Chapter 339： real racing

Chapter 339 Real Racing

Returning to California, An Feng will have to prepare for the competition.

Maserati's Professional Challenge has been officially confirmed to host. Among the five races, the Amoeba Circuit is the first stop. The circuit is now stepping up publicity. In addition to hosting the MC Challenge this year, there will also be the IndyCar Race, as well as the The Moto GP that won the right to host.

As for the F1 race being temporarily hopeless, it is not because the track is bad, but because the contract between FIA and Austin has not expired, and F1 still needs to be held at the Austin track according to the contract. The race track is discussing the race arrangement after the contract expires, coupled with the enthusiasm of the governments of the two places, it is very hopeful to get a five-year contract.

After a few races, the circuit should be able to make up for a lot of losses.

An Feng only asks for less expenditure or no expenditure, and he is very indifferent to profit—when you have the most profitable company in the world, you will not value entertainment projects. The race track is currently preparing for the race, and An Feng is also involved in the role of the racer, after all, the race will start in early May.

…

Considering the convenience, the GP team entered the Amoeba Circuit. The two cars have been refitted, and An Feng's participation is not too late. Although there are exercises in the front, they are not racing cars. The purpose is to let the drivers familiarize themselves with the differences between electric vehicles and cars, and change their original habits.

Led by Howard, An Feng saw the No. 2 car prepared for him.

The car body is still very clean, but after the official race, it will definitely be covered with sponsor logos. Currently, GP, Sin Energy, and a tire company have been identified. The exterior of the racing car is being designed and will be available soon, and sooner or later this white car will be colorful.

Howard introduced with a sense of accomplishment: "The prototype is taken from the GT electric model just released by Maserati, but you also know that the racing car is just an F1 with the appearance of a prototype car. Except for the appearance, everything else has been replaced, and the body has been greatly improved. Reduce wind resistance, modify the aerodynamically optimized floor, use carbon fiber to reduce weight, and add a carbon fiber spoiler at the rear to increase downforce."

An Feng observes this racing car, the body has compromised aerodynamics, the chassis is so low that even ordinary buffer belts cannot pass through, there is a huge carbon fiber spoiler (tail wing) at the rear, and the rear spoiler below the rear Also redesigned to look like a manic beast.

Open the door, it feels very light and thin, the window is fixed, there is only a small square opening, it feels very soft, An Feng asked: "Plastic?"

Howard said professionally: "The windows are made of polycarbonate, which is lighter and thinner, and will not shatter and hurt the driver."

"It's really good!" An Feng looked into the car, and removed everything that was redundant. The car was heavily protected by a sturdy roll cage, and it was awkward to sit in. Except for an LCD screen and a detachable steering wheel, the air conditioner and audio Classes are removed to serve lightweight services in an all-round way.

Howard said outside: "We have modified the ECU for racing specifications to obtain the ultimate power and power of the motor, but the car still needs to adjust the high-performance suspension system, and it cannot be driven out yet. The technician will take about ten minutes. "

An Feng got out again, looked at the racing car, and asked with satisfaction: "How much did the modification of this car cost?"

"Excluding the cost of the vehicle, this car cost more than 600,000 US dollars." Howard said, "We have prepared 15 motors, tires and various parts for the competition. A game is estimated to cost about five million."

An Feng said: "Racing really burns money."

Howard is not surprised: "Of course, just for technology research and development, money has to be spent like running water."

"I'll go and see the convoy first." An Feng said.

Introduced by the team manager Duke, An Feng got to know the main driver of the GP team: John Cooper. An Italian driver with a strong background, stayed in the DTM touring car race, but because the Maxima did not meet Bole, he was always a substitute, and was later recommended by Maserati to the GP team.

An Feng shook hands with him: "I hope you can bring excellent results to the GP team!"

"I will." Cooper said, English is OK.

Cooper is not very old, about twenty-five or sixteen years old, but Westerners look old. Thirty-year-old An Feng looks similar to him. Cooper also knows that An Feng is the sponsor and big boss of the team, so he is very polite , and did not dislike his partner disappearing for several weeks in a row.

Cooper still admires An Feng a little bit. As a rich man, he has enthusiasm and courage to participate in professional competitions. Later, An Feng got on the No. 2 car and ran for a while. His performance was beyond expectations, and Cooper began to put away his pride. The masters are among the people.

…

After the racing was debugged, An Feng put on his racing suit and helmet, and got into the car with Howard, who was holding a tablet.

There is not much space in the racing car, but the test car has reserved several data ports, allowing technicians to connect to the computer to check the condition of the vehicle faster.

Get in the car, buckle up the six-point seat belt, and start listening to Howard's explanation.

"We changed to a brand new steering system." Howard introduced.

"It can be seen." An Feng observed. In front of him was a racing steering wheel made of carbon fiber. The steering shaft stretched so long that it almost reached his chest. He could touch the steering wheel with a slight lift of his hand. This was to avoid being a high-speed racing car. When it is too large, the driver's arm bears too much external force.

"You need to memorize the buttons above..." Howard started from the buttons on the steering wheel.

