Rising stars join Team Brock for enduro races - Page 2

silvervsix · 2 Sep 2003, 00:32 (Ref:705238)

Well what makes a good test track then ??? A track that has features common with other tracks or a track that is close to the workshop??

bathurst · 2 Sep 2003, 00:36 (Ref:705242)

Hope the cars are still at Phillip Isl in 2003. The 3 HRT teams should all have to test at the 1 track. They said they moved to Winton cause they had all the data they needed for Phillip Isl. Not.

Dirk · 2 Sep 2003, 00:42 (Ref:705247)

A good test track is one that offers good straights and a variety of corners. That is why a number of teams test at Winton, and Team Dynamik are happy with Mallala. You can't test much with you foot flat to the floor and the steering wheel straight.

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 00:49 (Ref:705251)

Well Eastern Creek is a good track for development because of the sweeping corners putting loads on suspension that dont tend to happen to the same extremes at other circuits in Australia.

Having said that, the surface is temperature dependent, and knocks grip levels around fairly badly. When its hot, cars are slow. So sometimes a blind alley gets found.

This also happens at Phillip Island.

Other circuits have their own problems...

Dirk · 2 Sep 2003, 01:02 (Ref:705257)

But they are all sweeping corners, if I were running a team I would pick Oran Park as the best test circuit in the country. Long straight, sweeping corner, stop go corners the whole package. The facilities are getting better too.

Why would you want to test your suspension if it is not a common occurance at other tracks, you got it @rse about GTR!

RaceTime · 2 Sep 2003, 01:19 (Ref:705268)

GTR - Eastern Creek a good test circuit? Sure - for running at Eastern Creek an Phillip Island - but not for emulating the lsower tracks such as Oran Park, Barbagallo and Winton.

A good test track should have a combination of high speed straights and corners, together with shorter/low speed straights and slow/stop-go corners.

Otherwise you end up getting one of the tracks that has the type of track missing during your testing and boy, are youin strife

Look at why F1 use so many different circuits to test at.

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 01:21 (Ref:705270)

The sweepers at Eastern Creek are the fastest in Australia. They are the perfect place to test things to measure improvements in mid-corner speed, which is useful at most other tracks in Australia.

As I said, it is the extreme in corner loadings.

Take a look at HRT's wheel problems at Eastern Creek. They hadnt tested there with the VY suspension configuration, which puts a different duration and location of load into the suspension, wheels, tyres etc etc that is useful elsewhere at lower levels, and were found wanting... went back to the drawing board trying to do better.

Oran Park is not a good test track because of the drivers' love of using the ripple kerbs, which impacts laptimes, and puts wear into the cars that doesnt happen at other places.

Take a look at the incar on Marcos' car at OP, the car rattled and bumped over the ripple kerbs quite badly. It certainly buggered up the rhythm of Speedy enough that he went home to save the embarassment

RaceTime · 2 Sep 2003, 01:25 (Ref:705273)

Two things from this - I thought the HRT wheel problems had already occured at earlier tracks - not quite as bad and not just with HRT. At least that was the impression the broadcast left me with.

Corner ripple strips - my personal opinion is that all ripple strips, corner extensions etc should be removed. It strikes me as odd that a race track (any track really) designs and builds a track with particular features and layouts.

As soon as the cars get there, they complain about this corner and that corner - the car goes off the apex of this corner, that corner needs to be a bit wider etc etc.

Sorry - but my belief is you race on the track AS PROVIDED not as the drivers want it.

And if this means you have to take a completely different line to the one the books says you should take, so be it - if it slows you down through a corner - tough!

But then maybe I am just being an old, cantenkerous, rigid old *******

silvervsix · 2 Sep 2003, 01:31 (Ref:705276)

Do you think we will every go back to the days where you could test at more then one track or does Qld need two test tracks before this could ever happen.

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 01:32 (Ref:705278)

No you do make sense. I have seen Konica cars test at Oran Park, and the driver wander in quite chuffed that he achieved a personal best time at the track, and that the team had found gains in the car, only to discover that the driver had changed lines to go over these manmade bumps.

There is something about Eastern Creek that puts a substantial load on a VY or indeed AU front ends. The question is one of the torque level used to tighten up the wheel nuts, it seems HRT has increased this at recent races to reduce the risk of the problem.

