Talk’s easy Part III
Into battle… Andrew MacFarlan, head of composite design at Red Bull Technology, describes how the manufacturing department keeps pace with the never-ending quest for aerodynamic improvement
Aerodynamic upgrades – relentless development
Once the ‘basic’ car is designed and built it is rolled out from the garage for the world’s press and fans to see. Within 24 hours it’s usually then straight into a busy few weeks of testing before the first race.
In 2010 pre-season testing consisted of four lots of four-day tests in Spain (Valencia, Barcelona and Jerez) during February. This testing is critical as it’s the only real circuit testing the teams are now able to conduct. As part of a raft of cost-cutting measures a couple of years ago all F1 teams lost the right to run testing sessions during the racing season, so now we’re restricted to Friday running at race meetings and a limited number of ‘straightline’ aerodynamic tests on runways or at suitable commercial proving facilities.
Pre-season testing is critical to confirming that the car behaves as expected, mechanically and aerodynamically. Other aims are to ensure fundamental systems and structures are reliable and that any faults are identified and resolved without fuss. But it’s also the first opportunity to improve upon the base vehicle.
It’s usual for teams to launch their ‘new’ car in mid-January, only to immediately undergo at least one full (and many minor) mechanical and aerodynamic upgrades before the first race in early March.
At Red Bull Technology these updates are truly relentless. From the 2010 season’s opener in Bahrain in March through to winning the constructors’ championship in Brazil and the drivers’ championship in Abu Dhabi in November each race was accompanied by a significant, if not major aerodynamic upgrade which, as mentioned in my first article, is what keeps us, in the composite design team, very busy – especially so if next year’s car design is taking place at the same time…
For each race the aerodynamic upgrades are likely to be a mix of fundamental redesigns of or detail modifications to:
- Front wing
- Rear wing
- Floor (under-tray)
- Upper bodywork (engine cover)
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Below: Challenging and extremely unpleasant for the drivers, wet weather can occasionally provide those watching with a very vivid demonstration of Formula 1 aerodynamics
In tune with the times
Fewer crew, more speed... the offshore racing market is developing an appetite for precisely that. Corentin Douguet, Guillaume Verdier and Axel de Beaufort got together to respond with their own unique interpretation
First thoughts – Corentin Douguet
After so much time racing Mini 6.50s alone I wanted to make a boat with similar performance qualities but that would also be suited to racing the Fastnet with two or three friends… plus perhaps the occasional solo classic. Hence, it must rate adequately under IRC and be a proper modern offshore boat. The proto Mini 6.50s are wonderful fun, but that fun is reserved for sailors insane enough to race the Mini Transat and perhaps later the Vendée Globe. They are not the mainstream!
By contrast, the new SKOD 35 is within the capability of almost every good offshore sailor, not just the crazy ones. It is also a genuine one-design – bringing numerous other advantages.
Some of the other criteria we applied in developing the concept were:
- A fast, modern one-design but requiring only a small crew.
- A simple boat able to be sailed well by amateurs sailors.
- Not too large and so easier to exploit the maximum potential.
- Not too small in order to have a little comfort at sea and in port.
- And long enough to meet the minimum offshore safety criteria...
I then asked Guillaume Verdier and Axel de Beaufort to draw it. We are all of the same generation, and their experience in the 6.50, Class 40 and Imoca 60 is obviously beneficial for such a boat...
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Please take advantage of our latest subscription offer or order a single copy of the April 2011 issue of Seahorse International Sailing
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April 2011
FEATURES
Talk’s easy – Part III
ANDREW MACFARLAN of Red Bull describes the pace of development in F1 as composite engineering and manufacture struggle to keep pace with non-stop advances in aerodynamics
Modern honeycombs
Coming to a TP52 near you... PETER KRASS looks at recent advances in pre-formed and over expanded Nomex cores from Schütz in Germany
The long game
The SYZ&CO foiler project has been a slow starter in terms of outright pace, but this clever and well-resourced Swiss team is playing for higher stakes...
In tune with the times
The demand has been growing so designers AXEL DE BEAUFORT, GUILLAUME VERDIER and project director CORENTIN DOUGUET decided to respond...
Trick boards – Part II
Trim-tabs are becoming an essential development area for performance projects. But is this step-up in attention justified, asks DAVID HOLLOM
REGULARS
Commodore’s letter
ANDREW MCIRVINE
Editorial
ANDREW HURST
Update
TERRY HUTCHINSON prepares to go big cat racing for real, GIULIANO LUZZATTO greets the European arrival of the iconic Wianno Senior and DOBBS DAVIS gets to know some of the new faces behind the World Match Racing Tour
World news
THOMAS COVILLE’s rough start and MICH DESJ’s early shower, BERTRAND CARDIS aims for the skies... 2011 MedCup already on a roll, new AC45 cat impresses all who meet her, Hamilton Island and GLENN BOURKE survive Cyclone Yasi and PETER CRAIG wants some more help at Key West. PATRICE CARPENTIER, ROB MUNDLE, IVOR WILKINS, CARLOS PICH, VINCENT GILLIOZ and DOBBS DAVIS
Rod Davis
And things seem to be getting about-face...
Olympic and small boats news
– Turning point
ANDY RICE catches up with purveyors of fine wing rigs and very fast Moths, BORA GULARI, MAGNUS CLARKE and CHARLIE MCKEE
ORC column
Panayotis Papapostolou
Design – Modern classic
Though still developing ideas for Oracle Racing, PAUL BIEKER has got some time back to give us the boats that we have been missing, including an all-new version of a great all-round performer
Seahorse build table
– Multi-facetted
RODGER MARTIN and his engineering director ROSS WEENE really have turned out a silk purse... plus their ‘new’ 30-foot sharpie is looking ever sweeter
RORC news
EDDIE WARDEN OWEN
Seahorse regatta calendar
Sailor of the Month
Two particularly productive ‘young’ upstarts
Below: Three eras in performance sailing. Charles Currey (inset) rigs one of the first Fireflys in 1946 – the first mass-produced boat designed for towing. Two years later Paul Elvstrøm will take his first Olympic medal in this class. And (left) the AC45 hard wing cat sandwiches – in several senses – two New Zealanders training in their 470... designed during 1963
