First post

[Aero]

This is my first post and will probably be my last for a while. I have, however, been reading both this and the Dailysportscar site for a few years(!) now, but didn't really feel able to make any contributions as I have been working directly in sportscar design for all of this time. As I have now gone over to the darkside and am in the world of F1, I'd like to take the opportunity to make a few comments before I disappear back into the shadows.

Firstly, I'd like to congratulate MulsanneMike on his site. It is fantastic and a lot of his analysis is pretty close to the mark. It also saves designers a lot of time trying to look underneath competitors cars!

Apart from some occasional GrandAm/ALMS, Prototype/GTS wars, the posts that I have read has been well informed and civilised, and I'd like to compliment everybody on that.

So, onto my ramblings which you may or may not find interesting and are presented in no particular order:

1. A great part of the Viper's success was down to the extensive aerodynamics testing conducted by Chrysler engineers and a specialist manufacturer (not ORECA). This was really a hangover from it being a GT1 car with a development programme to suit. This is not true of the current generation of GTS cars which have been developed on relatively limited budgets. However, a greater level of manufacturer interest in this series could lead to more significant developments in this area - especially as windtunnel development is starting to play a progressively more significant role in performance roadcar design.

2. The Reynard 2KQ was originally conceived to run on high downforce US circuits and not Le Mans. Hence the brutal front end. Unfortunately, a batch of faulty splitters (from an external supplier) led to inconsistent track performance (never seen on the original chassis). This was coupled with an incorrect resin being used in the rear CFRP chassis structure, meaning that it became "flexible" at the higher end of the normal operational temperature envelope - i.e the car only worked as designed when it was cool. The tub was also found to flex more than expected. These issues took some time to become apparent, by which time several teams had lost confidence in the package. A shame, but there you go.

The swoopy (LM) Le Mans package was developed for just that - Le Mans. However, in addressing some of the the issues already mentioned, it became impracticle to return to the original high downforce bodywork.

3.The demise of Reynard had very little to do with their products and more to do with an economic down-turn, which depressed marketing budgets, and therefore team budgets, and therefore the amount that could be spent on a racing car. Unfortunately for Reynard, this coincided with their intended stock-market flotation and the spending-spree that preceeded it. Appaling timing.

4.Oppinion only: Motor manufacturers spend money on motorsport for only one reason - to market their road cars and sell more of them so that they can make money for their shareholders. It is actually very difficult to demonstrate any direct correlation between racing and even regularly winning, and improved sales. Therefore, any manufacturers commitment to motorsport is a result of the level of interest of a single boardmember or group of boardmembers. As this group of people regularly change, or their areas of responsibility regularly change the reason for the cyclical nature of investment becomes apparent. Only F1, WRC, NASCAR and DTM have held companies' interest for so long because of the truly astronomical viewing figures that they have. As racing is only marketing...

5.Oppinion only: Cadillac honoured their three year commitment to Le Mans. Management and marketing strategy had changed almost completely by the end of this period - so they walked away (however disappointing that may be, and however close to success they seemed to be).

6.Oppinion only: GTS and GT seems to be the best chance for long-term manufacturer interest, because for a relatively(!) modest investment, they can race something clearly identifiable as a roadcar - this market is only currently filled globally by WRC (and DTM to a much lesser extent in Europe - excluding the UK), but for a different type of car. All of this depends on far more significant television exposure (as ever).

7.Oppinion only: Prototype cars are fantastic and I'd love to continue to see them racing, but they are almost impossible to justify for a manufacturer (in terms of marketing returns), or a privateer in terms of cost.

8.Oppinion only: Ford and GM are making huge losses. It's difficult to moan about them demonstrating a lack of commitment to sportscar racing.

9.Oppinion only: Since the Dodge/Chrysler Viper, the company became Daimler-Chrysler. Mercedes has made a heavy commitment to F1 and Dodge to NASCAR. So I'd imagine that the new Viper has slid down the priority list.

Naturally you do not have to accept anything which I have stated as fact to be true without my providing more information about myself. I do not believe that I have been indiscrete, but manufacturers are very nervous about privacy and I would not wish to compromise future opportunities for my current employer, so I cannot enlighten you any further about my background.

