How and when will top-tier simulation tools filter down to mid-tier professional series and even through to grassroots-level? William Kimberley, Editor of Race Tech Magazine, says a forthcoming cloud-based simulation suite offers a few clues.
WHY OUR HEADS ARE IN THE CLOUD!
As competition in mid-tier professional race series continues to increase, pursuit of the next performance improvement gets even more fierce. While physical track testing is undeniably one of the most valuable methods to increase the performance of a racing programme, relying entirely on physical testing is inefficient from both a time and money perspective.
On top of the cost of fuel, tyres, track preparation, and the associated wear and tear on components, experimental uncertainty due to ever-changing conditions can disguise or at times even mislead teams on perceived performance gains. Physical testing strategies such as returning to a baseline setup multiple times throughout a test can quantify some of the experimental noise in the test results but changes in ambient temperature, wind, driver adaptation, tyre wear, tyre temperature, and other factors are often nearly impossible to quantify.
Many of the factors that create this uncertainty (or noise) during a physical test can be all but eliminated in simulation. Thus, simulation plays a pivotal role in efficient utilisation of physical track test time. Simulations in Formula 1, NASCAR, the World Rally Championship, and IndyCar have been used to complement physical testing and increase team performance for decades. Read more here
A year ago, a case study was presented in this PRI issue of Race Tech reporting on an exploration of the usefulness of simulation to a few Late Model Dirt racing teams. The level of utility found in those simulations brought up even more questions which led to further development of the Dirt Late Model simulation package. Based on feedback from this case study and Claytex’s extensive motorsports experience, construction of a web-based setup management and simulation platform for Dirt Late Model racers has commenced. The first version of this tool will soon be available at www.myracesims.com.
The cloud-based simulation suite will allow simulations to be run in the cloud and the results overlaid in a web browser. The subscription-based simulation platform has a database back end which allows you to create and store events, parts and setups, as well as run simulations and analyze results. Learn more
If you have any questions or for more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Telephone: +44 1926 885900 — Email: sales@claytex.com