Latest Technical F1 developments: Red Bull Exhaust

Pictures taken at Silverstone this weekend have uncovered that Red Bull have adopted or are at least testing an exhaust chamber. Also known as a Helmholz exhaust, the regular exhaust pipe features a blind addition which can accumulate exhaust gases when pressure is high in the exhaust pipe. It can then release those gases again when the driver gets off the throttle, hence evening out the pressure differences that occur in the exhaust pipe.

Apart from the evening out in an attempt to gain a more constant exhaust flow - and hence a more constant rear downforce at the diffuser - a Helmholz resonance chamber can also help the "Kadenacy Effect" in a specific RPM range of the engine.

The Kadenacy effect is an effect that forms from pressure-waves in gases. In essence, careful design of the dimensions and position of the exhaust changer can assist scavenging of exhaust gases out of the cylinders and therefore increase the pressure drop across the intake and exhaust valve area within a specific RPM range. As such it could be used to increase engine performance in the engines' most used RPM range.

To make room for the exhaust chamber that Ferrari debuted in F1 through 2011, RBR redesigned the entire exhaust of the RB8. While it previously ran close to the car's engine heat cover and then curved downward with a 180° turn, the final turn is now curved upwards, similar to Williams' exhaust layout.

Also note, as marked with yellow, the upward direction of the final 10cm of the exhaust pipe. The regulations specify that this must be a straight, circular section pointing up between 10° and 30°.

Great article came from F1Technical.net, No copyright infringment intended.

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BMW & Toyota Join Forces On Green Engines

Japanese carmaker Toyota and Germany's BMW are to work together on environmental-friendly motoring technology. They will do joint research on next-generation batteries for green cars. BMW will also supply clean 1.6 and 2 litre diesel engines to Toyota, beginning in 2014 for models for the European market.
Bosses from the two companies said they are also discussing other medium and long-term collaborative projects.

Toyota said as a result of the agreement it plans to expand its European range and sell more fuel-efficient, diesel cars. "It is a great joy and a thrill to enter into this relationship with BMW," said the company's president Akio Toyoda. BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer said that "supplying Toyota with our fuel-efficient and dynamic diesel engines represents another important step in the planned expansion of our sales activities".

"The agreement marks a milestone for ongoing cooperation between two companies that set the benchmark in complimentary field," said BMW's sales and marketing director Ian Robertson.
The BBC's Jorn Madslien, who is at the Tokyo motor show, said neither BMW nor Toyota had a lot of experience with such co-operation deals.
A similar partnership between Germany's Volkswagen and Japan's Suzuki is currently on the rocks, with Suzuki trying to force an end to the co-operation.

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Australian GP Report - Button Revels in Victory

Jenson Button hailed his victory in the Australian Grand Prix as a "dream start" to the new Formula 1 season.

Team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished third, after starting on pole , to underline McLaren's competitiveness.
"It was very important for us to get this one in the bank early on," said Button, whose lead went unchallenged after he jumped Hamilton off the line.

In contrast to the last three years, McLaren emerged strongly from pre-season testing and made it count at the opening race in Melbourne. The Woking-based team locked out the front row in qualifying and Button coasted to victory after passing Hamilton off the line.

"For the last couple of years our first races have been tricky," said Button. "I'd say we've been pretty dominant today.
"It's an amazing way to start the season.
"As a team, the win shows how important the winter is. The guys have done an amazing job. This win will definitely help them push hard in the extra hours they are doing."

Button believes the race also highlighted the increased competition throughout the field in 2012.
"We all think this is a very special year in Formula 1, having six world champions and so many competitive teams," the 2009 champion added.
"It's great to see F1 is in a great place at the moment. I'm very excited heading to [the next race in] Malaysia."
After passing Hamilton off the start, Button quickly built a lead and was unchallenged until the safety car came out on lap 37 and closed up the pack of cars.
Sebastian Vettel pitted under the safety car and came out ahead of Hamilton, who had been running in second, but Red Bull's world champion conceded he had no chance of catching Button after the restart.

