ROSETTA MOTORSPORT ACADEMY INDY LIGHTS ... - Dallara

MAGAZINEPUBLISHED

BY DALLARA

Nr. 34Year 2014

"Periodico regolarmente registrato presso il Tribunale di Parma (n.16, 03/09/2010)"

ROSETTATHE SPACE PROBE THAT JUST LANDED ON A COMETUSES A SPECIAL TECHNOLOGYSET-UP BY DALLARA TECHNICIANS

MOTORSPORT ACADEMYEXPERIS MOTORSPORT, DALLARA JOIN FORCESTO SHAPE UP THE FUTURE WORLD RACING BRAINSAND RE-LAUNCH THE EMILIAN MOTOR VALLEY

INDY LIGHTSTHE INDYCAR FEEDER SERIESSTARTS A NEW ERAWITH BRAND-NEW DALLARA IL-15DISCOVER MORE INSIDE

RENAULT RS01THE SUPERB FRENCH GT THAT IMPRESSED ALAIN PROSTWAS DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITHDALLARA ENGINEERS IN VARANO

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The 2015 Indy Lights season isgetting closer, and everybody isready for a new season of the

IndyCar feeder series. The last tests arescheduled in these days and inJanuary, and the much-anticipatednext season of the series, promoted byDan Anderson, will be starting inspring. Stefano De Ponti, who headsthe USA operations of Dallara, we'lldiscover how the collaboration betweenVarano and Indianapolis developed, andunderstand what we can expect for aseries aiming for a re-launch. «Thestructural parts, the most important forthe safety of the driver, like the tub andthe front nosecone are built by Dallarain Italy - explains De Ponti - the othercomponents are made in the USA. Someare built here at our headquarters, whileone third of the total parts come fromlocal suppliers, especially in Indiana.Dallara USA is still a pretty newcompany but we're improving ourstructure and a specific area with anautoclave, oven, cutting table, modeling

and carpentry is available to producethe composite parts». Head of theproject is Antonio Montanari, whoseinterview is also included in this issue,and Indianapolis hosted an interestingItalian-American task-force.«Here at Indianapolis - continues DePonti - I contacted an engineer, AlexTimmerman, who acts as a technicalreference for Dallara USA. He deals withProject Leader Montanari and is theAmerican interface regarding thecustomer service with the Indy Lightsteams and promoters. We also involvedOwen Snyder. In addition of being thebrother-in-law of the MichaelSchumacher of Sprint Cars, Steve Kinser,he won Indy twice as a crew-chief of AlUnser Jr and Eddie Cheever. Snyderfollowed the assembly and the technical-logistic aspect of the parts. Consideringquality control, administration andlogistics, four people were involved full-time here in the USA». «When we design a new product wealways try to get the best cost/benefit

ratio - says De Pont - in America,Dallara is on the front line in terms ofcustomer service. We don't havedistributors for the spare parts, orrelationship with the teams is direct. Ifsomething doesn't work, we are thepeople who have to solve the problems.Here everybody likes to tingle with theproducts, staying on the edge of therules. We have do make sure that thecar has a considerable quality and thatit's safe. And given that the qualityalways has a price tag, our challenge isto keep the costs down. In the UnitedStates, as everywhere, due to the worldcrisis there are less and less sponsorcirculating. Although motorsports didn'tlose interest in general terms, the otherdisciplines represent competition interms of securing the funding».The key of the new Indy Lights successalso relies on a ladder project that cantake the American drivers by theirhand and help them learn in an effortto reach the top level in open-wheelracing, IndyCar.

