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Nieuw technisch reglement voor BTCC vanaf 2011: Next Generation Touring Car
Alan Gow heeft vandaag een nieuwe technisch reglement gepubliceerd:
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Technical overview: NGTC
The BTCC has released details of its ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ (NGTC), to be introduced from 2011. The introduction of these new technical regulations are designed to fulfil the following criteria:
• Dramatically reduce the design, build and running costs of the cars and engines
• Maintain present levels of performance until 2013, to ensure performance parity with current S2000 cars
• Reduce the potential for significant performance disparities between cars
• ‘Future proof’ the regulations by being able to easily modify the various performance parameters
• Reduce reliance on WTCC/S2000 equipment, due to increasing costs/complexity and concerns as to its future sustainability/direction
Brief Specifications:
• Front-wheel-drive
• 2-litre turbocharged production-based 4-cylinder petrol engine, producing approx. 300bhp with a 7,000 rev limit, 0.8 bar of boost and inlet-restrictor.
• 6-speed sequential semi-automatic gearbox
• Increased minimum length of 4.4m
• Standardised width of 1875mm
• 2, 3, 4 or 5 door – providing they share the same basic silhouette and dimensions as the 4/5 door saloon version
• Fully adjustable subframe-mounted front & rear suspension
• Larger wheels/tyres
• Common major components to be utilised; such as ECU, gearbox, brakes, hubs, steering rack, fuel tank and etc.
• Integrated front aerodynamics to incorporate radiators, cooling ducts and partial flat-floor to a given design parameter/dimension. Specified rear wing profile and size. Each car to be wind-tunnel tested to achieve similar aero equality
• Increased driver safety
• Stronger and more robust major components with full at-event parts supply service and support
• Lower C02 emissions output than current
Chassis
Production bodyshell with a standardised roll cage design/specification. Front & rear subframes to incorporate specified suspension/brake components and engine location.
Bespoke TOCA-sourced components for some major items such as gearbox, suspension, brakes, dampers, sub-frames and suchlike – thus taking tens of thousands of pounds out of the costs of designing and developing these for each team.
Teams will have far less of their capital tied up through not having to maintain a large spares inventory – the major component suppliers will maintain a sufficient level of inventory to service the teams.
Car design/development/build costs will be reduced by some 50 per cent from current – with an achievable target price of £100k per car ‘ready to race’, plus engine. (A new S2000 car can cost in excess of £200k).
Engine
The base engine can be sourced from a manufacturer’s broad ‘family’, including subsidiary brands under their effective control, with the bore/stroke allowed to be altered to achieve the 2-litre displacement.
Items such as camshafts, pistons, dry sump, inlet and exhaust system systems will be free (within set parameters). A 'Technical Review Panel' may review any individual applications to redesign some standard engine components, but only for reliability purposes.
A specified turbo, wastegate, intercoolers, injectors and ECU (engine control unit) will be mandated to reduce development costs and opportunities for technical infringements.
Each new engine developed will be tested on a TOCA-nominated engine dynamometer to monitor output levels.
Even though the new engine will produce more power/torque, the engine development and costs will be dramatically reduced by over 50 per cent from current, with new engines costing around £15k each (after initial development costs). An engine should last a full season without requiring a rebuild, in normal use, with a rebuild cost of around £8k at season’s end.
A ‘TOCA’ (i.e. unbranded) NGTC engine will be commissioned and available to those teams who do not wish to undertake their own individual engine development programme. These will be available at a fixed cost per engine of £25k a year (leased with full at-event support service) or £20k to purchase. Engine rebuilds will cost £8k. This TOCA engine may also be available for use in upgrading S2000 cars in the future, to reduce engine costs for those teams and extend the competitive life of their current cars.
Performance Parity
A policy of equivalence in overall performance between the current S2000 and the ‘Next-Gen’ cars will be maintained until 2013, to provide asset protection for the S2000 cars and parity of competition throughout that period.
In simple terms, the two specifications of cars will be equally eligible for outright honours – and be equivalent in overall performance – until 2013.
From 2013, whilst S2000 cars will still be eligible, the ‘Next-Gen’ cars/engines will then be progressively increased in performance and a turbo ‘over-boost’ facility be incorporated to allow a regulated amount of short power boosts during each race.