"I thought I would be in a good position to have a go at Jenson but two corners and he was gone," said Vettel.
"It wasn't very easy to get away from Lewis but Jenson was out of sight. He deserved to win."
Hamilton was left to rue not only Vettel's clever strategy under the safety car but a poor start to the grand prix.
"It was a shocking start," said Hamilton, who had been determined to put a mixed 2011 season behind him in the new campaign.
"I'm not sure what happened. I let out the clutch and got a lot of wheel spin. That followed all way through the launch phase. We lost a lot of ground from there and the safety car didn't help us.

Martin Whitmarsh McLaren team boss

"It's still a great job by Jenson. Clearly we're very quick so we go forward to the next race in good shape."

When asked whether McLaren are now the dominant team, Hamilton responded: "It's too early to tell.
"In qualifying, we're quick and competitive but Red Bull were massively quick in race so they're still a force to be reckoned with."
McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh summed up the race weekend as "nearly perfect".
"Lewis was unlucky with the safety car," he commented. "Jenson drove majestically, he didn't put a foot wrong. It was a bit tight on fuel, we struggled a bit. But it's a great way to start the season.
"We've proved we've got a quick car [and] there'll be a few bits for the next race."

From the BBC Website

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Button is Biggest Threat to Red Bull - Horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says McLaren's Jenson Button is the biggest threat to his team this season, but warned that there is more to come from defending champion Sebastian Vettel.

Horner also named Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus as contenders.

But he insisted Red Bull's back-to-back champion Vettel will take some beating.
"We are yet to see the best from him," Horner told BBC Radio 5 live. "He will evolve and get stronger."
Button, the 2009 world champion, finished second to Vettel in the 2011 season, a distant 122 points behind the German.

With the 2012 season poised to start in Australia on 18 March, Horner is predicting a closer contest for the title this time round.

"Seb had an unbelievable year and in the end dominated significantly," he said. "But there are some big opponents out there, with six world champions on the grid.
"Lewis is going to be pushing hard this year, Jenson had a great year last year, you can't rule out Fernando because he is a world-class driver and it will be interesting to see how Kimi fares on his return."
Asked to pick out the strongest rival to Vettel and his team-mate Mark Webber, Horner responded: "Probably Jenson."
Horner said he was happy with Red Bull's car after they successfully trialled upgrades during pre-season testing in Barcelona.
"Those upgrades seem to be working OK and will certainly be on the car in Australia in 10 days' time," he said.
"I think we're set for a really fascinating season. Things move on so quickly and the running order at the end of last year doesn't guarantee it's going to be the running order at beginning of this year."

Story from BBC Sport, No copyright infringement intended.

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Gallery: New F1 Cars for the 2012 World Championships

With the 2012 F1 season almost upon us, many of the teams have realeased press images of their new cars which will be burning up the rubber this year. A personal highlight is the again stunning Red Bull car, and a fairly sinister looking Williams. We can only hope with this new breed of cars comes closer competition for podiums and points than last season.

Caterham

Lotus E20

Ferrari F1 2012

Mclaren Mercedes MP4-27

Red Bull RB8

Force India VJM05

Torro Rosso STR7

Williams FW34

Sauber C31

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Used Volkswagens

A Volkswagen represents an excellent option for a used car due to the manufacturers exacting standards when it comes to build quality and VW’s industry leading reliability.  There are a huge number of Volkswagens on Britain’s roads so the used car market has a rolling stock of quality used vehicles.  

Many people may imagine buying a used Volkswagen in terms of wandering around a used car dealership fending off pushy salesmen.  This is an option, but searching online can save a lot of labour and hassle.  Every four minutes a car is sold on E-bay and sites such as Motors.co.uk offer a vast choice of vehicles that your average used car forecourt would struggle to match.

Buying a used Volkswagen online could seem rather risky but this isn’t necessarily the case with the right precautions.  If you find a car on E-bay which is stationed locally, you’re welcome to arrange a viewing with the seller.  Likewise, on Motors.co.uk, most people will limit their search to a 30 mile radius, meaning they can pick up the vehicle with minimal fuss and they won’t waste time on disappointed viewings. 

