WorldFirst

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The WorldFirst - Monoposto is a Formula 3 racing car study that is predominantly made from vegetable materials; For example, the rearview mirror housings are made from potatoes and the steering wheel is made from carrots and other root vegetables . It was developed by the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Center (WIMRC) at the University of Warwick .

Development team

The development team consisted of Dr. Kerry Kirwan, Dr. Steven Maggs, Ben Wood, Stephen Lambert and Project Leader James Meredith.

automobile

The developers describe the WorldFirst Monoposto as the first racing car built from sustainable and renewable raw materials . It was created with the help of the Lola Group, which contributed its experience in Formula 3 chassis development. Care was taken to ensure that the non-regenerative materials were obtained, manufactured and transported as environmentally friendly as possible .

The tank tray consists of epoxy resin impregnated , woven flax and hemp fibers . The barge board , which is also three-dimensionally woven from flax and other cellulosic fibers , was developed by the University of Ulster ; the front wing end plates comprise a twist-resistant, reinforced core and a sheathing made from a linen-cellulose- acetate mixture. The exterior mirrors have a housing made from a substance obtained from potatoes (PotatoPak) developed in New Zealand and a flax fiber cover . The side pods are made of glass fiber mats and epoxy resin obtained by recycling PET household waste, with flax fibers being used for the side pod cover instead of glass. The dampers and the engine cover are made from recycled carbon fibers . The engine itself is one of Scott Racing on biodiesel reconfigured BMW 2-liter turbo - diesel engine . He uses a mixture of chocolate waste and vegetable oil as fuel . The cooler is encased in a catalyst ( BASF PremAir ), which is said to be able to convert up to 80 percent of the ozone produced into molecular oxygen. A sequential six-speed gearbox from Hewland , which is said to be particularly low-friction, and lubricants based on vegetable oil from Fuchs are also used . The developers also chose to brake discs made of cast iron . Recycled, halogen-free polyolefins were used for the cable harness instead of PVC . Flax fibers impregnated with epoxy resin and soybean oil were used for the foam seat , in contrast to the commonly used petroleum- based materials. The steering wheel consists of a foam core of carrot fiber - polymer (Curran) is surrounded. The tires were manufactured by Avon without the use of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons .

Racing use

The WorldFirst racing car met all Formula 3 standards of 2009 with the exception of the biodiesel engine, which is not approved for use in this category. He was to contest his first race in October 2009 at the BRSCC F3 club series at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit . Since the vehicle or the engine did not comply with the regulations, participation in qualifying and races was only possible in a so-called "Invitation Class", i.e. a class for vehicles that were not homologated and therefore not eligible for points, although all drivers had to give their consent was needed. The lack of a signature ultimately prevented participation in qualifying and demo laps were completed instead of the race. The WorldFirst racing car was never used for racing. In the test before the race weekend, the young British racing driver Aaron Steele achieved a best lap time of 45.4 seconds in the WorldFirst car. (For comparison: The best qualifying time of the Formula 3 Euro Series from that year was 41.5 seconds, the best of the Formula Renault UK Series was 44.1 seconds.)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Brands Hatch BRSCC F3 ( Memento of 9 April 2013, Internet Archive ) worldfirstracing.co.uk
  2. ↑ Result qualifying Group A ( Memento from January 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 34 kB) f3euroseries.com
  3. ↑ Result qualifying Group B ( Memento from January 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 34 kB) f3euroseries.com
  4. ↑ http://www.tsl-timing.com/toca/2009/91403frn.pdf (link not available)