Mystery gadget on some of the Ford's at QR

[TheTaipan]

Looking back through some of the pics I noticed some of the cars have a black gadget on the A pillar.

Courtney on both sides, Gizz on the driver's side, Lowndes on the passenger side and higher up.

DJR, PCR and the 88 cars didn't run with it.

My first assumption was an airvent, but on the closeup photos, it doesn't seem to be an opening for anything. Second idea is as a data gathering device? If so why does Courtney need two???

see my flickr photo set for examples:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonle...7603909127849/

[fordlover]

like the one on this pic of mine?

http://www.automopho.net/album/album.../IMG_21940.jpg

closeup

[STEALTHY]

Looks like an air vent. Theres a small opening, maybe about 5mm (which at 200kph would provide enough air for whatever its needed for)

[Armageddon]

They are air vents, some teams where useing them last year.

[glenn_a]

Air vents, Triple 8 has run them for the last few years, maybe the other teams are trailling them for the hot cabin temps at Clispal.

[NewsStalker]

A number of teams have used them on and off for many years - especially in the hooter and enduro events. Some channel the air directly to the driver, others have just brought the outside air into the cabin as a form of 'air conditioning'.

The difference appears to be that these are now moulded intakes and outside the body (maybe a rule change has allowed these? OH&S for instance ) - in the past, they have just been the large 6" tubes att5ached to a window trying to get air inside.

[Also a Believer]

Lol NewsStalker I can understand why you need the vents at the hooter enduro.

[Razor]

It is an airhose carbonfibre end tip that mounts on the door which is connected to either the drivers helmet or race suit, to provide cooling in hotter rounds (eg: Clipsal 500). That carbon tip is ment to be less of an aero disturbance than a conventinal exposed air hose end.

[RotorFan]

Its still compulsory for teams to have the vent in the roof isn't it? Doesn't this provide enough air?

V8 Supercars should write articles about these kinds of things and put it on their website, like the F1 website does with new technologies featured on cars. I guess theres just not that much innovation externally visible on the cars.

[Denosaur]

Still compulsory to have the vent in the roof, but word form the teams is that it doesn't collect much air. Would need a WRC style scoop over the top of it to collect a decent amount of air. Some might say that it would then probably disturb the air flow to the rear wing, as was said about the rear window intakes.

Obviously T8 may have discovered something in the aero lab, and are running with in. Mind you, if you happen to own a BA/BF XR8 you'll find that the air flow off the bonnet bulge moves out toward the outer edges of the windscreen. At that particular point, with that scoop they are able to pick up some accelerated air flow and shoot it down the hose to the driver. Explains why some of the Ford team wanted to switch to the regular bonnet a couple of years ago, as the XR8 bonnet bulge punches a decent size air hole in front of the windscreen.

RotorFan your right, we need some sort of F1 style tech insight into the cars. With the pit lane meant to open now and nothing can be covered up, they should talk more about whats going on.

[WebberForWDC]

Originally Posted by RotorFan

Its still compulsory for teams to have the vent in the roof isn't it? Doesn't this provide enough air?

The roof air vent is crap isn't it?

It's the same NACA Flush Inlet as some teams use in their perspex windows, but about 1/10th the size, bound to be completely useless.

[WebberForWDC]

Originally Posted by Denosaur

Obviously T8 may have discovered something in the aero lab, and are running with in.

Haven't they been using these since the late 90s/early 2000s?

Even Larkham Motorsport can afford them, I doubt they ever went to an aero lab! http://i.pbase.com/u41/cmanaginged/l..._4658Large.jpg

[Denosaur]

Originally Posted by WebberForWDC

Haven't they been using these since the late 90s/early 2000s?

Even Larkham Motorsport can afford them, I doubt they ever went to an aero lab! http://i.pbase.com/u41/cmanaginged/l..._4658Large.jpg

You just don't know what T8 are up to with there base oversea's. In this day and age when the teams are trying to find every last second they can, they'll look at anything.

Anyway, if Larko or T8 didn't go to the aero lab with these, someone else probably did at some stage. Then again, they might not have. I'm many referring to the much published PMM aero test we have all herd about recently, what's not to say that T8 didn't check some of this stuff whilst homoligating the BF aero pack??

[panel damage]

Conspiracy Theorist are at it again.

For the record - the other gadget you can see in that picture is a Mirror, most drivers dont know what its for and it doesnt get used.

[sizzle]

Originally Posted by panel damage

For the record - the other gadget you can see in that picture is a Mirror, most drivers dont know what its for and it doesnt get used.

[WebberForWDC]

Didn't 00 Motorsport or maybe Kelly Racing first have these around 2000-2001.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by panel damage

For the record - the other gadget you can see in that picture is a Mirror, most drivers dont know what its for and it doesnt get used.

a true word spoken in Jest. HRT only started using them last year. as did many of the commodores, i believe they were only made mandatory last year

[RotorFan]

I thought they ran with the hole in the roof over the protruding air vent because the hole produced enough air. They still have the earlier air vent on the PR2 ride car - I think it looks kind of cool

I wonder what effect this type of air vent has on the aero.