Chassis

Development of the new chassis will focus around the tried and tested designs used over the past three years. Every opportunity will of course be taken to reduce weight while maintaining structural strength.

For the first time the team are using carbon fibre. We were unsure if we could machine and drill this material but all is well. The chassis is 3mm thick and is less than half the weight of the aluminium we have used in previous years.

The chassis has been made and the best possible arrangement of the internal components has been found by investigating the balance point of the chassis. By centralising the centre of gravity on the chassis the car will retain its best possible handling characteristics. The addition of rear suspension and a differential in the power train has resulted in the engine being pushed slightly to one side. A larger drive belt has also been used to ensure clearance around the rear wheel. Initial testing has shown that the benefit provided by the rear differential far outweighs the cost of pushing the engine slightly out of balance.

The arrangement of components on the chassis is also limited by the need for access. The plug is needed to start the engine, batteries may need to be replaced and the fuel tank will require access in between races.

The majority of work on this years chasis is going to be focussed on developing a disc brake system and fitting it to the system.

  

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