2005/2006 F1 News and Testing.
- Thread starter Flibster
- Start date
Also just like to put this up on a very personal note - one of my biggest regrets is being too young to appreciate watching Colin and his cars going around Hethal test track and as an engineer and innovator - he is untouchable.
23 years have passed since his death so...
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman
Colin Chapman (born 9 May 1928 in London - died 16 December 1982) was an influential designer and inventor in the car industry. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. He studied structural engineering at University College, London where he joined the University Air Squadron and learned to fly. After graduating in 1948, he briefly joined the Royal Air Force. His knowledge of the latest aeronautical engineering techniques would later prove useful in several of his major technical advances in cars. He died of a heart attack.
Career
Chapman started with the Mk1, a small soap box on wheels, which he entered privately into local racing events. With the prize money he developed the Mk2, Mk3 each with growing success, and as such he could begin to sell kits of these cars. It was with the Mk7 that things really took off, and indeed Caterham still make that car today, and several copy-cat makes are also available.
Chapman progressed through the motor racing formulae, until he arrived in Formula 1. He, along with John Cooper, revolutionised the sport. Their small, lightweight vehicles gave away much in terms of power, but superior handling meant they could take on and beat the all-conquering Ferraris and Maseratis. With his beloved driver Jim Clark at the wheel, they could win races almost as they pleased, and Jim Clark would surely have won many more titles where it not for his untimely death in 1968 behind the wheel of a Formula 2 Lotus.
Chapman was also a businessman who introduced sponsorship into Formula 1, beginning the process of raising the sport from gentlemen's entertainment to a multi-million pound enterprise. Shortly before his death, he became involved in John De Lorean's De Lorean Motor Company venture to manufacture sports cars. The full extent of his involvement has never been made public, but it is believed he would have been prosecuted for his involvement of inveigling government funds.
Innovations
Many of his ideas can still be seen in Formula 1 and other top levels of motor sport today.
He pioneered the use of struts as a rear suspension device. Even today, struts used in the rear of a vehicle are known as Chapman struts.
His next major innovation was to adopt the use of monocoque (stressed-skin) unibodies (i.e. it replaced both the body and frame, which until then had been separate components) for cars. This was the first major advance in which he introduced aeroplane technology to cars. The resultant body was both lighter, stronger (i.e. stiffer), and also provided better driver protection in the event of a crash. The first Lotus to feature this technology was the Lotus Elite, in 1958. Amazingly, the body of the car was made out of fibreglass, making it also the first car made out of composites.
In 1962 he extended this innovation to racing cars, with the revolutionary Lotus 25 Formula 1 car. This technique fairly quickly replaced what had been for many decades the standard in racing-cars, the tube-frame chassis. Although the material has changed from sheet aluminium to carbon fibre, this remains today the standard technique for building top-level racing cars.
It was he who really brought aerodynamics into being a first-rank influence on car engineering. He popularized the concept of positive aerodynamic downforce, through the addition of front and rear wings. Early efforts were mounted 3 feet or so above the car, in order to operate in 'clean air' (i.e. air that would not otherwise be disturbed by the passage of the car). However the thin supporting struts failed regularly, forcing the FIA to require the wings to be attached directly to the bodywork. He also pioneered the movement of radiators away from the front of the car, to decrease air resistance at speed. Both of these concepts also remain features of high performance racing cars today.
Another concept of Chapman's was "ground effect", whereby a partial vacuum was created under the car by use of venturis, generating "downforce" which held it securely to the road whilst cornering, etc. (Modern racing cars generate enough downforce that they could theoretically be driven on the ceiling once they are up to speed, although the fuel system and other parts of the car rely on gravity and so a Formula One car could not in reality be driven upside down.) Initially this technique utilized sliding "skirts" which made contact with the ground to keep the area of low pressure isolated. The skirts were also banned, for if during cornering the car went over a curb, and the skirt were damaged, downforce was lost, and the car could become extremely unstable. Downforce remains a critical part of racing car technology, and modern designers, aided by extensive wind tunnel testing, have regained most of what was lost through the banning of skirts.
His last major technical innovation was the creation of the dual-chassis car design, in which different parts of the vehicle were given different suspension. The banning of this by the FIA really upset him, and may have precipitated ill health, which was to dog him for the final few years of his life. However, it inspired active suspension, pioneered by Lotus.
Quotes
●Simplify and add lightness.
●You won't catch me driving a race car that I have built.