The buyer should exercise due caution with any online auction as the bids you make are legally binding when accepted. 

Volkswagen has a huge range of desirable cars and the number of Polos, Golfs, Sciroccos, Beetles and Foxes available should be extensive enough for you to find a fairly exacting match.

Volkswagen was formed in 1937 and VW Group owns industry giants such as Audi, Seat and Bentley.  It’s had more than its fair share of iconic vehicles, including the Beetle and the VW Camper Van but it is now defined by its modern offerings which have attained a lofty status of their own.  The Golf and the Polo have been topping the charts since the 70s. 

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Ones to Watch: Geneva Motorshow 2012

The 82^nd Geneva Motorshow is just around the corner and this year, as ever, it looks like the world’s car manufacturers will be bringing some impressive new models and innovations.  MINI, Nissan, Ssanyong and Rinspeed have already shown us peeks of their concept cars and there have been images released of new small cars from Peugeot, Skoda and General Motors.  The article below rounds up the expected offerings from the major car companies around the world when they roll into Geneva on the 8^th of March 2012. 

Maserati – Gran Turismo Sport

Rinspeed – Dock and Go Concept

Ferrari  - California

BMW – 6 Series Grand Coupe + 4 new M performance vehicles

MINI – Clubvan Concept

Mitsubishi – New Outlander (Lineup of 13 new models)

Chevrolet – Cruze Station Wagon

Cadillac – ATS Compact Sedan

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Ecclestone Confident of Bahrain Grand Prix

Bernie Ecclestone is confident this year's Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead on April 22 despite reports of fresh violence in the country this week.
February 14 marked the one-year anniversary of the 'day of rage' when protests escalated into violent conflicts last year, and international media agencies claimed smaller clashes with security forces took place again on this year. According to the BBC a heavy police presence meant the centre of Manama remained quiet, but youths throwing rocks and petrol bombs were met by police hitting back with tear-gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades outside the capital.
"The only message I got was that there were some kids in trouble with the police," Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph. "We are planning to go. I've always said that if there was going to be any drama it would be on the 'day of rage'. They would have to do something then. People there seem confident that a race two months away will be alright."
He added: "The teams are not the slightest bit concerned. They seem happy that things will go ahead without problems. Last year was a more clear-cut decision not to go but things have changed a lot since then."
In the past week members of the UK parliament have written open letters in the Times newspaper both for and against the grand prix going ahead. Although a decision either way will be seen to have some political connotations, Ecclestone said safety is his only consideration.
"We've always been non-political," he said. "Any decision will be made on grounds of safety."
But an FIA spokesman said the "staging of a grand prix would be beneficial in bridging some of the difficulties Bahrain is experiencing".
A spokesman for the Bahrain International Circuit told CNN: "We are entirely confident that the race can be and will be an excellent event. The FIA has said that there is no reason why the grand prix should not go ahead. Jean Todt [FIA president] has been visiting Bahrain himself, keeping in constant contact. The FIA has said that there is no reason why the grand prix should not go ahead."
The unnamed spokesman also compared Bahrain's problems of the last twelve months with London's riots last August.
"There's no doubt that [in Bahrain] there have been some small riots, nothing like on the scale that we saw in London," he insisted. "There have been some public order disturbances, but on the kind of scale that Britain has endured many times."
He added: "When it comes to being in and around the track, the drivers and the teams will be extremely safe. Absolutely, totally confident about that."

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Your Career After Being Charged with DUI

If you go out parting together with your friends, you need to leave your car behind and employ a taxi instead. In case you leave the party drunk and you get stopped for driving under the influence, DUI charges can ruin your lifetime and have negative effects in lots of facets of your life. Many people believe that the DUI arrest happens when there is some sort of damage or injury. This isn't the case because the officer who pulls you over will arrest and ask you for for just being drunk and driving. Many laws have been put into effect to manage driving under the influence. In lots of countries the Department of Cars will revoke your licence if you're confronted with DUI charges. Whenever your licence is taken from only you get suspended, this can cripple most of your activities. You will have hardships dealing with work and also running your individual life.

