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From speedarena.com Car Features Before the start of last year's Formula One World Championship, Jaguar Racing went back to basics. Several seasons of disappointing results led to a root and branch restructuring of the team and its senior management. With that change came a new, engineering-led philosophy; a new way of working that promised a rigorous reappraisal of the way in which every department operated and also hinted at the manner in which the entire organisation would function in the future.
The new structure and processes within the team also allowed the heads of every department - aerodynamics, design, vehicle science and vehicle performance - to begin work much earlier on this year's R5 car. This was a luxury that had rarely been enjoyed at Jaguar Racing, where previous changes in key posts had affected the lead times for building new cars. In much the same way that 2003's back-to-basics approach to car design may not have been the most exciting news to emanate from an F1 team, so the fact that this year's Jaguar Racing R5 was started earlier may not seem worthy of headlines. But it is an essential part of the story. Look at any successful F1 team over the past decade and you will see that stability behind the scenes is the most effective way to ensure a smooth evolution from one year to the next. Michael Schumacher's continued success stems as much from the fact that his team is settled and repeatedly builds a strong car as it does from his innate talent behind the wheel. For the first time in many years, Jaguar Racing has created a similar situation. In fact, the situation is not just stable, it is continually improving. Under the guidance of David Pitchforth and Tony Purnell, Chief Executive Officer of the Premier Performance Division (Jaguar Racing, Cosworth Racing and Pi Research) every department is being nurtured and taught to communicate more effectively with the rest of the group. Today the aerodynamics department (under the guidance of Ben Agathangelou) is twice the size it was just two seasons ago. It also enjoys the use of a state-of-the-art wind tunnel in nearby Bicester and a second tunnel has been purchased in Bedford to put even more tools at their disposal. Jaguar Racing's newest department, Vehicle Science, is also pushing the boundaries of what can be done in the virtual world. Department head Chris Hammond is using the resources of the entire Ford Motor Company (Jaguar Racing's parent company) to assist with development in the future. His ambition is to be able to simulate every single system on a racing car before it is ever built for real, an aim that should dramatically improve reliability and performance. It's just another example of how Jaguar Racing's technical approach to racing will pay increasing dividends over the seasons to come. The other Premier Performance Division companies are also seeing the benefits of last year's changes. Cosworth Racing has recently appointed experienced new senior managers to help deal with the major rule changes for this year's championship that permit teams to use only one engine per car for an entire race weekend. Cosworth Racing's record in Formula One is simply unparalleled and the all-new CR-6 90-degree V10 engine is another wonderful example of their craft. This season the engine will be used by Jaguar Racing as well as Cosworth Racing's customer teams and early signs in testing show that despite the tough new rules the CR-6 will live up to the highest expectations.
Pi Research's role cannot be underplayed either. As the world's leading manufacturer of racing telemetry and wind tunnel control systems, Pi Research has provided state-of-the-art components for the aerodynamics department to further update the Bicester wind tunnel. Jaguar Racing also has two of the most exciting drivers in the Formula One World Championship for 2004. Australian Mark Webber joined the team last year and was one of the revelations of the season. His professionalism, maturity and blinding speed in qualifying had people comparing him with Michael Schumacher but it was his phenomenal work ethic that won the hearts of everyone within Jaguar Racing. Mark's new team-mate is Austrian Christian Klien. A Formula One rookie in 2004, Klien is already turning heads thanks to the ease with which he appears to have adapted to the top level of motorsport. While expectations of both drivers are naturally high, Jaguar Racing's early requirements of Klien are simply that he comes to terms with the engineering-based culture that now exists within the team and provides valuable technical input to help further improve the car. With a new driver, new rules and on-going restructuring programme, Jaguar Racing does not suddenly expect to make the leap onto the podium in 2004. The new R5 should be a successful evolution of last year's car and as such we expect it to indicate clearly that the team is moving in the right direction. Engineering excellence and best practice will remain the buzzwords as we continue to build for future success. Slowly but surely all the pieces of the jigsaw are falling into place. But there will be no complacency within Jaguar Racing. CEO Tony Purnell believes that the race team is only 30 percent of the way there, while the hard work at Cosworth Racing and Pi Research is only just beginning. What can be said is that the process that began before the start of last season was correct and it will continue. Only then will Jaguar Racing see its fortunes continue to improve as it moves towards its ultimate aim. JAGUAR R4 – DESIGN PHILOSOPHY The launch of the Jaguar Racing R5 coincides with the second year of the team's on-going philosophy of evolving and improving upon last year's car. The era of scrapping everything that had been learnt and starting afresh is well and truly gone and only by fully understanding the good (and bad) points of previous cars can you hope to build a better one. Head of Aerodynamics, Ben Agathangelou, explains why that process is the only way to go: "We have learnt so much from last year's R4 by working in a low-risk, conventional fashion and now that we have stability within every department of the team it has given us a chance to push really hard to make the new R5 an improvement. It has been an education for me because it's the first time we have had a car that we trust and understand pretty well. That has meant that we could refine and evolve it rather than take a few risks, which is what we had to do in the past."
