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F1 AND AMERICA'S CUP FIND COMMON GROUND - TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
Thu May 18 16:15:00 CEST 2006 Press Release
In terms of speed and horsepower, an F1 race car is more than 10 times faster than an America's Cup yacht, but in terms of technology they have much in common. The two worlds came together in Valencia this week when BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld and BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen sailed with the BMW ORACLE Racing team.
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Roy Oliemuller
BMW Group
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Valencia, Spain. In terms of speed and horsepower, an F1 race car is more than
10 times faster than an America's Cup yacht, but in terms of technology they
have much in common. The two worlds came together in Valencia this week when
BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld and BMW Motorsport Director Mario
Theissen sailed with the BMW ORACLE Racing team.
The sailing team was competing in the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 10, as part of
the build-up to the America's Cup in 2007 and the BMW Sauber F1 Team had just
finished in the points at the Spanish Grand Prix. BMW ORACLE Racing, which went
on to win the regatta, is the sole US challenger for the America's Cup and had
just launched USA 87, its first of two new yachts for 2007.
F1 engineers, in common with America's Cup designers, are constantly seeking to
build the stiffest and lightest possible carbon-fibre structures. BMW engineers
have worked closely with the BMW ORACLE Racing team on the structural
engineering of USA 87. Prof. Dr Raymond Freymann, head of BMW's Research and
Technology Division, said he believed USA 87 was the lightest America's Cup
yacht ever built. "And," he added, "our goal is to make the second boat even
lighter."
The technology has transferred in both directions. Professor Theissen, BMW
Motorsport Director, said: "It was a surprise to me that the first contact
between BMW ORACLE Racing and the BMW Sauber F1 team was not to ask for
support, but to offer something.
"The BMW engineers in the BMW ORACLE Racing design eam developed a simulation
software to optimize carbon fibre structures. This software is being used now
in the design of the F1 chassis as well," said Mr Theissen.
Both sports also deal in very high level aerodynamics, the yachts to generate
maximum power with the least drag, F1 cars to generate maximum downforce.
In both cases, sophisticated computational fluid dynamics are applied, along
with wind tunnel testing. After racing with the team, Heidfeld noted that even
though he was used to speeds of more than 300km/hr, America's Cup racing was
exciting. "I could see that you have to have very fast reactions, but the
difference is that you are not alone. Everybody has to work together as a team
and that is a big challenge."
Tomorrow BMW ORACLE Racing is shifting gears from match racing to three days of
fleet racing in the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 11.
For further information please contact:
BMW Group
Nicole Stempinsky
Public Relations, Sportscommunication
Tel.: +49 89 382 51584
E-Mail: nicole.stempinsky@bmw.de
Michael Kirsch
Head of Public Relations
Tel.: +49 89 382 25111
E-Mail: michael.kirsch@bmw.de
Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-Mail: presse@bmw.de