Real Fiero Tech

I went out to Indy for the US GP this year. Really was a great experience. The race itself wasn't anything great. The sound of an F1 car is something that needs to be heard in person to appreciate.

I really didn't get any good shots, but here goes:















http://www.howard.saturnet.net/USGP_06/USGP_06.html

sweet :thumbleft:

What I wouldn't give to drive a Indy/F1 car:

eHoward wrote:

Ahhh, nothing like spending a day wandering around the track watching qualifying while eating turkey legs and drinking (many) oil cans of Fosters...

Looks like you were seated right at the 1st corner, where the big crash was on the 1st lap, and again when the race went green. Not too often you see an F1 car flip, let alone multiple times.


We get the Cart series racing here, last year was the 1st time at edmonton, and I was there, and yeah, it sounds much different in person than on the TV, you can hear and feel the blow off valves go off in them cart cars. F1 cars arent boosted so that sound is missing.

They can still get lots of power from pushrod 2valve per cylinder naturally aspriated V8's in the F1 cars though, and decent reliability. Alonso was still on the same Engine that he raced in Canada last weekend, which is pretty good, considering the stress they are put through.

befarrer wrote:
They can still get lots of power from pushrod 2valve per cylinder naturally aspriated V8's in the F1 cars though, and decent reliability. Alonso was still on the same Engine that he raced in Canada last weekend, which is pretty good, considering the stress they are put through.

No pushrods. Valves are pneumatically controlled. That, along with fancy lightweight metals, and a short stroke allows for 19500rpms redlines. F1 engines share very little in common with street engines.

I was in Northwest Vista for the race. It gives a decent view of turn one.

I was pretty low. Row G I think. Not bad for buying the ticket from the ticket office 2 days before the race though.

If you look at 5th picture closely, you can see the car rolling.

befarrer wrote:Looks like you were seated right at the 1st corner, where the big crash was on the 1st lap, and again when the race went green. Not too often you see an F1 car flip, let alone multiple times.

I was looking for some rules saying you cannot use pushrods but didn't see any. I highly doubt anyone in F1 is running pushrods though.

I did see rules mandating 4 valves per cyl (2 intake and 2 exhaust).

http://www.formula1.com/insight/rulesan ... 4/485.html

Also interesting to note is MMCs and other fnacy alloys are now outlawed.

God wrote:

befarrer wrote:
They can still get lots of power from pushrod 2valve per cylinder naturally aspriated V8's in the F1 cars though, and decent reliability. Alonso was still on the same Engine that he raced in Canada last weekend, which is pretty good, considering the stress they are put through.

No pushrods. Valves are pneumatically controlled. That, along with fancy lightweight metals, and a short stroke allows for 19500rpms redlines. F1 engines share very little in common with street engines.

The 4 valve rule works with a round piston rule to keep things like Honda's oval piston 8 valve/cylinder engines out of play.

Don't ask me why they make rules that limit innovations in technology...

To make the playing field more even. Otherwise you would have the teams with more money have totally different engines, and the poorer teams falling way back. Also makes it a more competitive race for the teams and the drivers.

Nascar is about level field competitiveness.
F1 is about the best of everything.

If it took oval pistons and 8 valves per cylinder to be competitive, then all the engine MFG's would build engines like that and such would simply be the cost of admission to F1. That would make the engines a lot more exotic, too, IMNSHO.