It was rumoured at one point that at the end of one race there with one of the 3 00 cars, that the unique harmonic vibrations on the circuit meant that the wheel nut could be undone by hand such was the success of the wobble....

Lots of things happen in the bowels of the sport that the public never get to see or hear about, other than in marketing speak....

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 01:36 (Ref:705281)

Quote:

Originally posted by silvervsix
Do you think we will every go back to the days where you could test at more then one track or does Qld need two test tracks before this could ever happen.

No, the simple answer is 4 hours every Friday of a race weekend. 2hrs in the am 2hrs in the pm. All timed by the circuit of the day. And with a set of brand spanker tyres per session as well!

Then there is no advantage for any team because they can test at the same track at the same time as everyone else and thats it.

And no **** about entering then withdrawing 2nd cars to get a tyrebank up!

The speed of the Jaguar in qualifying and race trim in F1 is much improved by the private testing session at the circuit on the Friday before the event, why not for Supercar?

And how stupid is it that Formula Ford can test on any track in Australia with any quantity of tyres a team can buy, while Supercar gets 8 days on shytty 2ndhand race rubber.....

Dirk · 2 Sep 2003, 01:40 (Ref:705284)

Just about every single circuit in australia have valulunga kerbs. A good driver should be able to take the same line every lap on a clear circuit. You can jump kerbs and gain speed on any circuit. So really what you just wrote is a large amount of dribble!

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 01:45 (Ref:705287)

Dirk, mate... did you watch Oran Park?

Did you see the SBR #4 Falcon hit the kerbs lap after lap after lap.

To set the lap record while banging over kerbs for 111 laps.

Did you see that? its the fast way around Oran park, and has been for at least the last 15 years.

Dirk · 2 Sep 2003, 01:49 (Ref:705292)

But for testing purposes, you would not use the kerbs and you would be able to get comparitive lap times that way. Take the blinkers of "mate"

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 02:00 (Ref:705294)

Why would you test what you are not going to race? :confused:

Dirk · 2 Sep 2003, 03:39 (Ref:705316)

Exactly, I lead you straight into that didn't I! Why would you test long fast sweeping corners for 2 races a year?

spook · 2 Sep 2003, 03:43 (Ref:705317)

You may notice that kerb hopping does not happen at QR, unlike most other circuits. Have a look at the apex kerb profiles Dirk, they are not vellalunga, you will find that type at the corner exits only. If the other circuits adopted the same profile it would mean an end to the kerb hopping problem.

Interesting that the Stone Brothers get good data and results from testing at QR. Maybe the combinations there are varied enough to translate to other circuits. But where are the rest of the Ford Teams that test there. Looks to me like the engineering and drivers are just as important as the testing circuit. You need them all to get it together.

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 03:52 (Ref:705322)

Must be that 7 post shaker rig

spook · 2 Sep 2003, 04:09 (Ref:705326)

So the secret is out then.

How long before all the teams get one each and track testing is totally banned as a "cost saving exercise" to pay for the rigs - they are not cheap.

Is testing then only required for drivers to "get their eye in" & bed brakes?

RaceTime · 2 Sep 2003, 04:25 (Ref:705331)

Nope - would just be needed to ensure the 'New Excitement Evacuation Drainage System' or NEEDS is fully functional so that when a new driver goes flat chat over Skyline for the first time and yells 'But V8 Supercar Driver isn't like this!!!!!!!!' - it manages to clean the car ready for the co-driver....

Mattracer · 2 Sep 2003, 21:54 (Ref:706174)

Actually, the often-maligned QR provides a variety of corners and two, maybe three good straights. The only drawbacks are that all but two cornes ar right-handers and the circuit is temp sensitive throughout the day.

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 21:59 (Ref:706181)

And that it is very easy to lock wheels with the odd camber changes, and has caught out a number of less experienced drivers....

The Tool Man · 2 Sep 2003, 22:12 (Ref:706205)

and some of the more experienced drivers as well.

Mattracer · 2 Sep 2003, 22:15 (Ref:706207)

There are certainly a few bumps in braking areas that could do with some attention. The wildest camber changes I've seen would be Oran wouldn't you say?

**GTRMagic** · 2 Sep 2003, 23:55 (Ref:706277)

I would agree about Oran Park, but that circuit seems more like a rollercoaster ride than a motor racing circuit

Considering they have been using the kerbs and whatever at Oran pretty much forever, would it not make sense to actually bitumen these bits??

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