The racing car concentrates all the kinetic energy keys on the steering wheel, and the left and right hands have specific controls. There is a differential dial above the left hand to adjust the balance of entering and exiting the corner; the upper right hand is for KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). Gear position control, release the energy stored in KERS through the green button in the middle of the left hand, it can make the car gain sudden acceleration, which is usually used in overtaking.

In the middle of the right hand is the motor switching button, which feels a bit like the mode gear of a car, and can switch from "single motor to dual motors"-it is very helpful for the use of energy and horsepower when entering and exiting corners. It is obviously easier to control and save power when using a single-motor and rear-drive mode in low-speed corners.

Others include the communication button with the team, the drinking water button (to prevent excessive dehydration), the speed limit button of the maintenance station, the motor power input adjustment... the keys on the steering wheel are dazzling. Under Howard's guidance, An Feng spent some time learning how to hold the steering wheel correctly.

This is pretty much from scratch.

After learning, An Feng started the racing car and was ready to go out. Howard reminded: "The steering wheel of racing cars is different from that used for civilian use. The degree of rotation of the steering wheel depends on the degree of rotation of the tires."

"I know." An Feng said, turned the steering wheel slightly, and left the Pit room.

An Feng can still get used to it. Before that, he had driven Pagani Zonda-R and Lamborghini racing cars. After driving it on the track smoothly, Howard continued to introduce the performance data of the car, the content of debugging and so on.

The two electric motors have a total output of 750 horsepower and a torque of 1100 Nm. In terms of acceleration, 0-100 acceleration is 2.6 seconds, 100-200 acceleration is 2.4 seconds, and 200-300 acceleration is 9 seconds. Obviously, the front and middle sections of the electric racing car are similar to F1. When F1 is dry, the 100-200 acceleration generally only takes 1.5 seconds.

This is the comprehensive advantage of the motor. The racing car obtains 90% energy utilization rate by squeezing the life of the electric motor. The maximum speed is stable at 25,000 rpm, far exceeding the speed of the current F1 car. The acceleration in the middle and rear sections is strong enough. After several laps of Anfeng's test drive, it was very stable.

Howard said: "You have a good grasp of the straight line and entering the corner, but you just feel that you are not used to the corner."

An Feng said: "Maybe the torque is too much?"

Howard said: "This aspect needs to be adjusted according to the driver's habits, and continue to run a few laps at full strength."

After An Feng ran for a few laps, the G value reading of the sensor connected to Howard's hand could reach 2.8 in an instant, and the physical requirements were also very high. An Feng had never driven a car with such a strong G value before. When accelerating or decelerating suddenly, he felt He was short of breath, and he had to do some targeted training.

Howard said: "The organizer's management of the car is too loose, its performance is vaguely close to the formula, and it is also a test of technology."

"It's a bit." An Feng said, after ten laps, he was covered in sweat soon.

"Adaptation training needs to be strengthened." Howard said, "We will replace your car with a lightweight differential. If you like cornering at high speeds, we will increase your cornering grip, otherwise the body will float and become unstable. Other aspects are good. , work hard for half a month, maybe you can win the top five."

An Feng nodded, he would not refuse the professional driver's suggestion.

Howard said: "After the debugging is over, we will run it again."

…

An Feng ran five more laps behind, and he had a doubt on the way: "Do you think the excessively quiet sound of the electric racing car can attract the audience?"

Howard is the king of data: "The sound of F1 is very dense, with a decibel of 130. I have tested electric racing cars, and the maximum is only 80 decibels."

"It's not enough." An Feng shook his head, "I've seen FE (Electric Formula) before, and there's only the sharp...aircraft engine sound, which is very pleasant, but it's not enough. We can't consider installing a muffler for the engine like a sports car. Shall we put a loudspeaker in the motor?"

Howard thought about it seriously, and after about ten seconds, he looked at An Feng: "This is a good idea. The sound of the motor is similar to the 'aircraft engine' you mentioned. We can use some technical means to amplify it accordingly. During the game, we can amplify it. On, off when not in competition."

Speaking of this, Howard couldn’t stop: “If the sound can be increased by 10 to 20 decibels, the 100 decibels of the sound of the plane is enough to have a futuristic feel, and it is estimated that it can change the dull status quo of electric car racing...Bruce, your idea is really it is good!"

Later, Howard went to Maserati's technical side.

An Feng's idea sounds weird, but it is not unrealistic. What is the main focus of racing? Except for the wonderful overtaking, most people came for the sound, just like the F1 racing car at more than 10,000 revolutions, the excitation of the shifting air wave and the long and narrow roar of the engine are addictive.

Electric motors are naturally not as capable as gasoline engines, but they are not as quiet as rumored, especially for frenzied racing cars, it is even more impossible to be quiet. You have played with four-wheel drive toy cars when you were young. It is the simplest electric racing car. Can you say that there is no sound when it is running?

As long as it is amplified by technical means, the sound similar to an airplane taking off may become a symbol of electric racing cars.

(end of this chapter)