Because all Jaguar Racing's heads of department were in place by the start of last season, it allowed the R5 design process to be started much earlier. That extra lead time meant the team could thoroughly test every part before it was ever used on the race track. Managing director David Pitchforth expects this to have a beneficial effect upon reliability: "Unlike previous Jaguar Racing F1 cars, the new R5 was finished by the middle of December 2003. But it didn't actually turn a wheel until mid-January, which gave us a whole month to test the systems before it ever went out on the circuit. A four-week run in the test and development departments is something we have never enjoyed before and it should allow us to reduce the problems we have when it eventually runs at the race track. Last year we missed out on points because of poor early reliability and we want to rectify that." This measured approach to the car's design and construction varies considerably from that of many other Formula One teams, who tend to run new aerodynamic parts on their existing car throughout the winter before unveiling their new model much closer to the first race of the season. Jaguar Racing's method is intended to give all the mechanical and electronic systems (suspension, engine, gearbox, traction control) a thorough work-out on the factory-based testing rigs and still leave enough time to iron out problems. The thoroughness of the development programme has also given more time to improve the aerodynamic shape of the car. The good work carried out in 2003 has allowed Agathangelou's department to push certain areas of the design but without ever taking unnecessary risks. "Last year we described R4 as being back-to-basics," he says. "This year it's not that simple. We are in the middle of a development cycle and so after a year of learning and refining with R4 we are now at the start of a polishing phase. The Ferrari that dominated the last couple of seasons was at the end of a five-year development cycle. This car is only into its second year so it still needs to be an inherently safe design and we certainly won't take any aerodynamic risks with it, but we have pushed the envelope in some areas to try and get that little extra bit of performance. Generally, I think you could say it is built on a similar platform to last year's car, but we have improved it in nearly every area. "There's still a way to go, though," says Agathangelou, "and while I am positive that R5 will be a good step forward, we are not finished yet. After the launch we will continue to work on the car right up to the first race and there are still things that I am holding out quite a lot of hope for which will come on stream later in the year."
TAKING F1 INTO THE VIRTUAL WORLD Jaguar Racing now runs an F1 simulator to teach new drivers to cope with the intense demands and complex systems found in a modern racing car. Head of vehicle science, Chris Hammond, explains why it is necessary: "F1 cars have complex sequences to run some systems and drivers can easily get them wrong. In the past we've discovered that on the track, which is an expensive place to make mistakes, so we have built the simulator to ensure that doesn't happen. The driver sits in the car with a helmet and radio on and we can test him out by asking him to perform overrides, change engine settings, make legal pit entries and so on. All the tasks he will need to carry out can be simulated to see how he gets on and where we can improve. It's particularly useful when you are testing new drivers." FROM THE ROAD TO THE RACE TRACK... The formidable resources of the Ford Motor Company have been used to benefit the R5's design process. Vehicle Science head Chris Hammond reveals that a high-tech ergonomics programme used by Jaguar Cars called 'Jack' has helped to tailor the cockpit to fit the drivers: "Jaguar Cars use 'Jack' to design cabins that fit people of all shapes and sizes. We realised it could be used to make the F1 car's ergonomics much better. The user-interface between the steering wheel and the driver was not up to standard, for example, so we modelled our drivers on the 'Jack' computer and used that data to shape a new wheel. The ergonomics experts have also helped us with positioning buttons so that the drivers reach them intuitively." JAGUAR R5 TECHNICAL INSIGHT Jaguar may be the name on the car, but without the vital input and support of the team's sister companies Cosworth Racing and Pi Research, along with tyre supplier Michelin, their efforts would be for nothing. Jaguar Racing, Cosworth and Pi make up the Premier Performance Division, a group of companies dedicated to the task of building world-beating race cars, engines and motorsport electronics. Their pedigree is without question: Cosworth Racing is one of the most famous names in the sport, its engines having won races F1 races since the 1960s; and Pi Research is the world's leading supplier of telemetry, data-logging and control systems. Together with Jaguar they make up one of the best teams in racing. Q&A WITH NICK HAYES, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, COSWORTH