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British Touring Car Championship 2014
NEXT GENERATION NGTC updates under the spotlight BTCC COMPARISON The best touring car racing in the world?
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ANDREW COTTON
NGTC going global?
The Touring Car revolution could see BTCC regs adopted around the world
S
ébastien Loeb has inadvertently shaped the current Touring Car era. The Frenchman, employed by Citroën to contest the WTCC, needed a ride for 2014, Citroën needed him in a car that would last into the next era, and so the technical regulations were brought forward by a year. That left Honda, Lada and RML (Chevrolet) on the back foot, and also pre-empted a Touring Car revolution that could see the NGTC regulations adopted by the FIA and made available to national series around the world. The WTCC cars are too expensive for national series, and Alan Gow is clear in his belief that there is a no ‘one size fits all’. The Australians are as unlikely to adopt 1.6-litre four cylinder engines as NASCAR or TC2000 in Argentina. Super 2000 had the best business model, which was to have manufacturers compete in the WTCC and sell the cars at the end of each season following the final round in Macau. However, the S2000 cars were also too expensive, particularly compared to the NGTC cars that race today in the BTCC, which is enjoying a renaissance under Gow’s direction. The Australian is also President of the Touring Car Commission at the FIA, and in April made it clear that the FIA needed a standard set of regulations. ‘The World Touring Car Championship regulations are only for the WTCC,’ said Gow after the latest
FIA World Council meeting in Marrakech, ahead of the opening WTCC race. ‘They are not regulations designed for other major national championships which run. It is different to how it was in the S2000 days – now it is up to the FIA, and we are starting this, to come up with one or two sets of regulations that are applicable for national championships around the world.’
FUTURE DIRECTION
‘At the moment, the only Touring Car regulations we have got is the WTCC regulations and that has taken our focus,’ continued Gow. ‘Now we are setting other regulations that countries can choose or not – it is up to them. It is naive to think that you have one set of regulations that the whole world can compete with. It is like the FIA have done with F4 and F3.’ Will the NGTC be the basis of these new regulations? ‘I have no idea, we haven’t even started that discussion yet, we just started the planning of it.’ The new series is likely to run at a quarter of the cost of the WTCC cars, and will race on the same bill, presumably as an introduction to the formula. National series will then be able to pick up the regulations if they so choose. If NGTC does become the base model for the new FIA regulations, it will be good news for those who are currently building, and are racing, the cars. There could be an after-sales market after all.
The BTCC renaissance, with affordable racing, could find favour with race series worldwide
CONTENTS 4
NGTC REGULATIONS The lowdown on the rulebook which aimed to boost grids, and drastically cut the cost of racing
12 NGTC ENGINES At the heart of the regs was the durable new powerplant designed to run for an entire season 16 TECH SPEC COMPARISON An at-a-glance look on how NGTC measures up against other series around the world 18 CAR BY CAR Introducing our full rundown of all the manufacturers on the BTCC start grid 20 HONDA CIVIC TOURER The return of the estate car to British Touring Cars, courtesy of Honda’s works outfit Team Dynamics 24 FORD FOCUS ST One of the stalwart manufacturers of BTCC, Ford are well-represented on the 2014 grid 28 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC Returning to the championship, VW look set to be an unknown quantity offering a lot of promise 30 MG6 Triple Eight Race Engineering have a distinguished BTCC pedigree, and boast a strong aero package 32 CHEVROLET CRUZE An aborted RML Chevy BTCC programme has been continued by two customer teams 34 PROTON GEN-2 Lacking in track testing, STP Racing hope that the small details will add up to big gains 36 VAUXHALL INSIGNIA VXR-R After a difficult few years adapting to the NGTC rulebook, Vauxhall are hoping for a strong campaign 37 AUDI A4 How much do the two rear-wheel drive A4s gain compared to their front-wheel rivals? 38 AUDI S3 Robb Holland and Rotek called in a favour from Bamboo Racing to help get race-ready for 2014 40 BMW 125I The eBay Motors team are bringing advanced aero capabilities to their current title tilt 42 MERCEDES A-CLASS Lightweight, and tailor-made for tight circuits, the A-Class is tipped by rivals to figure prominently
EDITED BY: ANDREW COTTON, SAM COLLINS and STUART GOODWIN DESIGN: DAVE OSWALD
44 DUNLOP TYRES How will the imminent closure of their Midlands HQ affect BTCC supplies? Hopefully not at all, say the firm
BTCC l Digital Supplement
NGTC REGULATIONS
Main pic: Honda and MG have joined the series under NGTC regulations, which replaced S2000 Right: Strict limitations are placed on the specifications of the roll cage. Front and rear subframes are identical
BTCC l Digital Supplement
The Next Generation British Touring Cars was overhauled in 2011 by the NGTC specifications, which aimed to offer more affordable and exciting racing. And as packed grids show, it’s mission accomplished By SAM COLLINS
T
he 2011 race season saw the debut of the British Touring Car Championship’s all-new specification racer, the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC). In a bold move, the series governing body, TOCA, decided to depart from the FIA’s S2000 regulatory mould and strike its own path towards more affordable and exciting racing. As a quick refresher, the concept was designed to provide cost savings through the use of a number of spec parts, while still allowing considerable design freedom.
The physical appearance of the Next Generation Touring Cars was different to the WTCC or older S2000 concepts when it first arrived on the scene, with a mandated 4.4-metre minimum length forcing the cars to be physically larger than several of the old S2000 cars. ‘What we did was just move away from encouraging people to use too small a car,’ explains series boss Alan Gow. ‘A Touring Car is a Touring Car – it’s generally thought of as a four-door saloon. I think that’s pretty much anyone’s definition All
that our regulations do is essentially knock out the little cars, like the S2000 Honda Civic, but it doesn’t move the choice of car to the next segment up.’ Gow also points out that the new minimum length simply reflects the fact that the current segment cars appropriate to the BTCC are larger than they once were. ‘They all grow,’ he observes, ‘and, of course, don’t forget that 4.4 metres is the minimum length – you don’t have to go bigger than that. You wouldn’t have to use a Vauxhall Insignia, for example, unless you
“All that our regulations do is knock out the little cars, like the S2000 Honda Civic. It doesn’t move the choice of car to the next segment up” BTCC l Digital Supplement
NGTC REGULATIONS EnginEEring
solutions
specifically wanted to – an Astra fits within the mandated dimensions. It’s also worth bearing in mind that as long as the profile of the car is the same, then it doesn’t matter how many doors it has.’ Among the standard parts were front and rear subframes, the front featuring double wishbones and pushrod-activated dampers, a Cosworth Electronics wiring and data system, Penske dampers and AP Racing brakes. The suspension setup in particular is a major departure from the systems previously found on most Touring Cars. Thanks to the fact that the majority of modern saloon cars share relatively similar dimensions, the adoption of a standardised subframe removes the necessity of developing specific packages for each s marque of car, reducing costs considerably. The package is also designed to NGTC both suppliers: accommodate front- and rear-wheel NGTC suppliers: drivedampers configurations, a move made after several manufacturers dampers Penske Racing showed an interest in Shocks running the latter. The Next Generation Touring Car will use the ‘piggy-back’ t it reservoir the2010, PenskeBuckingham-based 8760 three-way adjustable In theversion springof of an Penske Racing damper, which offers separate high and low-speed m company GPR Motorsport (GPRM) won the Park adjustment in the bump mode. After testing at Oulton scs Shocks and Snetterton, two different approved piston set ups will be contract to design and build the prototype The Next Generation Touring Car will use the ‘piggy-back’ homologated and these will be the only ones available to the teams. The teams will still be able rebuild their ownand reservoir version of the Penske 8760 three-way adjustable e Next Generation Touring Cartoand to design dampers, but only within the parameters set after testing. ed damper, which offers separate high and low-speed ‘There will be scope to play with oils, pressures and other supply the spec suspension and subframes t elements,’ says Richard Barnes of Penske Racing Shocks UK. adjustment in the bump mode. After testing at Oulton Park that are used by all NGTC cars. The challenge TOCA’s original brief was for either a two- or four-way s or and Snetterton, two different approved piston setadjustable ups willdamper. be ‘A two-way isn’t really enough for what i am confident we will ofthe designing and rear subframes that homologated and these will be the only ones available toneeds thefront NGTC and a four-way is really too much,’ explains easily reduce the total cost Barnes. a very complex area of would a rangedamping of car ismanufacturers’ models teams. The teams will still be able to rebuild their ownfit‘Four-way operations, and even the best engineers in Formula 1 get lost of competing in the BTCC by dampers, but only within the parameters set after testing. among the options that arefrontavailable. In my view, more and alsoallaccommodate or rear-wheel around 50 cent adjustments don’t make things better, just more complicated. ‘There will per be scope to play with oils, pressures drive and other ion. powertrains was an interesting one. ‘To a servicing s. elements,’ says Richard Barnes of Penske Racing Also Shocks UK.a four-way damper in the field is impractical unless you have a highly trained engineer. For the less AlAn Gow, BTCC direCTor degree it was a case of measuring the various TOCA’s original brief was for either a two- or four-way experienced teams, of which there are a few in BTCC, it’s a y struggle and it gives something an unfairthe advantage to the manufacturers’ models andoftaking average adjustable damper. ‘A two-way isn’t really enough for what bigger teams.’ n rom 2011, TOCA’s Next for The Next thelIS NGTC needs and ofa regulations four-waythat is called really too much,’ explains By AlAN dimensions, says GPRM’s According ’to Barnes, about Gary 70 per Blackham. cent of the BTCC EnginEEring solutions Generation Touring use of spec components and already dampers, a fact which helped PRS UK’s Barnes. ‘Four-way damping is a very complex area of uses Penske ‘Fortunately, onecontract. modern, medium-sized Car will be eligible the cost-cutting route with the sub-assemblies from approved Generation Touring bid for the supply ‘We also offered to train car the teams operations, and even suppliers, the best engineers 1 get so that theylost could look after the dampers for themselves, and to compete in the BTC rules package that was such as gearboxes,in Formula uter isn’t that different toTOCA,’ another – the wheelbases Car is a spec I think that appealed to he concludes. among all the options that are available. In my view, more um British Touring Car introduced in 2001, following hubs, brakes and so forth. In more or less the same and the size of ug Championship. The NGTC is the endadjustments of the Super Touring era. make 2004,things the BTCCbetter, admittedjust cars moreare don’t complicated. racecar with a nal the result of discussions that Although it marked a high point built todamper the FIA’s Super 2000field is passenger cells are more or less the same. At Also servicing a four-way in the impractical The prototype NGTC was first tested on track in early October difference – you began almost two years ago and in manufacturer involvement regulations, to run alongside the unless you have a highly trained engineer. For the less first, there was talk of adopting a standard which wereAtaimed at drastically in UK-based Touring Car racing, BTC cars, which provided the d downturn and the increasing one person. the start of are able to choose any experienced teams, ofpotential whichforthere are a few in BTCC, it’s a reducing the costI said of competing the Super Touring years were BTCC teams to also cost of S2000 cars led series the discussion process, to wheelbase and keeping everything within strugglebyand it gives compete something of European an unfair advantage to the y,’ organiser, andcar the BTCC an in open in the“You’ve BTCC,got both the also characterised spiralling in the FIA both TOCA, your and everyone, that envelope, but that changed because – in eel teams to again consider their bookpurchase in front ofprice you (obviously bigger teams.’ of a vehicle and developmental costs as the car Touring Car Championship, and future options, and to this end within certain parameters!), now your engine... the budget required to race it. makers did battle with eachto Barnes, laterabout in the World Car of thereality According 70 Touring per cent BTCC– it’s not that straightforward to do. The engine and chassis working come up with the regulations…”’ Some readers will recall that other onalready the track. By contrast, Championship.aHowever, by the helped PRS UK’s se uses Penske dampers, fact which car width and track has been standardised, The Next Generation Touring groups were convened. the BTCC has already been down the BTC era saw the imposition end of 2008, the global economic bid for the supply contract. ‘We also offered to train the teams Cars will be easier to maintain, ‘The feeling at that time was which has made the spec subframe idea that S2000 didn’t have much easier to repair and cheaper a so that they could look after the dampers for themselves, and December 2010 • www.racecar-engineering.com 47 possible. The floorpan is then modified to suit of a life ahead of it,’ says BTCC to build and run. ‘The spec or Teams will be able to use their I think that appealed to TOCA,’ he concludes. ’s ownpick-up oils and rebuild their for own the subframe so that the points dampers, within specified parameters. Two different standardises the installation. ’ easier to maintain, is piston set ups will be available 47_RE20N12_BTCC NGTC-MP.GJ_100pc.indd 47 27/10/10 10:27:52 . easier to repair and Front brakes use 362mm cast iron discs with six-piston RadiCal calipers en cheaper to build and run says Gow. ‘There will be plenty of to design and supply the spec one for GPRM. ‘To a degree, same and the size of passenger The are horizontally mounted, variation in the shape and design suspension and subframes that it wasdampers a case of measuring cells are more or less the same nd of the cars, but in certain areas will be used by all NGTC cars. the various manufacturers’ well. At first, there was talk director, Alan Gow. ‘The S2000 suspension components will longitudinally ataverage the front as and transversely there will also be uniformity. The challenge of designing front models and taking the of adopting a standard cars that have been racing in the be quick and easy to repair y In addition to the suspension, and rear subframes that would dimensions,’ explains wheelbase and keeping BTCC are very expensive to build, or replace in the event of an at the rear, andGPRM’s are actuated by pushrods ed the brakes, transmission and everything within that maintain and race – essentially accident and, because they are and bell cranks, so ride height adjustments electronics, among other parts, envelope but that changed standardised, the teams won’t because it’s very costly to adapt the suspension, brakes, will be spec components, but the because, in reality, not that have to carry so many parts production car parts for racing. by turning the rod ends. ‘You it’s can are made teams will be able to put them straightforward to do. However, The cost of doing that and the around with them,’ explains Gow. transmission and electronics Top: the prototype NGTC carcarwas first tested adjust ride height on the spring abutments into whatever they choose – in October 2010 the car width and track has wastage are enormous. While NGTC cars will share a is will be spec components or is rear-wheel drive.’ number of common components, Above: engine front choice free, within set guidelines, and can be mounted too, but if you do that youbeen alsostandardised, need to which has gn In the spring of 2010, made the spec subframe idea the bodyshell used is down to the Working groups longitudinally Buckingham, or transversely. Bothcompany, front and rear are spec parts adjust spring pre-load, would UK-based fit subframes a range of car Gary Blackham. ‘Fortunately, one so we possible. The floorpan is then choice of the team. ‘Each car will ‘Those two working groups came g Engine choice ismanufacturers’ free, again GPR Motorsport, won the contract models and also accommodate modern, medium-sized car isn’t modified to suit the pick-up be different, as each engine will up withngTC the NGTC concept. It’s h, suppliErs: within set guidelines, and they recommend the pushrod method,’ says Left: front brakes use 362mm irontodiscs six-piston RadiCal calipers Teams will becast able usewith their to design and build the prototype front or rear-wheel drive that different from another – the points for the subframe so that not a set of rules that has been be different – unless the team can be mounted longitudinally or wiring own oils andTouring rebuild Next Generation Cartheir and own powertrains was an interesting wheelbases are more or less theRoger standardises drawn ElECTroniCs up or driven through by wants to use and the TOCA engine,’ GPRM chief engineer, King. the installation.’ transversely, but both front and dampers, within specified rear subframes are spec parts drive2010 production cars ‘Most front-wheel December • www.racecar-engineering.com Cosworth that can be used to drive an appropriate fuel parameters. Two different run MacPherson struts, which are the ideal pump. Injector driverspiston are turned on and Electronics set ups willoff be available
Saloon bar none F
Suspension
by a separate Pectel ECU and the firing order Cosworth Electronics, formerly Pi Research, is brakes use 362mm cast iron discs with six-piston RadiCal calipers of the GDI injectors uses an odd-even-oddsupplying the NGTC’s engine control
SuSpenSion The dampers are horizontally
27/10/10 10:27:54 47_RE20N12_BTCC NGTC-MP.GJ_100pc.indd 49 BTCC l Digital Supplement even sequence. The IDU has been designed electronics, advanced power management, mounted, longitudinally at the run spec Bosch HDEV5one direct driver display, team data chassis Gow. ‘There will be plenty of logger, to design and supplytothe forinjectors GPRM. and ‘To a degree, front and transversely same andatthe the size of passenger the HDP5 mechanical fuel pump with MSV sensors, integrated BTCC scrutineering
49
27/10/10 10:27:56
piston forged and machined unit in a monobloc configuration. The NGTC rear calipers are two piece, two-piston units. For front-wheel drive applications, the narrow CP6119 is used, while for rear-wheel drive cars AP Racing will supply its CP6319 model. The 184mm (7.25in) NGTC clutch (the 184mm dimension refers to the diameter of the friction plates; the casing has NGTC suppliers an OD of 230mm) has the model number CP8382 and is mounted on –the engine the traditional manner, with the CP6119 is used, while for rear-wheel drive cars AP AP Racing brakes andin clutch slave cylinder within the gearbox casing. The inner and outer Racing supplies its CP6319 model. AP Racing has its own special formulation of cast plates are lugfordriven and are contained in a billet aluminium The 184mm (7.25in) NGTC clutch (the 184mm iron that it uses the manufacture of brake discs. housing by isa equipped 12-boltwith cover. The steel hubrefers is also dimension to thelug diameter of the friction The frontsecured axle of an NGTC driven at the centre. Clutch engagement is by the traditional plates; the casing has an OD of 230mm) has the AP’s CP5772 discs made from this material. These The prototype NGTC was first tested on track in early October push method, the two friction plates being sandwiched model number CP8382 and is mounted on the are 36mm-thick, 72-vane ventilated discs with between three 5.5mm thick intermediate plates. engine in the traditional manner, with the slave an outside diameter of 362mm. At the rear of Clamp load is provided by a single conventional shaped any one person. At the start of downturn and the increasing cylinder within the gearbox casing. The inner and a front-wheel drive car, 304mm OD and 10mmdiaphragm spring. ‘The majority of the new clutches that the discussion process, I said to cost of S2000 cars led series outer plates are lug-driven and are contained in a CP2866 solid discs are fitted, while a APthick Racing produces are derived from Formula 1 technology,’ everyone, “You’ve got an open organiser, TOCA, and the BTCC billet aluminium secured by a 12-bolt cover. rear-wheel drive NGTCIan uses aNash. similar diameter says AP Racing’s ‘All springs are made fromhousing a steel book in front of you (obviously teams to again consider their The steel hub ishigh also lug-driven at the centre. Clutch but 25mm-thick CP3580 and 48-vane ventilated discs.resistant alloy that is robust particularly to the within certain parameters!), now future options, and to this end engagement is by the traditional push method, with The discs are mounted machined fromThe traditional temperatures seenonatbells race starts. chrome engine and chassis working come up with the regulations…”’ the two friction collapse plates being sandwiched between billet aluminium alloy, andthat are equipped with in the past vanadium materials we used would groups were convened. The Next Generation Touring three 5.5mm-thick intermediate plates. mountings and bobbinsloads which –that in conjunction with under the thermal are common now.’ ‘The feeling at that time was Cars will be easier to maintain, Clamphave load is provided by a single conventional 12 front retaining bolts eight rear retaining bolts – clutches Traditionally, APor Racing Touring Car that S2000 didn’t have much easier to repair and cheaper diaphragm allowthe the discs both axial and radial float. Flywheel shaped used company’s Cushioned System (CFS)spring. – a ‘The majority of the new of a life ahead of it,’ says BTCC to build and run. ‘The spec technology in the 1990s specifically clutches that AP Racingfor produces are derived from The NGTCoriginally front caliper isdeveloped one of AP Racing’s Touring Car applications – but more recently the company’s Formula 1 technology,’ says AP Racing’s Ian Nash. futuristic-looking RadiCal calipers – designated designers have incorporated the cushioning into the main ‘All springs are made from a steel alloy that is robust CP6667 – which is derived from the manufacturer’s pressure ‘It doesn’t a lot of difference to the and particularly resistant to the high temperatures DTM unit.plate. This is a six-piston forgedmake and machined operation of theconfiguration. clutch, but it does mean that is seen atthe racecushion starts. The traditional chrome vanadium unit in a monobloc part of clutch rather than the flywheel,’ explains materials that weNash. used in the past would collapse Thethe NGTC rear calipers are two-piece, two-piston ‘The pressure plate is essentially the loading plate between under the thermal loads that are common now.’ units. For front-wheel drive applications, the narrow the diaphragm Traditionally, AP Racing Touring Car clutches spring and the have used the company’s Cushioned Flywheel carbon plates, and System (CFS) – a technology originallydirector, developedAlan Gow. ‘The S2000 suspension components will into it we have in the 1990s specifically for Touring Car applications cars that have been racing in the be quick and easy to repair built a secondary –cushion but more recently the company’s designers system, or replace in the event of an BTCC are very expensive to build, have incorporated the cushioning into the main which is provided accident and, because they are maintain and race – essentially pressure plate.of ‘It doesn’t difference by a ring five make a lot ofbecause standardised, the teams won’t it’s very costly to adapt to the operation of the clutch, but it does mean Belleville disc have to carry so many parts production car parts for racing. that the cushion is part of the clutch rather than springs.’
easier to maintain, easier to repair and cheaper to build and run
The cost of doing that and the
around with them,’ explains Gow.
the flywheel,’ explains Nash. ‘The pressure plate While NGTC cars will share a wastage are enormous. isThe essentially theclutch loading is plate between the 184mm number of common components, diaphragm springdesign and the carbon plates, and into it of traditional the bodyshell used is down to the Working groups and operation, but cushion system, which is we have built a secondary Pictured from top: model of the front frame and upper ARB; choice of the team. ‘Those two working groups came with the provided bycushioning a ring of five Belleville disc springs.’ the rear subframe assembly; the rollcage; illustration of a ‘Each car will be different, as each engine will up with the NGTC built into the clutch, fullconcept. frame buildIt’s featuring the rollcage be different – unless the team not a set of rules that has been not the flywheel
way to package the front suspension for a front-wheel drive car, but the drawback of 48 www.racecar-engineering.com • December 2010 these in a racing application is that it requires a lot of money to be spent on making it work well under the stresses. In a 300+bhp Touring Car, the strut has to accommodate large steering and drivetrain loads, as well as _RE20N12_BTCC NGTC-MP.GJ_100pc.indd 48 considerable suspension forces. The solution arrived at by many teams was the use of expensive linear bearings.’ To reduce costs in this area, it was decided that the NGTC should have wishbone suspension front and rear. The lower wishbones are longer than the top ones to give superior camber change relative to a
Subframes
wants to use the TOCA engine,’ drawn strut suspension, and also to allow moreup or driven through by As one would expect, front and rear adjustment of anti-dive and pro-dive on subframes are totally different, as the front the shear plates. The wishbones are CNC one carries the gearbox and engine, as machined from aluminium billet and are well as the suspension, while the rear one fitted with conventional rod ends, which is essentially the same for both front and provide a small amount of adjustment for rear-wheel drive applications – although on track variation. ‘Camber is adjusted at the 27/10/10 the former it doesn’t have the rear diff unit upper and lower outer points,’ explains King, installed. ‘In a rear-wheel drive subframe ‘so the upright swivels around the CV joint there are more reinforcing tubes, but the that is buried in the axle, and that means the basic concept is the same for both drive upright is always as close as possible to the options,’ says King. ‘The front subframe is centre line of the pivot. When the steering very short, but the outer parts where the wheel is turned there isn’t a huge amount of suspension picks up on it are identical, steering wheel plunge pulling the driveshaft although there are obvious variations backwards and forwards.’
“The challenge of designing front and rear subframes that would fit a range of car manufacturers’ models, and also accommodate front or rear wheel drive was an interesting one” BTCC l Digital Supplement
1
NGTC REGULATIONS
NGTC suppliers: Cosworth Electronics –dampers electronics and wiring Penske Racing Shocks – dampers NGTC suppliers
towards the car centreline to accommodate either a longitudinally-mounted or a transversely-mounted engine.’ Shear plates are fitted to the front and rear subframes so – in theory at least – in the event of an accident, they break rather than the subframes themselves. The NGTC concept also called for a standardised roll over protection system (ROPS) with a generic shape and standard tube sizes. GPRM did the basic design of this, but there are slight dimensional differences according to the passenger cell that it’s being fitted into. Teams can produce their own, but they have to follow the specified design criteria and get their version inspected and approved by the MSA.
