Marshall Pruett's Tech Mailbag for March 7

Great to hear 500 champ Jacques Villeneuve is returning to Indy. I read that he will be driving a car that Schmidt/Peterson purchased from Dragon Racing. Are you aware of any other DW12 chassis that have been raced by multiple teams?
​Chris R., Stroudsburg, Pa.

MP: Yes, Chris, DW12s do trade hands, and Dallara has also sold a few news cars since the first batches were released in 2011 and 2012. My man Stefano DePonti from Dallara USA helped with this answer:

"A good example of this is Lotus bought three cars from us, then they were bought from Lotus by teams like [Buddy] Lazier. HVM had a chassis that he brought to Andretti last year. Dragon bought a chassis and now Schmidt bought it like you say, so it is sold three times now. Conquest bought a chassis from us and used it once at Indy, then it was purchased by Andretti. We don't get involved in those sales, but the teams sell to each by themselves."
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I'm curious about the safety aspect of the electric hybrids. With high amperage batteries, and super capacitors, is there a risk of shock for corner workers & drivers (in a crash that heavily damages the car)? Also, what are they doing to minimize the risk to mechanics? I haven't heard of any problems, but I hope that continues to be the case.
Randy Word

MP: It's a tricky subject, Randy. Hybrid P1 cars are required to have a simple green or red light next to the external kills switch for workers (and anyone else) to monitor whether the system has been discharged and the car is safe to touch. But what if that part of the car is damaged in a crash? There's also a green/red light system in the cockpit, so that's a backup, but in the event of a "big one," you're always going to be concerned about being the conduit for anywhere between two and eight Megajoules of energy.

Corner and workers and safety personnel are trained on dealing with Hybrid cars, just like they are with the non-Hybrids, so that's a plus, and Hybrid teams have hand-held monitors they use to check the discharge when the cars are stationary. This information can also be acquired through telemetry when the cars are on track.
I reached out to my man Owen Hayes, Porsche Motorsport North America's director of operations who oversaw the manufacturer's 911 GT3 Hybrid program (that Hybrid knowledge went into the new 919 P1 car), and asked him to go describe their safety measures in greater detail:

Working on the car: If someone is working on the car, the hybrid system is fully discharged and
that's why you see the red and green signs on top of the cars. Red means the hybrid system is still charged. Green means the system is fully discharged. However in case of someone inadvertently opening a high voltage connector, the high voltage cabling has an electrical protection circuit which monitors and detects the opening and closing of the high voltage connections. If a connector is opened when the system is charged, this is detected by the control unit and the hybrid control unit opens a main relay in the inverter of the energy storage, immediately cutting off high voltage to the vehicle wiring.

There is also what we call an insulation monitor fitted to the car, the function of which is to constantly diagnose the high voltage insulation/shielding. If an error occurs, this is detected by an "isolation switch" and the main relay in the inverter is opened, thereby immediately cutting off the high voltage to the vehicle wiring.

Visual indication: With the GT3 R hybrid for example, the hybrid system operating mode was indicated by red lamps at the front and rear window. When the hybrid system was active, both the front and rear lamps were switched to red on at a voltage above 50 volts. As soon as the hybrid system was switched off, the red lamps would fade out when the voltage went below 50 volts. There were also LEDS fitted to the voltage inverter, so once again if the voltage is above 50 volts, the lamp was red, below 50 volts, the lamp was green. Below 50 volts is not harmful to us humans!

Crash situation: If a crash is detected via an acceleration sensor, the hybrid control unit will immediately shut down the hybrid system and cut off the high voltage to the vehicle wiring.

Emergency off switch: If the car stops on track and the hybrid system has to be discharged, the
outer emergency switch can be pulled which shuts down the entire vehicle and hybrid system. In addition, the fire extinguisher is activated.

Can you explain how teams plan fuel strategy, specifically how they adjust when yellows come out and such. I have heard mention that you want to be, ‘The first guy to make the last stop,’ which makes sense, but teams seem to push that a lot. Also, do they use software to help plan or is it all manual?
Pat Audet

MP: In a general sense, they work backward from the final lap to determine their fuel windows. They will also look at historical data for the race, when possible, to look for trends on how many yellows, the length of those yellows and when they tend to happen. If we were going back to Baltimore, you’d pencil in “every start and restart” for when to expect yellows…

The adage about wanting to be ‘The first guy to make the last stop’ comes from creating options. If you’re in early, you’re out and lapping hard to the finish and have more time to improve your position. You’d rather be the guy to pit early in your final fuel window than to wait, hope for a yellow, fail to get it, and then risk having to fall down the running order or get back up to speed while the rest of the field is lapping on hot tires. For the teams with nothing to lose, taking that gamble might pay off if a yellow falls at the right time, and other teams with multiple cars might split their strategy to improve the odds of a team win, but you’ll find most of the top teams stick to a pretty basic formula for strategy.