RACING Can you describe how different the new CR-6 engine is to last year's? "Well, the CR-6 is a development of last year's engine, so it remains a 90-degree V10, but we have new longer-life requirements in 2004 thanks to the rule that means we can only use one engine over a whole Grand Prix weekend. "Previously an engine would last for 450-500km but now we expect engines to have to survive for around 800km so we've been doing a lot of work on the CR-6 to extract the best performance but at the right life. A lot of the components in a 2003 engine wouldn't last for much more than a race, let alone a whole weekend, so much of our recent work was seeing how we can extend the lifespan without hurting performance." Engine builders sometimes change the 'V-angle' of the engine. You are staying at 90-degrees for 2004. Why have you stuck to this? "A change in the angle between the two banks of cylinders doesn't actually change the power of the engine, but what it does do is help the car designers with things like centre of gravity, packaging of other systems around the engine, weight distribution and so on. We will listen to the requirements of the car design team and then come up with the ideal angle for car. In the past we built 72-degree engines and even experimented with a very wide 120-degree version but for now 90 degrees seems the best compromise." How do you change an engine to make sure it lasts longer? "Having a longer-life engine means that you have to look hard at what we call the duty cycle - how long the engine runs at each circuit - and try and optimise all the parts that come under high stresses to make them last just long enough. It's really the same process as we went through with the engines last year, the difference is we were used to building them to last 450km and had plenty of experience at doing just that. Now we have to find nearly twice the life expectancy out of every part - that's a big leap. "All the bits that you'd expect to be highly stressed in an engine - the crankshaft, pistons, valves, camshafts - need a lot of attention to try and make sure that you get the best performance but also meet the new life requirements." Will the characteristics of the engine change as a result? "All of the things that we have worked on in the past - good mid-range power, flexibility and so on - will continue to be just as important. And we are working incredibly hard to increase overall power by improving the airflow into the engine and getting better combustion efficiency. These are the ways you increase horsepower without wasting fuel." One way to make engines last longer is to make the parts thicker, but that increases the overall weight. Will this year's CR-6 weigh more than last year's version? "No, you can't make those assumptions. I'm not going to tell you exactly what it does weigh and I'll admit that it probably weighs a little bit more than it would have done if the rules hadn't changed. But F1 technology moves forward so fast you can't use last year's model as a benchmark. We are always trying to save weight, so if you were going to make an assumption, you'd be safer to assume it is lighter still..." Cutting back on revs is another way you improve engine life. Will you have to cut back for 2004? "I'm sure that everyone will be running lower revs on average than they would have done without the 'one engine' rule. But it's the same as the weight issue, again. How big a step forward have we made over the winter compared to how many revs do we need to cut back to improve lifespan? The same also applies to the power output. The engines won't be as powerful as they would have been without the new rule, but that doesn't stop us developing as the season goes on. I expect at the start of the season they might be a little less powerful than at the end of last year but we will all quickly catch up." If you have a large budget, what is to stop you bringing different types of engine to a race, rather than just the one kind? "Nothing, and I think that might happen. Manufacturers with the best resources could easily bring different specification engines depending on what they expect to happen over a weekend." You don't have the same budgets as some, what does the future hold for Cosworth Racing? "We've been through a difficult time recently because the business conditions have changed. The long-life engine rule was a cost-cutting measure, which is good for everyone except the engine builders! But as the reorganisation of the Premier Performance Division continues we will increasingly see the benefits." Q&A WITH GEORGE LENDRUM, DIRECTOR OF MOTORSPORT, PI RESEARCH How does Pi Research fit into the Premier Performance Division that also includes Jaguar Racing and Cosworth Racing? "We provide the electronics systems for the car which includes controllers, data acquisition systems and the telemetry. It all needs to be 100 percent reliable and wherever possible give the team a competitive advantage." What exactly do all the different electronics systems on a modern F1 car do? It seems they are increasingly complicated. "You're right to say that