Category: Motorsport

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Audi may move to 4MJ Hybrid class for 2015 WEC

Audi looks certain to continue racing its Le Mans 24 Hours-winning R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 with only one hybrid system in next year's World Endurance Championship.

Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich told AUTOSPORT that no major changes to the concept of the R18 turbodiesel were planned in the development drive to increase the LMP1 car's level of energy retrieval for 2015.

Asked if that meant there would be no second system to supplement the 2014 R18's front-axle braking retrieval system, he said: "We will try to do what is possible in a short period of time.

"We must be more competitive, but we must be reliable. There will not be big concept steps.

"We will try to have a little bit more hybrid power: we have talked ideas of what we can do on the basis of this car."

The R18 runs in the two-megajoule P1 sub-class, whereas rivals Toyota and Porsche, which respectively have second rear-axle and exhaust-driven systems, are entered in the 6MJ division.

Ullrich's comments suggest that Audi is trying to at least move up one class to the 4MJ category.

Audi abandoned a second, Formula 1-style turbo-driven retrieval system ahead of the start of the season.

Ullrich said that the sale of Williams Hybrid Power, which developed its flywheel energy-storage system, to global engineering group GKN in April would not affect its LMP1 programme.

"We will get support at least at the level we had before, so we are not concerned," he explained.

"The existing flywheel technology is not at its limit."

The GKN flywheel used by Audi has a maximum storage capacity of 1.2 MJ of energy while the supercapacitor used by Toyota can store up to 6 MJ.

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Record Breaking Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Run at Pikes Peak [VIDEO]

Record Breaking Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Run at Pikes Peak by Greg Tracy.

Tracy climbed Pikes Peak in the Mitsubishi I-MiEV Evolution III and shatters Monster Tajima's 2013 Electric Modified Class record by 38 seconds with a 09.08.188 record time.

Greg Tracy came in 2nd overall beating everyone in the competition except for overall winner Romain Dumas in his Honda powered 2013 Norm racer.

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TESLA P85 Vs Electric MIATA – 1/4 mile Drag Race [VIDEO]

A Tesla Model S P85 takes on an Mazda Miata with an Electric Motor Conversion in a 1/4 mile drag race.

The tube frame and tubbed 2002 Mazda Miata runs 2x 2000 amp Zilla 2K-EHV controllers feeding dual brushed DC NetGain 9-inch motors, a Lenco 2 speed and double GV overdrive.

The boot mounted battery pack contains 450x LiPo 100C RC car batteries wired 90S5P that are good for 775 peak battery HP @ 375v. For the record run the controllers were set to 170 volt & 1100 amps per motor.

The Miata runs an incredible 9.27 @ 142 mph to the Tesla's very respectable 12.72 @ 102 mph.

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Mitsubishi MiEV Evolution III Wins Pikes Peak Electric Division & 2nd Outright

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) entered two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars, which combine the best of MMC's electric vehicle (EV) and four-wheel drive control technologies, in the Electric Modified Division of the 2014 edition of the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (Pikes Peak, June 23 to June 29) in Colorado, United States.

Race Day was held on Sunday June 29 and after posting the fastest time of 9 minutes 08 seconds 188, Greg Tracy won the Electric Modified Division honors and 2nd overall. Meanwhile, Hiroshi Masuoka set a time of 9 minutes 12 seconds 204, finishing 2nd in the division and 3rd overall, dominating the Electric Modified Division. These Race Day results and the performance of the cars during the event speak volumes about the advanced level of MMC’s EV and four-wheel drive control technologies.

The race starts at an elevation of 2,862 meters and takes competitors through 156 corners on a 20 km course to the finish on the 4,301 meter summit of Pikes Peak. With an elevation difference of 1,439 meters, atmospheric pressure, temperature, weather and other conditions vary significantly between the start and finish. A feature of the race course is that it is split into three major sections: Bottom at the foot of the mountain, Middle and then Upper near the summit.