Supplied to NGTC by Cosworth Electronics – formerly Pi Research The Next Generation Touring Car uses the – are engine control electronics, advanced power management, ‘piggy-back’ reservoir version of the Penske driver display, team data logger, chassis sensors, integrated BTCC 8760 three-way adjustable damper, which offers scrutineering logger and a complete wiring harness. separate high and low-speed adjustment in the The CE equipment includes the Pi Omega D4-BTCC display bumpwill mode.use Afterthe testing at Oulton Park and The Next Generation Touring Car ‘piggy-back’ and logger, which is an updated versionversion of the Omega two different approved piston setups reservoir of system the PenskeSnetterton, 8760 three-way adjustable that combines the driverdamper, display, teamwhich chassis logger and TOCA homologated and these are the only ones offers separate were high and low-speed scrutineering system into a single unit. the teams. at TheOulton teams are still able to adjustment in the bump mode.available Aftertotesting Park Engine managementand is provided by the Pecteltwo SQ6Mdifferent approved rebuild their own dampers, butups only within Snetterton, piston set willthe be set ones after testing. ‘There is scope to ECU, which was originally introduced in 2006. and The NGTC uses anwill beparameters homologated these the only available to the play with oils, pressures and other elements,’ says updated version of the SQ6M that supports the NGTC engine’s teams. The teams will still be able to rebuild their own Richard Barnes of Penske Racing Shocks UK. direct fuel injection system via a Pectel IDU1 direct injection dampers, but only within the parameters set after testing. TOCA’s original brief was for either a two- or driver box. This unit has six GDI injector drivers and two low‘There will be scope to play with oils, pressures and other four-way adjustable damper. ‘A two-way isn’t side injector drivers that can be used to drive an appropriate elements,’ says Richard Barnes of Penske Racing Shocks UK.Engine choice is free, again really enough for what the NGTC needs and a fuel pump. Injector drivers are turned on and off by a separate TOCA’s original brief was forfour-way either a two- or four-way within set guidelines, and they is really too much,’ explains Barnes. Pectel ECU and the firing order of the GDI injectors uses an oddlongitudinally or adjustable damper. ‘A two-way‘Four-way isn’t really enough for what can be mounted damping is a very complex area of transversely, even-odd-even sequence. Underbut theboth BTCCfront rulesand and the S2000 rules the NGTC needs is really toothe much,’ explains operations, and even best engineers in The IDU has been designed to run Bosch HDEV5and direct a four-way that followed them, TOCA severely restricted rear subframes are spec parts Barnes.fuel ‘Four-way damping is aFormula very Cosworth that can be used to drive anlost appropriate fuel 1 complex get amongarea all the of options that injectors and the HDP5 mechanical pump with MSV aerodynamic potential, and this philosophy operations, even the best drivers engineers in view, Formula 1 get lost pump. Injector are In turned on and off Electronics are available. my more adjustments valve. A feature of the SQ6M is its provisionand of an advanced has continued under the NGTC rules. ‘The aim ECUthings and the order osworth Electronics, formerly Pi Research, among all system theisoptions that arePectel available. Inbetter, myfiring view, more SuSpenSion don’t make just more complicated. crank and camshaft pattern recognition thatby a separate is to neutralise the aerodynamics,’ says Gow. ofmake the GDI injectors uses an odd-even-oddupplying the NGTC’s engineadjustments control arewing horizontally don’t things better, just more complicated. Also, servicing a four-way damper in the field The dampers allows the ECU to be used with virtually any OEM timing ‘The rear is really there to make the car even sequence. The IDU has been designed ectronics, advanced power management, mounted, longitudinally at like the a racecar, but we don’t Also servicing a four-way damper in the field is impractical is impractical unless you have a highly trained wheel and facilitates synchronisation during slow and look good and look to run Bosch HDEV5 direct injectors and river display, team data logger, chassis front and transversely at the unless you have athe highly engineer. For theMSV less engineer. For the less experienced teams – of uneven cranking conditions. want it to work. We’ve all seen what happens HDP5trained mechanical fuel pump with ensors, integrated BTCC scrutineering by the aerodynamics in a which are ais fewits inin BTCC – it’s a struggle A base chassis sensorexperienced package is aimed atteams, meeting the theactuated racing when of which there are a few BTCC, it’s a rear, andtoare valve. A feature of thethere SQ6M provision gger and a complete wiring harness. pushrods and bell cranks, soefficient. ride of an advanced crank and camshaft pattern The CE base equipment will include the Pi andof it gives somethingadvantage of an unfair advantage requirements of allstruggle teams and providing formula become too ’ and ita common gives something an unfair to the height adjustments are made by recognition system that allows the ECU to be mega D4-BTCC display andbigger logger, which is for the bigger teams. ’ sensor range for scrutineering purposes. The sensor kit All cars built to NGTC regulations have to teams.’ turning the rod ends on the push used with virtually According any OEM timingabout wheel n updatedcomprises versionlightweight, of the recently launched durable and reliable race-proven to Barnes, 70 per cent of the be subjected to a standard aerodynamic test According to Barnes, aboutsynchronisation 70 per cent ofduring the BTCC and facilitates slow mega system that combines the driver rods. ‘You can adjust ride height sensors that include twoalready 0-2400psi brake pressure sensors, a BTCC already used Penske dampers ahead of the at MIRA, where the production version of the a factconditions. which helped PRS UK’son the spring and dampers, uneven cranking splay, team chassis logger and TOCAuses Penske abutments too, rotary steering position sensor, a steering pot with 360 degrees NGTC concept introduction, a fact which helped car is placed in the tunnel and TOCA officials A base chassis sensor package aimed crutineering system into a single unit. bid for the supply contract. ‘We also offered toistrain the teams but if you do that you also need of electrical travel,is four linear damper potentiometers and a after PRSdampers UK’s bid for the supply ‘We also determine where the mandatory rear wing meeting the base requirements of contract. all Engine management provided bythey the so that couldatlook the for themselves, and to adjust spring pre-load, so we teams and providing sensor range ectel SQ6M ECU, which was originally 10-channel ASL end-of-lap-beacon receiver. offeredatocommon train the teams so that they could look can be fitted. This process will be detailed in a would recommend the pushrod I think that appealed to TOCA,’ he concludes. for on scrutineeringafter purposes. The kitand I think that troduced in The 2006. The NGTC will use ansystem is based advanced power management the dampers forsensor themselves, issue ofchief Racecar Engineering magazine. method,’future says GPRM willbox comprise lightweight, durable and pdated version ofPMS theunit, SQ6M that supports appealed to TOCA, ’ he concludes. the Hyllus which replaced the traditional fuse engineer, Roger King. reliable race-proven sensors that include two he NGTC engine’s direct fuel injection and all relays, significantly reducing both the weight and ‘Most front-wheel drive 0-2400psi brake pressure sensors, a rotary ystem via a Pectel IDU1 direct injection the wiring harness, as well as reducingsteering the total position sensor, steering pot with 360 From a technical standpoint, one of the production cars run McPherson river box. complexity This unitofhas six GDI injector cost of the electronics to the teams. more interesting aspects struts, which are the ideal way of the NGTC degrees of electrical travel, four linear damper rivers and two low-side injector drivers is TOCA’s decision to go with a regulation potentiometers and a 10-channel to package the front suspension ASL end-of-lap-beacon receiver. 2-litre engine capacity for a front-wheel drive car, butrather than a 1.6-litre The advanced power Globalof Race Engine, which is the favoured the drawback a McPherson management system is based strut in approach a racing application is in FIA circles. on the Hyllus PMS unit, which that it requires a lot of money ‘We’ve achieved theto same result replaces the traditional fuse be spentason making turbo it work well but in a a 1.6-litre engine, box and all relays, significantly under the stresses. In amore 300+bhp different, much cost-effective way,’ reducing both the weight Touring says Car the strut to wanted a 300bhp, Gow. ‘Thehas WTCC and complexity of the wiring accommodate large steering harness, as well as reducing the four-cylinder, turbocharged touring car and drivetrain as wanted well as a 300bhp, fourtotal cost of the electronics to We also engine.loads, the teams. considerable suspension forces.engine, but ours cylinder, turbocharged The solution arrived at by many Teams will be able to use their costs a third of the price. We’ve just gone A standardised sensor package teams was the use of expensive own oils and rebuild their own will also be supplied to all teams about it in a totally different way from how linear bearings.’ dampers, within specified
Penske Racing Shocks
ngTC suppliErs: ElECTroniCs and wiring
Aerodynamics
Engine
parameters. Two different piston set ups will be available RadiCal calipers
they’re approaching it, and arrived at a solution that is going to be much December 2010 • www.racecar-engineering.com 51 easier for the teams not only to embark on their own engine design and development programmes, but also to contain maintenance and spares costs. same and the size of passenger 27/10/10 10:27:58 ‘We just went about it in a much cells are more or less the same more simplistic way. We said, “these are as well. At first, there was talk the broad outlines of what we want for of adopting a standard our new car in terms of size, cost and wheelbase and keeping how it should look,” and the working
“This engine formula is one of the most one for GPRM. ‘To a degree, sensible ideas heard for many years. It it was a case ofI’ve measuring various manufacturers’and most cost-effective providesthe the cheapest models and taking the average dimensions,’ explains GPRM’s solution for the next five years”
supply the spec 51 C NGTC-MP.GJ_100pc.indd d subframes that all NGTC cars. of designing front ames that would
BTCC l Digital Supplement
e suspension, brakes,
everything within that envelope but that changed because, in reality, it’s not that
NGTC REGULATIONS EnginEEring
solutions
“It’s only right that the best engineering, the ngTC best teamssuppliErs: and the best drivers see their efforts gEarbox and diffErEnTials related to their on-track performances” Xtrac NGTC suppliers
Xtrac supplied the first BTCC-spec gearbox,
the Type 406, forand the BTC rules package that Xtrac – gearbox differential
was introducedfirm in 2001. Xtrac’s Type 416, The Berkshire-based supplied the first BTCC-spec used in the European Touring Car gearbox, the Type 406, for the rules package which was first Championship, was then derived from this, introduced in 2001. Xtrac’smaller s Type 416,version, used in thethe European while a physically Type Touring Car Championship, derived from S2000 this, while 516, came into use inwas thethen BTCC when weresmaller admitted Thecame NGTC Type acars physically version,in the2004. Type 516, into use in 1046 iswhen a further development the BTCC S2000 cars were admittedininthis 2004.lineage. The NGTC the development unit is the inspec gearbox for TypeAlthough 1046 is a further this lineage. TOCA’s new regulations, it will also be used Although the unit is the spec gearbox for TOCA’s in the FIA World Touring Car Championship regulations, it was alsotest usedruns in thethere FIA World Touring and had its first in midCar Championship. WTCC regs changed in 2011 September thisThe year. The WTCC regulations are the also changing 2011,Global with Race the Engine, adoption with adoption of thefor so-called the so-called FIAfour-cylinder ‘appendix’power engine, which aofturbocharged, 1.6-litre, unit with is a turbocharged, 1.6-litre, four-cylinder performance comparable to TOCA’s NGTC engine. The power unit with performance comparable to WTCC has since increased engine performance in 2014. TOCA’s NGTC engine. Work thethe TypeType 1046 1046 beganbegan in May 2010. As part of Workonon in May 2010. As process, part of Xtrac this proposed process,a Xtrac proposed a that torque target of 450Nm torque target 450Nm to suit TOCA’s to suit TOCA’s aimsofwith its engine regulations. Onaims that with its engine regulations. On that basis, the basis, the company designed a six-speed, sequential shift, company designed a six-speed, sequential five-dog gearbox with an externally differential, shift, five-dog gearbox with adjustable an externally contained in a cast aluminium alloy casing.
The NGTC Type 1046 gearbox The NGTC Type 1046 gearbox is is unusual in that the gears unusual in that the gears onon itsits layshaft are stacked in layshaft are stacked in a non-conventional manner a non-conventional manner accommodate toto accommodate Xtrac’sXtrac’s proprietary overlapping barrel proprietary overlapping barrel gearshift technology gearshift technology
adjustable differential, contained in a cast aluminium alloy casing. An unusual feature of the NGTC gearbox is that the gears on the layshaft are stacked in An unusual feature of the NGTC gearbox is that a non-conventional manner to accommodate the gears on the layshaft are stacked in a non-conventional Xtrac’s proprietary overlapping barrel manner to accommodate Xtrac’s gearshift technology. In a conventional barrel shift mechanism, no overlap between proprietary overlappingthere barrel is gearshift technology. barrel track and the gears are stacked Inthe a conventional barrel shift mechanism there is no in numerical order ie 1-2-3-4-5-6. In the new overlap between the barrel track, and the gears are arrangement, the gears are ordered 1-6-2-4stacked in numerical order –on ie 1-2-3-4-5-6. the new 3-5, allowing overlap the barrelIntrack and arrangement, gears are ordered 1-6-2-4-3-5, leading to the a reduction in gearshift time with no difference inthe thebarrel waytrack theand driver operates allowing overlap on leading to gearbox. athe reduction in gearshift time with no difference to the The differential used in the 1046 is a carry way that the driver operates the gearbox. over from the 516 gearbox and offers external The differential used in the It’s 1046aismechanical, a carry-over from adjustment of pre-load. the 516 gearbox and offers external adjustment preplate-type differential with side gearsofand load. It’s aavailable mechanical,in plate-type with side ramps variousdifferential sizes. Adjustment is made externally screw that turns the gears and ramps availableby in a various sizes. Adjustment is differential tighten or loosen it andcap made externallycap by ato screw that turns the differential applies pre-load to the plates by a Belleville to tighten or loosen it, and applies pre-load to the plates disc spring. The range of adjustment is by a Belleville disc dependent on spring. the stiffness of the disc spring The range of offers adjustment dependentones) on thebut stiffness fitted (Xtrac fiveisdifferent is typically in the order of 100Nm. of the disc spring fitted – Xtrac offers five different ones – but is typically in the order of 100Nm.
groups came up with the details. In terms of the engine formula, they came up with this, which is one of the most sensible ideas I’ve heard for many years. we It provides the cheapest, most cost-effective wanted engine solution. to base engine can be sourced from Themove aaway manufacturer’s broad ‘family’, including from subsidiary brands under their effective some of control, with the bore/stroke allowed the smaller to be altered to achieve the 2-litre Items such as camshafts, displacement. hatchbackpistons, dry sump, inlet and exhaust type cars system systems are free (within set of recent A ‘Technical Review Panel’ parameters). may review any years individual applications to redesign some standard engine components, but only for reliability To reduce costs in this purposes. A specified turbo, wastegate, area, it was decided that the injectors and ECU (engine intercoolers, NGTC should have wishbone control unit)front are mandated to reduce suspension and rear. The development costsare and opportunities lower wishbones longer than for Each new thetechnical top onesinfringements. to give superior engine will betotested camberdeveloped change relative a struton a TOCA-nominated engine dynamometer suspension and also to allow more adjustment anti-dive and to monitor outputof levels. pro-dive the shearthere plates. recognises willThe inevitably TOCA on wishbones are CNC machined be differences in engine performance fromhas aluminium billet and aretesting and implemented a flow fitted with conventional rod ends, under the direction of Lotus programme which provide a small amount of Engineering to benchmark each of the adjustment for track variation. units. Explaining the reasoning behind ‘Camber is adjusted at the upper this, ‘The purpose of this and Gow lowersaid: outer points,’ explains is not to make every race engine programme King, ‘so the upright swivels perform in exactly same way – it’s only around the CV jointthe that is buried right theand best engineering, in thethat axle, that means the the best design, best teams and,asof course, the uprightthe is always as close possible to the line of therelated best drivers still centre see their efforts pivot. the performances. steering wheelThe is test to theirWhen on-track turned thereisisn’t a huge amount programme simply to reduce any wide of steering wheel plunge pulling from performance variances resulting the driveshaft backwards and significant differences in the fundamental forwards.’ port/valve designs of the original production engines. It will identify and quantify SubframeS those that produce superior airflow As one would expect, front through cylinderare head and those that and rearthe subframes totally so their baseline turbo boost pressure don’t, different, as the front one carries isthe setgearbox accordingly. and engine, as well during thethe course as ‘Thereafter, the suspension, while rearof the one is essentially the same calculation for season, a strict mathematic – both front rear-wheel based on a and rolling average drive of each applications, although model’s qualifying and on lapthe times over former it won’t have the reardetermine a set number of events – will installed. ‘In abe made ifdifferential any furtherunit changes should rear-wheel drive subframe there to their respective boost levels.’ This has are more reinforcing tubes, but inevitably caused arguments. the basic concept is the same However, with NGTC now firmly for both drive options,’ says established in thesubframe BTCC, with more cars in King. ‘The front is very existence there parts are slots on the grid short, butthan the outer where (capped at 32 in picks 2014)up there the suspension on itis talk that the be about to are be adopted areconcept identical,may although there obvious variations towards the make this overseas – something that could car centreline accommodate British concepttotruly global. either a longitudinally or a
52 www.racecar-engineering.com • December 2010 BTCC l Digital Supplement
NGTC ENGINES
New power Generation
Cutting costs, increasing participation and providing quality, competitive grids, the NGTC engine has successfully kept the BTCC relevant in the modern racing world
A
lan Gow, director of the British Touring Car Championship, has never shied away from protecting and preserving the integrity of the series. He was instrumental in the introduction of new regulations in 2001, which were aimed at cutting the cost of competing in the BTCC after the spiralling budgetary demands of the FIA’s Super Touring regulations had resulted in a decline in participants towards the end of the 20th century. Ten years on, Gow and TOCA were again faced with the need to reduce costs in the BTCC, and did so with the phased introduction of a Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC). The first element of the NGTC package was seen back in 2010, when the first teams fielded racecars powered by TOCA’s NGTC engine. A contract to supply the TOCA engine was put out to
tender and – from the five applicants – Swindon was chosen. The guidelines for the tender process defined a target power output and a basic technical specification for the unbranded engine – 2.0-litre displacement, four cylinders and turbocharged. The tender also required a commitment from the winning bidder to support all the teams that choose to use the engine in the championship, and required the winner to offer lease terms on engines as well as outright purchase. TOCA originally intended the engine to be available at a fixed cost per engine. ‘The TOCA engine is an unbranded engine,’ said Raphaël Caillé, the MD of Swindon, around the time of the engine’s launch. ‘It is a modern design with an aluminium cylinder block and a very good direct injection cylinder head design. The concept of an unbranded engine is an important element
Swindon Racing Engines was chosen from five applicants to supply the TOCA engine BTCC l Digital Supplement
of the NGTC power unit project as the aim is that the engine can be used in any type of car and that the teams can badge the engine with the brand of their car, if they wish to do so. ‘That reflects something that has been happening in the production car world for a number of years now,’ continued Caillé. ‘Who, for example, knows that Jaguar fits Peugeot diesel engines in its cars? But it’s a reality. The economic downturn changed motorsport enormously and it’s going to require motorsport programmes to be conducted in the same way as road car programmes. A power unit can be from anywhere.’ With cost in mind, the TOCA engine is heavily production-based. In the past this might have been viewed as disadvantageous, not so now according to
“The TOCA engine is a modern design with an aluminium cylinder block and a very good injection cylinder head design” Caillé. ‘If you look at the performance of today’s 2.0-litre turbocharged road car engines, the good ones are all achieving outputs of close to 300bhp, which is the current performance level of a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated S2000 race engine,’ he said. ‘However, there are a number of things that we need to do so that the engine is reliable, consistent and will do a good job as a race engine.’ For the past 20 years, manufacturers have been spending millions developing 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engines that generate less than 300bhp. In the meantime, the road car industry has evolved and come up with really good products to
the point where road car engines have caught up. The TOCA engine project started with performance similar to a road car, for the good reason that initially there was need to achieve equal performance with the existing S2000 cars (outlawed in 2014). Now, engine performance has increased to around 330bhp. ‘We have taken a small step away from the standard specification of the engine,’ said Caillé. ‘From an engineering point of view, for the initial specification of the engine, we are not talking about the same amount of work that was done under S2000 regulations because the performance is already almost there. The cost of an engine came down by 50-75 per cent.’