Almost every form of racing that has pit stops/refueling and allows on-board data systems will also have software that helps engineers and strategists to determine their fuel windows. Telemetry comes across, gives MPG info, remaining fuel info, and calculates how many laps are left to run on each tank.

For series like NASCAR where data/telemetry isn’t allowed, teams manually input expected MPG data into their software and how much fuel went in at each stop to come up with approximations on how far a car can run. With telemetry, teams can get down to incredibly low fuel levels before pitting – within a few tenths of a gallon, and the margin is wider without it.

I've read that some in IndyCar believe speeds at Indy will approach 230 this May. That sounds like a sizable increase in horsepower, and I'm skeptical. If the engines started at 550 and topped out at 219 mph on practice days and race day, but 224ish during qualifying with extra turbo boost, what kind of horsepower are we looking at this May at Indy with normal boost and then added boost for qualifications?
Maury Williams

MP: That’s a great question no one will answer! I’ve heard power increases from 2013 to 2014 could be in the 20-25hp range, but it’s pure speculation. Drivers have said they can feel the extra power, so we know it’s there, but putting a number on it is impossible until Chevy or Honda want to disclose that information.
We saw some 229mph laps in high boost during qualifying last year, and with the extra power, along with IndyCar’s desire to see the 230mph threshold broken, all it takes is for IndyCar’s Derrick Walker or Will Phillips to set the boost level where it will happen.

What do the IndyCar Honda drivers need to do differently in their driving style to transition to the new twin-turbo, if anything? Do they notice a difference in throttle response, lag, power band, etc.?
Alan K

MP: Alan, I asked Badass, AKA Dale Coyne Racing’s Justin Wilson, who recently drove Honda’s twin-turbo for the first time to answer this question for you:

“I really didn’t notice the change very much from one turbo to two. Honda’s done a great job on the drivability; you have more instant power available, but it’s very similar to the single-turbo I used the last two years. There’s a little less turbo lag with the twin, but it wasn’t a big change. It didn’t turn the car upside down or make me think I needed to drive any differently or be more gentle on the throttle. You almost drive it like a naturally aspirated engine, and as a driver, you find you just instantly adapt.

They’ve done a great job on the engine mapping right out of the box. There aren’t any gaps or holes on the power band, so really, the best I can say is it isn’t much different for me to drive. And I thought there was a bit more power, too. It’s not the 1000 horsepower we’re wanting, but it’s a nice change.”

For years I've wondered why Indy cars don't have starters. It's infuriating to see a 7-lap caution when someone spins and stalls the car. The safety crew is not quick to get to the scene and the almost arbitrary selection of who gets started first can really screw up a driver's day. Starters have been in road cars for 80 years now. Sports cars have to use them every time they make a pit stop. Why can't Indy make them work?
Max, Cleveland

MP: No argument there, Max. Thankfully, IndyCar has changed the rules for 2014 and now require manufacturers to enable anti-stall. It was optional from 2012-'13. It isn’t the same as having on-board starters, but provided the systems work consistently, it’s a decent workaround.

My first question is something I've been curious about for years, and I'm sure will be similar to many of the other questions your first week. What I'd like to know is what parts on the current Indy car are spec, and which can be developed/built by teams?

In layman's terms, I've assumed in recent years that the chassis itself, the engine, and the wings were all "spec" but that parts of them were adjustable with different settings. The areas I think are more open to development are the suspension pieces, mirrors, and end plates (at least prior to the DW12). Basically my question is, how wrong am I? And to put it a better way, what's the best way to describe all of this to a "Car guy" I'm bringing to the "500" this year.

A few years back when Buddy Rice was driving for D&R I remember him talking about how the team had just discovered something and made a new part accordingly. I assumed this was suspension-related, but I've always wondered what the rules are on this.
Kyle Jenkins, Shiloh, Ill.

MP: There was some wiggle room for teams to express themselves when there was chassis competition in IndyCar, but that has been locked down with the new car. Let me apologize in advance to your friend because if he’s looking for design creativity at Indy, you’ll need a time machine set for no later than 1994.

There’s a ray of hope, however, as IndyCar’s Derrick Walker (how many times have I mentioned that old guy’s name so far?... ;-) has outlined a plan to allow some form of team-based modifications in the next few years. It’s currently undefined, so it could be suspension, could be aero, or maybe both.

