New customer Ferrari 550 engines

[tux]

prodrive and care racing have desinged new, user friendly engines for the ferrari 550 race cars

http://www.the-paddock.net/content/view/240746/49/

could this mean some more people might enter fia gt or le mans series with 550s?

[AU N EGL]

Would be great to have more Ferrari's at the races. But 4500 km before rebuild??? That is a long time for a high performane engine.

[JAG]

These type of electronically controlled engines could be the way to reduce GT1 costs dramatically and boost grids.

However, I can only see privateers adopting them, would the factory Corvette team agree?

If not, it's a no go for top level GT1 racing.

[AU N EGL]

IIRC Pratt & Miller use a programable Bosh ECM to opporate the LS7.r motor. They have used the Bosh since year two of the program.

We use the standard AC Delco Electronics ECM, which is also programble via flash, to boost power and torque. A great dyno tune can do wonders for the LSx motors.

[JAG]

But would they let the ACO inspect their engines and lock them at, say, 630bhp?

[Bob Riebe]

Any one want to bet, if NASCAR does allow fuel injection they will adapt such a system in the blinking of an eye.

This is a good way, in the US to make sure road racing sinks even farther.

This is somewhere between contrived competition and welfare state.
Bob

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by JAG

But would they let the ACO inspect their engines and lock them at, say, 630bhp?

I would sure hope so. The AMs are about 600 BHP unrestricted

The Corvettes are serverly restricted to about 585 bhp and 605 tq. Without restrcitions the Corvette LS7.r motor is just north of 900 BHP and upper 800s in tq. Katech rebuilds the LS7.r motor after each event. Each motor is about $110,000 but not for sale to the public, only Chevy and teams that run the C6.r my purchase.

[Fogelhund]

Do they come with WiFi, so that the organizers can control the power from the pits, to ensure a good close race?

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Do they come with WiFi, so that the organizers can control the power from the pits, to ensure a good close race?

Yes and no. Yes for the Teams to control, no for the race orgainzers to control.

I think if the race organizers did the controling that would be called NASCAR

[JAG]

Noticed on DSC they speculate this could be the way of the future.

Must admit, if the idea of restricotrs is to balance the power of iffering engine configerations, this could be an interesting way to do that.

[pitviper]

i should think that the AM's are more than 600 hp unrestricted... our Viper last year was well over 800 without the collars on...

pit

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by pitviper

i should think that the AM's are more than 600 hp unrestricted... our Viper last year was well over 800 without the collars on...

pit

Rated at 600 bhp for race trim.

[geeteeone]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

Rated at 600 bhp for race trim.

Which is with air restrictors...

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by pitviper

i should think that the AM's are more than 600 hp unrestricted... our Viper last year was well over 800 without the collars on...

pit

pit no dout that your viper is rated over 800. Rember the ACO and IMSA put air restrctions on the GT1 cars. ALso the ACO requires lap time to be with in a range, Any quicker and more restrctions are put on.

Un restrcited the GT1 cars, I would guess are just as fast as the P1 cars on long straights, Around 200 +/- MPH on long straights like the Musanne or the front staight on Road America, the two fastest staights.

[geeteeone]

With the air restrictors removed, the GT1 cars would be significantly faster in a straight line than a prototype with air restrictors.

Back in 2003, a Marcos LM600 ran unrestricted in the Spa 1000km (it was in the guest GT class and exempt from the need for restrictors). It was easily the fastest thing in a straight line, faster than all the prototypes.

[paul-collins]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

Yes and no. Yes for the Teams to control, no for the race orgainzers to control.

lol

I'd imagine it would be the other way around. In fact, two way telemetry is specifically forbidden under current rules, but I'm sure the ACO would make an exception if they were the ones given control...

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by geeteeone

With the air restrictors removed, the GT1 cars would be significantly faster in a straight line than a prototype with air restrictors.

Not significantly fast, but very very close.

I think it was 2002 or 2003 on Musanne both classes where +/- 200 mph in sections.

Top Speed is great to look at but that is not the only part of racing. Relaibility and overall consistant speed are importatn factors.

Some one mentioned that winning is not going as fast as possible. Winning is going as slow as possible and staying infront of the #2 car.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

Not significantly fast, but very very close.

