Aussie Invader update

[TD]

From the AI Book of Face page (https://www.facebook.com/AussieInvader):

Thank you to the FIA/World Motor Sport Council who has listened to our arguments in connection with changing some of the ruling regarding unrestricted D class record attempts.

They have agreed to allow two timing traps, by adding the following Article to Appendix D:

?D6.2.6 Multiple Start and Finish Lines For record attempts by very high-speed vehicles where the potential speed exceeds 650 kph and the attempt is conducted at a naturally formed site (dry lake, salt flat, etc.), it is permitted to have one set of Start/Finish lines for the outbound run, and another set of Start/Finish lines for the return run in the opposite direction.
These Start/Finish lines may be positioned according to the competitor?s preference and not necessarily in the centre of the course total length. The outbound course Start/Finish and the return course Start/Finish may be located longitudinally on the same course centreline, or separately on two exactly parallel courses, provided that the distance between outbound course centreline and the return course centreline is no more than 100 metres.
If the competitor plans to simultaneously attempt both 1 mile and 1 kilometre records during the same outbound and return runs, the 1 kilometre Start/Finish must be centred within the timed 1 mile for both outbound and return courses.?

This article was approved at the October meeting of the World Motor Sport Council for application as from 1 January 2021 (will be included in the 2021 Appendix D).

Mark Read of the AI team wrote to the FIA in June requesting a modification to the timing regs.  The letter is visible in an earlier AI Book of Face post.

Enjoy / discuss.

Tim

PS Very glad the website is back, your prior hosting company deserves to go out of business treating customers in that way.

[MAYOMAN]

I guess that if you are running on solid wheels, without tires, this accommodates the issue that the course surface is destroyed on each run. That is why they cannot run solid wheels on the hard surface of the Bonneville salt flats. The salt doesn't yield, forming grooves, since the friction coefficient with the solid (non-rubber) wheels approaches zero for yaw (steering) stability the dry lake surface compliance is necessary. If the kilometer is centered in the mile timing traps, that accommodates running a rocket at full throttle to the center of the timing traps and coasting out the end. Same course geometry in each direction. Not certain that is the intent there. I assume the center point of both the mile/kilometer timing traps is colinear, not offset.

[TD]

As I understood it, from Mark Read's letter to the FIA, they believe it will take more distance to decelerate the car than it will to accelerate to maximum speed.  A symmetric track, e.g., one with the traps in the middle, would have to be excessively long.  Using two traps allows each to be positioned closer to the start, allowing for a shorter track.

The rule allowance for parallel tracks would take care of the per-run course damage, as you point out.

Tim

[BHR301]

This sounds suspiciously like "rewriting the rules to fit the car"...

[TD]

It is.   In his letter Mr. Read makes the case that the current 1-hour turnaround rule (a change from 30 minutes) was introduced around 1935 at the request of Malcolm Campbell, who wanted to change tires (tyres?) between runs. 

The FIM changed to 2 hours in the 80s to accommodate motorcycle streamliners. 

NHRA shorted the 1320 to 1000 feet when Top Fuel cars were reaching 300 MPH (and Scott Kalitta was killed).

So, this bench racer doesn't think this is some 'one way', 'peak speed', or 'short trap' thing.  There's a legitimate safety aspect to the request.

[TD]

The all-knowing forum software suggests I start a new topic rather than reply to the 'Rosco' thread, which was tracking progress, so here we are.

Rosco and his buddies have assembled and plumbed the AI5R's fuel and propellant tanks and are testing the blowdown system.   See the AI5R Book of Face page https://www.facebook.com/AussieInvader for photos, a video, and some verbage.  Enjoy.

Happy holidays
Tim

[Stan Back]

It doesn't like my face.
(it's not alone, I guess.)

[kiwi belly tank]

It doesn't like my face.
(it's not alone, I guess.)

If you don't do face book as I don't, click on "not now" .
  Sid.

[TD]

Rosco and his buddies are preparing to perform some preliminary tests on the AI5 fuel system.

https://www.facebook.com/AussieInvader/

Doing my bit to demonstrate the forum is working 

Tim

[TD]

Tests of the fuel system now finished:

https://mailchi.mp/e2e83c02785a/march-2022-news-update-from-rosco-and-the-aussie-invader-team

Enjoy.