Racing Car Design

DRIVEN TO DESIGN .....A 4-Step guide to designing and building a racing car.

The DESIGN TEAM

The world of the race car designer is a complicated one. Many disciplines must be mastered before a successful outcome can be achieved.

In the discipline of chassis dynamics a designer must consider, amongst other things, chassis rigidity, wheelbase, front and rear track, suspension pick-up points, suspension travel, weight bias, ride height, roll centres, anti dive, anti roll, wishbone length, camber, caster, KPI, tow, Ackerman, scrub radius, spring rates, shock damping, bump stops, bell crank ratios, shock linkages and steering ratio.

Then there are the disciplines of aerodynamics, safety, component packaging, ergonomics and aesthetics.

Still want to be a race car designer. Read on.

FUNCTION and FORM

The fundamentals

A successful car design is comprised of two major elements - function and form. The function of the car is the responsibility of the design engineers. The form of the car is the design stylists responsibility. Neither function nor form presides over the other - they are co-dependent.

However, at the end of the day, the design stylist is the most influential part of the equation. A soundly engineered but ugly car will not sell, whereas an adequately engineered and good looking car will. And a brilliantly engineered and breathtakingly beautiful car ...... well that's the dream.

Automotive design is essentially the process of creating an object or a related group of objects, be it a piston, a headlight or an entire car. In many cases the design engineers and the design stylists must work closely together. In the case of a headlight for example, the design engineer must produce a headlight that conforms to a strict set of lighting criteria - the function - and the design stylist must integrate the shape of the headlight into the overall design theme of the car - the form. Each design team must consult the other throughout the entire process. This consulting process, more often than not, is fraught with danger. A design engineer who has run out of ideas and cannot re-design his component packaging in line with the stylists design, can leave the design stylist nowhere to go.

From the stylists point of view, great car design is a synergy between proportion, the surfaces and the graphics. In most car companies the engineers provide a structure and the stylists work the proportions around that structure. In the early design stages the engineers and stylists work together to arrive at a base package that addresses the brief. At this point the proportions and hard points are established and the stylists then work the surfaces and graphics around that structure. The engineers foundation can, in many cases, compromise the stylists work and the finished vehicles design. But what if the design engineers and the design stylists were the same people?

The two men who created the Hyper PRO Racer are just that - both design engineers and design stylists. This unique design pair were able to engineer AND style the overall concept and every part of the car simultaneously.

It's rare that a car design makes the journey from sketch pad to showroom without its essential essence in some way being diluted. The design journey of the Hyper PRO Racer was the antithesis of the traditional process, with the final products design exceeding all early expectations. The result is a production motor vehicle that looks better than the original design concept. A breakthrough design that is fast, safe and affordable.

The D-Type Jaguar - arguably the ultimate fusion of function and form.

The PROCESS

4 Steps

1. The MARKET

2. The BRIEF

3. The DESIGN

4. The PROTOTYPE

1. The MARKET

Know your market

For as long as anyone can remember, it all starts in go-karts - and it all ends in go-karts. The dreams of most aspiring young race drivers are shattered when they look at their next step up the ladder of motorsport and ask "How much ?".

Traditionally, the first serious step into racing cars is Formula Ford. Originally designed as an affordable starter class, the current high cost of this category has stopped almost all kart drivers from making the move. With few exceptions, only the SORF's (Sons of Rich Fathers) can compete at the top. As a result, the real racing talent, generations of potential National and World champions, have melted away into the suburbs and obscurity.

As an affordable alternative, the FIA have sanctioned the incredibly dangerous Superkart. Over the years many have questioned the wisdom of putting our novice young drivers into what is the most dangerous category in motor racing - essentially lethal 230 kph motorized skate boards. The fatality rate is horrific and the category is plagued with poor administration and dodgy amateur officialdom which have all contributed to the categories grubby reputation. Unable to attract young drivers in significant numbers, the category constantly struggles to survive as an 'old codgers' sport. No F1 driver has used this category as a stepping stone on the path to F1.

Then there are the myriad of categories from the Lambos, Ferraris and Porsches for the rich and famous, down to the old sports sedans, saloons, historic Formula Ford and sedans and Formula Vees for the rest of us.

But a Formula Ford 'type' race car at less than Superkart prices? It's nowhere to be seen.

Anybody that is involved in motorsports will tell you that it has been like this forever. And since forever, the FIA and it's affiliates have lacked the imagination and the skill to provide a solution.