Lined by coniferous trees, the Bottom section starts with its rhythmical series of mid- to high-speed corners but all of a sudden the drivers hit a series of much tighter and difficult turns which demand the utmost care and concentration.

The Middle section is distinguished by some spectacular scenery with oddly-shaped rocks closely bordering the road. This is a very technical section as shortly after the start a series of tight hairpin bends demand precise handling as the car races along the steeply ascending road.

The Upper section is a very high-speed course taking competitors through many fast corners between craggy rocks and boulders. With little guard railing at the side of the road, this very difficult section brings with it the risk of plunging over the edge should the car slide off the tarmac. This is why the highest levels of vehicle stability are required over the high-speed parts of the section. At 4,301 meters, the mountain summit is higher than Mt. Fuji and the thin air means that cars powered by internal combustion engines lose power the higher up they go. Electrically powered cars, however, are unaffected by the thin air and so this could prove the key section in setting a really fast overall race time.

PositionDriverVehicleTime
1Greg TracyMiEV Evolution III9:08.188
2Hiroshi MasuokaMiEV Evolution III9:12.204
3Tajima NobuhiroE-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special9:43.900
4Ikuo HanawaHER-0212:18.019
5Janis Horeliks2014 Tesla Roadster 36012:57.536
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Voltron Evo win Australian eFXC electric Formula Xtreme

Round 1 of the 2014 Australian electric Formula Xtreme Challenge - eFXC - was help today at Queensland Raceway.

Five electric superbikes made the record grid with first time entrant O'Hanlon Electric Motorsport winning all four heats with their new Voltron Evo ridden by Danny Pottage.

Built in Western Australia by Dr Chris Jones, the new bike is based on a custom frame fitted with Turnigy 40c LiPo RC batteries that provide 700 VDC to an Evo Electric AFM-140 Axial Flux BLDC motor good for 400 Nm peak, 250 Nm continuous.

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Outlander PHEV to Tackle Asia Cross Country Rally 2014

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announces that it will dispatch a team of technical support engineers for an Outlander PHEV entered in the T1.3 4x4 Electric class of the grueling 2,200km FIA-certified Asia Cross Country Rally 2014 (AXCR) from August 9 through 15, to be run from Thailand to Cambodia. The Two & Four Motor Sports rally team (Two & Four), headed by Kenji Ishida, will run an Outlander PHEV in the race for the second straight year. MMC engineers will provide Two & Four's team technical support for the plug-in hybrid four-wheel drive SUV for the duration of the rally. MMC will utilize valuable data and knowhow acquired by the technical support team in future vehicle development.

The 19th edition of the AXCR will get under way with the Ceremonial Start in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya on Saturday August 9. The next day, August 10, sees the start of the rally proper as Leg 1 takes entrants from Pattaya to Sakaeo. On August 12, Leg 3 of the rally takes the competitors into Cambodia and past the World Heritage site of Angkor Wat. The event finishes in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Friday August 15. The AXCR covers a total distance of 2,200 km and offers a grueling test of all-terrain performance and durability as it requires competitors to conquer mountains, forests, swamps and river crossings.

The Outlander PHEV rally car will use competition suspension and reinforced mountings to raise ground clearance and improve all-terrain performance over poor surfaces. The vehicle's S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics control system will be tuned for competition use to deliver better traction. Other modifications include the fitting of a roll cage and underbody skid plate, the use of lighter engine hood, rear gate and interior parts, and additional sealing and a snorkel for water crossings.

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Toyota Hybrid Takes Record Breaking Pole at Le Mans

Toyota Racing's Kazuki Nakajima set a new Le Mans qualifying lap record to put the #7 TS040 Hybrid in pole position for the 82nd running of the famous 24-hour endurance race this weekend.

It was the first pole position ever for a Japanese driver and lowered last year's pole position time by more than half a second.

Nakajima, who shares the #7 car with Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin, scorched around the 13.629km track in 3 mins 21.789 secs to record Toyota's second pole position at Le Mans.

