Clean C9
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The Sauber C9 (or Sauber-Mercedes C9 and 1990 Mercedes-Benz C9 ) was a Group C racing car , which from 1987 to April 1990 in the World Sportscar Championship (WSC) and the 24-hour race at Le Mans used has been. It replaced its predecessor, the Sauber C8 .
history
Built in 1987 as the successor to the C8 and as a continuation of the partnership between Sauber and Mercedes-Benz , the C9 contested its first season in the sports car world championship under Kouros Racing, a perfume brand owned by Yves Saint Laurent . Officially supported by Mercedes-Benz, the team only achieved twelfth place. Both cars retired at Le Mans. In 1988, the namesake and sponsor Kouros left, whereupon the team was renamed Sauber-Mercedes . With AEG-Olympia as sponsor, it achieved second place with five victories in the sports car world championship behind the Silk Cut Jaguar Team. However, the team suffered a setback at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Because of tire damage during training, Sauber withdrew the car.
With seven victories in the eight races, the team won the sports car world championship of the 1989 season. In qualifying for the 24-hour race in Le Mans, the C9 reached a speed of 389 km / h on the Mulsanne straight, the second highest speed ever here ever achieved, after a WM P88 , whose engine was destroyed during this action due to insufficient cooling. In the race, Manuel Reuter , Jochen Mass and Stanley Dickens won the race in the Sauber-Mercedes C9 with a distance of 5265.115 km. Second was the Sauber-Mercedes C9 driven by Mauro Baldi , Kenny Acheson and Gianfranco Brancatelli , the third Sauber-Mercedes came in fifth.
At the season opener of the 1990 World Championship on April 8th in Suzuka, the C9s started one last time in a race - now as the Mercedes-Benz C9 - and finished with a double victory.
Six Sauber C9s were built (two each in 1987, 1988 and 1989). In 1987 and 1988 they were painted dark blue, but after the official commitment of Mercedes-Benz, they had been silver since the beginning of 1989.
engine
The engine installed behind the driver ( mid-engine ) of the C9 was initially a V-8 cylinder, type M 117 , with a light-alloy cylinder block that had been further developed for racing and had been used in Mercedes-Benz series sedans since 1969. Like the series engine, this unit had an overhead camshaft driven by a timing chain per cylinder bank and two valves per cylinder. In the racing engine, the cylinder sliding surfaces were coated with Nikasil and had oil-cooled pistons. Titanium parts reduced the weight by twelve kilograms. A special crankshaft with counterweights, which should enable a speed of 9000 rpm, was not used.
In 1989 the M117 engine was replaced by the M119 with four-valve technology and two camshafts per cylinder bank. With this engine, the maximum torque increased from 810 to 825 Nm, and the pressure of the turbocharger could be briefly increased to 1.2 bar, which resulted in an output of up to 590 kW (800 hp) in the qualification.
Due to the Group C regulations, consumption was allowed to be a maximum of 51 liters per 100 kilometers, which required the driver to be extremely careful in order to obtain the necessary performance in every situation, but on the other hand not to exceed the consumption limit.
Chassis, suspension and body
The chassis of the C9 is an aluminum monocoque that weighs only 48 kg. The wheels are suspended from double wishbones, each with a spring-damper unit. The rear coil springs and dampers are installed horizontally and lengthways and act on the wheel suspension via deflection levers. This arrangement was necessary because of the special shape of the body, which achieved the ground effect that was common at the time and increased the pressure of the vehicle on the road.
statistics
Le Mans results for the Sauber-Mercedes team
| year | Start no. | driver | placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 61 62 |
Mauro Baldi, James Weaver , Jochen Mass Klaus Niedzwiedz , Kenny Acheson |
withdrawn withdrawn |
| 1989 | 61 62 63 |
Mauro Baldi, Kenny Acheson, Gianfranco Brancatelli Jean-Louis Schlesser , Jean-Pierre Jabouille , Alain Cudini Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter, Stanley Dickens |
2nd place 5th place 1st place |
Technical specifications
| Sauber-Mercedes C9 | 1987/88 | 1989/90 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine: | V8-cylinder biturbo | |
| Engine type: | M117 | M119 |
| Bore × stroke: | 96.5 x 85 mm | |
| Displacement : | 4973 cc | |
| Racing performance: | 515 kW (700 hp) at 7000 rpm | 530 kW (720 hp) at 7000 rpm |
| Valves: | 2 per cylinder | 4 per cylinder |
| Camshafts (on top): | 1 per cylinder bank | 2 per cylinder bank |
| Charge: | 1 KKK turbocharger for each cylinder row with intercooler | |
| Boost pressure: | 0.5 to 0.9 bar | Max. 1.2 bar |
| Injection: | Bosch Motronic 1.7 | Bosch Motronic 2.7 |
| Transmission: | Five-speed racing transmission (based on Hewland VGC) with transmission oil cooler ; Three- disc sintered metal dry clutch |
|
| Chassis: | Self-supporting aluminum monocoque made of 1.2–2 mm thick sheet metal | |
| Suspension: | front and rear double wishbones, coil springs and gas pressure dampers |
|
| Brakes: | Internally ventilated metal or CFC brake discs with four-piston brake calipers | |
| Wheelbase: | 2700 mm | |
| Tires (front / rear): | Michelin 13 "× 17" / 14.5 "× 19" Good-Year 13 "× 17" / 14.5 "× 18" |
|
| Body: | Body made of plastic reinforced with carbon and aramid fibers in sandwich construction | |
| External dimensions: | 4800 × 1980 × 1070 mm | |
| Tank capacity: | 99 liters | |
| Empty weight: | approx. 900 kg | |
| Top speed: | over 400 km / h | |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Klaus-Achim Peizmeier: "Silver Arrows" - return of a legend. ECO Verlag, Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-933468-81-7 .
- ^ Motor classic. Issue 1/1990, p. 140.
- ↑ auto motor and sport. Issue 22/1987, p. 12.
- ↑ a b Norbert Haug: The steering sport task. In auto, motor and sport. Issue 9/1988, pp. 294-303.
- ↑ Motor Classic. Issue 1/1990 and ams. Issue 22/1987.
- ^ Information from Sauber AG by email on April 14, 2010.