No one, at present, wants to see costs rise as a result of opening the door on creativity and individuality, so look for that concern to govern whatever allowances are made. From a philosophical standpoint, that door cannot be opened soon enough. Few people get motivated or inspired by sameness. Most people look for ways to be different, which is counter to everything the IndyCar Series and other spec forms of racing currently deliver.

I've been curious to know why Honda's single-turbo approach didn't pan out. Wasn't the single turbo supposed to give them better top-end power and speed as compared to Chevy's twin? It seems like Pocono was the only time it seemed clearly a Honda advantage (though I remember that race being a lot about fuel mileage).
Tim

MP: Well, they did manage to win nine of 19 races last season with that single-turbo configuration after getting their behinds kicked by Chevy in 2012. As you rightly pointed out, Chevy had a stronger season up to Pocono, but Honda took six of the remaining nine races. Chevy won the Manufacturers’ title, but Ganassi’s Scott Dixon took the Drivers’ title – the team’s final season with Honda.

As for the single-turbo setup not panning out, a rule change for 2014 that requires all manufacturers to use twin turbos had been in the works for a while, so I wouldn’t associate Honda’s switch with any specific lack of performance with their single setup. I would have loved to have seen how the single vs twin battle went down this season.

I’d like to pay more attention to sports car racing besides Sebring and Daytona, but I’m confused by all of the different series. Can you give a simplistic description between IMSA, WEC, TUDOR, Pirelli World Challenge and SCCA?
Curt Larson

MP: You bet.

• IMSA: Sanctioning body for the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, Continental Tire Series and a bunch of other junior categories. Because IMSA was once the name of North America’s premier sports car series, it’s easier for some of us to refer to the TUDOR Championship, which tacks a decent acronym (TUSCC doesn’t really pull at one’s heart string), as IMSA. You’ll get some manufacturer participation here, but not much, and all the races are two hours or longer.
  
  
• WEC: The top international sports car series – like F1 for prototypes and GTs. It’s run in a partnership with the ACO, the organizers and rule makers for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the FIA, the sanctioning body for F1, WRC and many other series. Other than the 24 Hours of Le Mans, sports car racing has lacked a consistent international championship to fill out the rest of the year before and after Le Mans. The WEC achieves this in the same way IndyCar fills its calendar with races on either side of the Indy 500. It’s loaded with manufacturers and pro-am teams, and has, among the factory P1 entries from Audi, Porsche and Toyota, possibly the highest state of technology in road racing. Every round is an endurance race.
  
  
• TUDOR: Explained above.
  
  
• Pirelli World Challenge: Owned by the SCCA and run/licensed by team owners, it’s packed with classes ranging from tiny Fiat 500s to exotica from McLaren. Possibly the most diverse collection of cars racing on our soil, it’s a bit of an independent series that lacks a tie-in with IndyCar, IMSA or NASCAR, but that doesn’t diminish its quality. Great racing that feels like you’re watching more of a run-what-ya-brung event than something with narrowly-defined rules and limited inclusion. Every race is a sprint race. If I have only one hour to watch a race, PWC is a perfect fit.
  
  
• SCCA: The biggest racing club we have. Club and Pro Racing divisions, and for many, the entry point for becoming a driver, mechanic, official, corner worker, etc.

My question has to do with dumbing down the cars. It occurs to me that giving the cars more power and dumbing down the high-tech stuff would make it easier for teams to get into IndyCar because the cars would be cheaper to build and operate.

How much could be saved by making the cars out of metal vs. carbon fiber? Would this make the cars less safe? Do the teams really need all the high-tech electronics to have exciting racing? Something has to be done to get more teams involved. This seems like a way to make it happen.
Doug Mayer

MP: You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. Almost every new car sold today is loaded with technology, so drumming it out of racing would go in the opposite direction of where automotive industry is at the moment and continues to head.

It does cost more to make a tub from carbon than steel tubing, no question about that. I had one DP constructor tell me at Daytona that they’ve brought the manufacturing costs down to below $20K per chassis. That’s staggering when compared to a carbon P1 or P2 tub.

As much as I love technology, I’ll admit that I care less about the materials used to make the cars, provided safety isn’t compromised, and am more concerned about the costs to go racing. Like you, I do want to see costs reduced, and if carbon-for-tubeframe replacements help, I won’t argue, but I think it’s just a small portion of a greater problem.