a 2004 F1 car is a high-tech machine. The telemetry system means the continuous transfer of data from the car to the engineers in the pits - we send about 4Mb of information every lap. That is different to data-logging, which is when we store the data in the car and then download it when it returns to the pits. "With telemetry we aim for a constant feed but certain things do interfere with the signal - buildings, the terrain of the circuit itself, even the chain fencing that goes round the track can block it. We generally, though, get sufficient connection time to allow the engineers to be able to monitor the car and also analyse how well it is performing at any particular time. That information means we can make mid-race changes to wing settings at a pitstop, for example, or get the driver to adjust the engine settings from the cockpit." You also do a lot of work with the Jaguar Racing wind tunnel. What can Pi Research bring to the aerodynamics department? "We provide instrumentation for the wind tunnel models that the teams use to test how well the cars slip through the air. The scale models they build are perfect replicas of the race car and we have developed a range of sensors that are built into the model and measure the forces that are acting upon it. "By carefully taking the right measurements as the wind tunnel is running we can work out the lift and drag for any particular car set-up. With every run we build up what we call performance maps that allow us to compile a book of varying set-ups which we can take to each race. It's a vital process because it means that when we hit the track we can dial in the best possible set-up as quickly aspossible. Without the wind tunnel work we would spend much more time looking for the right settings when the car was actually running. As track time is at an absolute premium we need to make sure that what we do at the circuit is not a waste of time." Does the new 'one-engine' rule affect how the cars are set-up? "Yes, in terms of how much time we will have before qualifying. If everyone is trying to conserve their engine lifespan that means even less running to get a decent set-up. That in turn means that our performance maps have to be even better than before to allow us to go out and be quick from lap one." What is the link between Pi Research and Cosworth Racing? "We act as a service to Cosworth, because our products are the eyes and ears of what is going on inside the engine. From the data that we collect, Cosworth can make an immediate decision about performance or longevity or whatever it is that is affecting them at that moment. "We don't own or act upon the data, we are there to extract it and allow the car or engine people to make the right calls at the right time." What role do the Pi Research engineers play over a race weekend? "Well, we have 300 people working at Pi Research on all forms of motorsport programmes all around the world. Jaguar Racing has four dedicated Pi engineers who are based at the team's factory and will work for the Vehicle Performance department, fulfilling our 'eyes and ears' role. At a race we will have seven people trackside to ensure that both Jaguar and Cosworth get the information they need." Are the drivers becoming more aware of the growing importance of the telemetry? "Absolutely. They have to. If they don't they are missing out on an opportunity to go quicker. As a driver you need to remember why you are there, which is to drive quickly, but you also need to be able to assess the information we have on tap. Good data, simply explained to a driver, is a superb way of showing where he can make changes. So understanding telemetry is a very important factor in being a modern F1 driver." Do you give the drivers training in how to use it? "Increasingly, yes. We don't look at it as training but we are developing tools all the time that help them to interface with the systems. The more computer-friendly a driver is, the better chance he has of going quickly. The very top drivers are interested in learning it all." Q&A WITH PIERRE DUPASQUIER, HEAD OF COMPETITION, MICHELIN In 2003 the Jaguar R4 struggled because it wore its rear tyres out more quickly than other Michelin runners. How have you worked with the team to try and solve a problem like that? "Working with Jaguar Racing is easy. They are nice guys which helps, but they are also very open, honest and competent. That means it is very easy for us to work closely with them. So if we find something new - a problem or a cure - we will always share the information. Because we provide tyres to other leading teams we are in a good position to be able to tell Jaguar Racing if the problem is only affecting them. That's what good teamwork and partnership is about." "If their car does a 12-lap run and comes back with significant tyre wear then they will ask the engineer we have placed with them what the other teams are finding. It's an easy way for us to be able to tell them whether the problem lies with that specific tyre compound or the car itself. If other teams have been able to run for 25 laps without a problem then that shows