Born toseduce

DALLARA USA IS EVERY DAY MORE AN INTEGRAL PART OF AMERICAN RACING, AND THE INDY LIGHTSREVAMP PROGRAM FEATURE THE ITALIAN COMPANY AS ONE OF ITS MAIN STARS WITH THE DESIGN OFA NEW CAR FOR THE 2015 SEASON. STEFANO DE PONTI GUIDES YOU THROUGH THE BIRTH, THE DEVELOPMENTAND THE DELIVERY OF THE CAR - WHICH WAS LABELED AS "SEXY CAR" BY PROMOTER DAN ANDERSON - ANDTELLS US MORE ABOUT HOW THE FACTORY'S TWO BASES IN ITALY AND AMERICA. A REALLY INTERESTINGRELATIONSHIP ALSO FOR TEAMS WITH GREAT RACING TRADITIONS LIKE CARLIN MOTORSPORT

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«Everything that was designed forIndyCar in terms of safety and workedwas implemented on the Indy Lights, ifthe rulebook allows. Regarding thesafety aspect, the car is actually a mini-IndyCar. The project is managed by DanAnderson, who is a racing manufacturerand fan and imagined the ladder to theIndyCar. An educational program formechanics, drivers and engineers thatcan take them up to the IndyCar Series.He and Tony Cotman, the Technical andRace Director for the Indy Lights, keptin contact with Antonio Montanari andhis team while they designed and builtthe car. It's a very interesting project,and a less complicated one from the"political" standpoint because there areno manufacturers involved. Wesubmitted some renderings explainingthe possible solutions to Anderson, andhe chose what he defined "sexy car". Wealready delivered several units. Lastweek 3 or 4 left to complete the first 10-car bench that will be testing on the 16and 17th of December at Palm Beach».

The start of the season will be onMarch 28th at St. Petersburg, Florida,and the addition of prestigious Britishteam Carlin Motorsport is something torely on.«I can anticipate that there will be agreat field at St. Petersburg - confirmsDe Ponti - and the arrival of CarlinMotorsport is great. It shows that theyfound in Indy Lights the right packagefor their USA activities. And it definitelyopened the door to more additions. Theway of imagining racing in the USA isdifferent compared to Europe. Theaverage American is conservative andonce there is a good product, is kept foryears and years. There is slightly lessdevelopment and innovation comparedto Europe, but it's a successful businessmodel».The Indy Lights project also representsan interesting opportunity from adriver's point of view as it deviatesfrom the original project. «The IndyLights spirit was created in 2002 - theprevious car was delivered that year and

lasted until the 2014 season - and thegoal was to draw drivers from SprintCar racing and bring them to singleseaters and NASCAR. For severalreasons, this plan didn't work. Thanksto an external promoter like DanAnderson, the championship is nowlooking forward to a new path. It's agood instrument to learn the drivingtechnique on the ovals - don't forgetthat the Indy 500 is still the mainrace of the IndyCar season - and tofamiliarize with the American circuitsthat are very different from theeuropean ones in terms of layout,bumps and type of asphalt. Thearrival of Carlin means that the theAmerican way of racing is gettingrediscovered. The classic approach waslike: in America you race on ovals,with concrete walls that can get youhurt. But we must not forget thatIndy Lights is still the second fastestseries in the world, with one-hourraces and average speeds of 185-189miles per hour. A good Indy drivermust learn how to drive fast with 15or 16 drivers at his sides, relying onhis spotter, who tells him whathappens around him from thegrandstands and also suggest the racestrategy. This is a completelyunknown element in Europe, and itsurely increases the competence levelof a driver».The Indy Lights development projectwas also able to benefit from theDallara Simulator installed earlierthis year in its American version.«The Simulator goes really well -confirms De Ponti - and we are usingit a lot. In these days we areplanning an Open Day with a carmodel available to drivers andengineers of Indy Lights and FormulaMazda. In addition to that, LouisScwitzer's nephew will be presenting aplate dedicated to his grandfather».Dallara is each day more committedto extra-racing projects and there isplenty of work for De Ponti and hisstaff.

