and worldwide homologation regulations that prevent
torn down and built up again with fresh parts following
GT Team then turns to the tuning tools available to them
for ride and aerodynamic performance.
“Basically, it is the setup that we change between the
two events,” offered Höllwarth. “Mainly, we look at
ride, cambers and downforce level. These are the primary
differences between the two tracks.”
“You must respect the bumps,” continued the man
championship. “We do this primarily through spring and
shock settings.”
number, and sequence of bumps – particularly through
as smooth and controllable as possible while absorbing
through the chassis that can fatigue parts and the driver.
Spring rates and ride height are also paramount in this
but also the aerodynamic effi ciency of the car. Getting
these ingredients right creates a fast and raceable car over
the full race distance.
it allows the engineers to run more negative camber in
offset from top to bottom. Negative camber will see the
top of the wheel assembly angled in, or more towards the
nering, this allows for the natural physical force to place
more of the Michelin tire on the ground, creating greater
advantage of this mechanical tool as it would put too
much stress on the tire and suspension while running on
Top speed on the two facilities also dictates changes to the
while giving up a slight bit of top speed on the straights.
The fi nal element to consider is the timing of the race itself.
“This race fi nishes at night,” Höllwarth notes. “We try to
maximize the setup for conditions at the end of 12 hours.
The Rolex 24 ends during the day, when it is warmer. At
Sebring, it will be dark and cooler. We will plan for that
and work our setup so the 911 RSR is the very best it can
be at the end. We want to be able to make the most of
the car’s performance in the fi nal hour.”
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