Bridgestone Potenza RE-11

Thanks to Tim for the heads up on this one.

I have been enjoying the advantages of the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R tires on the track as well as on the road in 2008 and now Bridgestone has pulled out all the stops to introduce an F1 based tire that will provide even more extreme grip.

Here is a quote from Tire Rack:

The Potenza RE-11 is an Extreme Performance Summer tire developed for enthusiastic sports car, sports coupe and performance sedan drivers. The Potenza RE-11 is designed to combine traction, handling and driving control with good noise and ride comfort. The Potenza RE-11 is tuned for dry and wet conditions, but like all summer tires is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

The Potenza RE-11 is the first Potenza street tire to incorporate Bridgestone’s 3D Seamless Stealth technology originally introduced in their Formula 1 and GP2 racing tires. The Potenza RE-11 features an asymmetric tread pattern that combines massive outboard independent shoulder blocks interlocked with a notched circumferential intermediate rib that provides the lateral stiffness needed to enhance steering response and increase dry cornering traction. Inboard, a continuous intermediate rib and notched shoulder rib are separated by wide, straight circumferential grooves that provide water evacuation to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction.

The tire’s internal structure features a custom designed asymmetric shape that helps distribute footprint pressure more evenly by keeping the straighter outboard sidewall from “falling down” while helping the more rounded inboard sidewall resist “falling away” during aggressive cornering. Two wide steel belts reinforced by spirally wound nylon provide strength, uniform ride quality and high-speed capability.

 This tire has been available outisde of the US for almost a year.  Here is a YouTube video of a Japanese news clip on the tire.

Looks like the track budget is blown again.

Indy Racing Experience in Orlando

Noel and I have been all about cars and driving since…well…let’s just say, a long time.  He sent me this note on his track time in an open wheeled Indy car that was just too good not to share:

Hey Jim,

I just did the Indy Racing Experience in Orlando. It was so much fun I
can’t stop grinning. I’ve wanted to drive an open wheel race car for a
very long time and just had the opportunity. The cars are real Indy
cars (all have raced at Indy), with smaller engines, but they still go
pretty good with about 250 hp in a 1500 lb. car. (Engines will be
upgraded to about 400 hp later this year) The aerodynamics are set to
put about 500 lbs of downforce on the car so they stick like glue to
the turns on the track, a 1-mile tri-oval with turns banked at 10, 8.5
and 7 degrees.

You suit up in full Nomex, head scarf, helmet, driving shoes, Nomex
gloves. They brief you on the switches and controls and track
procedures, then strap you in, bolt on the 9″ steering wheel and
cockpit shroud, and you fire it up. You go out following a lead car at
about 6 lengths back. The driver of that car (IRL driver Davey
Hamilton in my case) shows you the line and keeps upping the speed if
you can keep up. As I ran up on him down the straights he added speed.
This is YOU driving the car, not some fake Disney ride, and the 5
releases you have to sign make it clear you are responsible for
whatever happens to you if you screw the pooch. They ask for your
health insurance provider, emergency contact, next of kin, etc.

Since the gearboxes have straight-cut gears they don’t want you
shifting, so you get a push start in 5th gear and do eight laps. My
car was actually in 4th and was hitting the rev limiter so they
brought me in, restarted me again in 5th and gave me 12 laps in all.
Because you are right down on the ground with your eyeballs about 24
inches off the pavement and the perspective is totally different from
being in a sedan or even a low sports car. It makes the line in
corners look a lot different which takes some getting used to.
Between the engine behind you, the wind and the vibration of the car,
the noise level is incredible. But the feel of the car is amazing!
These cars are *alive* and a joy to drive. The g-forces in the corners
are so much more than what you can do in a street car and with the
downforce the car really tracks through the corners, but you really
have to steer the car and focus hard while pulling a G or two. You’re
really glad you’re strapped in tight and that there’s no wiggle room
in the cockpit. What was interesting is how easy the cars are to
drive, at least at below real racing speeds. They are just solid,
stable machines meant to make going fast easy. I know that at racing
speeds in traffic it’s a whole different world, but I can see being
able to lap at 80% of racing speeds (without traffic) after a few days
of practice and some training.

It’s only 8 laps, so it’s a bit pricey for what you get at $400, but
if you’re so inclined it’s absolutely worth it. Now I gotta save up
for a real open wheel driving school. And (heh-heh-heh) it looks like
I might be coming back to this area in a couple of months, so maybe
I’ll have to do it again. This same track has the Richard Petty
Driving Experience, but those cars do nothing for me. My lap times
were well above the NASCAR guys, and I asked the Indy guys about the
difference and they said the NASCAR rides go pretty good, but the Indy
cars are all about the corners and pulling the Gs. Which they do just
fine.

Noel

Track Inspections – Tech Day Saturday

Yesterday was a day set aside to do track inspections at Performance Chassis where I work during the week.  Track inspections are a necessity for those that want to participate in HPDE (High Performance Driving Education) or Time Trials at many of the road courses in this part of the country.

I arrived a half hour early to empty out the garage bays and blow the leaves out that the wind had deposited the day before.  There is a bit of a wind tunnel between the buildings that seems to cause every leaf in the neighborhood to blow into our garage bays.

The first cars arrived, some on trailers and some driven in.  We had several members of Tar Heel Sports Car Club (THSCC) to assist with the process of checking the mechanical condition of all the cars that wanted to be inspected for track use.

The check list is pretty straight forward, filled with things that everyone should check prior to going on track.  Battery hold down, wheel bearings play, ball joint and tie rod end condition, etc.  All the items are on a check off sheet available on the THSCC web site. 
Probably one of the more important things checked is the age of the brake fluid.  This is critical for a car that will be subjected to the rigors of the track.  Pad thickness as well, of course.

By noon we had had several cars checked out and passed.  That included their windshield sticker that would be inspected prior to any events this year.  We also checked their helmets to make certain that they were at least SA2000 certified.  In another year they will have to be SA2005 as a minimum.  Motorcycle helmets are not allowed as they do not adhere to the standards required for use in a car.

One of the more interesting cars that were tech inspected was a Nissan GT-R.  Yes, it was very impressive and the owner enjoyed seeing it up on the lift where he could inspect the underside.  I was impressed, too.  While it was not as smoothly covered as a Corvette or Ferrari, it obviously had a lot of work done to ensure the underside adhered to aerodynamic demands. Only a small center section was open, the rest was covered with carefully formed panels interrupted by specifically chosen ducts.  The real interesting thing for me was to see how power was transferred to create this all wheel drive car.  Since the engine is mounted longitudinal, a torque tube sent power to the rear transaxle and a driveshaft then sent power to a differential for the front wheels.  Quite a feat of engineering, I must say.

It was an interesting day where we all got to look at Porsche, Honda, BMW, Mazda, and other makes of cars in the most intimate inspections.  It gave one a chance to really compare the different engineering approaches taken in the design and execution.

There will be another inspection day in two weeks.  I can hardly wait.

Danica Patrick – Habitual Speeder

Caught going 54 mph in a 35 zone Danica paid a fine of $196 to the Scottsdale City Court in Arizona.

On December 9 of last year she was pulled by the Scottsdale police while driving her 2007 Mercedes.  Over a year ago she was ticketed for speeding at 57 mph in a 40 mph zone by the Scottsdale police and the court ordered her to attend a traffic school as a result.

Scottsdale Court records indicate that these are but two of several that she has recieved in the last three years. 

Maybe she should move to Massachusetts where people routinely travel those speeds and higher, the heck with the posted limits.

Marital Bliss F1 Style

Many thanks to Lee for this one.  Patrese takes his wife on a fast lap.