A1 Grand Prix cars

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The A1 Grand Prix cars are manufactured by Lola and are standardised for every team to make a level playing field for competing nations. The car was designed to reduce the volume of "dirty air", allowing drivers to close in on the car in front, encouraging overtaking. The bodywork is mainly made of pre-impregnated carbon fibre composites. These pre-impregnated (pre-preg) composites give better consistency and higher quality those which are hand-laid, giving greater strength, uniformity in the application of epoxy resin, and no weak spots. The application of pre-preg also means that a very specific amount of resin can be used, reducing weight.[1]From 2008-09 Ferrari will be consulted on the design and manufacture for all A1 Grand Prix cars. [2]

Contents

[edit] Chassis

The chassis is made and designed by Lola. The A1 Car has a carbon fibre skin which cloaks a core made of aluminium honeycomb. Based on bionic engineering principles found in nature, the hexagonal honeycomb is found to give remarkable strength for its weight, and has progressive deformation properties when experiencing an impact, ensuring the driver's safety. In addition the drivers are also protected by FIA-approved side intrusion panels which protect them from lateral impacts.[3]

[edit] Dimensions

Dimensions of an A1 Car
Dimensions of an A1 Car

The car has an overall length of 4833mm, with a long wheelbase of 3000 mm and a wide track of 1476 mm (front) and 1468 mm(rear). Its total weight amounts to 700 kilograms, without the driver and the fuel. [4]

[edit] Engine

The engine for the cars was developed by Zytek Engineering. The 3.4-litre V8 unit is capable of delivering 520 bhp (550 bhp in powerboost mode). Each engine has to be very durable as it has to last a whole season. The engine only weighs 120 kilograms, making it one of the lightest 3.4-litre engines ever made.[5]From 2008-09 Ferrari will supply the engines for all A1 Grand Prix cars. [6]

[edit] Technical specifications

[edit] Suspension

The front and rear suspension is of a double wishbone and pushrod operated twin coil over damper construction. Adjustable ride height, cambers and toe, as well as anti-dive and anti-squat made to optimise drive control.

[edit] Clutch

A two-piece carbon clutch was tailored especially for the car to handle the exceptional torque of a racing engine with up to 550 bhp and the two racing starts per weekend. The unit combines lightweight construction with durability and bullet-proof reliability. The A1 car's gearchange is by electronically automated shifting of a six-speed paddle shift transmission—peak loads at full throttle could literally shred a lesser clutch. The two-piece carbon clutch can take the load, even when the driver changes up with the PowerBoost activated. In hot and cold testing the clutch proved faultless.

[edit] PowerBoost

The PowerBoost button on the A1 car allows the engine to reach its maximum of 550 bhp. When used at the right time, this feature can encourage overtaking. For the PowerBoost to be activated, the throttle position must be above 80% and the speed must be more than 60 km/h. The button must also be depressed to continue on PowerBoost mode. However, the PowerBoost will automatically deactivate itself if the throttle falls below 40%. Each driver only has a limited amount of uses for the PowerBoost. The driver can only use it 4 times in a sprint race and 8 times in the feature race. After all the PowerBoost is used up, the system is disabled. [7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ A1 GP Car regulations: Bodywork
  2. ^ [1]Article from a1gp.com about Ferrari]
  3. ^ GP Car regulations: Chassis
  4. ^ A1 GP Car regulations: Dimensions
  5. ^ [2]| A1 GP engine spec
  6. ^ [3]Article from a1gp.com about Ferrari]
  7. ^ A1 Grand Prix Car regulations