It should be noted that use of the of the TOCA NGTC engine is optional. Teams may still develop their own 2.0-litre turbocharged engines, but taking that approach would mean that a team will require a development budget and will likely result in an end product that could – in Caillé’s estimation – be at least as expensive as the TOCA engine, if not more so. Although SEAT raced turbocharged diesels in the BTCC, the introduction of the NGTC engine was the first application of a petrol turbocharged engine in British Touring Cars for more than 20 years, since the days of the Ford Sierra Cosworth. ‘For us it was a departure,’ said Caillé, BTCC l Digital Supplement
NGTC ENGINES
The NGTC project aimed for users to run an engine for an entire season without the need for a rebuild
‘but when you look at a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine developing 300bhp we are talking about a very small amount of boost – just 0.6bar – so the technical solutions are quite conservative. It’s a very different project to the FIA 1600cc turbocharged engine, where to produce the same amount of performance – which is the aim of their regulations – the turbo part of the programme is going to be a bit more involved.’
ENGINE LIFE
One of the aims of the NGTC engine project is for the user to be able to run an engine for a full season without the need for a rebuild – in other words, an engine with a service life of around 5000km. ‘The use of direct injection is an important part of the technical specification of the TOCA engine, as it is intended to be seen as a modern engine. The motor racing world is changing a lot at the moment for economic reasons and its image has to evolve with the times,’ said Caillé. ‘We definitely needed new technology to be part of motorsport projects and we need to be involved in the effort to reduce emissions. TOCA has already made great progress in that area, starting in 2009,
and direct injection was a feature of that strategy. This was the first petrol direct injection engine in Touring Car racing.’ The actuators for the direct injection system are bought-in components, but the overall system in terms of control and calibration is designed and manufactured in-house. Swindon was awarded the TOCA engine contract in early November 2009. Manufacturing work commenced in midDecember of that year, the first dyno test was in mid-January 2010 and the first engine was delivered to a customer the following month. The TOCA NGTC engine has bore and stroke dimensions of 86mm for a swept volume of 1998cc and is built on a closed deck aluminium cylinder block and incorporates a ladder frame sump. ‘It’s fully enclosed and very rigid, which makes it an ideal base for a turbocharged engine, and it will be able to handle quite a lot of boost without big problems,’ explains Caillé, who added that in the USA the same block casting is used in pretty much standard form for drag racing in engines generating in the region of 1000bhp. The cylinder bores are fitted with 3mm thick steel dry liners, the crankshaft is the same as that used in the base production engine and runs
in five plain main bearings, with the three ring aluminium pistons attached by steel connecting rods. The double overhead camshafts are chain driven and actuate the valves by means of roller rockers, while variable cam timing is utilised for both the inlet and exhaust. The front of the engine is enclosed so that the water pump, oil pump and camshafts are all driven internally so, for racing applications, there are no problems associated with gravel in the drive belts for example,. The ignition system comprises a finger-type coil per cylinder
“The motor racing world is changing a lot at the moment for economic reasons, and its image has to evolve with the times” BTCC l Digital Supplement
mounted over each spark plug, which is fired by a Pectel ECU. Each spark plug is located in the centre of the combustion chamber roof with the fuel injector mounted horizontally between the inlet valves. Initially, the NGTC has run at a compression ratio of 9.5:1. ‘That’s quite high for a turbocharged engine but, in the road car world, that’s what you have to do in order to achieve enough efficiency at low boost to pass emissions tests,’ Caillé explains. ‘If we wanted to get 500bhp from this engine we would bring down the compression ratio.
The weight of the TOCA engine is quoted at 125kg (around 25kg heavier than a good S2000 power unit) with the additional weight being attributed to the turbocharger installation, which comprises an Owen Developments/Garrett turbocharger, a pneumatic wastegate and an air-to-air intercooler. Caillé is reluctant to divulge the level of financial investment that the NGTC engine project has required from Swindon, but said that the development cost of the new power unit was likely to be one third of that of an S2000 engine, which puts it into the
realms of affordable racing power units. ‘The reason for that is that the engine is closer to a road specification than previous BTCC engines,’ he said. ‘The S2000 regulations are very interesting. The spirit of them is about 30 years old and dates back to a time when a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated road car engine generated something in the region of 120bhp. To make a 300bhp race engine from one of those took a lot of development work.’ ‘The situation today is very different,’ he concluded, ‘so it’s about time that the regs were revised to take into account the performance of modern road engines.’
“The compression ratio is 9.5:1 which is quite high for a turbocharged engine, but that’s what you have to do” BTCC l Digital Supplement
TECH SPECS
Could NGTC work worldwide? Here’s how other series measure up… British Touring Car Championship
Australian V8 Supercars
NASCAR Sprint Cup
World Touring Car Championship
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
GT500
BTCC l Digital Supplement
Chassis
Engine
Tyres
Gearbox
2, 3 or 5 door of a minimum 4.4m length (2- or 3-door cars must share the same basic body profile as the 4/5 door model). Equalised width of 1875mm. Specified front aerodynamic device incorporating flat floor, apertures for radiator, brake cooling ducts, intercooler and side exits. Specified rear wing profile; stylised front and rear wheel-arch extensions Rolling chassis cost AU$250,000, two centre chassis rails, two outer rails, common floor welded to a chrom-moly rollcage. CoTF chassis bespoke to V8 Supercars design, custom made body panels to be added Tubular steel frame, built to tight rules by individual teams. Choice of four manufacturer bodies with sheet metal and composite panels Based on original car, 2or 4-door production car homologated in Group A on which the Super 2000 kit variant car is based Two door coupe design, CFRP monocoque with integrated fuel tank, CFRP crash elements on the sides, CFRP crash elements front and rear. Chassis weight 126kg, rollcage 32.5kg developed by Mercedes, built by Gerg Gruppe Two-door coupe design, CFRP monocoque with integrated fuel tank, CFRP crash elements on the sides, CFRP crash elements front and rear. Chassis weight 126kg, rollcage 32.5kg developed by Mercedes, built by Toray
300+bhp, 2-litre Specified 18-inch turbocharged direct centre-lock wheel – injection with fly-by-wire Dunlop: 245 x 650 x R18 throttle control. Teams may build their own, or have supplied engine from Swindon Racing Engines. Engine can be sourced from family range including subsidiary marques under their effective control
Xtrac six-speed sequential shift, AP Racing carbon clutch, drivetrain layout as per base vehicle
5-litre V8 normally aspirated, traction control prohibited, min weight 200kg
Dampers: Ohlins TTX40, TTX40 MkII, Sachs Formula Matrix, Formula Matrix TRD, Supashock S002-010 F/R. Tyres: Dunlop 18-inch soft, hard compounds, Rimstock 18-inch V8 Supercar wheel, Dunlop tyres
Albins ST6 transaxle, sixspeed with a reverse gear, drop gear ratios specified
5.7-litre pushrod V8 using McLaren electronic fuel injection
Goodyear Eagle radial, 11.5 inches wide, slicks only, max 30psi, left and 45psi, right
Various using Borg Warner ST10 silhouette, four-speed manual
1.6-litre turbo, air restricted, max revs 8500rpm, power increased to 380bhp
10x18 inches, min weight 10kg, spec Yokohama 18-inch tyre
Sequentially controlled gearbox homologated in VK Super 2000. Six forward gears, one reverse
4-litre V8 normally aspirated 90-degree cylinder angle, four valves per cylinder, 28mm restrictors by regulation
Hankook 300/680 – 18-inch Audi-developed front, 320/710 – 18-inch rear driveshaft, propshaft, gearbox (Hewland)
2.0-litre I-4 turbocharged (hybrid optional)
Various
Audi-developed driveshaft, propshaft, gearbox (Hewland)
Brakes
Engine management
Homologation
Min weight
AP Racing specified package – AP Racing specified pedal box
Cosworth Electronics specified package incorporating ECU, dash, data-logging and scrutineering logger. Data channels limited to 16. Common power management box and switch panels; common wiring loom design
Base vehicle must be freely on sale in the UK through the manufacturers’ normal dealer network
TBC
Pedal box and pedals: Triple 8 Engineering. Calipers: AP, Master. Cylinders: Alcon Pads: PFC, Project Mu, Ferodo, Pagid
MoTeC M190 V8 Supercars ECU
Car must be based on a four-door production car, commercially available in Australia, minimum production 5000 worldwise, minimum of 3500 accredited Special Vehicles division, righthand drive, rear-wheel drive
1410kg including driver and full equipment, as recorded at the first meeting of the year. Front axle min 750kg. Minimum driver mass 100kg including seat and brackets
Various disc brakes – Alcon, PFC, Brembo, Wilwood
TAG 400-N
NASCAR approval process
1451kg
Homologated gearbox in VK Super 2000, six forward gears, one engageable reverse gear
Homologated ECU
2500 fully identical kits produced in 12 months, four seats in accordance with dimensions defined for Touring Cars (Group A)
1100kg including driver, coolant (oil and water) and brake fluids at normal levels). Additional success ballast to be applied
Hydraulic dual-circuit, monobloc calipers, carbon discs front and rear, AP Racing supplied carbon
BMW-developed steering, fuel system and electronics, common across all three cars. Bosch MS 5.1 ECU
Six-speed, adjustable limited slip diff, four-plate CFRP clutch, ZF Sachs clutch
1110kg including driver, suit and helmet
Hydraulic dual-circuit, monobloc calipers, carbon discs front and rear, AP Racing supplied carbon
Various
Six-speed, adjustable limited slip diff, four-plate CFRP clutch, ZF Sachs clutch
1110kg including driver, suit and helmet
BTCC l Digital Supplement
CAR BY CAR
Start your
engines There are a whole host of fascinating entries in the BTCC grid this season – here’s the lowdown on each manufacturer’s 2014 offerings
BTCC l Digital Supplement
BTCC l Digital Supplement
HONDA CIVIC TOURER
Honda’s new BTCC estate Two decades on from the Volvo 850, the Civic Tourer marks another unlikely proportioned entry into British Touring Cars By SAM COLLINS
O
ne of the most iconic cars in the history of the British Touring Car Championship is the TWR Volvo 850 Estate, which contested the 1994 championship. The whole idea of racing an estate car was rather unlikely, and most people believed that the Volvo would be a unique oddity in the history of motorsport. But thanks to Honda, in late 2013 it was revealed that would not be the case. The Japanese firm’s European arm decided that it would enter the new Civic Tourer model into the BTCC. Honda’s works team in the series is Team Dynamics, an offshoot of Rimstock PLC and a leading supplier of aftermarket and racing wheels. The outfit had already developed the Civic into a highly successful car meeting the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations in 2012. That design won the title in both its debut season with the works team and in 2013 with a customer outfit, so it forms the perfect basis for the new model.