Stefano De Ponti, Head of Operations, Dallara Usa,Together with Al Unser and Andrea Toso in front of thebrand-new simulator launchedin Indianapolis

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«Safehere's the

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er and more nimble, future Indy Lights»

ANTONIO MONTANARI OF DALLARA HAS FOLLOWED THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE IL-15. THE NEW CAR WILL BE THE STAR OF THE THE NEW SEASON FOR THE INDYCAR SUPPORT SERIES, STARTINGIN MARCH FOR AN HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED RUN. HE EXPLANED US ENGINEER EXPLAINED US THE PHILOSOPHYAND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW CAR, PLUS HOW IT WAS WELCOMED BY DRIVERS AND TEAMS

Antonio Montanari, can you tell us howthe IL-15 will be?«It will be a completely new championshipwith new teams including ones fromEurope. The Indy Lights was a minorchampionship with a 13-year-old structurethat clearly had lost most part of hishighlights and charm. A strong restylingwas needed, and there were modernstandards to comply with. The car is anhuge step forward compared to theprevious one. The experience acquired withthe new IndyCar has been really important

and its influence has been entirelytransferred to this project. Actually, this isa miniature IndyCar. With a weight of 600kilograms and 450 horsepower, plus 50coming from a push-to-pass system and apaddleshift gearbox, we are sure that itwill provide a great show and will helptrain the drivers for the upper category».

How does it differentiate itself fromthe European cars?«From the outside they are pretty similar,but the safety rules used are the same of

IndyCar. It will also race on ovals, so therace dynamics are quite different comparedto the European tracks. The suspensionsallow a wider range of adjustment to setthem up properly for this kind of tracks,where you race without a differential, withwheels of different sizes on the two sidesand with a positive camber on the left. Sothe suspension components don't need toget replace from road circuits to ovals sothe running costs are kept down. Theteams will receive an aero transformationkit to adapt the car to the speedway use.

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It's much more similar to the europeansingle seaters compared to the previousone, that was designed to run only onovals and was then adapted toroadcourses. The roll-bar was designed toresist to the same loads of an IndyCardespite the reduced weight, the anti-intrusion zylon panels were extended andthe sides of the cockpit comply with the F1standards for more side protections. Likeits bigger sister, the inside of the cockpitwas fully covered with 5 centimeters ofexpanded polypropylene. The sameprotection material used on the inside ofthe helmets».

How did you integrate and optimizethe production of the tub in Italy andthe other components in Indiana?«Our headquarters in Indianapolis arecompletely productive and operational, sothe integration wasn't a problem. Thecontact and the communication isconstant, with the current informationsystems everything is shared in real timeand it seems there is no distance.Regarding the production, we divided thetasks right from the start. The suspensionsand a part of the carbon fibre componentsare produced in our Indianapolisheadquarters. Especially regarding theconsumable materials, we hope toprogressively move the production of spareparts to Dallara LLC in order to improvethe efficiency and the customer service».

Does it have the same cockpit as theupper category?«The tub has a very similar shape and thesafety equipment are the same. Inagreement with Andersen Promotions, weadopted the same homologation despitethe lower performance: safety comes first!The most interesting thing is that theinside shape and room of the cockpit areexactly the same for the two cars. So if adriver will have the chance to test on anIndyCar, he will be able to bring his seatwhich will fit on both chassis.

This is a clear advantage andan additional charming feature».

What was the contribution of thesimulator?«The simulator will definitely provide a lotof help. The implementation of the model isalmost ready. Tristan Vautier and JosefNewgarden contributed to validate anddevelop it, providing a key feedback as theycompared the car's response in the simulatorand on-track. The simulator version will beavailable for the teams before they will beable to put the car on the track. So it's anhuge resource. It will be extremely helpfulwith a car that is completely new, as saidbefore, for the drivers, teams and engineers.Taking full advantage of it will be up to theusers' fantasy».