us where the likely solution can come from. Working like this is good for all parties because we can help every one of our partners without giving away the others' secrets." Once you have established that there is a problem, how do you go about helping a team to fix it? "After a race or a test we will go back to the factory and analyse all the data at our disposal. If we can compare the tyre wear to other factors like the car's set-up, the weight distribution or its suspension geometry, that begins to give us clues as to what is causing it. "Sometimes the solution is simple and clear and sometimes it may need a longer-term fix. Either way we make sure that we keep talking to the team so that we understand immediately what they need from us." Next year Michelin will be supplying six teams in the championship, how do you expect the season to pan out? "Well, we have added an extra team to our partners list, which we are delighted about. We weren't looking to increase the numbers but it shows that our tyres are the number one choice in the sport at present. "What we will strive to do is to continue to provide each team with tyres that suit them. That's a quite complex task as the demands are often different and some teams also manage to test more than others which means they can try out a larger variety of compounds." Teams have to select a single tyre compound for the whole weekend after the Friday morning test session. Does that complicate matters even more? "That could be a pain in the neck! With so little time we will have to gather all the data from every team and rather than base our decision totally on the science, come up with some theoretical judgements as well. On the one hand it will be quite an interesting exercise but on the other hand we are all spending quite large sums of money to go racing yet we're not allowed to generate that much useful data. On a Friday morning the tracks are usually dirty and haven't got much rubber on them so choosing a tyre will be difficult." And presumably it is even harder still when you go to a circuit you have never raced at before? In 2004 there are two new Grand Prix circuit in China and Bahrain. "Absolutely. We always evaluate every circuit with some scientific methods we have developed but we cannot simulate the evolution of a circuit over a race weekend. That can depend on so many factors that it is almost pure guesswork. Rain, sand, the condition and abrasiveness of the surface can all play their part in tyre wear over a three-day event. "We don't know whether Bahrain will be particularly sandy, for example. If they get an unfavourable wind and some sand is blown across the track then that will obviously be something we have to look out for. That's not an uncommon event - the Dutch racetrack Zandvoort is built among sand dunes and when we used to race there the sand would often end up on the circuit." How do you assess the demands of a brand new track? "We evaluate the surfaces of the track and then guess the best we can! The likelihood is we would take two different kinds of tyre to a race like that. One would be a 'safe' compound that we know can cope in almost any condition and the other would be one that would only be used if we determine that the circumstances are favourable. So many factors can influence what we opt for - the temperature being just one." What are your hopes for the 2004 season? "Well, so many of our partners can score points now it could actually open up the door to the opposition to win the title. Let's hope not. At the end of the day we want to win races and show we have moved forward." JAGUAR R5 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
JAGUAR RACING R5 Chassis: R5 composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the Cosworth Racing CR-6 V10 engine as fully stressed member. Transmission: Jaguar seven-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted high-pressure hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. AP Racing triple-plate pull-type clutch. Independent oil system using Castrol Fluid Technology. Suspension: Front: Cast titanium uprights. Upper and lower carbon wishbones and pushrods. Torsion bar springing and anti-roll bar. Koni damper layout. Rear: Cast titanium uprights. Upper and lower carbon links and pushrods. Coil springs and torsion anti-roll bar. Koni damper layout. Brakes: AP Racing lithium alloy six-piston callipers. Carbon Industrie or Brembo carbon/carbon discs and pads. Wheels: OZ Racing Front: 12.7 in x 13 in Rear: 13.4 in x 13 in Tyres: Michelin. Electronics: Pi 'VCS' System. Integrated engine/chassis electronic control system. COSWORTH RACING CR-6 V10 ENGINE Capacity: 2998 cc No. of cylinders: 10 Vee angle: 90 degrees No. of valves: 40 Power output: Not disclosed. Max engine speed: 18,000rpm. Construction: Aluminium block and heads cast in Cosworth Racing's own foundry. Aluminium alloy pistons. Steel crankshaft. Engine Management: Pi Research. Ignition System: Cosworth Racing. Spark Plugs: Champion. Fuel: Castrol Racing Fuel. Weight: Not disclosed.
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2002 Speed Arena |