BTCC l Digital Supplement
‘The only real change is the body shape from the B-post backwards,’ explains Barry Plowman, technical director at Honda Yuasa Racing (Team Dynamics). ‘Some components – like the rear door – are identical apart from the top rail. There is another 300mm of overhang on it that was not on the old car, and the shell was 25kg35kg heavier as a base unit, so we had to kind of deal with that. The wheelbase track width and all of that was the same.’ But Plowman is rather understating the effort that has gone into adapting the estate car. Reports from the car’s early shakedown runs suggested that the new design was somewhat slower than the Civic Hatch. ‘Going to the longer car has its advantages as well as some disadvantages,’ he says. ‘We found quite early on that crossing the line for the rear to step out was much more sudden. ‘With the old car, the drivers would get a lot of warning, especially in damp or cold conditions, so they could ease off the throttle
to compensate,’ adds Plowman. ‘But with this car it does not give much warning – when it goes it just lets go.’
HANDLING ISSUES
Team owner Steve Neal, who has been involved in the BTCC for decades, recalls that the Volvo 850s also had the same handling issue. ‘It’s strange – I was reading something that reminded me about the old Volvo the other week,’ he says. ‘The comment from the drivers was that the back would just step out, snap oversteer for no apparent reason with very little direction change, like at a chicane for example. We have found something similar with the Tourer, and as we watched it we felt that there was some kind of pendulum effect taking place with all that weight at the back up high. So we played around with the roll centres a bit, but only managed to make it worse.’ This handling characteristic has now been accepted as simply part of the car’s nature,
The team say that the car is not as forgiving to drive as the old model, while particular emphasis has been placed on creating more downforce
and the drivers have been told to work around it. ‘It’s not a drama – it just means that the car is not quite as forgiving as the old one,’ says Plowman. ‘It’s not as easy to drive as the old car – Gordon “Flash” Shedden got out of the car after the first few runs and said: “If I could have my new engine in my old car it would be perfect.” One of the biggest differences between the Civic hatchback and the new Tourer is the engine. As a works Honda team, it would be almost unthinkable for the Civics to be fitted with anything but a Honda-derived engine, and as a result Neil Brown Engineering (NBE) has developed a version of the 2.0-litre inline four used in the Honda Civic production car. ‘This year we have introduced the VTEC [variable valve timing and lift] system, which we have never needed to do previously,’ says Plowman. ‘It’s an attempt to get a bigger spread of torque. We have sacrificed outright horsepower for torque. That is what the BTCC equalisation process is based on.’
Neal adds: ‘The downside is that you can light the front end up easily in the wet, touch a kerb and the traction is gone. You can see why some other cars had that issue in the past with the TOCA engine, which has always had a lot of torque.’ NBE has also made some changes to the engine in the Civic hatchbacks which will be used again in 2014 by the 2013 championship winners Pirtek Racing. The camshaft has been revised, which allows the cars to have an extra 20mb of boost pressure, but the VTEC system is not used. Both the Tourer and the Civic hatch engines are based around the standard Honda block. For obvious reasons, the aerodynamic package of the Civic Tourer was a major area
of focus for engineers at the Worcestershire, England HQ of Team Dynamics, which used the full-scale wind tunnel at MIRA to develop the shape of the new car. ‘The Civic is a relatively high drag vehicle,’ says Plowman. ‘There is slightly less drag on the Tourer, but the difference is very small, though the shape reduces the wake somewhat.’ However, even though a production car is used for the mandatory TOCA aero test at MIRA, Plowman still learned about the new car’s aerodynamic potential. ‘When we did the TOCA rear wing test at 100mph, we found that the car had 1kg less drag for the same downforce as the hatch. It was a minuscule difference, much smaller than you would expect,
“With the VTEC system we have sacrificed outright horsepower for torque. That is what the BTCC equalisation process is based on” BTCC l Digital Supplement
HONDA CIVIC TOURER
The Civic Tourer features a production-based 2.0-litre inline four engine that has been developed by Neil Brown Engineering
though on-track at 140mph the difference would be more significant, especially on a track like Thruxton. The rear wing target figure is 27kg of downforce so its not that much but on a hot day with these cars you do not need too much. The grip is already very good with these tyres.’ Plowman feels that many teams in the championship do not realise the benefits a good aerodynamic programme, and indeed Racecar understands that at least one of the leading cars in the series
is, once you have homologated it there is not much more you can do.’ Strictly speaking, once homologated the car’s specification is fixed. ‘You can adjust the cars once a year,’ says Neal. ‘There are regulations that govern what you can and can’t do – look at the little dive planes for example. We were only allowed them as they blended in an original road car shape, but now you have people just adding dive planes on the grounds that we have them, and they let that go.
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice grip at one end to balance it at the other. A lot of teams go for the fastest one lap setup and lose balance” has never been exposed to any sort of aerodynamic development at all. ‘People seem to discount the aero as a performance thing in BTCC, but it’s very important,’ he says. ‘We have always gone for as much front downforce as possible, but other people have gone for as little drag as possible, and some people just guess at it. ‘We only use the full-scale tunnel to clarify what we have got, and to find out where we are percentage-wise front and rear and look at different wing angles. When we go to the tunnel, the drag tends to be higher than it is in CFD, and our CFD model is pretty close to the track. The thing BTCC l Digital Supplement
‘Three-quarters of the way through last year, TOCA decided to define the shadow line of the car. Everyone understood it to be either the racecar or the road car, and you used whichever one gave the biggest advantage. So you used the road car shadow line for the undercut, and the racecar one for the overhang. In theory you could still have a 50mm undercut and a 50mm overhang, but if you measured it overall it would be over 100mm because of the way it’s measured.’ Team Dynamics has been the dominant force in BTCC in recent years, and with the Tourer that shows no sign of changing.
Aside from some minor teething issues at its early tests, the car has already proven very strong, lapping Brands Hatch and Thruxton faster than the old hatchback ever has. Neal believes that his team’s advantage does not lie in any great secret, but is instead due to great attention to detail. ‘Mostly what we do is about negative tuning,’ he says. ‘In other words, we know how to get the grip out of the thing, but what you need to do is balance that grip. Sometimes you have to sacrifice grip at one end to balance it at the other. A lot of teams don’t consider that – they just go for the fastest one lap setup, and they end up losing balance halfway through the race. Another thing is that we introduced a new pad from Endless to the series, because we felt that the pad we were using was not good enough. ‘We rebuild our own dampers, and look after that for a few other teams. We take great care over every single element of the car. Some other teams can’t afford that, or do not know how to do it.’ The Civic Tourer may also follow in the footsteps of the Volvo 850 Estate, which only raced for a single season. Honda will launch an all-new Civic in 2015, utilising a new VTEC Turbo engine. It seems likely that this model will be the one to contest the BTCC next season, which would leave the Tourer as another of those almost unique oddities in the history of motorsport.
FORD FOCUS ST
Ford comes into Focus With the help of Motorbase, the stalwart manufacturer once again has a significant presence on the BTCC grid By SAM COLLINS
F
ord – along with Vauxhall – is one of the staples of the British Touring Car Championship, and it has a major presence on the 2014 BTCC grid, with two variants of its Focus model having been developed to the NGTC rulebook both developed by the Motorbase team. The difference is simply one of bodywork, with the Focus ST Mk3 introduced in 2014 giving the team some additional aerodynamic freedoms. BTCC technical director Peter Riches reckons the Motorbase-developed Fords to be closest to the spirit of the New Generation Touring Car regulations. The team, he says, had no previous experience of building a car and, therefore, no preconceived ideas. They have followed the ‘design manual’, unlike some of the other teams who have taken that book and tried to do better.
EXPERIENCE BASE
Motorbase team manager, Oly Collins, sees this as something of a simplification. The team itself may be new to construction, but the individuals concerned certainly are not. Three of them – Collins, project manager Richard Townsend and chief engineer David Potter – had all spent a number of years at championship-winning Team Dynamics, working on the design and build of the Integra and the S2000 Civic. Motorbase may never have made a car, but there was no lack of experience in its personnel. There did have to be changes in the operation’s infrastructure, however. In particular, team principal David Bartrum invested in new tooling as the decision was taken to produce the shells in-house. Still, the team has not used CAD, CFD or any exact aerodynamic data in the car’s design.
The team had run Schnitzer BMWs in the BTCC for three years. With the turbocharged NGTC cars looming, these were going to be at a disadvantage. Arena was showing what could be done with a turbocharged S2000 Focus, and the feeling was that the same would be true with the NGTC engine. With a lack of suitable BMW engines for turbocharging and a feeling that the TOCA engine wouldn’t be appropriate, Motorbase purchased three S2000 cars from Arena, and moved on from its BMW era for 2011. ‘The NGTC cars were out that year, and were clearly progressing well,’ recalls Collins. ‘It seemed obvious that by this year they would have an advantage over the S2000s.’ So, towards the end of 2011, Motorbase commenced work on an NGTC Focus project, the idea being to have a car out by the last one or two races of the following season and then spend the winter developing it. With Richard Townsend on board, it was a nobrainer to do the shells. I class him as the best fabricator/shell builder in the BTCC paddock.’ There were options. GPRM, for example, could have provided a shell, but with the in-house expertise it was thought logical for Motorbase to produce its own. This meant investment in tooling, such as a flat-plate jig on which the shell is built. ‘We got hold of a road car shell,’ says Townsend, ‘we stripped it out, removed the roof and sent it away for surface processing. This basically removed anything organic. On its return it was put on a spit, de-bracketed and everything from the rear seat squab back was removed. The tunnel was cut in half so that the seat could be moved towards the centre. From there the car went on to the jig and we started joining the dots. We’ve done a lot of work in the front bulkhead that I believe gives us
“We’ve done a lot of work in the front bulkhead that will give us an advantage” BTCC l Digital Supplement
Right: Dave Newsham’s Ford Focus entry, which runs in Touring Cars under the AMD Tuning banner Below: engine tuning firm Mountune has had a long-term relationship with Motorbase
an advantage over some other teams. The front end needs to be really torsionally stiff for a front wheel drive car.’ TOCA supplied the diameter for the cage, which, rearward from the A-post, is a basic spec. Townsend and Jason Harmsworth designed the cage for the Focus in conjunction with Custom Cages. It came plasma-notched and went straight in. It was all TIG welded, and was ‘a joy,’ Townsend recalls. He admits that there’s nothing to be gained by this and it takes about a third as long as using MIG, but he likes his work to ‘look right’. The shell has been labourintensive, with roughly 900 hours going into the first one, including building the jigs. RML had been looking at taking part in NGTC when Motorbase started its project, and already had a GPRM kit of the spec parts. When RML changed its plans, Motorbase purchased it from them. By the time of the summer break, the shell was also 75 per cent complete. Then driver Liam Griffin had an accident at Croft, effectively writing off one of the team’s S2000 cars. Instead of funding a rebuild, Griffin helped the building of the NGTC car, bringing forward the project. With the initial development and tooling, Collins estimates the cost of getting a car to the grid to have been
£300,000, of which the car will have accounted for £200,000. ‘You set your budget out for the year and you don’t expect an expenditure like this halfway though the season.’ Over a six-week break between races, the NGTC Focus was born. ‘It wasn’t the most straightforward car to build,’ says Collins.
‘There may be a lot of spec components, but you still need to house them. For example, the engine needs installation brackets, a bell housing, the induction system worked on and the bracketry for the bodywork calculated as well as the layout of the interior, including the steering
column and dash display. The build manual does not cover everything. Collins points out the help that was given by Peter Riches’ s son, Sam. He was then employed by GPRM, which was the company originally chosen by TOCA to design the NGTC frame, as well as the steering and the suspension. For those teams that are unable to build their own cars, it will also supply a complete vehicle. Because Motorbase had bought an early kit from RML, there were some aspects that had since been uprated, and Riches’s understanding of the car proved crucial to the team. Collins readily admits that they ‘cut it a bit fine’, with the car only finished at 3am on the Saturday morning of its Snetterton debut. The car’s arrival there made Motorbase unique as the only team to be running both NGTC and S2000 cars. Naturally, there were teething problems that day, with steering and boost issues. ‘We were comfortable in the knowledge that we were learning from this,’ he says. ‘Our shakedown was free practice one. By qualifying the car was running reliably and we got three top eight finishes.’ Collins feels that the NGTC regulations were built for teams such as Motorbase. There would never have been the possibility BTCC l Digital Supplement
FORD FOCUS ST
Fabrizio Giovanardi, who drives one of the two Ford Focus entries for the Airwaves Racing team
of it taking on an S2000 design and build project – it could only ever have been a customer. An S2000 would have required far more design and development work, and the only really successful ones have had the backing of a manufacturer, but with an NGTC so much is already set out. The suspension layout with the common uprights, wishbones and anti-roll bar system mean that there are no extra costs in this area, although the way the regulations have been framed mean that there are still plenty of engineering challenges. While everybody uses a common Penske damper, there are plenty of options in the kit for you to build it in a variety of ways. ‘There is a very good possibility of getting it very wrong or very right!’ he says. With its double wishbones, an NGTC car has become an outright racecar. TOCA had a
spring, which was then manufactured by King in Australia. The engine is an ideal fit for Motorbase, as Bartrum’s relationship with tuner Mountune goes back many years. ‘They know this engine inside out in so many different forms,’ he says. ‘I reckon it is the best engine package available – we knew that we could carry this element straight over from the S2000.’
BACK TO BASICS
In addition, Geoff Kingston has had a strong involvement in the development of the aero and the cooling design. A composite company, known as Fibreglass Phil, was used for the aero work, starting with a simple road car set at the correct ride height. Under the guidance of Kingston, the front and rear wheel arch extensions,
“As long as the teams are open about any problems they have, NGTC will evolve quicker” clean sheet of paper with this and, as Peter Riches remarks, one would not design a racecar today with MacPherson struts. That means the engineers are having to take a different view. ‘The experience they had making the MacPherson work the best has gone out of the window,’ he says. Riches says that because of this, a sportscar engineer would now be the man to have in BTCC, but vehicle dynamics expert Potter contends that most of the leading teams in the paddock do have staff with this kind of experience. ‘The car is still a touring car with its high centre of gravity,’ says Potter. ‘It’s not a sportscar and we haven’t got a high aerodynamic package. You still can’t set it up like a Le Mans car.’ The engineers also have the freedom to design their own springs. In the case of the Focus, Potter designed a progressive BTCC l Digital Supplement
front bumper, splitter and side sills were manufactured with the bodywork bucks all done by hand. ‘It was a bit of an old-school way of doing things – we didn’t go down the CAD design route.’ says Collins. ‘It was one of the most challenging aspects of building the car, but one we’re very happy with. The radiator duct, for example, is more efficient than on the S2000 car, though its something we want to change in 2014.’ In keeping the engines as productionrelated as possible, the BTCC has been faced with the problem that the performance of the road engine will always be reflected in the race version. There is little that can be done to make a poorly performing road engine into a competitive one for an NGTC. To achieve what Riches calls ‘package equalisation’, the BTCC has therefore used a lap-time formula and equated this to boost adjustment.