How did the first tests look like? Whatwas the feedback of drivers and teams?«The new Indy Lights car has been reallyquick right from the start, and the feedbackof the drivers very positive. They found alighter and more nimble car compared tothe previous one. It reacts better to thedriver inputs. The testing program startedwith a little shakedown at Putnam Park,close to Indianapolis, before continuing formost part of August with Tristan Vautierand Conor Daly. The distance covered wascomparable to what we will achieve duringone season and no issues emerged. The scheduled was completed on the 6th of September with Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe and Gabby Chaves atIndianapolis. On the Indy oval, theColombian was also able to break theprevious track record. The teams

provided the new car with a very warm welcome since its display at theIndy 500 pagoda in May. During testing,teams were rotating in attendance to havefirst-hand impressions and gather technicalinformation. There is a lot of interest and we are really satisfied because the carmatched all the early expectations».

When do you expect to deliver the cars?«The first ten cars have already beendelivered to the teams starting from the last14th of November, and more of them areready or currently being delivered.Everything is ready for testing and for thenext season. At this moment, twelve teamshave confirmed their participation. Our American colleagues and us are working closely to provide the teamswith all the assistance they need to preparethe cars».

How does your road-map to the first racelooks like?«There's currently a lot going on with thepreparations as there will be several tests inJanuary and February at Palm Beach,Homestead and Barber, both on ovals androad courses. The 2015 calendar features 16races, the first being on the 28th of March atSt. Petersburg. I can't wait!».

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The new Indy Lights carduring its revealat the 2015 Indy 500

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2014 Dallara champions

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INDYCAR Dream PowerFinally he did it. And the excitement flowed at

Fontana, where he grabbed the 2014 IndyCar Seriestitle with a ninth place. Will Power broke in tears:

the 33-year-old Australian chased his dreams with apassion over the years and even complicated his own jobin several occasions. In addition to that, he had to facetop-caliber rivals like Dario Franchitti and Ryan Hunter-Reay. But this time in California it was the right time tomake a dream come true. He also dreamed about playingbattery in a rock band, and now is looking forward to beathis rivals again to go back-to-back for the Penskeorganization. In 2014, he alternated masterclass runs withsome mistakes (Pocono, Sonoma, Houston, St Petersburg,and Indy) that also brought unwanted penalties. His 2014tally includes three wins and seven podium finish. Plus, awell-deserved and long awaited title.

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INDY LIGHTS Chaves the sledgehammer

Consistency and conviction. These are the skills thatenabled Gabby Chaves to cruise to the 2014 IndyLights title. After climbing to the top of the points

charts in the first round of the season, the Colombian wasable to secure the title on his rival Jack Harvey at thesecond tie-breaker. While the two had the same number ofwins, Chaves scored six second place finishes oh his way,including one in the last round of the season. He masteredhis Dallara to hand Brian Belardi and his team theirmaiden championship win. The 21-year-old from Bogotàalso raced in Italy, ending up 10th with Eurointernationalin the national F.3 series. In 2012, he crossed the Atlanticagain to join the Star Mazda Championship, ending theyear as a runner-up. This season he won four times andgrabbed eleven podium finishes, eight of them in the finaleight races of the season.

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Palm


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GP2mer follows in Hamilton's footsteps

Son of former British F1 driver Jonathan Palmer,Jolyon Palmer is one of the most interestingprospects of his generation, and confirmed the

feeling by winning the 2014 GP2 Series title. Hemathematically clinched the crown in Sochi with oneround still to go, winning race 1 in a clean fashion. Hewas the first Brit to accomplish the feature after LewisHamilton in 2006 and this is definitely a good omen.Driving a Dams-prepared Dallara, Palmer has been off to agreat start as he won race 2 of the opening round inBahrain, cruising to the lead in standings and neverlooking back. He scored four wins, three pole positions,twelve podium finishes, seven fastest lap and a recordamount of points for the series. His 2014 season couldn'thave been better.

