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Bruce Newton24 Jul 2015
NEWS

MOTORSPORT: V8 Supercars developing V6 turbo

Twin-turbo test-bed to run this year as Gen2 V8 Supercar development ramps up

V8 Supercars has confirmed it is developing a V6 twin-turbo racing engine as a learning exercise in the lead-up to the 2017 introduction of the Gen2 technical regulations.

The category’s engine consultant Craig Hasted is using the General Motors 3.6-litre V6 production engine that powers the Holden Commodore as the basis for the program and is developing two twin-turbo racing engines.

The engine will be dynoed and then tested in the category’s own Holden Commodore chassis. Holden is not involved with the development program.

Under Gen2, engines such as V6 and four-cylinder turbos will be allowed to compete against the traditional V8s, while body styles other than sedans are also permissible.

The new technical regulations are scheduled to run from 2017 to 2021.

As V8 Supercars – which should change its name to Supercars from 2017 -- is a technical parity formula where engine and aerodynamic performance are equalised, the category’s technical department led by Sporting and Technical Director David Stuart has the responsibility to ensure any new engines and bodies comply without advantage or disadvantage with the current race cars.

“As long as we do our homework properly and our job right we will be able to get it right,” Stuart told motoring.com.au. “We have the right tools and expertise to maintain parity at its current high level.”

Stuart played down the prospects of the engine making its public debut with a demonstration run at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, as had been suggested in media reports earlier this year.

“There are certain challenges in getting this engine together and then packaging it in a car,” he explained.

“Building the engine is the easy part, getting it on the dyno, running it, tuning it, gaining an understanding it is just one of the process. Then we have to get it in a car.

“We are currently packaging it in a car at the moment. Before we make it out in public we’d like to take it to a facility and test it and make sure everything does what it should.”

Stuart says strong aerodynamic knowledge has been gained in recent years through the homologation of the five current sedan bodies from Ford, Holden, Erebus Mercedes-AMG, Nissan and Volvo.

However, the new engine rules require the development of more knowledge about turbo engines.

“With a turbo engine the majority of development will be within the turbocharger itself and the way that is controlled -- the method of controlling the wastegate and the like,” Stuart explained.

“We have a really good understanding of the things we can and can’t do with the turbocharger.”

Since 1993 the category has been a naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8 domain, expanding in 2013 to allow multi-cam engines as well as the traditional Ford and General Motors, two-valve pushrod engines when the current car (Car of the Future) was introduced.

The category has since developed an accumulated engine power output and weighted average that means all engines are set the same maximum power and very similar outputs through the range. Turbo engines will be required to comply with these targets.

Stuart says the research will also give his team a better understanding of development and introduction costs and how to minimise them.

“We will end up having various control components within that, or components that are controlled, so there is not a whole bunch of money continually spent on development.

“Obviously they need to be reliable, and that’s part of speccing the size of the turbo to the capacity of the engine, that will help minimise that and also the method of controlling that.”

V8 Supercars will match the aerodynamic downforce, balance and drag of any new body styles against each other as well as the existing sedans, as it does today.

Aero parity has been in the news recently as pitlane ponders the superiority of the new Ford Falcon FG X, which has won nine of the last 11 races.

“If somebody comes along and says I want to run a two-door we want to be already prepared and have an understanding of the adjustments we would need to make to get the adjustments to downforce and drag to get the results we need.”

Stuart said it was unlikely any cars would need wild aero modifications to hit the parity numbers.

“If you look at the five vehicle shapes out there at the moment, each one of them has a different width wing, a different maximum wing angle and a different gurney height.

“I don’t think it will be significantly different.”

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