Faustus wrote:I remember reading the Autosprint article with this... thing. I think I've got the cutting from it somewhere.
If I remember correctly, Scalabroni stated that the idea was suggested to him by one of his students (he was lecturing part-time at a university). Brilliant idea, great lateral thinking and interpretation of the rules. Really, potentially revolutionary ideas like this, that can potentially change the fact the face of the sport, do not come along very often. It would be a great engineering challenge, from a mechanical point of view, to make it work. I wonder what happened to the student.
Think of the aerodynamic advantages as well. No front wheels, blocking the airflow to the sidepods, so the sidepods and intakes can be quite small and shaped nicely around the driveshafts. Oooh, driveshafts enclosed in airfoil sections!
In the article, the middle wheels AND the rear wheel are driven, thereby not contravening the four-wheel-drive rule.
It´s just a matter of feeling, but... it feels to me like it could be quite difficult to find lateral stability, it's seems it's would going to roll over in every fast corner.
Innocent questions:
1) The center of gravity, after all the reduction of the car had been done in lower parts (smaller sideposds, and only one front wheel), should go higher? Should it be replaced with mechanical grip generated by more and neater influx or air into sidepods/bargeboards?
2) After there is only three wheels, would then generate less traction? Or, given some way the same traction: wouldn't it degradate the tyres a lot faster?
3) I think understeer should be an enormous problem to overcame... it's true?
4) And last, not so serious, but funnier: How much time could take to replace in pitstop the front wheel?
Winners have lots of friends, losers have good friends.