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GP3 Lynn, consistency from Lon

LLike Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 and Jolyon Palmer inGP2, the 2014 GP3 champion came from England,precisely from London. Alex Lynn drove the Carlin

Dallara to title and succeeded to an exciting list of previouschampions including Esteban Gutierrez, Valtteri Bottas,Mitch Evas and Daniil Kvyat. Three of them will be runningin Formula 1 and that can provide a nice boost for thefuture hopes of Alex. Born in 1993, Lynn is a part of theRed Bull junior program like fresh new F.1 additions CarlosSainz Jr and Max Verstappen. He is a well-prepared andsmart racer who left a strong impression when he won the2013 Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix. This season he scoredfour wins - the first at his debut race at Circuit deCatalunya - two poles, eight podium finishes and twofastest lap. It was a pity for the missed win at his hometrack in Silverstone, but his consistency definitely paid off.We will definitely hear more of him in the future.


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ndon

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RENAULT 3.5 Sainz, not junior anymore

Carlos Sainz, son of rally Legend Carlos Sr., was one ofthe favourites right from the start in the 2014 WorldSeries by Renault 3.5. Unlike his dad, he join the

asphalt racing panorama instead of rallying and his careerhas finally taken-off. He was also the youngest title winnerof the series, and the first one coming from the Red Bulldevelopmental program. It's been a spectacular year forhim, after winning the 2011 Renault NEC title and years ofalternating between British F.3, European F.3 and GP3Series. He was pretty nervous at the last race of the season,as his Formula 1 future had become unclear with the arrivalof Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso stable. He eventuallymanaged to seal the deal, bringing his Dams-preparedDallara to the title and defeating Roberto Merhi. Hisdominance included 7 wins, 7 poles, 7 podium finishes, 6fastest lap. Enough to finally secure a ride in Formula 1 for2015, at Toro Rosso. For the joy of Carlos Sr.

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F.3 FIA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPOcon, a successful rookie

It isn't easy to see a driver prevail at the end of his rookieseason. Esteban Ocon was able to win the extremely toughFIA F.3 European championship at his first try, driving a

Mercedes-powered Dallara for Italian squad Prema Powerteamand beating Tom Blomqvist and Max Verstappen. A Frenchmanof Spanish descent, Ocon has been bred by the Junior Lotusprogram since his karting days, he was off to a phenomenalyear. Coming from the F.Renault 2.0 where he proved stunningin the first two years, Ocon quickly adapted to the driving stylerequired by a Formula 3 Dallara by working in an analyticalfashion while being precise in testing, quick in qualifyingcondition and almost impossible to tame in terms of race pace.In the 33 races he entered, Ocon won nine times but made thedifference with the 18 other points finishes he gatheredthroughout the season. The total, including the wins, go up to27, an exceptional number. He cruised to title with one roundto spare and also entered the international Macau Grand Prix.Unfortunately, he was involved in a contact with Blomqvist andforced to retire. Now Ocon is ready to join the GP2 Series withthe Dams Renault-powered Dallara. At Abu Dhabi, he was one ofthe fastest guys on-track in collective testing, and at themiddle eastern track he also had the chance to drive a Formula1 Lotus. Just a few weeks earlier, he had sampled a 2012Formua 1 Ferrari at Fiorano as an award for his European FIAFormula 3 title.


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EUROFORMULA OPENStuvik, the pioneer

He was on a mission. After having ended up the 2013F.3 Open championship in second place, Sandy Stuvikcontinued to drive for the Italian RP Motorsport team,

managed by Fabio Pampado, in an effort to seal the dealafter being beaten by Ed Jones last year. Born in Thailand,Stuivk was competitive right from the start and set a toughstandard for all his opponents. In the meantime, the single-make series promoted by GTSport and using Toyota-poweredDallara cars had changed its name, becoming theEuroformula Open. With eleven wins in sixteen races aroundEurope, it seemed pretty clear that nobody else could havebeaten him though. Stuvik became the first driver fromThailand to win an international-level championship, a realdeal for a 19-year-old youngster. In the offseason, he alsospent some time driving more Dallara cars. First, the Zytek-powered one of the World Series Renault, then it was theGP2 Series. Stuvik has great dreams, he's committed andeager to shine on.

