Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Gearing For Top Speed

[Jim Conforti (lndshrk]

Larry,

With no disrespect to the "classic" "old-timer" drivers, a smart driver
today leaves the gearing selection primarily to the engineers who can
simulate the entire race/track under differing environmental conditions
and thus choose the right gears/etc.

Even when it comes to suspension, it is best for the driver to say what
it is NOT doing that he WANTS it to do, and leave it to the suspension
boys to decide what to change.

The amount of computing power and complex software at the disposal of
any professional motorsport team is staggering.

Bosch, for example, has a suite of software that stretches from their
ETAS (a sub-division) INCA engine calibration software, all the way to
full vehicle/race simulation software - all tied together if you want
to do it that way!

I've surprised a few of the Grand Am/Speed World Challenge guys by
asking 1E6 questions, getting some datalogs, inputting their cars into
some software, and suggesting small changes to this or that - that they
think will make "no difference", yet shave tenths off a lap.

If the input is correct (GIGO) it's quite amazing what serious race
simulation software can do.

Especially when you have a few Teraflops of compute power <grin>.

Jim

PS: Typing this from a workstation with ~2 Teraflops on standby.

On 12/31/2010 7:41 PM, Larry T wrote:
> I hope all will have a safe New Year and be careful when celebrating 
> tonight.
> 
> Iâve read numerous books by current and past race drivers who were at the 
> top of the game.  Lauda, D Bell, and others.
> 
> They said that when setting up the gearing of their car for a circuit they 
> would want the car to be accelerating in top gear and reach redline at the 
> end of the longest straight.  There's much more to it than that but that's 
> basically how they come up with a gear ratio for top gear  -  at least as a 
> starting point.
> 
> To me, it would seem a car that accelerates earlier on the straight â even 
> if it âran out of steamâ after reaching redline part way through the 
> straight would be the faster car.   I may not be explaining this very well â 
> but I donât want to write 4 pages of email.
> 
> ;-)
> 
> I suspect the drivers are right to want to accelerate all the way when on a 
> straight - but I am struggling to understand how that would be the fastest 
> time.
> 
> Comments?
> 
> Happy New Year!!
> LarryT 
> 
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
> http://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/lndshrk%40xmission.com
> 
> Sponsored by BooyahMedia.com 
> and F1 Headlines
> http://www.F1Headlines.com/