Audi LMP1 Discussion

[gustavobamba]

Welcome Nigel :-)

[MyNameIsNigel]

Thanks for the welcoming words and sorry for the typos ... Just in case, the intended introductory words in my first post were supposed to be "I have been browsing through this forum for a while now...". Still do not know why I ended up with what I have typed...

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by MyNameIsNigel

Thanks for the welcoming words and sorry for the typos ... Just in case, the intended introductory words in my first post were supposed to be "I have been browsing through this forum for a while now...". Still do not know why I ended up with what I have typed...

I that's the worst thing you do here you'll fit in just fine. Welcome. I think a lot of us just browsed for a year or two before joining.

[CTD]

Welcome to Nigel!
We have probably already discussed subjects on Mike's FB site (My name is Mathias Brix)

[Livininthinair]

Some kind of proximity sensor would be a great addition to LMP1 cars due to the close encounters of the last few years... but why wouldn't someone just come out and say so, its not really a performance enhancing device (like a blown floor would be) and not really a secret. If it is a proximity sensor all LMP1 cars should grab ahold of that idea - spend a little, save A LOT.

I'm out - have a great weekend everybody!

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Livininthinair

Some kind of proximity sensor would be a great addition to LMP1 cars due to the close encounters of the last few years... but why wouldn't someone just come out and say so, its not really a performance enhancing device (like a blown floor would be) and not really a secret. If it is a proximity sensor all LMP1 cars should grab ahold of that idea - spend a little, save A LOT.

I'm out - have a great weekend everybody!

I think the 458 drivers need it as much as LMP's.

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by TF110

I think the 458 drivers need it as much as LMP's.

The reason that makes 458 involved in so many accidents with LMP is that there are so many of them, compared to any other GTE. If you dissect every accident, you'll see that visibility was an issue as much as twice in 2 years. One of those times was with Rockefeller blinding the **** out of the GTE driver who just decided to stick to his line in that situation; the other was a genuine error by an AM-driver who seriously miscalculated the rate at which Davidson approached, and simply didn't look when he should have (as opposed couldn't see). Pretty much all the other accidents were due to LMP1 drivers miscalculating their approach speed, or not accounting for basic physical inability of a GT car to give up its line in certain situations.

I'm not at all sure it's just about LMP coupe visibility though. 2011 season was ridden with Audis barging into GTE cars, it was all attributed to them having a roof. But the whole thing started at Sebring when an R15+/- ploughed into GT cars under breaking at least on two occasions.

What I'm saying is that sensors are good for obtaining additional information. But some drivers sometimes struggle to even make use of what's in front of their eyes (e.g. Le Mans 2012, 2 accidents almost running into the back of GTE cars entering the 1st chicane, an another similarly silly accident by Nishy at the Porsche curves).

[TF110]

Some GTEs have poor rear visibility because of the firewall behind them. The Ferrari is one of them.

[Pandamasque]

So does the Vette, had it since the C5-R days. But they all have rear view cameras now. When I think how restrictive modern helmets with HANS devices are in terms of sideways visibility, I'd say that firewall argument is completely irrelevant.

[TF110]

Why're you arguing with me? The firewall is a problem in GTE's like I said. No one implied it was the only visibility issue.

[MyNameIsNigel]

Originally Posted by CTD

Welcome to Nigel!
We have probably already discussed subjects on Mike's FB site (My name is Mathias Brix)

Indeed. It's a small world I guess. And you might have noticed that "Nigel" is just a nickname

Originally Posted by Livininthinair

Some kind of proximity sensor would be a great addition to LMP1 cars due to the close encounters of the last few years... but why wouldn't someone just come out and say so, its not really a performance enhancing device (like a blown floor would be) and not really a secret. If it is a proximity sensor all LMP1 cars should grab ahold of that idea - spend a little, save A LOT.

I fully agree. This is an area where the FIA-ACO could also have a closer look in addition to the visibility improvements of closed-cockpit cars that are being contemplated for 2014.

[FstrthnU]

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...udis_audi_r20/

Well guys, what do you think of this Audi R20 render? I thought Audi was kidding when they said they are going to make it look like the R18! Apparently they're even going to keep the BHF! Overall, I like the core design but the fenders+headlights look very weird to me.