Stability of the new technical regulations will be maintained for at least five years (i.e. to the end of 2016), when they may be reviewed. However, it is the clear intention that the fundamental aspects of these regulations will continue well beyond those first five years and will not be substantially altered beyond minor updates (if appropriate).
In all likelihood, the older BTC-spec cars will cease to be eligible from 2011 – although this is yet to be confirmed.
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Gow answers NGTC questions
btcc.net has put five key questions to BTCC Series Director Alan Gow after it was announced that in 2011 the championship will move towards a new set of technical regulations.
1. Why the switch to turbo-charged engines?
“They will produce more power and yet be easier to manage in terms of adjusting their performance characteristics – particularly with the common components and controls we will put in place – whilst not being an ‘over-stressed’ engine. Hence, they will be very durable and reduce the engine costs for the teams by a massive amount. Many manufacturers produce 2-litre engines of this type and for those that don’t, we’ll allow teams to alter the bore/stroke in order to achieve the two-litre litre capacity – which also means there is a greater choice of cars/engines for the teams to use than at present.”
2. Why permit only front-wheel-drive cars under the NGTC regulations – doesn’t this exclude traditional rear-wheel-drive makes, such as BMW?
“The reality is that the BTCC has not had a rear-wheel-drive manufacturer team for some 14 years so it just doesn’t make sense to compromise a set of new, very clear technical regulations (and bring in other major issues of parity) just for the very remote possibility of perhaps including one manufacturer. Similar reasoning applies as to why diesel engines also won’t be eligible; these regulations are designed to achieve a fair and ‘level playing field’, so therefore won’t be subjected to endless technical and sporting arguments as to the equality of some cars.
“The vast majority of manufacturers produce front-wheel-drive cars that fit these regulations, so all the teams will have a huge variety of differing makes/models to choose from. Besides, the S2000 BMWs currently in the series will continue – and on an entirely equal footing with the NGTC cars – for another three seasons.
“In fact, all the current S2000 cars will be put on a performance parity with the NGTC cars until 2013 so the teams who are using S2000 cars know they’re not suddenly going to be forced to sell them. However, realistically, by the time 2013 comes around it’s unlikely that the top teams (with existing S2000 cars) would still be using the same cars they have now, as the cars would be getting on a bit in race-car terms.”
3. Why bigger cars (the minimum length has increased to 4.4 metres)?
“Most fans would say that they would prefer the BTCC cars to be larger, faster and thus a bit more exciting than they are now. Well, these regulations deliver all that, and more. I think it’s widely agreed that the larger BTCC cars are preferable to, say, smaller hatchbacks. They are more in line with the meaning of a ‘touring car’ – they have greater presence and are more visually appealing. And, as production cars are getting larger all the time, it will give the championship a fabulous diversity of cars.”
4. Have you come up with the NGTC based on any influence from any manufacturers that might be ‘waiting in the wings’?
“No. The NGTC regulations have been developed with direct input from our teams, who had an intricate role in drawing up the regs over the last few months. However, these regulations provide the opportunity for either independent or manufacturer-backed teams to design/build and compete on a much more equal basis (and for far less money!) than they do now.”
5. How strong a set of regulations are these going to be compared to those used in other major touring car series, eg. WTCC?
“Incredibly strong. These are a bloody clever set of regulations put together by some of the most talented touring car engineers around. I know the WTCC is looking into a different (but much more expensive) turbo engine formula but it may not be very widely attractive, as it still relies on some deep-pocketed manufacturers to underwrite the programme.
“Manufacturers, sponsors and teams are all looking for very major cost savings/value for money in their motorsport programmes. With our new NGTC regulations, those major homologation/origination/development costs have been ripped right out of the equation. So I wouldn’t be surprised if some other national touring car championships, currently using S2000, don’t also look at what we have done with our new regulations…”
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Bron: Officiele website BTCC
Ziet er interessant uit, maar moet het nog beter lezen om een echte mening te kunnen vormen.
Last edited by FIRE; 02-06-2009 at 19:53.
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02-06-2009, 19:49
De Britten maken hun woorden waar, die hebben dus schijt aan de nieuwe plannen van de FIA voor het WTCC vanaf 2011. E.e.a. stond reeds "voorzichtig" te lezen in de Autosport van afgelopen week.
