CART to test aero modifications at Michigan
CART will stage a special test at Michigan International Speedway on June 12 to evaluate means of slowing the cars for the two superspeedway races on the Champ Car calendar
Gil de Ferran set a world closed course speed record when he turned a lap of 241.428 mph in qualifying at California Speedway last November. CART reduced turbo boost from 40 inches to 37 inches for the 2001 season, but the five drivers on hand at MIS next week will test an additional boost reduction to 36 inches.
In addition, CART is expected to evaluate several variations of the Handford Device, a low-downforce, high-drag rear wing introduced for the 1998 superspeedway races. The Handford Device has created closer racing on the big ovals, but many drivers believe the huge draft effect and turbulence it creates actually produces more danger for the pilots.
"The on-track activity from this test will verify the results of testing by teams and manufacturers to contain the race car's performance in the best interest of our drivers and the sport," said Kirk Russell, CART vice president of competition. "The test will allow us to receive valuable input from the drivers on the changes and evaluate if any further changes will be warranted. We greatly appreciate the co-operation of the teams and their drivers for this special test."
The chief aero modification being tested is an additional three-inch downward extension of the backplate of the Handford Device, increasing it to nine inches in length. Additional trim tabs or wickers on the side endplates of the wing are expected to be checked as well.
CART also will mandate that all FedEx Championship Series teams terminate all bodywork and aerodynamic devices 11 inches aft of the differential centreline, the lone exception being the rear wing. This change will remain in effect for the remainder of the season in an effort to limit specific development in this area that could potentially reduce drag and/or improve rear-wing efficiency.
The five drivers testing the revised aero set-up at Michigan include de Ferran, Dario Franchitti, Max Papis, Christian Fittipaldi and Bryan Herta.
Previous article
Heitzler elected to head CART's board of directors
Next article
CART pleased with Michigan tests
Autosport International - Teaser
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 6
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 5
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 3
How to Stay Out of Crashes
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat
How a much-changed Macau GP kept the party going
OPINION: The 67th edition of the Macau Grand Prix might have been a largely muted affair to the outside world without its international influx and star line-ups, another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers deserve huge credit for keeping the party going