Identify needs

In light of the above, the market is screaming for a fast race vehicle, that is relatively affordable and above all provides a safe racing environment for the driver.

Market identity

To sum up our market research, the marketing phrases 'Fast, Safe and Affordable' and 'The Missing Link' have been adopted.

Web sites HyperRacer.com and HyperPROracer.com are established.

2. The BRIEF

Overall design objectives

Ten key design objectives are as follows;

1. The entire vehicle will be designed to package the driver and components into the smallest, lightest racing car possible.

2. The Hyper PRO Racer will feature a Formula One driving position with a futuristic, orthopaedically designed steering wheel and sequential shifter.

3. To address the move to a 'Greener' sport, a 4-stroke engine will be used and mounted behind the driver.

4. Disc brakes with 4-spot billet aluminium callipers to all wheels will provide the stopping power.

5. Six inch rims have been chosen to reduce the cost of tyres and the weight of the vehicle.

6. It will be electric start and the target weight will be 160kgs, making the vehicle easy to transport and manageable by one person.

7. Due to the financial constraints and therefore lack of track time suffered by the club level racer, adjustable components will be kept to a minimum, so as to provide as level a playing field as possible on race day.

8. The car will be suspended front and rear.

9. Bodywork will be designed and positioned to minimize damage.

10. And finally, every possible safety initiative will be incorporated into the car.

Aesthetics

We will target all age groups from serious young wannabees to the older, club level driver.

The overall concept will be futuristic and bodywork will be cutting edge styling.

Performance

The Hyper PRO Racer must be fast enough to provide the next level of excitement for the karter and at the same time prepare the driver for the next step up into top level open wheelers or touring cars.

Cost

The Hyper PRO Racer must be affordable to purchase and to run. The initial target is $30,000 for a new vehicle, with projected season running costs of $2,500 - $5,000.

Safety

At the entry end of the sport the traditional choices have been superkarts or older cars or historic categories all with their compromises in safety.
The Hyper PRO Racer will incorporate all the safety features of category one cars and also introduce some world first features.

A space frame chassis is the only financially viable design choice at the entry end of the sport. Unfortunately the space frame, although very strong if designed correctly, has the disadvantage of surrounding the driver in a very harsh exposed tube environment in the event of an accident. The Hyper PRO Racers solution will be to build a chassis with the body shell on the inside. We will call it the 'Outside - In' chassis.

The safety cell will combine;

• Three bulkheads will be positioned at the shoulders, hips and feet.

• The main chassis rails - upper (shoulder) and lower (hip) rails - will be curved outward to proved greater lateral impact strength.

• The zig-zag chassis tubes will be placed to follow the line of the drivers body.

• The torso zig-zag tubes will be curved to proved greater lateral impact strength.

• A smooth, impact friendly internal surface will be provided incorporating a unique crush dome system.

• Front and rear rollover bars will be fitted and will be designed to pass the broomstick test.

• A unique head enclosure will be fitted to restrain the head in side and rear movement.

• Flip-up 'Henry' bars (longitudinal bars) will be fitted for frontal and side head protection. The flip-up feature will allow for fast driver extraction by track marshals.

• The feet will be positioned behind the front axle line.

• 'Santa' rails (skid rails) will be fitted to protect the underside of the vehicle and lower extremities of the driver.

• A metal under seat shield will be fitted to protect the driver from track object intrusions.

• The steering column will be jointed.

• The fuel tank will be positioned between driver and engine and will be isolated from both by seat back and firewall.

• A 6-point safety harness will be fitted.

• An on-board fire extinguisher will be fitted.

• A battery and fuel pump isolation switch will be fitted.

• A tow hook will be fitted.

Major components

The major components will be chosen as follows

• Engine - Yamaha 450WR 4-stroke, 5 speed, electric start.

• Brakes - Bespoke cross vented discs with billet milled anodized aluminium callipers.

• Shocks - Ohlins coil over aluminium bodied shocks.

• Wheels - 6" x 6” front and 6" x 10" rear aluminium rims.

Secondary components

• Steering Rack - Rack and pinion with adjustable freeplay.

• Exhaust - Aluminium muffler, titanium header.

Driver

The goal is to build a cockpit that will accommodate drivers up to 100kgs and 185 cm in height. As the intention is to build the smallest racing car possible, the cockpit will have to virtually shrink wrap the largest driver with no excess space.

