Hybrid Questions?

[Tim Northcutt]

but it does look like it is about that distance....Pesca's is a lot less...a lot...

I think endplates (with excpetion of Lister) are going to turn out like the R&S endplates next year...

They certainly imporve the airflow over and under the wing, and they alleviate the turbulence caused byt the small endplates without them....

[paul-collins]

A bit OT, but go read the ACO rules - are these endplate extensions required on new cars?

[JAG]

Originally posted by paul-collins
A bit OT, but go read the ACO rules - are these endplate extensions required on new cars?

I've not read the regs, but an ACO spokesman said a while back that endplate extensions like on the Audi would be a requirement on 2004 spec cars.

Audi argued that as well as improving performance they also increased the stabilitiy of the car and would reduce the risk of a side on flip as happened to Alboretos car in testing.

Also is it now confirmed that new 2004 spec LMP1s will have 180cm rear wings, not 200cm as stated at the begining of the '2004 regs released thread'.

If I'm not mistaken Pescarolo ran his car with an interim 2004 spec rear wing in testing for evaluation purposes. He was considering running it in 2003. If he was prepared to run this wing is it really such a disadvantage compared to the 'old' rear wings, with development and fine tuning of course.

Finally with regard to AMT discussing the requirments of a new tub for Hybrid cars. Was this discussion not about converting an old car to 'full' 2004 spec., at a time when hybrid cars were not on the agenda, just granfathered cars? I seem to remember the discusion was about 2004 cockpit regs which were very differnt to the 2003 spec cars and would require a new tub. However the ACO have now said this requirement is not needed in Hybrid cars.

[Fieldgate]

Reg's for 'old' cars (ie '04 for 900, 675, GTP's) does not mention a "must" for endplates. However, it does say they "may touch the bodywork but must not transfer any load to it" (3.6.4c.7).

With umpteen kilo's of downforce acting on a wing, I'd be interested to see how they regulate against that one....my simple mind says maybe this would implicitly outlaw endplates, but maybe I'm reading too literally ?

Interested to hear a designer's viewpoint.