When the NGTC Focus made its debut with a base boost, it was 2.5 seconds off the pace in qualifying, but just 0.5 seconds off by the end of the third race. But this was still slow enough for it to be given the maximum 0.125 bar boost for the next round, which equates to about 25bhp. However, the team’s understanding of the chassis was rapid. By the time of the penultimate round of the BTCC at Silverstone, Motorbase was on a 0.075 bar increase. The spec gearbox is the Xtrac six-speed sequential FWD 1046, with a fixed choice of 16 ratios. A regular topic in team meetings is that this could be reduced. Arguably first, second and third are fixed, so 16 seems a little excessive. The spec, externally (pre-load) adjustable differential can be built in a number of different ways. Potter has tried to achieve on a mechanical differential much of what he has learnt working on hydraulic active diffs.
STEERING ISSUES
The team initially had issues with the spec Titan steering rack early on, and the BTCC had already brought in a DC Electronics motor to deal with some of the steering issues that were being experienced. However, drivers were stilll feeling that the power steering was locking out. Motorbase certainly found this on the first few runs with the NGTC Focus – on opposite lock, it would overload. The data was sent back to DC Electronics and the feedback said that it wasn’t locking up. ‘It was all part of the evolution of this product,’ observes Collins. ‘As long as the teams are open about a problem, NGTC will evolve quicker. This isn’t so when a team has a problem and tries to solve it on its own. How can a spec supplier help when they don’t know there is a problem in the first place?’ Collins believes that the tyres are probably the major reason why the NGTC Focus is quicker than the S2000 version. The brakes are bigger, the boost slightly more but the car is 100 kilos heavier,’ he says. ‘The tyres make a massive difference, mainly on durability because of the extra inch.’ ‘It’s a totally different design – much more competent,’ Potter adds. ‘Although there is not a massive difference in the radial stiffness between the 18-inch and 17-inch, the lateral and torsional stiffness are very different.’ Potter is impressed by the data supplied by Dunlop, considering that this is a single supplier formula. Using the Pacejka, Delft University Magic Formula as a model, he was able to simulate the car with the tyre data included before it had been anywhere near a track.
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TEAM BMR VW PASSAT
Slippery customer VW returns to the British Touring Car Championship By ANDREW COTTON
The Volkswagen CC has one of the lowest drag coeffecients on the grid, but Team BMR is looking at slow corner speeds and working on the dampers in order to generate mechanical grip
V
olkswagen’s Passat CC contested the 2013 season under the Team HARD banner, but that was acquired by Team BMR, Chrome Edition Restart Racing, which has entered two CCs this season, for multiple champion Alain Menu alongside Árón Smith. The car uses the Swindon engine but the team has concentrated on aerodynamics, led by Geoff Kingston. ‘The shell for the Passat was built by RML, so they did the engineering, design and interface between the cage and the subframes which was pretty important,’ says Kingston. ‘After that we are responsible for the bodywork. There are only two things that can really vary – the wheelbase and the aerodynamics.’ Kingston’s approach has always been to reduce drag, and therefore the front of the Passat is extremely tidy, with small apertures where absolutely necessary, and only one doff of the cap to the great God of cooling, which is for the intercooler. ‘We have a cooling requirement with all the systems and obviously intercooler as well, we had to decide on the best configuration,’ says Kingston. ‘On the front bumper of the Insignia and Passat – which are both the same, just different body shapes – the aperture for the oil cooling is fairly small. One thing about aero is that the lowest drag duct is no duct at all, and
the smaller it is the lower drag it has got. You want to make the holes in the front as small as possible. The intercooler is slightly different, in that if you get more efficient charge cooling, you get more power and that is one area to have a go at. The hole for that is fairly large. That is one area that I have had a go at, to get the charge temperature down as far as possible.’ The Volkswagen CC has one of the lowest drag coefficients on the grid, but Kingston’s team has also taken a hard look at slow corner speeds, working on the dampers to generate mechanical grip.
process during the 2013 season when Dunlop introduced a quicker tyre set that had to be used during the weekend. This year, tyre management strategy is more mature, although teams will now have to announce via social media in which race they will run the ‘soft’ tyre to spice up the competition. Dunlop has also introduced a new construction, which works the compound of the tyre harder, and therefore should produce better feel, and more grip. ‘The new tyre is quicker than the old tyre, for us it has more lateral grip, and it is faster than last year,’ says Kingston. ‘The tyres are certainly a step forward. I believe that the thing for this championship is going to be to go to the next race with enough carry-over tyre to get through FP1. You are going to have to plan ahead to the next meeting. The difference is going to be so small that how you run the car is going to be important. We are not allowed to test, and if we do we have to use from our marked stock. We are allowed six new tyres per test day, so you cannot get a reading on the car at a test. There is less new rubber available this year than last year, which emphasises that philosophy.’ The team is new, the facilities are still being developed and the package is new this season. However, the team has signalled its intent with its driving line-up, and it will be interesting to see how it gets on.
“The new tyre is quicker – for us it has more lateral grip”
BTCC l Digital Supplement
‘The diffs can be changed, but you are not going to move too far away from a configuration that works,’ says Kingston. ‘Other than that, they are front-wheel drive racing cars that respond to more or less the same things. ‘One thing that is a fairly big factor is the roll centre geometry. Because the wishbones are very short and of a very similar length to each other, there is a lot of roll centre movement in terms of height, and it is important to control that to a reasonable amount.’ The change in Dunlop tyres will be something for all the teams to understand, having already been through a learning
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Dynamic Engineering
888 RACING MG6
Style and substance Despite a difficult development process, 888 Racing and MG have created a formidable contender
T
riple Eight Race Engineering – aka 888 – have claimed six championships, five constructors’ titles and well over 100 race wins during their time competing in the British Touring Car Championship. The next stage of their racing history is with MG. The team first linked with MG in 2012. Bringing the MG6 to the grid, coupled with double champion Jason Plato behind the wheel, helped the team to be in consistent contention for even more championships. The car has already shown pace this season, with Plato finishing second in the Brands Hatch opener and third in Race 3, despite starting 11th. However, a fly-by-wire throttle issue left Plato on the grid at lights out in Race 2, highlighting that even the top teams can have issues. ‘It doesn’t matter whether you are spending millions in F1 or a lot less in BTCC, things can go wrong,’ says Ian Harrison, team principal. ‘Despite a few reliability issues that were out of our control, it was a solid enough start.’ It’s been a long road to reach even this point, as early development was rushed through in 2012. However, the fundamental design was carried over into 2013 and beyond. It took just 10 weeks to develop the MG6 for competition two years ago, thanks to extensive simulation work and K&C testing.
“The real workload came with the rollcage and shell preparation”
‘The real initial workload came in the shape of the rollcage and shell preparation,’ says Carl Faux, chief designer at 888 Racing. ‘With the NGTC regulations comes a design specification for the cage, but it is not set in stone and you can adjust things to fit your chassis, which you have to do.’ It is here that an understanding of building a car from scratch – as opposed to simply building from a kit of parts – sets teams with considerable engineering experience apart from smaller operations, as Faux explains. ‘This is where having a firm grasp of what will make a car fast comes into play. What will make it light? What will make it handle? Normally, we would spend at least a month doing an FEA study into about 40 different iterations, then spend time rig-testing the road car to see where improvements could be made. Unfortunately, we had no time for that!’
BODY ISSUES
Similar to other teams, 888 Racing have been improving the aerodynamic performance through a new bodywork package using the same combination of various glass fibre materials as last season. The team had access to a high-end simulation and design package, which allowed them to optimise the cars within the areas permitted by the regulations. While certain components are controlled and can only be procured from the approved TOCA suppliers, others are free for the teams to produce, and there is some flexibility in the regulations in terms of overall chassis design. One particular area open to interpretation is the attachment of the front suspension subframe to the main
Combining solid aero performance with TOCA’s demands for good looks has placed added pressures on 888 Racing BTCC l Digital Supplement
chassis. Here the location of attachment points is specified, but the means of attachment and structure of the bulkhead area is open. Both teams took advantage of this, using a selection of virtual and physical tools to optimise the structural performance. Naturally, 888 Racing were keen to make the most of any potential performance advantage. ‘There is room for optimisation in the regulations,’ says Faux. ‘Everything that holds the front subframes on is free for the teams to decide what to do. We have six hard points, but between there and the cage is free. ‘You submit the design to TOCA for approval and – if they are happy it fulfils their strength requirements – it is fine. It is areas like that which performance comes from, providing you get them better than the rest. There isn’t much freedom, but it’s the same process as with any racecar of making everything one per cent better that gives an advantage.’ The knowledge gained from K&C rig testing and simulation packages is fed back to TOCA and benefits NGTC development as a whole. When it comes to the bodywork on the new cars, the teams and TOCA are at somewhat crossed purposes. The competitors want to gain maximum aerodynamic performance, while the organisers want the cars to be aesthetically pleasing. There is, however, plenty of scope for designers to work within, and both Honda and MG represent the first of the NGTC body designs to utilise wind tunnel and CFD tools in their development. The added time constraints that 888 Racing faced with the MG meant that bodywork design was a key area early on in the project. The lead time on producing panels such as the wheel arches was considerable, with initial design, patternmaking and then production taking a minimum of five weeks. As Faux explains, producing this in the team’s compressed schedule was no mean feat: ‘The bodywork on an NGTC car is a lot more complex than that on an S2000 car, and there is a lot more of it. For example, the rear arch on this had to be a three-piece item – we need a bit on the door, a bit on the rear quarter and a bit on the bumper – which pushes the cost up dramatically. We also have to submit the designs to TOCA, because – at the end of the day – the cars have to look good.’ Look good, and run well. MG has already proven it can be a contender this year.
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CHEVROLET CRUZE BTCC
Cruze control in customer hands
RML started working on a Chevy BTCC programme, but for the 2014 season two customer teams are taking things forward
R
ML has a long history in touring car racing, but in recent years it has all been focused on its Chevrolet World Touring Cars, which actually contested the BTCC at one point under the Team Silverline banner. However, another interesting part of its recent past is that RML set out to develop a NGTC version of the Chevrolet Cruze. ‘The cars you see in the BTCC now are the result of a programme that we started but subsequently cancelled,’ says Guy Ruthven, RML customer support manager. ‘We got to the point where we had a basic design, but hadn’t done bodywork, and the teams have what we had – the body shell, the seat installation, the pedal box and that kind of thing. But that is as far as we got.’ Looking at the Chevrolets on the 2014 BTCC grid, it appears that there are two specifications of car out there – a saloon and
a hatchback – but essentially the cars are identical aside from a slightly different shell. ‘The hatchback and the saloon are identical underneath apart from the rear door – the roll cage is identical in both,’ adds Ruthven. ‘Originally we were planning to run the hatchback, so that is the car that Chris Stockton has. The car that Andy Neath bought last year – now run by Aiden Moffat – is the saloon that they wanted to run instead of the hatchback. We built the shell last year and the crash structure, but it has been the teams that have built the cars and done their own bodywork and development.’ In 2014, RML’s touring car efforts are largely customer-based, with six WTCC specification Cruzes in action as well as the NGTC cars, though only the latter receive major support from the Wellingborough firm. ‘We didn’t really do any development because we never got to the point of building a car,’
says Ruthven. ‘Our development was in the design. There is no on-track development done by RML – what the teams have got in terms of rollcage and production of the body shells is the extent of our development. In NGTC you are very limited in what you can do anyway, so the only real freedom is in the bodywork, and the engine to a certain extent.’ The NGTC Chevrolets are, however, fitted with RML engines, rather than the more common Swindon-TOCA unit, though that too is GM-based. ‘We had started the engine work at the same time as the original project,’ adds Ruthven. ‘We didn’t do any track testing, but we did some dyno work before the project ended and we were relatively happy, but that was a limited programme. The regulations don’t allow a great deal of interpretation. You have a rev-limited engine, and the boost is controlled by TOCA. Most of it has to remain as the production unit.
“We built the shell and crash structure, but the teams have built the cars and done their own development” BTCC l Digital Supplement
Top left: the Power Maxed Racing Cruze hatchback, driven by Chris Stockton Top right: Aiden Moffat’s Cruze saloon, which runs under the Laser Tools Racing banner Above: both of the NGTC Chevys are fitted with RML engines, rather than the Swindon-TOCA unit
‘We did our own plenum because we felt the standard plenum wasn’t suitable, which meant changing from DI to port injection. We have our own loom and piston design, and utilised what we have learned with the WTCC engines to try to get what we wanted.’ RML continues to keep its distance from the BTCC teams, allowing them to work independently on their cars. This is something that allows the teams to develop separate aerodynamic packages and use more ‘wildcard’ updates. ‘We have no influence over the teams and how they run their development programmes,’ says Ruthven. ‘The cars certainly seem to be fundamentally sound. They differ quite substantially because the teams did their own bodywork, so the cooling and ducting is different for both, but from what we have seen so far, they are at the early stages of the development cycle and there is no reason not to expect them to move forward. ‘It is not an RML-led programme – it is a customer sport programme. If they want help, we are happy to provide assistance, but it is in their own hands. BTCC l Digital Supplement
STP RACING PROTON
Proton package
STP are happy with the engine’s boost performance during normal power load, but spikes during gear changes are being addressed with in a new gear cut strategy
It’s short on track testing and lacking in power, but hopes remain that incremental improvements can count during the season By GEMMA HATTON
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elch Motorsport will be taking their STP Racing squad into the 2014 season with two Proton Gen 2 NGTC cars for the very first time. As if this wasn’t a big enough challenge, it has decided to radically develop the car it already had… ‘From last year, the only thing we have left untouched is probably the roof panel,’ says driver Dan Welch. ‘We have been flat out, being very conscious to ensure that Ollie’s car and mine are as identical as we can get them.’ Welch is now in his fourth season in the BTCC alongside his first ever team-mate – Ollie Jackson – who switched from last year’s Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis. ‘We really didn’t want to give Ollie last year’s car, because the 2014 parts are so different – we would have ended up with an A-spec and a B-spec car.’ Even the pedal box is different, resulting in two different engine maps
required for each car. ‘It is literally everything and we have been fighting to get both cars together – I’ve never known anything like it. The first car was built in two weeks, but that was with all the parts. Meanwhile, we spent 426 hours on the shell of the second car alone, just modifying the rollcage.’ It is no wonder then that the STP team missed the media launch day, and only had one car running at Brands Hatch. The new regulations allow a lot more freedom with regards to the design of the rollcage, subframes and shells – another development to this year’s Proton. ‘We have changed how we tie in the rear subframe,’ says Welch. ‘Last year we had a rear cross pinning it backwards and two bars going forwards, but due to our exhaust exit they had to be at some awful angle, so we moved our exhaust tunnel further forward in the car to allow us to tie the rear subframe in better.’