The feat highlighted the performance and efficiency of the 736kW Toyota Hybrid System - Racing which set the fastest qualifying time despite a 25 per cent reduction in fuel consumption compared with last year's car.

The #8 car of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi will start Saturday's race from third on the grid.

As well as starting from first place on the grid, the TS040 Hybrid enters this year's race with two wins from the opening two FIA World Endurance Championship races.

This is the fourth pole position for Sarrazin who achieved the honour in 2007-09 and who has been runner-up three times, including last year. He praised the team for its work in setting up the #7 car and Nakajima for a "brilliant lap".

"It is promising for the race because we feel so confident in the car," he said. "We can push on every corner, every lap. Like that everything is positive. The race will be very long, we know that we have to be very calm and not attack it like a short sprint."

The 24-hour race begins at 11 p.m. tomorrow AEST.

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John McGuinness breaks TT Zero lap record [VIDEO]

TT legend John McGuinness won his 21st TT race on Wednesday morning when he took the SES TT Zero race in record-breaking style.

Riding the Mugen Shinden, McGuinness was always in the lead and with a stunning new lap record of 117.366mph, he came home 23.3s clear of team-mate Bruce Anstey. Rob Barber, on the Ohio State University Buckeye machine, took third.

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Mitsubishi enter two MiEV Evolution III racecars for 2014 Pikes Peak

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will enter two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars in the 2014 edition of the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (Pikes Peak, June 23 to June 29) in Colorado, United States. MMC will use two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars, which combine the best of MMC's electric vehicle and four-wheel drive control technologies. MMC has competed twice before in the Electric Division in 2012 and 2013, and now with the MiEV Evolution III, hopes to take its first victory, this time in the new Electric Modified Division.

The MiEV Evolution III racecar is an improved and evolved version of last year's MiEV Evolution II. Main components including high-capacity battery, high-output electric motor and electric powered 4WD consisting of four electric motors have been retained with improvements made to give better motive and cornering performance. To reduce weight in the pipe-frame chassis the design has rationalized and some structural materials have been replaced.

Total motor output of four motors has been boosted from 400 kW to 450 kW and to ensure all the extra power is put down on the road surface the tires have been uprated in size from 260/650-18 to 330/680-18. Accordingly downforce has been increased with a new carbon cowl design and with wind-tunnel optimization of the spoiler and other detail shapes. Evolutionary development of the S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics control system has improved traction control performance and has reduced wheel slip by controlling vehicle attitude more precisely when near the limit of adhesion. These improvements allow the driver to extract the full potential of the racecar's awesome handling with confidence and reassurance.

The race team will feature the same drivers as last year. One MiEV Evolution III will be driven by two-time Dakar Rally overall champion Hiroshi Masuoka, who piloted the MiEV Evolution II to second place honors in the Electric Division last year and also act as team captain. The second MiEV Evolution III will be piloted by Greg Tracy, six-time Pikes Peak motorcycle champion whom last year drove a MiEV Evolution II to third place in the Electric Division, his first time challenging the race on four wheels.

The team technical director and chief mechanics are mainly all engineers in MMC's Development Engineering Office. Responsible for the maintenance of the racecars during the hill climb event, they will also be gathering data and knowhow which will be fed back into the advance development of MMC EV technologies, its S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control) integrated vehicle dynamics control system and into the company's "e-EVOLUTION" - a fusion of electric motor drive and the S-AWC system.

  • MiEV Evolution III Specifications
Length x Width x Height (mm)
4,870 x 1,900 x 1,390
Drivetrain
4WD using 4 motors
Motors
(Made by Meidensha)
 
Configuration
4 (2 front, 2 rear)
Maximum output (kW)
450(112.5 kWx4 motors)
Battery (Made by LEJ)
Maximum capacity (kWh)
50
Chassis
Steel pipe frame
Cowl
Carbon
Suspension
Front
Double wishbone
Rear
Double wishbone
Brakes
(Made by ENDLESS)
Front
φ 380 mm disc with 6-pot calipers
Rear
φ 330 mm disc with 4-pot calipers
Tires (Made by Dunlop)
330 / 680-18
Wheels(Made by Enkei)
13J-18
Control system(Made by dSPACE)
Production i-MiEV ECU with MicroAutoBox*1
*1: Programmable general-purpose ECU
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Nissan launches GT-R LMP1 WEC and Le Mans programme for 2015

Nissan will take on Audi, Toyota and Porsche in the World Endurance Championship from the start of next season.

