2022 issue is now available online! Packed full of news, interviews and features, including:

TECH INSIDER: PEUGEOT 9X8: Peugeot has returned to endurance racing with its wingless wonder, the 9X8. Will it be a match for established Toyota and the coming swarm of LMDh machines?

WRC TECHNICAL REVIEW: When the 2022 WRC season kicked off in Monte Carlo, it marked the start of an all-new era for rallying, and a departure from its conceptual roots.

NASCAR NEXT GEN CRASH TEST: Crash safety improvement is an ongoing process for NASCAR, not necessarily tied to particular race cars or seasons.

AERO TESTING TOOLS : Aerodynamics has been the key to unlocking performance in motorsport since the late 1960s.

DRIVER IN THE LOOP SIMULATION: Driver-in-the-loop simulation is now a key engineering tool across motorsport and automotive. What should you look for in a system?

EXPO SHOW PREVIEW: Early exhibitor and seminar news ahead of Professional Motorsport world Expo, Cologne Messe, November 9-11, 2022!

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After an initial shakedown last week, Acura Motorsports has successfully completed two days of testing of its ARX-06 LMDh prototype, which will race in the hybrid-powered GTP category of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“Of course, it is still early days, but I would have to say we’re quite pleased with the results of both the initial shakedown runs last week at Paul Ricard, followed by two days this weekend, which ran into the night both on Saturday and Sunday,” said David Salters, Honda Performance Development president and technical director.

“Everyone on our team from Oreca, HPD, the Wayne Taylor and Meyer Shank organizations – worked together extraordinarily well in preparing for and conducting these initial runs. Now the truly hard work begins,” he added.

Driving duties during testing were performed by HPD engineer Matt McMurry, and Wayne Taylor Racing driver Ricky Taylor. McMurry, an HPD vehicle performance engineer, led development work on several software control systems utilized on the ARX-06.

The Acura ARX-06 is the latest in a line of endurance prototypes fielded by the brand, beginning back in 1991. Exterior styling of the newest prototype race car was led by the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles, California, in conjunction with Honda Performance Development and chassis supplier Oreca.

Acura will continue its partnerships with the Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing organizations to campaign the hybrid-powered Acura entries in 2023.

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Polaris Off Road Vehicles has announced the renewal of its partnership with Xtremeplus for the 2022 racing season and the 2023 Dakar Rally. Led by driver Marco Piana, the French team has been a longstanding partner of Polaris since 2005.

Since then, Xtremeplus and Polaris have partnered to compete in the Dakar Rally and other championships and races such as the Silk Way Rally. This includes a number of successes, including Willy Alcaraz’s Dakar title defense in 2013 behind the steering wheel of the Polaris RZR Turbo.

Xtremplus and Polaris also helped Michele Cinotto and Maurizio Dominella to win the Dakar Rally’s side-by-side category in 2016, and Leandro Torres to win the side-by-side Dakar category in 2017.

“It is with great satisfaction that we can announce the renewal of the partnership with Polaris,” said Piana. “We are proud to be a satellite team with factory support, a reference for Polaris on the rally scene. Together we can celebrate six wins in the Dakar and several titles in the FIA T3 world championship.”

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Hyundai Motor’s N sub-brand has revealed a ‘rolling lab’ concept to demonstrate its zero-emissions ambition. The RN22e, which uses the HMG E-GMP platform, has been refined and optimized to produce racetrack-ready performance.

Designed with the ambition to maximize N’s three performance pillars (cornering, racetrack capability and everyday sportscar), the RN22e is the result of consistent cornering development since the launch of the N brand. This means it features an e-LSD.

In addition, the RN22e elevates its cornering ability despite an inevitably heavier weight thanks to twin-clutch torque vectoring. Moreover, the 3D-printed parts reduce weight and maintain rigidity. Equipped with AWD, the RN22e provides optimized torque distribution according to different drive modes.

To enhance the concept’s racetrack capability, N focused on cooling and braking to enhance endurance. Having four-piston monoblock calipers and a 400mm hybrid disc allows RN22e to withstand the weight of its power electric (PE) system. Hyundai N plans to use the RN22e to study how to deliver dynamic movement with regen braking.

As a rolling lab, Hyundai N will continuously develop the featured technologies for future RN22e iterations. The RN22e will continue to develop alongside Hyundai N’s progress in motorsports expertise.

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McLaren Applied has announced the acquisition of the three-star level in the FIA environmental accreditation framework for demonstrating strong leadership in environmental management.

“McLaren Applied was born out of traditional motorsports, but we’re fully committed to a sustainability mindset,” commented Samir Maha, business director, McLaren Applied. “We’re proud to have so many leaders in our team that are working together to achieve our sustainability targets, and we’re pleased to see that the FIA recognises their efforts.”

To achieve three-star accreditation, the company demonstrated best practice and a commitment to continued improvement through the implementation of an environmental management system.