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Rena

ult

RS01

BY WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH RENAULT, DALLARA DEVELOPED THE SPECTACULARRS01. THE NEW RACECAR HAS A PERFORMANCE LEVEL THAT CAN ALMOST MATCHA SINGLE SEATER OR AN LMP1, WITH A PHENOMENAL AERODYNAMIC CONFIGURATIONAND TOP-CLASS SAFETY EQUIPMENT. IT'S INTENDED FOR THE MOST COMPETITIVE DRIVERSBUT ALSO FOR GENTLEMAN DRIVERS. DALLARA ENGINEER LUCA PIGNACCA, WHO TOOK CARE OF THE PROJECT, EXPLAINS MORE ABOUT ITS CHARACTER

A “beast” for

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everybodyWith an exciting design, more than500 horsepower, superb brakes anda 7-speed gearbox, the RenaultRS01 is the state of the art in GTSilhouette racing. Luca, can youtell us more on the project'sinception?«I can really say that this projectstarted from a clean sheet of paper,and was conceived to meet some veryclear and fundamental goals. This is agreat advantage. Renault asked us todevelop a car that, in terms ofperformance, could be halfwaybetween a GT3 and a DTM, ready to beused in endurance racing. Many of its

contents, like the engine, gearbox andbrakes were already part of a greatpackage designed by the customer. Onone side, the mix of that featuresmeant that we knew that our productwould have been sensational. But onthe other side, it was bound to be ahuge challenge. The car would haveneeded to be light, with a perfectweight balancing but, more than that,with incredibly high-performanceaerodynamics».

What are the most significantperformance figures of this car,including the aero points of view?

«As I just said, the aerodynamics aredefinitely one of the car's strongestpoints, in addition to the vehicledynamics optimized for the tyres. Thebalance between the two things hasbeen reached to make the car fast anddrivable also for the non-professionaldrivers. 1700kg at 300 km/h. This twonumbers enable to understand thephenomenal level of downforcereached. This aerodynamic packageenables the RS01 to reach 3 Gs oflongitudinal and lateral acceleration.These values are more similar to theones achieved by an open wheel car oran LMP than to a GT».

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What were the requests of Renault? Andwhat has been the most excitingchallenge?«The lap times to be achieved on-track and therespect of the style constraints established bythe style center. These are two things that aredifficult to keep together by definition. Makingeverything much more complicated was thefact that the exterior of a race car would havebeen developed jointly with the manufacturer,a pretty unique thing in motorsport. TheRenault Style Center and our aero departmentworked without compromises. The style neededto have its key lines in place and the highperformance. It wasn't negotiable. Tied interms of the difficulty of the challenge, it wasthe time available for the development. Westarted from a clean sheet of paper during thelast week of February and the car made it on-track during the last week of August. Only sixmonths passed between the idea and thefinished product. It seems incredible to tell butwe managed to turn the project».

What were the technologies used byDallara to develop the project?«I would separate the technologies used todevelop the product from the ones used to

produce it. From the development point ofview we made massive use of 3D modelling,and in this case it had a further evolutionintended to increase its importance in thedifferent phases of the product's development.For example, during the assembly of the firstprototype, the digital mock-up, which wasdirectly available in the shop, was updated inreal time to face all the necessarymodifications. This way, the design andassembly departments were always alignedand consistent, which is a key goal for aproject developed in just 6 months. Then, morefundamental instruments have been CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) for the aeroand thermic development, and the intensiveuse of the FEA (Finite Element Analysis) forthe virtual approval of every singlecomponent. From the product's perspective, weused several forms of composites: carbon fiber,fiberglass, kevlar that dominate the scene ofthe amount of technology used».

