Mario was measuring stagger--the outside diameter of the tires--critical in oval racing. I recall reading that it was of particular importance to adjust the stagger in the Lotus 78 and 79 ground effect cars. Mario said at the time that varying the stagger made a perceptible difference in performance.
CORRECTION: stagger is the circumference of the tires on each corner. I mistakenly said outside diameter, my bad.
As opposed to the circumference of the tyres in the middle of the car? In all seriousness, I'm having difficulty with the concept of stagger. Do you have a good diagram you could refer me to? All the best, Andrew.
Stagger is the difference in tire circumference between the left and right side tires. Front stagger would be comparing the RF to the LF, and rear stagger would be the RR to the LR. Stagger is used on oval tracks, with the right side tires being larger than the left. Side stagger is rarely used on a road course (though having the rear bigger than the front is not uncommon). For ovals, a larger tire on the right side allows both left and right sides to rotate the same number of turns through the corner. This is especially important for cars that have locked axles. If the tires try to turn by different amounts, one side or both will lose traction and slip. How stagger affects handling Too little rear stagger will try to push the car to the outside wall on turn exit. To much will make the car loose under power, as one or both of the rear tires will end up slipping (since they aren't turning at the same speeds). Too little front stagger will show up as a push into the corner. Too much will pull the car to the left hard under braking. Don't assume that because a car is loose or tight that it needs a change in stagger. The best approach is to get the stagger as close to optimum as you can determine and then leave it alone, unless you see an issue that points specifically to the stagger.
I believe it is the circumference of a tire on one side of the axle relative the other. Not sure about relative front to rear or corner to corner, still on my first cup of coffee.
Well, I maybe wrong on this (it is after all almost 40 years old and I can't search the archives right now) but I seem to recall that the diff was actually not truly locked, but a very limited slip differential. I seem to recall that at the beginning, Lotus let intentionaly people believe that the superiority of the car might be attributed (among other beliefs) to a locked diff, but actually it still has "some percentage" of slip. But I'm nitpicking here... Autocourse back in time: the Lotus 79 | News | Motorsport.com Rgds
Dayum! I obviously don't recall correctly! Must have been a little earlier then; '77 or '78. As for measuring tire circumference, I do remember doing that back in my F3 days, which was in the same timeframe. We'd 'over inflate' the smaller one to 'stretch' it to match the larger one. Was certainly not a Mario 'idea'. Cheers, Ian
McLaren gives Alonso deadline for 2015 decision | News | Motorsport.com McLaren has warned Fernando Alonso he is running out of time to commit to the British team for the 2015 season. Media reports in the last days have suggested the Spaniard, whose five-year stint at Ferrari appears definitely over, has now decided to re-join McLaren to spearhead the team's new works Honda era. Italy's Tuttosport said the contract is for two years with a total value of EUR 70 million. On a visit this week to Mexico City's rejuvenating F1 venue for 2015, however, Alonso denied the reports. "There is nothing new," he insisted. "I have decided nothing for next year - nothing is definite yet. "With Ferrari I am seeing what is the best decision for next year, whether I continue or not, but I will try to choose what is best for my future. "I have something in my head, but every week for the past two months there have been these rumours, always with a different team. "I respect Ferrari greatly," Alonso said. "It is a team that I love. For Ferrari it has been a difficult year, and for me it has been five difficult years." Would it be Mclaren or subbatical? On the face of it, it seems Alonso's only choice is McLaren or a sabbatical, leaving Jenson Button increasingly nervous about the likely end of his F1 career. In his latest interview with Hermes, former McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen agrees: "Jenson's behaviour lately reflects a certain loss of confidence. "I think when you are striving for success in the long-term, your behaviour looks different." Between Brazil and Abu Dhabi McLaren acknowledges that it has put Button and Kevin Magnussen in an awkward position as the Alonso talks drag on. Team boss Eric Boullier may now be losing patience. "We want to have Fernando's decision between Brazil and Abu Dhabi," the Frenchman is quoted as declaring clearly to the German newspaper Bild. "We have had good conversations with him, he would fit well with us and he has signalled that he wants the job. "However, we want a long-term solution - three years - not just a contract for one." Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton Honda is making no secret that it wants a driver of Alonso's top calibre for 2015. The BBC has reported Alonso is on the verge of agreeing a two-year contract plus a further option for 2017. "We cannot comment on the drivers as it is a subject for McLaren and Honda," said the Japanese marque's F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai, according to Spain's Marca. "But Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton are very strong drivers and all the teams want them. Any one of them has a chance of being in the team in 2015," Arai added. The big favourite is clearly Alonso. "There are simply moments in your career when you know that you have to change teams," McLaren legend Emerson Fittipaldi said. "Fernando has arrived at such a moment."
I posted this about 10 hours ago in the "Ferrari releases Alonso from his contract", post 465... Rgds
He could have, in fact: another chapter in the silly season; title of the Thread: "McLaren delivers an ultimatum to Fernando Alonso" (nice beginning for their relationship, by the way) Rgds
Pitlane Talk twitter account was deleted with this last tweet: "As promised, account will be deleted in case we were wrong about Alonso to McLaren. We were so it's time to go" Take it with a grain of salt though
Ex-Ferrari boss di Montezemolo to become chairman of Alitalia after Etihad merger http://rt.com/business/ Alitalia has picked former Ferrari boss Luca Cordero di Montezemolo as chairman and Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan as his deputy in the new company, Reuters reported. The company is to be formed when the Italian airline ties up with the Abu Dhabi-based carrier, two sources said Thursday. The two executives had not been formally appointed because the deal needs approval from European authorities. Under the agreement, Etihad will buy 49 percent of loss-making Alitalia as part of a 1.76 billion euro ($2.2 billion) rescue plan.
Is this enough to attract Ross back to the Scuderia? (Not that I think LdM was a factor of Ross not coming back, however some do. Queue Mulehead.)
Why would the Scuderia attract Ross Brawn back? I presume his best years are behind him, and he is unlikely to repeat the string of championships he achieved during the Schumacher era. Ferrari must look forward, and not in the past.
He knows how to get the best from teams and the scuderia more than others. One of the questions at the beginning of this thread was answering the rumor of if Ross would return or not.
