Carbon Brakes A1 Test car single seater car preparation for formula 1 test team A1 Ferrari based cars with carbon brakes and discs F1 career racing driver

Make your A1 / F1 dream come true -

Test drive a Formula Renault with carbon brakes and carbon fibre discs in South Africa on a world class race track to be able to handle an A1 Ferrari or F1 GP single seater race car with Carbon brakes!

Learning to drive a race car with Carbon Brakes.

Carbon Brakes they take getting used to! Gain an advantage on your competition by testing in a state of the art race car with carbon brakes. Braking distances are very different with the carbon braking system, if you can master this feature your lap times will decrease dramatically.

The Sunshine Testing program has two Formula Renault V6 race cars. These cars feature sequential gearbox with steering mounted paddle shift gears, left foot braking with carbon fibre disc brakes and pads. The 3500cc V6 develops 370bhp & propels drivers to over 290km/hour. This unique single seater testing program is designed to attract all aspiring Formula 1 drivers, affording them the opportunity to test in South Africa and prepare them for the transition to a world class race car.

The benefit of travelling to South Africa to attend the Sunshine Testing program is that it is highly affordable and drivers have track exclusivity on F.I.A approved race circuits in ideal, near perfect weather conditions. Testing is done at the world renowned Kyalami race track and/or at Phakisa Freeway, an international multipurpose motorsport facility.

Testing Info:

On arrival we will discuss our full testing program to get the most out of the time available ensuring the program is adjusted to suit your particular needs. During testing the up-and-coming racing talents use ship-to-shore radio and electronic display steering wheels. The sessions start off with familiarity of the track in a road car. From here they progress to the Formula Renault V6 for the day's testing. The program includes simulated pit stop scenarios. After each session data is downloaded and analyzed with the driver, helping him to achieve his objective.

Track Info:

Kyalami Race Track is based in Midrand Johannesburg and is the top motorsport venue in the country: The home of Formula 1 in South Africa from 1967 to 1985 and again in 1992 & 1993. It has hosted many epic duels in both F1 and other international sports racing cars.

Phakisa Race Track is based in Welkom South Africa. It boasts a 4.24km race circuit and is rated one of the safest tracks on the GP tour. It is 12m wide throughout and has 14 turns; 5 left and 9 right-hand. The straights are relatively long and good top speeds are achieved. There are no chicanes which make for fast and flowing testing sessions.

Package Info: The package includes all transport, accommodation and meals.

Accommodation in Johannesburg is at the four star Gold Reef City Hotel and Casino, based in a created theme town capturing the heritage of early Johannesburg during the gold rush era. South Africa has much to offer and we recommend extending your stay for a few days to capture the essence of our country and the beauty of our Land.

Experience the magic of the internationally renowned Sun City Hotel and Casino then discover the true Africa in the adjacent Pilansberg Nature reserve with game drives where you will encounter the Big Five.

Contact:

Email: info@sunshinetesting.com

Website: www.sunshinetesting.com

 

A1 GP new Ferrari - NEWS From A1gp.com - click here

Watts the new car like? Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Racing driver and former A1 Team Great Britain rookie Danny Watts put thousands of miles on the first generation of A1GP car. He was recently called back to help test the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car, and is therefore perfectly placed to compare the two. In an exclusive feature column for A1GP.com, Watts describes what it feels like driving the new 600bhp+ A1GP Powered by Ferrari car. And he says it’s rather good.

A1GP is going to take a massive step forward this season. The A1GP Powered by Ferrari car is bold and striking. But from what I’ve experienced, everyone has put a massive amount of effort in and it is an excellent car. And I’m not just saying that because A1GP asked me back to test the new car. I really mean it – and I’ll tell everyone who asks me too.

The new car is such a pleasure to drive and it should race well. I had several good runs in it, in both wet and dry conditions, and I must say, it is a step up in every department. There is noticeably more power, and it feels very smooth all the way through the torque curve. From a driver’s point of view this makes the car really drivable, in every gear and in every rev range. That was a real positive for me. The gear shift is still a paddle shift operated on the steering wheel, and it’s very easy to use and very quick. In terms of aerodynamics, it’s another move up. It just has so much more grip in the high speed corners. I remember how the old car handled at one particular corner at Silverstone – Copse.

I would have to change down a gear to fifth, but in the new car I was taking it in sixth gear with just a tiny bit of brake. But with more tuning and a bit of set-up work it would only need just a slight lift of the throttle. It has that much grip.

The last car had steel brakes, but the carbon fibre brakes used in the new car are a big difference. Not only because the braking distances are much, much shorter and they, by their very nature, perform better, but also because the aerodynamics mean that you can brake later and deeper into the corner than before. That is especially true going from a high speed straight into a low speed, second gear corner.