I haven't tried to provide any solutions, these are just some odds and ends that have occured to me.

I won't be responding to any questions but will be reading your responses to this post with interest.

I hope you all continue to enjoy whichever form of motorsport interests you or indeed anythig else you do.

Best regards,

[SALEEN S7R]

Hi Aero and welcome to the forum! I hope that u do reconsider and do post frequently. Anyway, welcome to the boards, I hope u enjoy it here at ten-tenths.

[Aero]

Er...just thought of a couple of other things, so this will be my second final post for a while!

10. The Cadillac's appaling performance at the test day was a result of splitter deflection i.e. Too much downforce on a splitter which turned out to not have been constructed as designed. The problem was only found out at an airfield test just before being shipped to France. Having gone to England to design the car GM were, quite naturally, keen to keep the rest of the program US based. Unfortunately, there just aren't any road circuits in the States which allow cars to get to Le Mans speeds. This meant that the thousands of miles of testing were only really done at 85-90%, which in turn led to a lot of problems being discovered under race conditions - as many have pointed out. However, the budget (waaaaaay less than Audi had available) for testing, racing and design was fixed, so I don't think that once problems had been identified, the final results could be considered too disappointing.

That's absolutely definitely it.

Aero has left the building.

[FIRE]

Well Aero I hope you make a comeback. Your opions are a welcome addition to this forum.

Good luck with the Ferrari team!

[Fulvio]

Nooooo.. finally that I've found another italian in the board... he's leaving it!

C'mon Aero... We need some italians here!

[e poi io ho voglia di chiacchierare con qualcuno di auto in italiano ^__* siamo anche vicini.. io sono di Bologna]

[pitviper]

aero...great post. thank you very much for the sharing of information. and congratulations on having been in the position which i aspire to be: working directly in sportscar design, though i would rather do it with a GTS ground up car than with a prototype...anyway, i also echo everyone's thoughts and hopes that you may make frequent return to posting, but i can understand why you would drop into cloak so to speak. thank you again, and best of luck at the top of the motorsport mountain...

pit

[Kurt Maxwell]

Aero-I thank you for your imput.

You make the points I have been trying to get across for some time now.

While I too love Prototype cars and would desire to see a full grid of them- it just isn't going to happen. The best hope for sportscars is GT Supercars as they are cost effective and what manufacturers want to see race.

Why a field of Maserati,Porsche, Lamborghini,Zonda and Saleen Supercars would not be more appealing than watching a couple VAG prototypes lapping everyone is beyond me.

Thanks again for your very valid points.
Others in the business,like Kevin Doran in the states, agree with you and your opinions.

The fans will hopefully begin to understand that what you are saying is the reality of the situation.

KM

[Kurt Maxwell]

PS-Look at the Spa 1000km race results so far. One "privateer" Audi lapping a few other LMP cars. This is boring and has been the situation in the ALMS and at LeMans for too long.

If GTS cars were allowed in with a shot at the overall win they might have a race instead of an exhibition today. I do hope that the ACO and Ratel make a scenario like this possible at LM and in the LM Endurance Series.

[pirenzo]

Originally posted by Fulvio
[e poi io ho voglia di chiacchierare con qualcuno di auto in italiano ^__* siamo anche vicini.. io sono di Bologna]

Yay! After 3 months i actually remembered enough Italian to vaguely understand that!

Sorry 'bout that OT comment Ayse and Fab


Anyway, thanks for your input Aero, even though you're not coming back. Some interesting stuff there, and it's always good to hear from people who work behind the scenes in this field, it's very interesting, especially when you hear how the tiniest things effected a cars performance.

[Fab]

As a co-host of this forum, I'd like to thank you very much, Aero, for your very informative posts ; I hope you'll reconsider your position and keep on the good job in posting some more here... we promise to not ask too undiscreet questions ...

[Dani Filth]

not to many undiscreet .. to bad ..

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by Fab
As a co-host of this forum, I'd like to thank you very much, Aero, for your very informative posts ; I hope you'll reconsider your position and keep on the good job in posting some more here... we promise to not ask too undiscreet questions ...

Yes, as the other co-host, I'll join Fab in his welcome/thanks.