●...make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong -- look what they can do to a Weber carburetor in just a few moments of stupidity with a screwdriver.
●To add speed, add lightness.
●Any car which holds together for a whole race is too heavy.
●Accountants are the scorers of industry; they have nothing to do with playing the game.
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman - 9/5/1928 - 16/12/1982
23 years have passed since his death so...
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman
Colin Chapman (born 9 May 1928 in London - died 16 December 1982) was an influential designer and inventor in the car industry. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. He studied structural engineering at University College, London where he joined the University Air Squadron and learned to fly. After graduating in 1948, he briefly joined the Royal Air Force. His knowledge of the latest aeronautical engineering techniques would later prove useful in several of his major technical advances in cars. He died of a heart attack.
Career
Chapman started with the Mk1, a small soap box on wheels, which he entered privately into local racing events. With the prize money he developed the Mk2, Mk3 each with growing success, and as such he could begin to sell kits of these cars. It was with the Mk7 that things really took off, and indeed Caterham still make that car today, and several copy-cat makes are also available.
Chapman progressed through the motor racing formulae, until he arrived in Formula 1. He, along with John Cooper, revolutionised the sport. Their small, lightweight vehicles gave away much in terms of power, but superior handling meant they could take on and beat the all-conquering Ferraris and Maseratis. With his beloved driver Jim Clark at the wheel, they could win races almost as they pleased, and Jim Clark would surely have won many more titles where it not for his untimely death in 1968 behind the wheel of a Formula 2 Lotus.
Chapman was also a businessman who introduced sponsorship into Formula 1, beginning the process of raising the sport from gentlemen's entertainment to a multi-million pound enterprise. Shortly before his death, he became involved in John De Lorean's De Lorean Motor Company venture to manufacture sports cars. The full extent of his involvement has never been made public, but it is believed he would have been prosecuted for his involvement of inveigling government funds.
Innovations
Many of his ideas can still be seen in Formula 1 and other top levels of motor sport today.
He pioneered the use of struts as a rear suspension device. Even today, struts used in the rear of a vehicle are known as Chapman struts.
His next major innovation was to adopt the use of monocoque (stressed-skin) unibodies (i.e. it replaced both the body and frame, which until then had been separate components) for cars. This was the first major advance in which he introduced aeroplane technology to cars. The resultant body was both lighter, stronger (i.e. stiffer), and also provided better driver protection in the event of a crash. The first Lotus to feature this technology was the Lotus Elite, in 1958. Amazingly, the body of the car was made out of fibreglass, making it also the first car made out of composites.
In 1962 he extended this innovation to racing cars, with the revolutionary Lotus 25 Formula 1 car. This technique fairly quickly replaced what had been for many decades the standard in racing-cars, the tube-frame chassis. Although the material has changed from sheet aluminium to carbon fibre, this remains today the standard technique for building top-level racing cars.
It was he who really brought aerodynamics into being a first-rank influence on car engineering. He popularized the concept of positive aerodynamic downforce, through the addition of front and rear wings. Early efforts were mounted 3 feet or so above the car, in order to operate in 'clean air' (i.e. air that would not otherwise be disturbed by the passage of the car). However the thin supporting struts failed regularly, forcing the FIA to require the wings to be attached directly to the bodywork. He also pioneered the movement of radiators away from the front of the car, to decrease air resistance at speed. Both of these concepts also remain features of high performance racing cars today.
Another concept of Chapman's was "ground effect", whereby a partial vacuum was created under the car by use of venturis, generating "downforce" which held it securely to the road whilst cornering, etc. (Modern racing cars generate enough downforce that they could theoretically be driven on the ceiling once they are up to speed, although the fuel system and other parts of the car rely on gravity and so a Formula One car could not in reality be driven upside down.) Initially this technique utilized sliding "skirts" which made contact with the ground to keep the area of low pressure isolated. The skirts were also banned, for if during cornering the car went over a curb, and the skirt were damaged, downforce was lost, and the car could become extremely unstable. Downforce remains a critical part of racing car technology, and modern designers, aided by extensive wind tunnel testing, have regained most of what was lost through the banning of skirts.
His last major technical innovation was the creation of the dual-chassis car design, in which different parts of the vehicle were given different suspension. The banning of this by the FIA really upset him, and may have precipitated ill health, which was to dog him for the final few years of his life. However, it inspired active suspension, pioneered by Lotus.
Quotes
●Simplify and add lightness.
