Stay On Track: Broken Aero
Again I have to thank Gordon Kirby, who regularly gets the best interviews in the business. The following is an excerpt from his article dated 2/22/10, as Ben Bowlby discusses the Delta Wing and the concepts behind (and underneath) it:
"We wanted to create a car that would run in its own wake with minimal loss of downforce," Bowlby comments. "Here at Ganassi, we've done tons of work on the problem of running in traffic, particularly on the ovals because we can do almost nothing to help ourselves on the road tracks. But we've worked pretty hard on the ovals and learned a lot about the influence of the wing on the underbody and their interaction.
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"We realized we had to get rid of the front wings because they were far too sensitive in terms of angle of attack and interaction with the underbody. That interaction between the wings and underbody is such a big part of the reasons why it's so hard to overtake when you're in the turbulence from cars in front and behind."
Regardless of my opinion on Bowlby's concept vehicle, I think the guy is vastly experienced and unquestionably brilliant. His job at Ganassi has included aerodynamic research to tune their IndyCars, and Nascar CoT's, in wind tunnels and through studies at their straight line test tunnel. The guy knows tunnels.
If you're playing along at home, you may see the same thing in Bowlby's statement that I do. The problem identified is wake turbulence. The solution he selected is removing the front wings, and in Delta's case designing a large central tunnel which is rearward and beneath the center of gravity of his vehicle.
Although Lola and Swift renderings display front wings, the aero philosophy is similar. Lola will also use a large central tunnel and blockers to alter the downforce levels it generates. Swift's comments infer heavy reliance on ground effect which will require the same adjustability, and their renderings suggest two parallel tunnels.
That puts me at odds with some really smart guys. I read Bowlby's quotes, accept them as fact, and believe they also can support the position I have been advocating: Reduce the downforce generated from the tunnels.
Put the drivers and their crews in the position of selecting their best compromise by permitting selective downforce with the wings. If they ask for enough wing to corner flat, they sacrifice too much straight line speed.
That's the point made from the quotes previously posted by the drivers at Motegi. They have to drive three and four, not hold the pedal flat and steer through them. Why not everywhere else too?
This debate is not directed at the "what ifs" of a chassis that will appear in 2012 or 2013. It is about implementing immediate modifications to improve the racing we will watch in the interim.
Reduce the current ground effect component of the downforce for oval tracks, re-examine and modify the wake turbulence if necessary, and the "interaction between the wings and the underbody" become a less critical factor in maintaining stability. So does maintaining precisely optimized ride height, and the shock development required to control it.
The end result is the same reduction of downforce that Mark Page of Swift recognizes as a necessity: "Less DF reveals driver skill and adds excitement." The end result moves vehicle dynamics in the direction that Mario Andretti recommends: "You've got to have it so you're quick down the straightaway and have to slow-down and back-off for the corner."
If you still view this issue as a trivial one, or think that debating it is foolhardy, two more points in closing. Nobody has this deal figured out, or it would have been done. Le Mans cars have huge tunnels. F1 banned full tunnels and rely on diffusers and multi-element wings for their downforce. IndyCars fall in the middle ground. Not common ground. Maybe the ICONIC panel reaches a consensus on this subject, maybe they don't.
As to the relevance, read what Ganassi Managing Director Mike Hull has to say. He seems to think there are some things that need to be fixed too:
"People don't want to go to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to see cars race processionally for 500 miles. But that's where we are today – and that's why we work so hard to pass someone in the pits there. The pit lane has become our racetrack!"
From Racer.Com, May 7, 2010.
Here's a fun little cartoon to watch. Tell me what you see.
Link to other articles in this series:
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