Greetings to all,
Hopefully, everyone out there is having a good summer.
As for me, this week I will be starting the second half of Pre-Calculus in the second summer term at IUPUI. If everything goes according to plan I should be in Calculus 1 for the fall term. Calc 1, along with Chemistry 105, and a computer modeling course, (not to mention working full time) should be enough to keep me out of trouble (haha) this fall.
The word "Calculus" has always both intimidated and intrigued me, so I am eager to get through the course. It is a psychological barrier as much as anything and I have this sense that if I can make it through (Calculus 1), I can make it through any math or engineering course. Time will tell.
A couple of quick thoughts on this weekends racing...great F1 race from Spain, pretty good IndyCar race from Iowa, but there is one thing that disturbs me a bit though and that is that the commentators for the IndyCar race have pick-up on Larry McReynold's NASCAR speak. They talked about "comers" and "goers." Yikes, It is a sad day!
The Project
Thankfully, there are a few racing endeavors remaining in the world where a team/group with the vision, ambition and of course funding, can design, build and race a car in the highest category. This is where my most ambitious project begins. The organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the ACO, along with the FIA and the World Endurance Championship, have come up with the outline for a set of rules for 2014 that will make the LMP1 category very exciting for fans, designers, engineers, manufacturers and all sorts of companies around the world who would like to demonstrate and develop their technologies.
The actual rules won't be out until February of 2013, but the outline demonstrates forward thinking and tremendous opportunity. here is a link to the outline of the 2014 regulations
http://www.lemans.org/wpphpFichiers/1/1/ressources/Pdf/2012/24-heures-du-mans/conference_de_presse/technical_regulation_2014.pdf
In addition. you can go onto the FIA website and look at the 2012 regulations. Here is a link to the FIA page, http://www.fia.com/en-GB/sport/regulations/Pages/fia-wec.aspx just click on the 2012 Technical regulations pdf file if you want to learn more.
The basics are that in the LMP1 category the engine rules are very free. No restrictions on displacement, high boost pressures (4 bar), no fuel injector pressure restrictions. The catch is, or the limiter will be, a restriction of fuel flow per lap, based on the fuel of choice for the thermal engine, (diesel or petrol) combined with the power level you choose for the hybrid electric system. This year the power for hybrid systems is limited to 0.5 megajoules. In 2014, they list 4 different levels of power for hybrid systems from 2 to 8 megajoules. These rules require a nearly 30 percent increase in fuel economy. The regulations for and requires a great deal of technical innovation in the area of efficiencies, with many, many intriguing possibilities. They also have left the door open in the future for alternative fuels, and other alternative energy technology.
My quick, back of the napkin calculations, using data found on wikepedia and other sites, one horsepower equals 745 watts. So for example, 150 horsepower requires 112 kilowatts of power. One kw running for one hour, requires 3.6 megajoules of power. Breaking that down into seconds and it would require 0.112 megajoules per second to power a 150hp motor.
This year the LMP1 cars were restricted to 0.5 megajoules between two braking zones. I am not sure of the 'horsepower" rating of the electric motors that the Audi and Toyota's ran at Le Mans this year, or what the recharge rate is of supercapacitors,(or other energy storage device) but at 0.112 megajoules per second and a 0.5 megajoule limit, the 150 horsepower electric motor I have described could be used to accelerate the car for approximately 4.5 seconds. Just think what can be done with 2 to 8 megajoules of power available.
I am not guaranteeing the accuracy of my calculations, after all I haven't taken Calculus yet (haha), but I think the numbers are close, and seem to make sense. I don't believe 150 hp electric motors have been used in hybrid systems for LMP or Formula One cars, I believe they are currently using motors in the 80-90 hp range. 150 hp was to demonstrate the possibility.
To summarize;
Based on the 2014 regulations, what we have here is opportunity. An opportunity to showcase American innovation and design. There has not been an American built car to take the overall win at Le Mans since 1969. National Geographic just revealed their list of the top ten greatest sporting events in the world and the 24 Hours of Le Mans was listed as number ONE.
In a follow up blog I will explain more as this post is getting long. But briefly:
My mission is to assemble a team that will design and build an LMP1 car here in America, and take it to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014, to compete against the world's best, with the best from the USA.
This team will consist of corporations large and small, both private and public. Investors interested in growing, not only a racing team and racing car manufacturing company, but a technology company that will continue to design and innovate all sorts of technologies long into the future. A team of designers, engineers, technicians, and mechanics with a strong desire to compete against the best in the world.
The project is huge, and the time frame is short (believe it or not, a car needs to be testing by late summer, or early fall of 2013). But I believe it is those very facts that will capture the imagination of the both the American racing fan and the sports fan, as well as corporate America. Corporate America, not only from an exposure and marketing standpoint, as potentially millions of dollars worth of exposure are possible, but also for the technology and innovation that can come from such an endeavor, and the opportunity to showcase products and technology on the world stage.
As a next step, I am considering a WebEx/conference call type meeting sometime in July or early August for interested parties. This could be corporations, technology companies, engineers, investors, mechanics, marketing and pr companies, and anyone who would be interested in being involved. I can be reached via email at buddy@osr2win.com
Until then, I will follow with more blog posts, and hopefully website and social networking information in the near future.
Buddy Lindblom