“We have been tidying up every little detail – and all those gains accumulate over time” BTCC l Digital Supplement
To increase the strength and rigidity through the car, the front subframe and how it fits has also been radically redesigned. The backbone of the NGTC category is ‘cost-effective’ racing, which is why when the first Proton was built in 2010 the shell was meant to be ‘disposable’ to reduce the cost of repair. However, as larger teams such as Dynamics and West Surrey Racing began building their own highly complex designs, full-spec shells are quickly becoming the norm. A potential regulation change on the horizon? As with any form of motorsport, weight is the enemy and due to a new type of Kevlar being allowed in the manufacture of the body panels, the Proton managed to lose 25kg in body weight alone, while retaining the same strength. The new front bumper has a larger undercut to improve the aerodynamics surrounding the front splitter area – another modification allowed by this year’s regulations. The intercooler and radiator have been repositioned from last year to minimise damage during any frontal impacts, so all the ducting had to be remade, while
the team made the switch to PWR radiators – with positive results. ‘We have even gone down to the finer details, like moving the position of the front windscreen. It sounds stupid, but we always had a 10mm gap at the top. It’s every little detail like this that we have been tidying up, and all those gains accumulate over time.’ Welch’s toughest challenge by far was building their own engines. ‘We have three engines built and aside from some dyno time, it has taken eight weeks from the start of the project to when our first engine turned a wheel in FP2 at Brands Hatch,’ says Welch. ‘It is going to be a pain for now, but it will pay off later because we are in control, so can play around with the gear ratios etc.’ One issue for Welch’s new engine is overboost, which was introduced by the 2013 regulations. ‘It looks like our boost control is very good on normal full power load, but on gear changes we are spiking so we are changing the cut strategy,’ he says. The lack of track testing to tune the engine has ultimately hurt performance, with the car running 50bhp under power. ‘It is one
thing running the engines on the dyno, but as soon as you put it in the car, it is never the same because you have got to get the gear cut, the fuel strategies, and throttle maps all right.’ Add to this all of those small issues that need to be ironed out, and the importance of track testing can never be underestimated. ‘We had a little problem to start – the throttle went really slowly off. It took us a while to find, but the Cosworth box specifies a rate, so if you go from 100 per cent throttle to 0 per cent, it will only allow a certain percentage change per millisecond.’
FUELLING PROGRESS
A major factor that helped Welch build his engines in record time was the support from STP (Scientifically Treated Petroleum) who have supported the Welch’s family racing activities for years. They supply a range of oil additives and fuel treatments to a wide variety of championships, some of which were utilised in the engine build. ‘Many moons ago, John [Dan’s father and team boss] conducted a test with a Slick 50 STP oil treatment where he ran one of his 800hp,
turbocharged engines on the dyno. He shut the oil off for 30 seconds to prove just how effective this STP product was in coating the components in PTFE. Once completed, the engine was stripped and it was spotless – you would never tell, but you wouldn’t do it again.’ Although a common garage name in the 90s, STP’s presence in Europe declined as they focused on the American market. However, by supporting Welch’s BTCC campaign, they are using the Touring Car platform to re-invigorate the brand to the next generation. ‘They are being very proactive and are confident that they have the best products on the market. So as we go through the year, everything is going to become bigger, better and bolder.’ Despite the sleep deprivation and engine tuning issues, the ambitious redesign of the car while building a second replica has already shown promise, and the rate of performance gain throughout the season will undoubtedly increase. ‘Even though we are hugely underpowered at the moment, Ollie has said that it handles better than the Toyota ever did at any point last year.’ BTCC l Digital Supplement
RCIB INSURANCE VAUXHALL INSIGNIA VXR-R
Bearing the Insignia Although it initially struggled with the NGTC rulebook, things look brighter for Vauxhall in 2014
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auxhall is one of the most successful brands in the history of the BTCC, and indeed it was one of the dominant forces in the championship until the introduction of the NGTC rulebook. But the new rules led to a dramatic downturn in form. Two NGTC models of Vauxhall were planned – the Astra and the Insignia – but only the latter project ever made it to the track. Tuning firm Thorney Motorsport led the development of the Insignia as former Vauxhall works team 888 Engineering had switched to MG. It was introduced at the final race of 2011, but was dogged by reliability issues throughout its debut meeting and and into the following season. Three Insignia VXR-Rs were built,
The two Vauxhall Insignias racing this year retain the Swindon-TOCA engine, despite controversy over the powerplant
and a pair of them ended up in the hands of the RCIB Insurance racing team that will campaign them in 2014. The development of the car in 2012 proved controversial, with Thorney blaming engine supplier Swindon for ongoing issues and after the first few races of the season issued the following statement: ‘The car currently has two main areas for concern for the team, firstly to address the lack of rear end grip which caused a spin even behind the safety car at Brands Hatch, but also a constant misfire that the team’s engine supplier appear completely unable to cure’. Eventually Thorney parted ways with Swindon, but the two Insignias racing in the 2014 championship retain the Swindon-TOCA
Early feedback indicates that handling problems dating from 2012 have been resolved on the 2014 cars
engine. ‘The handling issues were really just down to time in the car to properly create a full setup,’ said John Thorne. ‘But that needed testing and that needed budget. However, the engine issues were really annoying as they dated back over a year. It didn’t make it easy when after each race Swindon came along and took the engine map out of the car, preventing us from running over 4000rpm, and stopping testing until we paid them another £2k fee!’ However, the car does now seem to be very driveable. ‘I knew the first time I drove the Insignia VXR-R that it was a great car,’ said Tony Gilham, the first customer for the NGTC Vauxhall. ‘We knew we wanted to be in the most competitive NGTC car possible – and the Insignia is it.’ So the handling problems seem have been resolved, as has the reliability, and in 2014 the Vauxhalls look able to run strongly and creep into the upper elements of the top 10. Indeed, one of its 2014 drivers feels that the car could be stronger on the larger circuits on calendar. ‘Tracks like Donington should suit our track a little bit more than places like Brands Hatch, because it is a bigger track and the flowing corners will suit the long wheel base,’ says Jack Goff. ‘I have an idea of what we need to change – the cooling package is one because we have suffered with some overheating, but we have a few things up our sleeve.’
Driver Jack Goff feels that the Insignia could be ideally placed put up stronger showings at longer circuits, such as Donington
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ROB AUSTIN RACING AUDI A4
Audi’s advantage Controversy has surrounded these rear-wheel-drive cars in the series
Rob Austin claims that the gains that come out of the starting and cornering ability of the rear-wheel drive Audis are overstated
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he two Audi A4s of Rob Austin Racing are something of a fan favourite in the BTCC. However, the cars have courted some controversy as they are rear-wheel drive in a series where the majority of cars have front-wheel drive. ‘It’s simply an anomaly of the specific engine/gearbox layout of an Audi,’ said series boss Alan Gow after the car was launched. ‘The cars must retain their original engine/ transmission orientation and use the NGTCspecified gearbox – there is one for frontwheel drive cars and one for rear-wheel drive. However, the A4 does not have a transverse engine/gearbox like other front-wheel drive cars – its engine/gearbox sits longitudinally like rear-wheel drive cars – so it obviously can’t use the transverse front-drive gearbox and therefore must use the rear-drive one. As with any other rear-wheel drive car that could just as easily be built by any team – purely, for example, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti etc.’
The cars were first built by GPRM as a pair, but they have been extensively reworked for the 2014 season with both getting new shells. Originally the cars were powered by a bespoke VAG-based NGTC engine, but in 2014 the A4s will be powered by the Swindon-TOCA engine. In aerodynamic terms, little development has been done on the car as Austin’s small team lacks the capability to conduct full-scale testing, though in an upcoming issue of Racecar Engineering this may be resolved.
REAR-WHEEL RETURNS
The issue of the car’s driven wheels – also shared with WSR BMW’s – is at the forefront of discussion following the first race of 2014. ‘The RWD advantage is not only limited to their standing starts, their traction out of low speed corners is equally advantageous,’ Team Dynamics boss Steve Neal told the BTCCcrazy.co.uk website. ‘Anywhere there
is a hairpin followed by a reasonable straight, they will have a massive advantage, – take Knockhill, Croft and to some extent Snetterton and Oulton. The cars with RWD have been allowed to move their engines back in the chassis, thereby transferring more weight to the rear for even better traction. They are lighter on their tyres because they are not steering through their driven wheels. All in all they are not compatible with FWD cars and never will be.’ But Austin claims that the situation is not as important as some make it out to be. ‘I think it is blown out of all proportion,’ the Audi driver said. ‘Really, look at the places gained by RWD cars at Brands and decide for yourself. It’s maybe a place or two if you’re lucky and realistically that requires people around you to have a bad start. ‘If a FWD car made a place or two off the grid then I don’t think anyone would think twice about it, would they?’
“Look at places gained by RWD cars at Brands and decide for yourself” BTCC l Digital Supplement
ROTEK AUDI S3
Race against time Faced with a short timescale to prepare for the new season, Robb Holland’s firm called in a favour from Bamboo Racing By SAM COLLINS
Rotek Racing took an Audi S3 and built it up to NGTC specification
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n the 2014 British Touring Car Championship entry list there is something of an oddity, something that midway through 2013 nobody quite saw coming. An American, Robb Holland – a native of Denver, Colorado – had raced in the BTCC before, but without much knowledge of the tracks and lacking a top line car, he struggled to be noticed. But he was not there to win – he was there quietly learning about the series and especially its Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations. At the 2013 Frankfurt Motorshow, Holland’s company Rotek Racing arranged with Audi AG to have a brand-new S3 model delivered to its European HQ at the Nürburgring. Holland had decided to build the new model up to NGTC specification. His team, however, had no experience of the BTCC – when Holland had raced in the series previously it was with Team HARD. But, undeterred, he set about securing one of only
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32 full season entries in the championship, signed up a list of strong commercial and technical partners – including Oakley – and started acquiring the parts needed to build a new NGTC design. ‘I wanted to do everything to the best specification,’ says Holland, ‘I did not want to skimp on things and just take shortcuts to be able to make it to the first test – I’d much rather come when properly ready.’
NGTC STANDARD
Under the NGTC regulations, much of the car’s design is standardised. The whole front and rear ends of the car are common across the grid, with tubular steel subframes all coming from a single supplier. This gives the cars identical suspension layouts with common Penske dampers and Eibach springs, though teams are free to do some rebuilding. Also mounted to the subframe (in most cases) is an Xtrac sequential gearbox – another control part – there are a host of
other components used on all cars such as the brakes, wiring and onboard electronics. Rotek has opted to use the Swindon Racing Engines spec engine supplied by TOCA. For Holland, the TOCA engine was the only realistic option and was fitted to the car just before the car was shaken down. ‘The engine is one area where I hope we can get some support from Audi Sport, but that’s some way down the line – right now we need to get out and race,’ says Holland. The cars all have the same width of 1875mm and use a single design front aerodynamic device incorporating flat floor, apertures for radiator, brake cooling ducts, intercooler and side exits. However, radiator position seems to be an area of major development for many cars, including the new Rotek Audi. The design of the rollcage is the final part of the NGTC puzzle. All of this is mated to a heavily modified production car shell, most of it having been acid dipped to reduce weight.
Rotek opted for the spec Vauxhall-based engine, supplied by TOCA and tuned by Swindon Racing Engines
Side view of the front of the radically modified S3, demonstrating how few Audi components still exist at this end of the car
Willy Poole Motorsport is responsible for preparing the shells for many cars on the grid, and that includes the Rotek car. ‘I was really worried when I got the shell back from there,’ says Holland. ‘I sent them a lovely, brand new Audi S3 and when it came back there was almost nothing left!’ Around this time he was getting worried, and with little more than eight weeks before the car’s scheduled shakedown run, there were major delays in the arrival of some parts. It did not look like Holland would be ready for the first race, let alone the shakedown test. So he called in some serious help.
BAMBOO SHOOTS
In 2012 Holland received an unexpected call from a young English engineer, Russell O’Hagan. Working with the Bamboo racing team, he had just arrived at Sonoma for the USA round of the World Touring Car Championship to find that the team no longer had the driver it expected to run,
The rollcage is mated to a heavily modified production car shell, which was prepared by Willy Poole Motorsport Services
and the first practice session was in 24 hours time. He was advised to call Holland, who – as luck would have it – was free that weekend, and as a result became the first American to contest a World Touring Car Championship race. Holland turned to that connection to help his BTCC effort get off the ground, and called in O’Hagan and the Bamboo engineers to get things moving faster. ‘We arrived, saw what was there and what we needed, and just went round in a van and collected all that was required,’ says O’Hagan. ‘This is a great project as we are involved just at the right time to steer the car’s development.’ The car’s aerodynamics are one area yet to be fully developed. The car has done its mandatory TOCA aero run at MIRA, but its full development has yet to take place – this will be detailed in future editions of Racecar Engineering.
