Re: US 98 2.8 A4 commercial (30v in racing???)

[Tom Haapanen <tomh@metrics.com>]

Why could you get a higher average speed with an Audi than with an
all-out open-wheel racing car?

- Better aerodynamics 
  (Open-wheel racers have a Cd higher than a brick, thanks to the 
   exposed tires and the big wings.  On a steeply banked track like
   Nardi or Talladega, the Audi would need little in terms of spoilers.)

- Many fewer fuel stops
  (Thanks to better aerodynamics and no fuel tank size limit.)

- No yellow flags
  (This is really the killer at most CART/IRL races for average speed.)

-----
Tom Haapanen -- Software Metrics Inc. -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
A Microsoft Solution Provider Partner -- http://www.metrics.com/


> -----Original Message-----
> Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 16:07:01 -0700
> From: "andrew speer" <andrewspeer1@worldnet.att.net>
> Subject: Re: US 98 2.8 A4 commercial (30v in racing???)
> 
> O.K. I'm stumped  How do you get a "stock" bodied car to average over 
> 200 MPH for such long distances? [...]
> 
> I don't follow CART (or whatever Indycars care called nowadays) but
> last
> time I checked the winning speed at Indianapolis was under 200 MPH.
> And we
> are only talking 500 Miles there.
> 
> I understand these cars make substantially more power than the claimed
> 650
> hp for the record breaking Audi.  As open wheeled racers I don't know
> what
> the aerodynamic comparison would be with the stock-looking Audi...but
> I
> assume the Audi would also have needed drag producing spoilers to
> generate
> sufficient downforce to stay on the track at those speeds.
>