Posts by mistybear87

Recording started: 7:00 PM
Duration: 5 hours and 30 minutes 😬

Good grief, there’s no way it could possibly take any longer than this. 🙂

Michael Lee4 said:I actually have two TVs at home, but I just want to watch the race in peace... I think I'll just record it and catch the replay after the big game is over.

Honestly, it feels like I should be putting on a whole show myself just to keep up.😉

Jason Campbell70 said:It’s funny how nobody is bringing up Lewis Hamilton as a potential seventh winner.

That is an interesting point...

Do you really think so? 🤣🤣🤣

It says right there on their official site, under the results from the last race 😉
The standings weren't updated last night, so I'm guessing they'll get around to it today or sometime later this week 🙂

And it doesn't even stop there—he's actually sitting at the top of the overall standings right now. 🙏

1. Christian Habulin 58
2. Kevin Gilardoni 55
3. Luca Defendi 50
4. Dario Orsini 46
5. Francesco Bracotti 39
6. Dario Capitanio 35
7. Mirko Barletta 34
8. Nicolò Rocca 28
9. Piero Peccenini 19
10. Lorenzo Paggi 12

He managed to snag third place in the opening race, though he ended up sitting at fifth during qualifying. 🙂

Jason Campbell70 said:No, Williams was developing a purely mechanical KERS for the '09 season, but they ended up pulling the plug on using it in races due to too many technical hurdles.

The final major edge the FW31 holds is its KERS. This system captures kinetic energy during braking—energy that usually just goes to waste—and stores it in a mechanical flywheel spinning at upwards of 40,000rpm. The driver can tap into that stored energy whenever they hit the boost button. Under today's rules, what does that actually get you? An extra 80bhp for about 6.6 seconds every single lap.

.......

The FW31 utilizes a flywheel system, largely engineered and patented by Williams Hybrid Power. With enough durability to last through the entire season, each flywheel should provide the FW31 an advantage in terms of weight distribution. Does this change the game? Perhaps.

Williams is making moves. The latest update from the team shows they are leaning heavily into the technical advantages provided by the FW31 an advantage in terms of weight distribution. It’s all about that balance. They are integrating the Flybrid technology to really sharpen the edge. Is this the turning point? The focus remains on optimizing how the Williams Hybrid Power system interacts with the chassis. Every small tweak counts when you're chasing performance at this level. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if these adjustments translate to the track.

I'm not entirely convinced that "mechanical" refers to how the energy is actually harvested and released. It seems more like it was just about the storage phase.

At least, that’s my takeaway from this clip from back in 2009.🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09knBT2gqqU

And here is what’s actually being said on the Williams website regarding flywheels in general. From the very beginning, theirs has been entirely electric.

The next evolution involved electrically-driven flywheels. Because they don't rely on a CVT system, they manage to sidestep the issues of extra weight and lost efficiency. There is also another significant perk when you compare them to their mechanical counterparts: maintaining vacuum integrity is much simpler since there isn't a need for a high-speed mechanical seal.

Jason Campbell70 said:But didn't Flybrid, and later especially Williams, go head-to-head with a completely mechanical KERS?

Actually, no. It was just the energy storage that was mechanical.
In both cases, the power delivery to the axle was handled via wiring and an electric motor. 😉

EDIT: Actually, I might be off there. Flybrid originally envisioned a completely mechanical setup linked directly to the gearbox, but as for the Williams one... I'm not entirely certain myself.

Jason Campbell70 said:Yes, without the conversion (and energy loss) of kinetic energy into electricity, and vice versa.

That would actually make sense, unlike the current setups we see in the Audi and the Porsche.

Perhaps, but a system like that usually has to be custom-developed for every single car. What we're looking at here is more of a plug-and-play method that only needs minor tweaks.
Sure, there are losses involved, but I highly doubt they're significant enough to make anyone seriously consider switching to a purely mechanical system...

Jason Campbell70 said:So, nothing from a pure kinetic-mechanical system then?

Are you referring to the mechanical connection between the flywheel and the shaft? I honestly have my doubts about whether that kind of setup will ever truly take off in the future...

Jason Campbell70 said:The KERS in the Audi e-tron... how similar is it to the KERS used in the Porsche 911 GT3?

They are essentially the same thing. The e-tron features all-wheel drive where the motor handles the rear axle, whereas the KERS powers the front axle—and that's only at speeds above 75 miles/h (depending on the regulations). Unlike what you see in Formula 1, here the KERS is allowed to discharge 500 kJ of energy (roughly 70 horsepower) between two braking events (or corners, if you're braking for every single one)

Tyler Bennett5 said:Did this winning Audi use Williams KERS?
I was watching while the Audi e-tron cars were leading, though I'm not entirely sure if they ended up taking the win in the end.

Not quite. They held the lead during the rain, but once the track dried out, those "standard" Audis just pushed right past them. In the end, the e-tron finished second and fourth.

Still, it was a pretty tight race. One of the e-trons was handled by some less experienced drivers, and the other one ran into trouble in the pits—they had to swap out the front end because of a light malfunction, which cost them at least 45 seconds.

Ultimately, I think it all came down to driver experience and how quickly they transitioned to slick tires, which usually go hand in hand, don't they? 😉

Nathan Jones98 said:How bad do you have to be to get left 37 laps behind?

Is it really all that surprising to see those gaps in the LMP2 class? Honestly, the "standard" entries were lagging about 9 to 16 laps behind the winner in the LMP1 class, which makes sense when you think about it. Then you have the GT class, which is even slower, and those LMP2 cars caught somewhere in between the GT field were likely struggling with their own set of issues. It’s also worth remembering that, unlike in Formula 1, these teams actually try to repair the damage to the cars whenever possible—even if it means dropping 15 laps in the process. Isn't that just the beauty of endurance racing? 😉

Audi racing in Belgium, 6 hours at Spa-Francorchamps

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99398

Michael Lee4 said:Honestly, you guys need to start watching NASCAR☕ that's where the real touring car racing happens.

Does anyone know if they still race NASCAR? I remember playing those old NASCAR games on my PC back in the day...😁

Danica Patrick is finally behind the wheel of a BMW 4 Series this year, so there really won't be any more excuses for failing to pick up points, will there?🙂

neonfox65 said:Quick news: Travis Pastrana is making his debut at USA this Friday.

He wasn't exactly tearing it up at the Race of Champions last year, was he? Perhaps this new direction might actually suit him a bit better...

William Bennett53 said:Honestly, this whole debate really highlights the core issue here... you've been part of this championship since the very beginning, and if I recall correctly, you were even one of its founders. Yet, suddenly, you're acting as if you don't know the rules at all. You're looking for concessions outside of them and offering things that go against the regulations—regulations that clearly govern these situations. In this specific instance, you're just making things difficult for ruggedfox28, and eventually, you'll push him to the point where he has to insult you just to get a reaction, which will land you a ban. Why not simply read the rulebook to see how to change a teammate instead of asking him for special favors?

It isn't just that, either. He tends to nitpick over nothing, dragging out arguments where they aren't needed—and usually, they're needed in places where he's being most stubborn. That's why he ended up getting flagged before for those "out-of-touch" comments and similar remarks.

Buddy, just take a breath. Don't be so stubborn; just relax and try to have a normal conversation. 😉

First off, can we please stop whining about the Paddock?

Secondly, all this Paddock talk happens behind closed doors. Nothing you type here is going to sway a single decision, especially since those decisions have already been finalized. ☕

Moving forward, I’m going to consider any mention of this chat topic after this post to be nothing more than trolling. Thanks. ☕