[MyNameIsNigel]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...udis_audi_r20/

Well guys, what do you think of this Audi R20 render? I thought Audi was kidding when they said they are going to make it look like the R18! Apparently they're even going to keep the BHF! Overall, I like the core design but the fenders+headlights look very weird to me.

Well... I would hope that this Audi R20 render will never see the light... Simply awful, weird, and... not Audi...

[wewantourdarbyback]

Why did the person who made that... thing... give it a Porsche Boxster/Carrera GT rear end?

[CyberMotor]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...udis_audi_r20/

Well guys, what do you think of this Audi R20 render? I thought Audi was kidding when they said they are going to make it look like the R18! Apparently they're even going to keep the BHF! Overall, I like the core design but the fenders+headlights look very weird to me.

I think that looks just beautiful. I like the windshield/screen. Looks like they solve the visibility problem, at least in the rendering.

[TF110]

If they ever make something like that, they should use it a basis for a race car- sort of like the Mercedes CLK-GTR/ Porsche 911 GT1.

[gwyllion]

AFAIK there is no production based racing series where this type of car is currently allowed: diesel, hybrid, 4WD, etc.

[TF110]

Never said there was. I said if they make something like that they should use it as a base for a race car. In other words, push for it to be used in a racing series (Grand Am DP springs to mind).

[TF110]

Looks like Audi will bring more than just the E-Tron to Sebring.

http://endurance-info.com/version2/a...nce-15916.html

[chernaudi]

Mike has hinted that Audi and Toyota have been running hydraulic power steering on the R18 and TS030 in a piece he wrote about the wide tire ARX-03 LMP1 car and it's use of EPS. I'm pretty sure that (unless it changed recently) that Audi have run EPS on the R18 from the start, and it's not really known if TMG are running either EPS or HPS on the TS030.

[gwyllion]

Mike is mistaken. The R18 has always had electrical power steering:

Steering: Electrical assisted rack and pinion steering

source: http://www.joest-racing.de/en/index....e-tron-quattro

[chernaudi]

I had always though that Audi stick with EPS, because there was a big deal at LM in '09 about how the R15 had issues with the power steering, and Audi's solution was just to up the juice to the system to deal first with the increased downforce, and then with the wider tires that the R15 then ran in private testing when it was used for R18 R&D work.

However, the HPD EPS is a "brushless" system, but I don't know if there's significant differences between the Audi and HPD systems aside possibly from manufacturer--or, maybe, HPD have adopted a variant of the Audi system.

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

However, the HPD EPS is a "brushless" system, but I don't know if there's significant differences between the Audi and HPD systems aside possibly from manufacturer--or, maybe, HPD have adopted a variant of the Audi system.

If I am not mistaken, the Kayaba electric power steering solution also uses a brushless motor. A number of LMP constructors, including Lola, Oak, Pescarolo, uses the Kayaba system.

BTW the Acura ARX-01 also used the Kayaba system.

[chernaudi]

If that's right, than it's just an issue of a manufacturer change. HPD is reportedly using an AIM system for LMP1 variant of the ARX-03, while Audi and Lola--the other main wide tire LMP1s that use EPS (TMG use a F1 derived HPS system)--use the KYB system, which itself if I'm not mistaken has been around for a while in one form or another. The Audi R10 and R15 used the KYB EPS, as did the Bentley Speed 8, and so probably did the R8, and quite probably about every other LMP1 that ran EPS used some variant of the KYB EPS, though Lola on the B160 (EX257) and maybe the Panoz LMP1 Roadster did attempt to use HPS systems--I remember the tales of the unreliability of such systems before they were abandoned on those particular cars.

[gwyllion]

In case people were wondering, Bonanomi is still with Audi:

The FIA WEC Endurance World Champions Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) just like Oliver Jarvis (GB), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) have known the winter camp for many years. Loïc Duval (F) is there for the second time, Marc Gené (E) and Lucas di Grassi (BR) are in Ofterschwang for the first time. Marco Bonanomi (I), the reserve driver for the WEC rounds at Spa and Le Mans this year, is part of the squad as well.

source: https://www.audi-motorsport.info/v2/...single/id/6838

The fact that Bonanomi is mentioned as reserve driver for Spa, indicates that Audi will enter 3 car in Spa as well.

The group pictures of all the Audi Sport drivers for 2013 can be found at http://www.endurance-info.com/versio..._Camp_Audi.jpg