Nissan has confirmed that it will mount a two-car attack on the full WEC with a car to be known as the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO.

Nissan vice-president Andy Palmer explained that his company wanted to exploit the new energy-based P1 rules introduced for this season by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest at Le Mans and the FIA.

"We applaud the ACO and FIA for the work they have done to get the rules right," he said.

"LMP1 is not just an arms race - all our rivals in the class have taken different technical approaches and we will be doing the same."

He explained that Nissan wanted "to win in a very different way to that of our rivals".

"We won't be turning up in a vehicle that is a basically another hybrid that looks like another Porsche, Audi or Toyota — they all look the same to me. Our intention is to do something that is a little bit different."

Nissan, which made its announcement in London on Friday afternoon, has yet to disclose technical details of the car or where it will be built.

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ELMOFO Electric Radical First Race at Eastern Creek [VIDEO]

The Electric Radical SR8 built by Newcastle based ELMOFO had it's first race yesterday at Sydney Motorsport Park (Eastern Creek).

With Garth Walden at the wheel for the first official CAMS sanctioned race meeting for an Electric Vehicle. The instant torque can make this car a bit of a handful on tight track sections, particularly with cooler tyres.

The ELMOFO Radical, the current electric lap record holder, was the only electric powered vehicle in a field of petrol powered cars in Race 1 of Round 1 of the NSW SuperSports State Championships.

The car performed as expected during practice, qualified 3rd (of 7) in it's class and was positioned 5th (of 9) on the grid for the start. The 2 front runners are super-light and faster Stohr racers which are in a different class to the Radicals.

The 500 hp and 600 Nm of instant torque enabled Garth to wheel spin his way to the front of the Radical field which he led for the whole race until the last 150m where a technical issue caused a sudden power drop and let 2 cars pass just before the finish line.

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NISMO ZEOD RC’s Electrical System Explained [VIDEO]

Jason from Engineering Explained has a look at the ZEOD RC's Electrical Systems and Zero Emissions on Demand motors that are capable of making the car go at 300km per hour!

While the video does show a close-up of the enclosure for the 400 volt 12 kWh battery, the only other details provided are that the twin BLDC motors are rated at 120 kw each.

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Monster Tajima preparations for Pikes Peak 2014 [VIDEO]

Nobuhiro Tajima and his APEV Monster Sport team are preparing for their third year at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb with Battery power.

Nine-time Unlimited division champion Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima will be gunning for outright course record again after he was the first to break the 10 minute barrier with an electric vehicle at Pikes Peak in 2013, even surpassing the 9:51.278 he turned in during the 2011 race in a 900 hp Suzuki SX4, when he was the first driver ever to crack the Peak’s elusive ten-minute barrier.

The outright hill record goal posts have been moved significantly this year by nine time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb setting a time of 8:13.878 in a 900 hp 900 kg Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Special.

When asked after the 2013 event about beating the new gasoline record, Tajima responded: “We are able to do that very soon, it depends on the battery. With a high quality and high density battery, I can beat that record for sure.”

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1,000-hp AWD hybrids to dominate 2014 Le Mans

There's no more popular saying in the world of motorsport than "racing improves the breed". Although in most cases, most racing series require strict rules on technology to keep races competitive and costs down, that's rarely the case.

The one place where automakers still push the limits of technology? The 24 Hours of Le Mans, which this year will feature three machines from Toyota, Audi and Porsche that offer radically different paths to cars of the future — hybrid, all-wheel-drive ones at that.