Costs continue to increase, sponsorship levels continue to decrease in many series, and the value required to increase sponsor dollars – through better TV ratings, especially – seems about as tangible as Bigfoot riding a Unicorn.

Stemming the use of technology to keep costs within reason isn’t a bad idea, but you can’t eliminate it altogether. Going back to former state-of-the-art chassis construction methods could help reduce costs, but series like IndyCar and the TUDOR Championship need to ask the bigger questions: Why does it cost so much for our teams to go racing; how can we change our rules and formulas to emphasize speed and entertainment at a more effective price point; and how long can we afford to wait to make a change before our series are written into the history books?

When Honda changed from single to twin turbo, how much of the installation changes? What pieces of that installation come with the engine lease, and what does the team source itself? How much does it cost the team to change? Can you explain what an over boost penalty is? I have not seen penalty flags on the track. In IndyCar, are turbos included with the lease payment? Is IndyCar using different turbos this season?
Ed Joras

MP: Starting me off with a 19-part question, eh, Ed? Well, I did ask for it.

What pieces of the installation come with the engine lease, and what does the team source itself?: Teams source the air scoop, air filter, input shaft, bellhousing and turbo inlet/outlet ducts from Dallara. The lease includes the mechanical fuel pump, ECU, engine wiring looms, direct-injection electronics driver box and O2 sensors. The manufacturers serve as the source to provide turbos from Borg Warner, while teams buy the exhaust headers and the AP clutch directly.

How much does it cost the team to change?: That’s a hard number to determine as some items are included in the lease.

Can you explain what an overboost penalty is? I have not seen penalty flags on the track. Nor have I. The ECU handles boost penalties on its own, lowering the engine revs until the boost drops below the limit or the driver lifts off the throttle for a certain period of time. Short boost spikes are allowed, and they’re also fairly common, but it’s the ones that last too long that earn boost penalties.

In IndyCar are turbos included with the lease payment? No, teams buy their turbos and can go through as many as three sets per car per season.

What's up with Mazda? Why isn't their P2 car competitive yet? Is it a lack of funding?
Ismail Ruiz

MP: Time and money, Ismail. The other TUDOR Championship P2 engines make between 450-500hp, and with this same engine in Grand-Am Rolex GX trim, it was closer to 380. Extracting an extra 25 percent from the same powerplant from 2013 to 2014 is a tall order to begin with. The program started later than they wanted, with the diesel P2s hitting the track in late October, and it’s expensive to develop a new engine in any class.

The SpeedSource team is new to prototypes, as are most of their drivers, so as a whole, you can attribute their lack of speed to 2014 being a year of learning and development. Mazda has nothing but passionate fans, which makes the waiting period for the P2 program to get up to speed somewhat hard to accept, I imagine.

Can you explain how Helio failed post-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway last year? It related to the height of the diffuser exit. Penske boss Tim Cindric denied getting any benefit from it, but No. 3 crushed the field in that race.
Chris R., Stroudsburg, Pa.

MP: Helio crushed the field because his car was better and he was a master of being patient and careful with his tires in IndyCar’s low-downforce package. The infraction didn’t provide an advantage. His diffuser was off by a few thousandths of an inch as a result of the jam nuts on one mounting rod being left loose, which ended up giving him a few extra pounds of downforce. After the race, I asked Honda if Helio’s Chevy-powered car, with its illegal diffuser height position, was the key to victory. They came back a few days later after running some simulations at that height and said it made almost no difference, and didn’t turn a losing car into a winner. That’s good enough for me.

Will a new manufacturer paired with Cosworth need to develop an aerokit for IndyCar? That'll cost them more $.
Greg, Belleville, N.J.

MP:To be competitive, yes, but there’s no requirement for any of the manufacturers to produce aero kits for their teams, nor do the teams have to buy them. With Chevy tasking Pratt & Miller to design their kit, and Honda using Wirth Research to do theirs, any manufacturer running the stock Dallara bodywork will be at a significant disadvantage.

With what looks like an engine shortage (again) at Indy this year, would it be possible to "grandfather in" last year’s motors? (If they haven't been melted down to make the "new and improved" 2014's. How serious is Cosworth, and does an auto manufacturer have to badge the engine, or could Boeing, Bombardier, Mack Truck, Lawn Boy?
Mike

MP: No shortage of engines whatsoever, Mike. Granted, both manufacturers have pushed getting their revised 2014 engines ready to the last minute due to the homologation cutoff date, but you’ll see a full fleet of cars – as many as teams need engines for – at every round, including the Indy 500.