But this could actually work to the team’s advantage. ‘We do not have to homologate the car until later in the season,’ says Holland. ‘This will allow us to make changes and get data before that point. After that, we still have five jokers to use on the car’s body.’
“We hope to get some engine support from Audi, but we need to get out and race” From being behind on the car’s build, the combination of Rotek and Bamboo saw the car advance rapidly and it nearly shook down ahead of schedule during the BTCC media day at Donington Park. And now, Rotek hopes that once the car is fully developed, it will be able to sell versions of it to other teams. BTCC l Digital Supplement
EBAY MOTORS BMW 125i
Bidding for success The online auction giant is represented by M-Sport BMWs on the BTCC grid run by West Surrey Racing, with advanced aero capabilities and boasting huge driver demand By GEMMA HATTON
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illing up the 2014 grid are eBay Motors’ three vibrant 125i M-Sport NGTC BMWs run by West Surrey Racing (WSR). This team has enjoyed a fruitful BTCC career since they joined in 1996, not really a surprise with Dick Bennetts – who helped develop the careers of legends such as Ayrton Senna – as team principal. The team have raced factory Fords, Hondas, MGs and, in 2007, made the switch to BMWs. With a championship, a total of 49 race wins and Colin Turkington challenging for last
“I’ve never seen so many drivers wanting to drive the car – some even wanted to pay to test it”
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year’s championship up to the final race, WSR are definitely a title contender. ‘After last year’s performance, fighting for the championship, we have picked up a lot more sponsors. In fact, at the end of last season I have never seen so many drivers knocking on the door wanting to drive the car,’ says Drew MacDonald, senior engineer. ‘I have worked here on and off since 1998 and I have never seen that – some drivers even wanted to pay just to test the car!’ One of the highlights and most noticeable developments of this year’s rear-wheel drive BMW is advanced aerodynamics. ‘They have changed a lot,’ says MacDonald. ‘We have been to the wind tunnel twice – once in November to test some bodywork prototype parts and then again in February to validate what we had learnt. We had about 50 different things to run through and interestingly rear wings that you would think would make a huge difference actually did nothing – they didn’t
even make it worse. Then you test the smaller parts and they make a huge difference.’ The largest improvements came from the aerodynamic devices found at the front of the car as this is where the highest air speed is found. By the time the airflow gets to the rear, it is so disturbed that it is difficult to utilise effectively. However, it is a combination of all the smaller parts that have accumulated to this year’s car to benefit from a 30-40 per cent increase in downforce. ‘There has been a big aero push over the winter and we still have things on our development programme. It is nice to have a few things up your sleeve for later on in the season.’
TYRE OPTIONS
As ever, tyres are a major talking point, especially with the new construction introduced by Dunlop this season which will be used on all the dry weather tyres – the Dunlop Sport Maxx Soft, Medium
and Hard variants. The aim was to improve the feedback to the driver, while retaining durability, and due to the differing optimum operating windows, the race pace will be drastically different between each type of tyre, increasing the focus on race strategy. ‘They are an interesting one,’ says MacDonald. ‘The slicks are much softer and so have a huge drop-off. Recently we did a test at Silverstone and the amount of marbles from three cars running on the National Circuit was spectacular. However, being rear-wheel drive we are hoping that the front-wheel
drives suffer more because they do everything through their front axle.’ The construction of the wet tyres, on the other hand, remains unchanged – good news for WSR. ‘Over the winter we did a couple of test days in the wet, and through all our development parts we learnt a lot about our weight distribution and setup so we found a big chunk of time on the wets – we are quite happy they haven’t changed!’ The 2.0-litre turbocharged engines have also seen some modifications from WSR’s engine builders, Neil Brown Engineering.
The 2.0-litre turbocharged engines on the eBay Motors BMWs have been modified by Neil Brown Engineering
‘Really, we have gone out and got a new engine, although it is quite old, mainly because the ports are bigger as all the modern engines are built for fuel economy and don’t make very good racers.’ Another key focus for the team over the winter months has been reliability. After much investment in R&D equipment, spares and testing, MacDonald hopes that this season won’t be as troublesome as the last. ‘We have been working on the silly things that we had troubles with last year, like a spare bespoke propshaft, which we didn’t have until four meetings in.’ With one car tested in the workshop for eight weeks, and seven pre-season track days, the extensive testing programme that WSR have undergone will undoubtedly help in their quest for reliability. ‘I think at the top end reliability is definitely a big thing – you have only got to walk down the paddock and see all the subframes dressed with engines. We are not at that stage yet, but we are hoping to be.’ eBay Motors are sure to create some on track dramas, with their three feisty BMWs racing wheel-to-wheel throughout the opening races at Brands Hatch. ‘The drivers are driving well. Last year was more about Colin Turkington as Nick Foster and Robert Collard were struggling a bit. This year, the cars are all the same, so it’s a level playing field. In testing, they were within half a second of each other on the International Circuit, which is a long old track. They are all pushing each other which is great.’
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CICELY RACING MERCEDES A-CLASS
A-Class apart?
This lightweight car has been built for tight circuits, and is tipped to win races this season
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hen someone says ‘MercedesBenz touring car’, the mind instantly turns to DTM specification C classes rather than to an A-Class in the British Touring car Championship. But Cicely Racing, a small family run team, has created precisely that. ‘The main reason behind the choice of car was that we are a Mercedes-Benz truck dealership and have used Mercedes products in motorsport in the past,’ says team owner Russell Morgan. ‘It was put to me when the A-class was first launched that it would fit very nicely into the NGTC regs’ The dimensions of the new A-class Mercedes were the first thing that Morgan noticed in the car’s spec sheet. ‘It is roughly
Morgan. ‘Our race engineer Paul Ridgeway has a lot of experience and it was his baby – he wanted to build the car up from scratch. We bought the shell from Mercedes, and that was stripped. GPRM put in the roll cage.’ Weight reduction was a major focus for Ridgeway and Morgan as they turned a compact luxury car into a front-running BTCC racer. ‘We did a lot of hard work to get the weight out of it doing the steering fabrication, the pedal box etc. There has been a lot of work. We got about 80kg of excess weight from the shell. The underseal, the extra panels, the support brackets, thinning the metal in various areas, roots trusses, door braces and the doors are significantly lighter – but the advantage for us is that the car is
the Ford Focus – the less bulk in the car, the more manoeuvrable it is. We will lose out on the higher speed circuits, but we will be more agile on the tighter ones.’ While the team developed their own shell, they decided against developing a Mercedes engine to NGTC specification. ‘For the engine we have opted for the Swindon engine package route, which we ran in the Toyota,’ adds Morgan. ‘For a small team like us to develop your own engine, you need a quarter of a million quid – and we haven’t got that.’ Once pictures of the Mercedes appeared, many rival teams were surprised how aerodynamically advanced the car appeared to be, with significant detailing around the front splitter.
“We did a lot of work to get weight out. Compared to the Toyota, there’s not as much metal, but being a Mercedes, what’s there is thicker!” the same size as the Honda Civic, but a bit longer, so we began looking at the project in June last year. In October, we decided to go for it and ordered a shell. We ordered a road car too because we wanted the fibreglass moulding. That ended up as the show car.’ While the A-class is the first car developed by the Cicely team directly, the Morgan family is no stranger to the NGTC rules. ‘We had the advantage running the Toyota that we had already built a car, so we knew how the NGTC parts work together – we could just focusing on the car itself,’ says
small. Compared to the Toyota, you have not got as much metal to start with, but being a Mercedes, it starts with thicker metal!’ Mechanically, much of the car’s design is defined by the rules, but there are still some areas that the team is able to exploit that it believes will give them the edge on some tracks. ‘Suspension is part of the NGTC kit in terms of layout, but a lot of work goes into the springing dampers setup, as that is where the race engineer works his magic,’ says Morgan. ‘I think size-wise you look where the Hondas were last year and
Many rival teams were surprised with how aerodynamically advanced the car seems to be BTCC l Digital Supplement
‘The cars go to MIRA as a standard road car to get the rear wing setups,’ says Morgan. ‘We were able to have half a day there with the road car doing the aero, front bumper and the wings. The design work was done just from the experience of the engineers. We know we are down on straight-line speed compared to the Toyota last year, but until we can get it back into the wind tunnel there is not a lot we can do about it!’ Despite this, the Mercedes is expected to win races, and has been picked out by two other top teams as a car to watch.
The team didn’t have the budget to develop the engine, and opted for the Swindon package
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DUNLOP TYRES
Holding the Fort
Dunlop’s association with the British Touring Car Championship stretches back to 1958, and it is adamant that the imminent closure of Fort Dunlop won’t change the relationship By ANDREW COTTON
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or more than a year, Dunlop has been aware that the Fort Dunlop facility in Birmingham – which supplies racing tyres for global racing series including the British Touring Car Championship – was at risk of closure, and has been busy staving off the inevitable for as long as possible. Now, however, with the decision taken, the focus has changed and the company is looking to make sure that the supply of tyres, and engineering expertise, is not affected. Tyre supply will come from Birmingham this year, and then from the bases in Hanau, Germany where the Mercedes VLN tyre was developed, and the French base in the historic Montluçon facility in central France. ‘Success for our customers would be that in the paddock nobody really notices the difference, says Dunlop marketing and communications director James Bailey. ‘We have the same levels of service and the same levels of product quality.
Motorsport is very specific, and you need the expertise. Making the tyres is one thing, but actually providing the expert service engineering help to make sure the teams and championship get the best out of it in both performance and durability, that is something that only the people can bring.’
END OF AN ERA
The decision to close the Fort – which started production back in 1917 – signals the end of an era. Dunlop fought unsuccessfully to keep the site open, despite making a clear 10-year offer to the new landlord. ‘We were informed on May 23rd last year that we had 12 months’ notice to leave the site,’ says Bailey. ‘The reason for that was that our landlord – the Northern Ireland Local Government pension scheme – had sold the land to the new landlord, and the new landlord required it for development which we now know is for JLR [Jaguar Land Rover].
The land which houses Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, UK was sold but tyre supply to the series will continue BTCC l Digital Supplement
‘We had a short extension, which guaranteed continuity of supply to our key championships for 2014, but then we had to evaluate the different options, and we considered all the options very carefully. We had some very proactive support from Birmingham city council who introduced us to a few brownfield sites within the city, but the issue that we had was one of timescale. ‘We know from experience within the tyre industry that best practice for moving a tyre factory is two years minimum, and we had 12 months. In the world of racing, a lot of the business is annual contracts. Had it been a mainstream tyre business, you could not supply a dealer for a couple of months – they could go to an alternative distributor and you could turn the tap back on. But you can’t do that in motorsport. We had to consider a lot of things. There was a big advantage to remaining in Birmingham to maintain our manufacturing people, but we also had to consider continuity of supply to key customers and with 12 months notice, the only viable option for keeping that continuous supply was to use factories that already had the capacity and capability to do racing tyres. ‘Goodyear Dunlop is a global group, but within Europe we had three factories that do specialist tyres for high performance to motorsport tyres. With the timescale that we had, it was the only viable option. ‘These two factories [in Hanau and Montluçon] have the capability and the expertise. The choice that we have made allows us to fulfil our contracts, stay in motorsport and grow again in the future. We have committed to new championships, we are sole tyre suppliers to the new BMW M235i Racing Cup, which hopefully will become an international programme for BMW, so that restarts the BMW relationship. And for the BTCC, we have announced a new multi-year commitment.’ The target for Dunlop is to retain its extensive pool of engineers, but for now the company will continue its association with the BTCC that stretches back to 1958.
A new multi-year BTCC contact will see tyre supply split across bases in Hanau, Germany and Montluçon, France
NEW PRODUCTS FOR 2014
For the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season, Dunlop has brought new construction tyres in a bid to increase the gap between the medium tyre and the soft tyre that was produced last year for the first time as a ‘joker’. Dunlop’s medium tyre was capable of running in temperatures of 5 degrees at Brands Hatch at the end of March, to more than 30 degrees in the British summer. ‘The soft tyre has a narrower operating window – it still works on all conditions, but it has a different peak,’ says Bailey. ‘Initially Alan Gow came to us and said that he wanted us to make a tyre that spiced up the show. We pushed back a bit, because it is not in our nature to build tyres that degrade or fall off a cliff. We don’t train engineers to develop things that go faster for longer and then untrain them to create something artificial. ‘We took Alan’s feedback on-board and came up with something else. We produced two tyres with different operating windows. The medium tyre was used for several
years in BTCC, while the soft tyre used one of the compounds that we used in endurance racing that had a slightly narrower operating window. What we found was that on some cars, on some days on some circuits, it was the best tyre. On others, the medium was the best. ‘At the start of the year the teams didn’t take many gambles and used the soft tyre in the third race because that order was jumbled up anyway from ballast and a mixed-up grid. But, as they got a handle on the tyres, we found different strategies coming into play. The soft and medium tyres were regularly doing their fastest laps at the end of the race. That might not have been in Alan’s brief but it’s what we wanted – to produce tyres that were durable but worked in a different operating window. ‘For 2014, we did take on feedback that there needs to be a bigger gap between tyres. Rather than just a couple of tenths, we needed something that was probably
half a second or more, so we are keeping the same compounds but using a new construction. That brings us a slightly more flexible construction, and that will work the soft compound harder, and that will create the biggest step in performance between the tyres. Also, although we had feedback
“The soft and medium tyres were regularly doing their fastest laps at the end of races” from the drivers last year that there were high levels of grip, they also said that they wanted more feel and feedback through the steering, particularly under braking to make the car more precise. The construction we had was proven in GT racing, when we won the Nürburgring with AMG – it is more pliable, supple construction, but it gives better feel and feedback. Rapid directional changes will give a more precise feel to the driver.’ BTCC l Digital Supplement
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