The FIA Environmental Accreditation Program is aimed at helping motorsport and mobility stakeholders worldwide to measure and enhance their environmental performance, providing stakeholders with a three-level framework against which to accredit activities.

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Test system supplier AB Dynamics has officially opened its new Engineering Design Centre (EDC) in Wiltshire, UK. The £10m (US$12.6m) facility will be used develop a new version of the company’s state-of-the-art driving simulator.

“AB Dynamics has grown significantly over the last few years and in order to continue that trend we needed to expand,” said Mark Allman, managing director at AB Dynamics. “The new EDC enables us to provide our engineering and software teams with a purpose-built, dedicated facility.”

The site, which is also being used to develop market-leading vehicle test equipment, will cover 3,000m² and feature solar panels that generate more than 60,000kW of electricity a year.

Construction of the facility started in 2019 and was completed in 2021. It has since been fully fitted out, the teams have moved in and is now officially open.

“By bringing the teams together under one roof we are able to improve collaboration throughout the company and ultimately develop better products for our customers,” added Allman.

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Peugeot Sport has signed a multi-year agreement with Marelli to collaborate on development of a hybrid powertrain system for the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar that will compete from 2022 in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

“We are delighted to welcome Marelli on board the Peugeot 9X8 project,” noted Olivier Janssonie, technical director of the WEC program at Peugeot Sport. “This project is a fantastic opportunity to combine our skills and to design, test and race together on the track a new innovative and performant electrical motor that will drive the 9X8 to success.”

The joint development project will see Marelli provide the engineering and supply of the bespoke electric motor and silicon carbide-based inverter, which form part of the front axle electric traction system.

The focus of the two companies’ technology partnership is to maximize the efficiency and the reliability of the powertrain system, adapting the motor and inverter technology to make effective use of the weight and volume allocated by the team.

“We are excited for this new collaboration with Peugeot Sport” said Riccardo De Filippi, head of marelli motorsport. “Once more we put all our competences together to push the performance of such a unique and extreme car to the limit in a sustainable way, with the adoption of the most advanced Marelli electric powertrain technology.”

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TOYOTA GR010: Left as the last manufacturer standing in the LMP1 class of the WEC, Toyota was first out of the blocks with a new car for the Hypercar rule set, with its reward a dominant victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Toyota project leader John Litjens talks PMW through the car’s development.

SCG 007: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus exceeded expectations on its Le Mans debut. The US team with an Italian-built racer impressed thanks to good pace and rock-solid reliability from both its entries. Technical director Luca Ciancetti explains the philosophy that led to the most successful top class debut in recent years.

NASCAR’S FUTURE: The sport of stockcar racing is undergoing a revolution. PMW spoke to key engineers within the sport, including GM’s Pat Suhy and Hendrick’s Cliff Daniels, to understand the Next Gen car and how it will change the way they work.

ELECTRIC AND HYBRID DEVELOPMENT: With motorsport moving towards an electrified future, what is the current state of play for inverter and motor technology?

NEXT GEN TRANSMISSION DEVELOPMENT: Xtrac has been tasked with delivering NASCAR’s next generation transmission, PMW got the inside line on the challenges is faced from an engineering and manufacturing perspective.

SUSTAINABLE FUELS: Gemma Hatton talked to leading industry figures to provide an overview of the various clean future fuel technologies and their potential use in racing.

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The post In this Issue – September 2021 appeared first on Professional Motorsport World.

Cruden has revealed that is continuing development of OLED panels. While direct view LED panel simulator technology offers pixel-pitch of as little as 0.9-1.5mm, the panels that are used in off-board simulator visual systems are currently not suited to onboard simulator use.

Therefore the company is replacing its custom-developed LED backlit LCD displays that are used on board its motion platforms, with OLED technology. Cruden believes it will be the first company to implement and deliver the technology in driving simulator visual systems.

These OLED panels can be curved to wrap around the driver, meaning that the technology is ideal for application in facilities that are limited in space, or the budget isn’t available for a large off-board projection or LED panel-type visual system.

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Advanced manufacturing provider APWorks has produced a 3D-printed exhaust tailpipe for Bugatti’s latest track-focused car, the Chiron Pur Sport. Developed to be lightweight and highly temperature-resistant, the tailpipe is made of titanium.

The use of advanced manufacturing gives the component very thin walls, helping to save weight. “We could only realize this innovative tailpipe by pushing additive manufacturing technology to the limit. The wall thickness of below 0.5mm enables the extremely lightweight design,” said Joachim Zettler, managing director for APWorks.

The low mass of the tailpipe also contributes to the new aerodynamic configuration of the car, while the use of titanium allows a combination of strength and heat resistance.

“By cutting the weight by 50kg, while simultaneously boosting downforce and the suspension setup, the Chiron Pur Sport boasts improved grip, acceleration and accurate handling,” explained Stephan Winkelmann, president of Bugatti.

Zettler added: “We are proud to be part of this development. It is the first visible metal 3D printed part to receive road homologation.”

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