Cosworth is serious enough to commission an engine design, and they could build it and enter it as a Cosworth if they wanted, but it wouldn’t make good business sense. They’d lose money with each lease, which makes signing a manufacturer – including the ones you mentioned – a better choice. I’ve yet to see any limitations placed on the kind of manufacturer eligibility for this, so go for it, Lawn Boy!

I think so much fan anger over P2/DP balance at Daytona really came purely from the Corvettes being overpowered, rather than anything with the Dinan or Ford packages compared to the P2s. From hearing Scot Elkins talk about engine testing since then, and Ford talk about the SIRs, it seems pretty clear to me that GM just wasn't reaching the mass airflow that would result in them dropping the HP expected. Does that seem to be the case, and one that will get the DPs all on the same page so they can match the P2s as a group?

Also, any thoughts on the Sebring test and how the two sets of cars will balance out in higher-downforce trim? From what I saw in split times, it looked like the AXR car was just plain fast on the second half of the track after being pretty even on the front half, which looks to me like something they figured out that other teams haven't rather than a BoP concern. Were the dive planes enough for the DP guys to feel they've balanced the cars, or are they looking for more?
Andrew, Baltimore MD

MP: Can’t say on reaching mass airflow. It could be the sizing of the turbos inlet cover/compressor preventing the Ford’s SIRs from feeding them enough volume. The AXR guys were the pace-setters and felt their Corvette DP needed more aero grip up front, so I’m guessing we’ll see them ask for bigger dive planes to be homologated.

That’s one thing to keep in mind: the bodies for each type of DP have to be homologated, so teams can’t go back to the trailer, weld up a set of giant aluminum dive planes, and try them during the next practice session.

I spoke with Elkins after the test and we both agreed that since AXR turned a bunch of laps at Sebring in November – the only DP team to do so – and they had Sebastien Bourdais on maximum attack, it was a perfect storm of speed and experience setting that lap time rather than the Corvette DPs outside the BoP window. Drop Seb’s time, and the mix looks pretty good among DPs and P2s.

With carbon brakes, similar downforce and more power, the restrictive rules for the P2 cars – and that’s based on the ACO more than IMSA – has them struggling to assert themselves. Skinny tires and less power (from what they once had) have made the current P2s far less exciting to watch. Having seen Marco Andretti go flat through Sebring’s Turn 1 in 2008 in an Acura P2, the recent regulations have simply neutered their ability to impress the eye or the stopwatch. Admittedly, watching Bourdais' bomb through Sebring’s Turn 1 at full power in November was pretty cool. Bottom line: more power good, less power bad.

I wanted ask you about Honda LMP program: are we seeing the dawning of the future for TUSCC and WEC merging P2 rules? I ask because they green-lit the Honda DP spec motor and now the ARX-04b project. It got me thinking maybe Honda is planning that TUSCC and WEC will use the same chassis (ACO spec) the difference will be motors. Am I way off or on to something? And one more question and it’s about IndyCar if Dallara is open to competition, so does that mean another company ala Swift can start selling chassis or is Dallara the exclusive supplier?
Kevin from NJ

MP: Kevin, Dallara is the exclusive supplier for IndyCar. If another manufacturer wanted to come in before the contract is up, it would have to be negotiated. With the nasty fight over spare parts prices in 2012, I’m not sure if any other manufacturers would want to consider getting involved before the next chassis is commissioned.

I would just like to ask about IndyCar aero kits and their progress. Could you give us an update?
Henry Moe

MP: Everything is on target for their debut in 2015, Henry. Look for Chevy and Honda to wait to test them in public until as late as possible.

Can you please explain where we are with anti-stall in IndyCar. It's been available since St. Pete 2012 and we are now two years down the line and yet it still isn't sorted yet. Wasn't this supposed to stop these silly FCY's and keep races green. With the addition of standing starts, isn't there a solid reason to have a fully operational anti-stall system. Very little has been said about anti-stall in the last two years so I'm hoping you can change that, Marshall.
Graeme Watson, Brentwood, Essex, UK

MP: Wish I had that kind of influence, Graeme… As I wrote in a previous question, anti-stall is now a mandatory item that must be activated. Whether it works every time it’s needed could be a topic to monitor this season.
Of the issues preventing anti-stall from working as desired, Indy cars idle lower than some of the cars where the anti-stall technology was developed, meaning the system has less time/revs to react when a stall was about to occur. Pit lane has also presented a few issues with anti-stall engaging when drivers bog down leaving the box. It’s still a work-in-progress, but with IndyCar requiring its use now, I assume the kinks will be worked out with help from all parties.