Race Car Charms


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Race Car Charms

Race Car Charms

Colin Chapman pioneered the design of race cars that took advantage of the aero gains associated with traveling close the ground. In the early days of aero down-force development, Chapman and his team (Lotus) discovered that the pressure below the car could be greatly reduced if the front was close the track with the rear slightly higher (a 7-degree inclination seemed to work well).

Eventually, a lot of the development was banned on safety grounds, but not before teams had experimented with tunnels beneath the cars and sliding skirts at the side to control the air flow beneath the cars. Discoveries about the importance of air flow beneath the cars also brought out another critical aspect of race car design: ride height control.

Predictable Handling

For a driver, reliable predictable car handling is essential. He needs maximum levels of down-force as the brakes are applied, and he needs a stable predictable level during cornering and acceleration. If the height above ground of the car varies, the aero down-force will vary too. Keeping the chassis (also referred to as the platform) level at all times helps to ensure the stability a driver desires.