To succeed in this packaging challenge, a 3D CAD model will be made of a 70, 80, 90 and 100 kg driver in the optimum driving position. (ie foot to head horizontal distance as short as possible. Eye height as low as possible and still clear knee height.)

The CAD designers will then literally wrap curved tubing around the 100kg 3D driver model.

Cockpit design

The Hyper PRO Racer would feature a Formula One driving position with a futuristic, orthopaedically designed steering wheel and sequential shifter.

Suspension design

The vehicle will incorporate wishbone front suspension with anti-dive geometry and a swing arm rear with a torsion bar. An Ohlins aluminium mono shock will complete the arrangement on both the front and the rear.

Weight and weight distribution

All components will be weighed and entered into the CAD model. The driver and components will be positioned in the model in the required positions. The fuel tank will be be centrally mounted to provide consistent handling regardless of fuel load.

Calculations have showen that due to the power to weight ratio of the vehicle, a 45f/55r weight distribution will be targeted.

We plan to acheive this balance by subtle positioning of the components in the CAD model.

Bodywork

• The bodywork will be designed and positioned to minimize damage.

• The nosecone will be designed to be easily and cheaply replaceable.

• A short and high overhang at the front will virtually eliminates body damage in the event of an excursion into the sand trap.

• The nose cone will be design to provide a chiselled pointed look to the car, within the constraints of a very short nose cone.

• The body panels will be designed to sit within the line of the chassis rails to accentuate a slim look.

• The coloured panels will be kept within the wheel base to visually reduce the length of the vehicle.

• The body design will feature a unique 'panel to rail morph' design feature.

• Other features will include an exposed coil over shock feature front and rear and exposed bell-cranks through body gills in nose.

• The car will feature no overhang at rear and short overhang at front to accentuate the aggressive ‘paw at each corner’ look.

• Multiple small panels instead of monolith single panels will minimize repair costs in the event of an accident.

• The seat capsule will do double duty as external bodywork to reduce weight.

3. The DESIGN

CONCEPT GENERATION.

Two design divisions are implemented - a 'main' division and a 'youth' division.

The 'main' division will address the overall design - chassis engineering and bodywork styling. This will be Jon and Dean Crooke's responsibility.

The 'youth' division will look at the product - specificaly body work styling - from a youth perspective, as the youth market will be a large part of Hyper's marketing stratagy. To achieve this, it is decided to engage some young designers on the project.

The youth styling design team receive the design brief and produce concept sketches.

Jon and Dean provide these designers with a strict design brief that includes the 3D CAD model, restricted areas for bodywork, fixed component areas within the bodywork as well as the need to include essential specified design cues within their designs, such as keeping the tube frame exposed, exposing the shock absorbers, incorporating head lights, a front diffuser, small farings over the swing arms, tow hooks to name a few.

THEME SELECTION.

The first bodywork sketches are distributed to a large number of industry related people and potential customers with an interest in the project. Sketches are evaluated and ideas are chosen that most address the design brief and which look the most interesting.

With the initial feedback, it is apparent that the Collopy, Lewis and Blythman sketches have received the most positive feedback.

Collopy's bodywork sketches most successfully address the design brief and the main design division will incorporated several of his ideas into the final design.

The prolific Mat Lewis continues to work on his body concepts.

Matt Blythman accepts an overseas posting and is temporally lost to the project.

Both Lewis and Blythman's concepts are examples of alternative body shell concepts that may be implemented at a later date.

Main division designer, Jon Crooke, continues to develop his bodywork concepts.

Using computer 3D modelling software, Jon Crooke completes the final bodywork concept drawings, incorporating several features from Collopy's sketches into the final design.

Collopy, Lewis and Blythman - along with Fitzgerald, and our young "Apprentice" Trounson, will continue to be involved in the project, with input into exterior detailing, interior design and detailing and marketing material, right up until market launch.


MAIN DESIGN DIVISION



YOUTH DESIGN STYLE DIVISION

4. The PROTOTYPE

Prototype development.
Production considerations and constraints.

A full size chassis is built using mild steel tube to assess the fit of various size drivers.

A pre-production car without bodywork, is build and track tested.

Body plugs (patterns) and mould construction. Dean and Jon Crooke finalise the body parts with detailing input from Johannas Collopy.

Dean constructs the jigs for the chassis and suspension components.

Customer clinics
Design appraisal and feedback.

Product testing.
Track days with in-house test drivers and customers.