The favorite comes from Audi; they've won 12 times at Le Mans since 2000, and in one of the two races it didn't win the Audi machinery still won under the Bentley brand. The R18 e-tron quattro the company drove through the streets of western France earlier this week features the latest changes to the winning strategy, with a 4-liter, turbocharged V-6 diesel engine paired with a flywheel hybrid system for maximum fuel efficiency. That flywheel powers the front wheels, and a second system recaptures energy from the heat of the exhaust.

Toyota has been attempting to challenge Audi in endurance racing for a few years, making some progress and winning a couple of races, but never breaking through the German automaker's dominace. For this year's TS040 model, Toyota revised its entire system, adding a front-wheel-drive to the 3.7-liter V-8 supercapacitor powered hybrid from last year. In total, Toyota says the setup can generate nearly 1,000 hp, while using 25 percent less fuel than last year's vehicles as required by Le Mans rules for 2014.

The most interesting new model comes from Porsche, which hasn't raced in the top class at Le Mans for 16 years. The 919 Hybrid combines a battery pack and Formula 1-style hybrid energy system similar to what Porsche uses in the 918 supercar with a turbocharged V-4 engine — a configuration chosen to save weight and space. Porsche executives call the 919 the most complicated machine the company has ever built, and despite living under the same Volkswagen corporate roof as Audi, there's no apparent sharing between teams or slack in competition.

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2014 Isle of Man TT Race: TEAM MUGEN contender revealed

Mr. Shin Nagaosa, President of M-TEC Co., Ltd., today announced the release of the new contender from TEAM MUGEN for victory at this year's Isle of Man TT Zero Challenge class, to be held during May and June.

M-TEC originally created the in-house TT Zero project as a means of developing and initiating their young engineers in the emerging technologies that are fast becoming prevalent in all forms of modern motorsport, and competed for the first time at the Isle of Man TT in 2012. Since then with two consecutive second-place finishes under their belt the team is gunning for a victory in 2014 with an all-new challenger, "SHINDEN SAN".

The development for this year sees a new oil-cooled 3-phase brushless motor that is increased in power output while at the same time is lighter and reduced in size. The team has taken the opportunity afforded by this new layout to increase the battery capacity over the 2013 machine and installed new control systems take advantage of the performance capabilities. Also with SHINDEN SAN the engineers have used the data gained from previous years racing and testing to optimise the aerodynamics of the machine and adopted newly-developed suspension in order to maximise the speed potential.

Having ridden with the team in the previous two years TT Zero events John McGuinness will be returning with TEAM MUGEN, bringing with him once again his brilliant track record and expertise on the mountain course, and this year he is joined by the highly experienced Bruce Anstey, himself a nine-time TT winner. With this talented rider line-up, and the experience and development gained in 2012 and 2013, the aim of the team is for SHINDEN SAN to raise the bar to a new level with a target at the same time, of course, to achieve victory.

* The Isle of Man TT Races are a traditional international bike race event, which has taken place since 1907 on the Isle of Man located between England and Ireland. The TT Zero Challenge class was first run in 2009 as a time trial format over the 60km mountain course on the public roads on the island, with the regulations requiring a zero CO2 clean emission power unit.

Machine Specification

  • Machine Name : SHINDEN SAN
  • Overall length / width / height (mm) : 2,125 / 680 / 1,130
  • Wheelbase (mm) : 1,485
  • Ground Clearance (mm) : 130
  • Seat Height (mm) : 840
  • Total Weight (kg): 240
  • Tyre (Front) : 120/70ZR17M/C (58W)
  • Tyre (Rear) : 200/55ZR17M/C (78W)
  • Frame : CFRP twin-spar type
  • Motor Type : Oil-cooled, 3-phase, brushless motor
  • Maximum Output (kW [ps]) : 100 [134]
  • Maximum Torque (N·m [kgf·m]) : 220 [22.4]
  • Battery Specification : Laminate-type Lithium-ion
  • Battery Output Voltage (V) : 370 or more