●You won't catch me driving a race car that I have built.
●...make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong -- look what they can do to a Weber carburetor in just a few moments of stupidity with a screwdriver.
●To add speed, add lightness.
●Any car which holds together for a whole race is too heavy.
●Accountants are the scorers of industry; they have nothing to do with playing the game.
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman - 9/5/1928 - 16/12/1982
Soldato
Very compact, almost looks like there isn't even space for an engine and gearbox.Flibster said:
Man of Honour
-Mic- said:
I would have done earlier had I not been at lunch....
Colin's quotes are as relevant today as they were when they were made. I think it's quite safe to say that the sport would be nothing like it is today without his influence.
rpstewart said:
Look at his *and Lotus' in general* input.
Monocoque chassis
Engine as a stressed member
Squashability of bums research *this is true!*
Chapman strut suspension
High level wings
Radiator positioning
Ground effect
Whole team Sponsorship
Composite bodywork
Composite chassis
Active exhausts
Active suspension
Amongst others...
Plus - he went to America and beat the Yanks at the Indy 500.
Simon/~Flibster
Man of Honour
Where does the DFV fit into this? Would Ford have commissioned it for anyone other than Lotus?
Soldato
Sharknose said:
I reckon he is doing it coz he dont rate Massa and can't trust him to develop the car. He's had Rubens doing it for him for the last few years
rpstewart said:
Doubtfull. Although Ford did ask Lotus if they wanted the engine to be an exclusive deal for them only. They decided to let anyone who wanted one to have one.
Over 20 years and 167 wins later...
DFV still rules as the best F1 engine ever made.
Still in use *although a varient badged as the Zetec R* in 1994 when it won the Drivers Championship in a Bennetton - incidentally the last time a V8 won a F1 championship.
Not bad at all for an engine that took 7 weeks and £100000 to develop.
Simon/~Flibster
Man of Honour
Flibster said:
Last I heard they've put it, or at least major parts of it, back into production to support the Thoroughbred GP series.
Man of Honour
kicks66 said:
Through the twisty bits they should be about the same, maybe even a touch quicker as the shorter engine may lead to shorter more nimble cars, or as we've seen with the RB2 a tighter back end may give better aero grip in the mid to high speed corners.
Down the straights they'll be slower, to begin with they'll be about 10-20% down on horsepower, so maybe 150bhp until they get the revs up. Cossie already have 20K out of theirs so by seasons end I would anticipate the engines being less than 100bhp down on where we are now.
Early testing was giving about a 3s per lap difference between V10s and V8s and most of the V8s were in modified 2005 chassis, once the new cars are ready and properly sorted they'll be much closer to 2005 times.
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rpstewart said:
You can buy the major components for it from Cosworth again.
Not quite to the point where you could build a new DFV from new parts - but it's getting close. Kind of like Rolls Royce producing limited numbers of parts for the Merlin and Griffen engines again.
It's a supply and demand - lots of people want the DFV and derivatives running - they can supply the bits.
There's only limited spec parts available though - think it's mostly the 1970 spec thats available.
kicks66 said:
They are slower - as of yet the FIA haven't decided on the limits to be placed on the V10's that will be used by Toro Rosso - but my guestimates are that the V8's will be 2 seconds a lap slower at the start of the year.
Where it rains the engine will no longer be as important and they may well be as fast or faster than this year.
Again - there will always be exceptions - slower at high power circuits, not so slow at others. Generally I reckon it will be around 2 seconds though.
Simon/~Flibster
Sharknose said:ROFL at ITV-F1.
This is how BBC reports yesterdays testing.
"Schumacher sets pace in testing"
This is how ITV-F1 reports the same day.
SCHUEY IN A SPIN
Why aren't I suprised ITV went for the more sensentional, tabloid, anti-"that damn German" approach
Shorter story, means they can run another story on Jensons dad or Jensons girlfriend or what Jenson had for breakfast prior to testing
.Dutch Guy said:
Chop off two cylinders and you can save a bit of space
. The F1 V10's were very compact but with the V8 you also reduce the space required for the engine ancillary components, eg the exhaust system.And I agree with him tbh. Villeneuve has been frankly terrible since he left Williams *who had the best car that year anyway*.
I think it's shown what he's really capable of.
As for Villeneuve's complaints against Richards - Lets look at the results - wherever he puts his attentions - he wins. Villeneuve couldn't even beat Button in the same car.