I also got to try out the PowerBoost button – and let me tell you – it is going to be fantastic to watch. It’s probably going to be a difference of about 60bhp and it really could be crucial in a passing move. It handles pretty much the same as the last system and it makes a big difference. If you get a good exit out of a corner, then it will definitely be worth pressing the PowerBoost button and you should be able to pull up alongside another car, if not get by them. People will worry that the carbon brakes will mean shorter braking distances and that it could be harder to overtake, but because you have more power in general, it will mean it is far easier to make a mistake exiting a corner, simply because you have that grunt to control. This will give drivers the chance to come up alongside and overtake into the next corner.

I was told my lap times were about two seconds per lap quicker than they were in the multi-car test session last year. But I wasn’t working on performance. That previous best was done by the teams having had two years development time on the first generation car. If it is a lap two seconds quicker now, with the development that the teams will put it under in the heat of battle, I’d say there is another two to three seconds to be found. It could be about four to five seconds per lap quicker – and that’s even being realistic rather than just saying any number.

The potential to go quicker than the old car is immense. I also got a good run in the wet and I couldn’t believe the amount of grip the Michelin tyres produced. I did a run where it was damp in places but drying, and normally in conditions like these I would expect those sort of tyres to get chewed up, however, they still had a huge amount of grip, which was particularly noticeable in the high speed corners. Overall, the car was very, close to where it should be in terms of set-up – the basic balance of the car is very, very good.

For those drivers that had experience of the old car, I’d say they would have to treat it like its older brother. They will need to give him respect and learn what they can from him. You can brake later, you can go faster in the high speed corners because of the greater aerodynamic downforce, and faster in the slow speed corners because of the improved mechanical grip. But the power hike is such that you have to be careful coming out of slow speed corners and applying the throttle. In terms of general driving pleasure it was just excellent. I can’t say that enough. Roll on season 2008/09.

The A1GP Powered by Ferrari car Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Click here

The new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car is designed to the highest standards with the aim of providing a high-performance single-seater to A1GP’s core values of exciting racing on a level playing field. Despite its youth, A1GP has already cemented its position in the upper echelons of international motorsport by signing a six-year deal with legendary Italian sportscar name Ferrari to manufacture and supply all A1GP engines and consult on the design and manufacture of all A1GP chassis from this season. While commercially the series is going from strength to strength, it is the fiercely competitive on track action that is pulling in the crowds as A1GP tours the globe. The chassis is based on the design of the highly successful F2004 chassis, incorporating A1GP’s core values to deliver close racing among a competitive field where overtaking is an essential part of the entertainment.

POWERBOOST Each car is equipped with a unique PowerBoost system, a mechanism to provide short bursts of increased power to create additional overtaking opportunities and action throughout the race. By changing the engine’s parameters, the system can give the driver additional power over a limited time during each race to take the A1GP Powered by Ferrari car to 600 bhp. The PowerBoost is driver-activated by a button mounted on the steering wheel. The driver will be able to use this for a predetermined period during the Sprint and Feature races. TYRES Michelin will be A1GP’s exclusive partner for the next three seasons.

The tyres’ technological development results from close co-operation between A1GP and Michelin engineers. The designs stem from Formula One technologies that seek to offer both optimal performance and safety to the driver. Full rubber serration tests were performed on various tracks such as Fiorano, Imola, Jerez and Mugello resulting in the best compromise between grip, endurance and wear. Michelin shall remain present in the paddock while guaranteeing high-quality service throughout the championship. The use of this high-technology product by various teams shall be supervised under the watchful and expert eye of a skilled Michelin technician.

Chris van der Drift Donington test summary - click here

Racing series A1GP

Date 2008-09-12

Chris van der Drift drives new A1GP-Ferrari DONINGTON, It's official. The new 'Powered by Ferrari' Black Beauty has come to life. With season four of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport only three weeks away, A1 Team New Zealand has completed a very successful shakedown test of their brand new, Powered by Ferrari A1GP race car. European based Kiwi driver Chris van der Drift became the first New Zealander to take the wheel of a top level Ferrari powered single seat race car since Chris Amon in the 1960's. At the helm of Black Beauty, van der Drift completed more than 70 laps for A1 Team New Zealand at the Donington Park circuit this Thursday (UK time). Wet conditions met the team when they arrived at the Donington track but by the end of the morning session the surface had dried completely and the team successfully performed installation laps on the engine and chassis components.

The only holdup for the team was a throttle adjustment at the lunch break. The afternoon session saw van der Drift start to push the new car's performance thresholds and with a dry track and two new sets of tyres, he set the fourth quickest lap time for the day. Team Malaysia topped the time sheets at the end of the test session. The new 'Powered by Ferrari' A1GP race car is a significant step forward from the previous Lola built A1GP racer, with van der Drift already reporting the new car to be "very balanced, very stable and a big step forward for A1GP".

Upgrades over the first generation A1GP car include carbon fibre brakes which allow much later braking before a corner, and a new Ferrari engine with increased engine power, up from 550bhp to 600bhp. A brand new Ferrari chassis completes the package that will wear the distinct, all black livery from now on.

read the entire article here

Adrian Zaugg testing the Formula Renault with Carbon Fibre Brakes - July 2008 Kyalami Race Track South Africa