I think it was 2002 or 2003 on Musanne both classes where +/- 200 mph in sections.

Top Speed is great to look at but that is not the only part of racing. Relaibility and overall consistant speed are importatn factors.

Some one mentioned that winning is not going as fast as possible. Winning is going as slow as possible and staying infront of the #2 car.

That is one reason I do like 80-100 mile sprint races; it is about going just as damn fast as you can for as long as you can, or as Satchel Paige once said: "Never look back, 'cause you never know what's gaining on you."

Bob

[The Real DMN]

I read somewhere (sorry I forget where) that at this years Le Mans the 550's where the fastest down the Muslane in GT1, but the Astons and Vette's where fastest through the corners where it really counts.

Getting back to the original topic, I like the idea if it means more 550's turn up race. I know their a little out-dated these days, but if its cheaper for teams to turn up, maybe more will.

[Viper GTS-R***]

Larbre has entered a second 550 (that lower budget 550) this weekend in FFSA GT Le Mans. It was the first race of such a F550.
I was there in Le Mans and with top drivers, (he was driven by Gabriel Gardel!) this 550 low(er) budget is very fast! He could follew the other 550 of larbre really good.

In the last race FFSA GT -> the weekend that comes Larbre will rent their low budget F550 to VBM (ffsa gt team, patrick bornhouser & olivier thevenir, regular drivers with their champion 2004/2005 Viper gts-r) for this race. Patrick will test the car, and optional is that he would enter such a Ferrari for next year in FFSA GT!

SO i think it could be a great car for NATIONAL (yes not internation) GT Champion Ships!

[geeteeone]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

Not significantly fast, but very very close.

I think it was 2002 or 2003 on Musanne both classes where +/- 200 mph in sections.

You misunderstand - what I was saying is with an unrestricted GT1 against restricted prototypes, the GT1 cars would be quicker in a straight line (as happened at the 2003 Spa 1000km with the Marcos), due to the GT1 having a horsepower advantage. All things being equal, and with both classes running with restrictors, they are about the same due to similar horsepower, the only differences coming from the less sophisticated aerodynamics and extra weight of the GT1s.

With restrictors, both GT1 and LMP1 are running around 600-630 bhp. Unrestricted, this would be more like 750-800. As an example, the Lister Storm is known to run around 600bhp with it's restrictors. The engine is a development of the old Group C Jaguars, which regularly ran in excess of 700bhp back in the 80s (without any kind of air restrictor).

[paul-collins]

Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

That is one reason I do like 80-100 mile sprint races; it is about going just as damn fast as you can for as long as you can, or as Satchel Paige once said: "Never look back, 'cause you never know what's gaining on you."

Satchel? Hey, you can't quote baseball here!

... besides, I'm more of a Josh Gibson fan.

[AU N EGL]

I still dont believe that unrestricted GT1 cars would be much faster then restricted P1 cars on the long straights. The P1 cars are much lighter, lower CoG and far better handling.

Maybe a look at lap times and Mulsaane trap speeds from a few years ago might help. 2003 trap speeds for P1: http://www.mulsannescorner.com/trap03.html

More traps links near the bottom of the page http://www.mulsannescorner.com/

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

I still dont believe that unrestricted GT1 cars would be much faster then restricted P1 cars on the long straights. The P1 cars are much lighter, lower CoG and far better handling.

Maybe a look at lap times and Mulsaane trap speeds from a few years ago might help. 2003 trap speeds for P1: http://www.mulsannescorner.com/trap03.html

More traps links near the bottom of the page http://www.mulsannescorner.com/

I agree with you; even with the 900 some hp available in sprint trim, the GT cars would probably top out at similar speed to the links above.
They might gain another ten if the long straight at LeMans was not been turned into a girly-man chicane, but it has.

But refering to quicker, the cars WOULD accelerate far, far quicker, which would increase the amount of time they could approach top speed.
Bob

[ger80]

Why are the new engines that dont use a normal restrictor cheaper than the normal engines? The maximum power must be mostly the same. Is it so much easier to create the same amount of power with other valves etc if you dont have to use a restrictor?