If the licence is revoked and also you really should drive in order to restore normalcy in your lifetime, you are able to apply for DUI licence. This can be a special kind of licence which will only allow you to drive back and forth from work. You will not be allowed to use your car for any other reason whatsoever. There is a distinction between suspension and revocation of the licence. You can get restored from suspension in a short while but when your licence is revoked, the issue becomes complicated. You need to look for a phoenix dui attorney who will help in the application in order to retain your work. This is mostly ideal for those who have driving jobs.

When your licence is suspended, it also implies that you can't drive if you don't apply for a DUI licence. A good arizona dui lawyer can help you understand this licence. In case you have a sick one which you are taking proper care of, it can become quite tricky. Most judges will pay attention to the pleas of people that need to drive to work because of the nature of the work or even the distance involved. First time offenders often enjoy leniency in the courts and for these to get the DUI licence will be easy. Unfortunately from frequent offenders, the likelihood of being allowed DUI licence are extremely minimal as nothing appears to convince the court.

Once you have received the DUI licence, you need to remember to be always sober and not end up on wrong side from the law. After a certain period without any DUI incidents, your suspended licence will be reinstated and your record will be clean once again. A good lawyer can tell you about this and help you with the procedure. If you're able to avoid being charged with DUI, that might be the best option. DUI poses an excellent danger to a lot of facets of your life."

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MINI confirms entry to 2012 WRC

The Mini World Rally Team has confirmed its entry in the 2012 World Rally Championship, according to AUTOSPORT's sources.

MINI WRC car during the 2011 season.

The British-based team missed the original December 19 entry, but an announcement is expected this week to clarify Mini's position, joining Ford and Citroen as full manufacturers in the series.

As confirmed by the Monte Carlo Rally entry list - and revealed by AUTOSPORT - the team will only run one of its two factory drivers full-time in this year's WRC.

Spaniard Dani Sordo will maintain his seat in the #37 John Cooper Works WRC, while Kris Meeke misses the season opener in favour of paying private driver Pierre Campana.

AUTOSPORT's source in the FIA said: "We have an agreement that Mini will be registered as a manufacturer for this year's championship. We understand there are existing concerns over the position of the promoter - and particularly the implications for the sport's coverage in Germany, but we are addressing those concerns."

Mini's parent company BMW is known to be unhappy about the level of coverage in Germany and about the ongoing situation with North One Sports and the future of its parent company Convers Sports Initiatives, which is in administration.

While Mini has committed a car to the full world championship, it remains to be seen whether Sordo will compete in the most expensive rounds of the series, such as Rally New Zealand, or whether one of private Mini drivers takes the entry.

The source added: "This is not an ideal situation. Ideally we wanted, in fact everybody involved wanted, the original plan of two cars, two drivers: Sordo and Meeke doing all 13 rounds. That wasn't possible, so we had to find a solution which we have done. The priority here is that Mini is a manufacturer in the 2012 WRC."

Tensions are still believed to be running high between BMW in Munich and Prodrive, the Banbury-based team which developed and runs the factory Mini John Cooper Works WRCs.

As was announced at the team launch last year, Prodrive does has a contract with BMW to run its cars in the world championship until the end of next season.

Nobody from Prodrive was willing to comment on the firm's WRC commitments for the year ahead.
 
 
Article from Autosport.

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F1 2012 - Race Calendar

The 2012 F1 season is nearly upon us and the race calendar has been released with the season kicking off in Melbourne Australia on the 16th of March and ending with the 20th race on the 25th of Novermber in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

This season promises to be full of excitement; I personally hope it will be much more hotly contested, such that the champion will be decided in the last race. Vettel's domination, although impressive, did take the edge off the season towards the end as the result was already obvious; I have everything crossed that he will have some serious competition this year.

Click on the image below to enlarge.

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