO regs (you lose all front wings, the undertrays are different, etc.) maybe...but you already have a chassis that you at least started with...at leas you're not changing the aero geometry of an open wheeler to meet ACO regs and possibly creating a whole new set of issues and problems to sort out...

If Lola would a chassis for Nasamax, fine, but again, you're reinventing the wheel to a degree....

This team is way behind the curve right now as it is, without tossing more development issues into the mix for the chassis as well as the engine...

[JAG]

Nobody said it would be easy. If Nasamax were not pioneering this technology, they would not be racing full stop.

[Tim Northcutt]

Here's my solution that lets Nasamax possibly accomplish this:

Since CART will probably change their engine formulas to V-10s for 2005, and thee are various teams in that series that are being propped up by CART, when CART just won't have the $$$ to continue the subsidies....

Nasamax works a co-op deal with a CART team that will not be able to continue in that series....that CART team provides its North American shops, manpower, etc., sponsors on-board, etc., as its side of the co-op and Nasamax administers the operation....this shop runs the ALMS side of the operation under the guidance and supervision of Nasamax while they use their UK operation to develop and test the endurance package needed for Le Mans, Sebring, PLM, etc....

You would have engines, assets, mechanics and a crew that is familiar with the engines and with some of the circuits they would run in ALMS, plus their years of engine data, test notes, etc., to work from...

They stay in racing (a cheaper form of racing than CART) in partnership with Nasamax and they work a deal to share proceeds, profits or whatever....

It would be a cheaper, easier way to run over here in ALMS without a huge expenditure of $$$, and quite frankly, would provide greater prospects for success than they will have over in Europe...plus it will buy them time to develop the endurance application of the engine while their "partner" and their drivers will be racing to keep the sponsors visible and happy and they will be accruing points toward the automatic bid for LM....

Trust me...there will be CART operations available at the end of the year....or there are people who have dropped out, but still have many of their assets that just can't get over the hump to mount a campaign for next year...

Your thoughts????

[paul-collins]

Getting back to the chassis:

My understanding was that the rear suspension and motor layout were from a Champcar, and that it was essentially bolted on to the 2kQ tub. I guess the solutions between the chassis were similar...

Would Lola have crossover between their current Champcar chassis and, say, the B2K/10? That is, is it likely that they've come to similar engineering solutions to attaching the motor (assuming the B2K has a stressed engine) and rear suspension?

[Tim Northcutt]

That could be....

This may be a possible route for them to go.....

[Tim Northcutt]

One other note:

Taking a CART chassis would not work because of the need for the "two seater" spot next to the cockpit, and changing that chassis as a whole would goof up the geometry....

If Lola was going to get involved, they could use elements from the champcar program like you have described above, but would still have to apply that to the B2k/10 or something designed to 2004 specs...