The car's design is quite interesting: can you explain how the side design wasdeveloped?«The final aspect of the sides hasn't beenchanged too much compared to the first

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concepts that were showed to us by theRenault Styling Center. The side is definitelyone of the most characteristic angles of thecar. The entire fluid dynamics were designedto optimize the air flow under the car's floor.And a part of this flow fosters the twointercooler that are located at the sides. In order to make this delicate balance work,we had to smoothen and optimize everysingle millimeter of the first CAS (ComputerAided Style, that's how the stylists call their3D models). The final result has beenextraordinary both in terms of performanceand style (but that's only an opinion). I'dsay that one of our best abilities was to takeadvantage of the styling cues and give themthe right value to reach the maximumamount of performance».

The name, which recalls the first Renault F.1 car born in 1977, the first turbo one, is due to fate orrefers to a legacy?«It isn't entirely due to fate, Renaultstrongly wants to highlight how importantthe new RS01 is, the first Renault-builtsports car not coming from a road model. So they wanted to recall an equally-revolutionary vehicle like the F1 RS01».

The RS01 is bound to race alongside theWorld Series Renault 3.5 schedule. Thetwo projects shared technologies,materials or solutions?«As in any other project by Dallara, the levelof sharing between the products is prettyrelevant. Despite the fact that this is a sportcar, more similar to a GT, there is a strong

relationship with the formula car».

What are the strongest points of the RS01from the safety standpoint?«The requirements made by Renault in terms of safety were really clear, exactly like for the performance. The car has a safety cell (monococque plussteel safety cage), a front nose and a rearcrash box with the same specifications of a LeMans Prototype. In addition to that, it hasside anti-intrusion panels which weremandated only recently in LMP1. The safety isone of the key requirements for Renault, andtheir cars must guarantee the higheststandards available.

The fast and lucky drivers that will be driving them will have the chance to follow a training program for the Japanese GT or even for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. What are the most useful elements of the RS01 in terms of training pro and gentleman drivers?«The car has a level of downforce and grip ingeneral that enables it to reach lateralaccelerations superior to the ones of a GT3car. This allows the driver of an RS01 toprepare well for the Le Mans, DTM and SuperGT cars. It was also a great surprise (the caris currently being developed on-track) to seethe gentleman drivers that had the chance todrive the RS01 show a good driving abilityand an optimal physical strength. I would saythat the RS01 is a great car to aim at LeMans, DTM and Super GT for both pro racersand gentlemen».

«Renault Sport RS01 is a spectacularrace car, with the real GT spirit. It promises a great feeling for thedriver. For its high-levelcharacteristics, the Renault RS01showcases the great qualities ofRenault Sport, and the ability todevelop racing cars able to highlightthe future stars of GT or Endurance».

Alain Prost

Chassis: Dallara carbon fibre monocoque

Engine: Nismo V6, 3799 cm3, 24 valvesPower: 500 bhpTorque: 600 Nm

Gearbox: Sadev 7-speed sequentialTires: Michelin 30/68 R18 (AV),

31/71 R18 (AR)Length: 4710 mmWidth: 2000 mmHeight: 1116 mmWeight: 1100 Kg

Top speed: 300 Km/h

Renault RS01

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Spac

e Rosetta ON THE LAST 12TH OF NOVEMBER, THE NOW FAMOUS SPACE PROBE LAUNCHEDMORE THAN 10 YEARS AGO BY THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY FINALLY TOUCHED DOWN AFTERCHASING HIS DESTINATION, THE “67P/CHURYUMOV–GERASIMENKO” COMET. ANDREA TOSOLED THE TEAMS OF TECHNICIANS AND ENGINEERS FROM DALLARA WHO COLLABORATED FOR THEPROJECT BY DESIGNING THE ELECTRIC DRILL THAT PERFORATED THE SURFACE OF THE SPACEOBJECT, TELLS US MORE ABOUT HOW THIS EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE DEVELOPED

a race between the stars

Andrea, this time we will be talkingabout something out of this world.Also, we are old enough to rememberthe Space Race of the sixties and theseventies. Can you tell us more aboutthe Rosetta mission?«In the collective imagination, comets aremysterious celestial objects that can causebad luck or revolutions. They have beenstudied from the astronomists since thetimes of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.Comets are not planets but resurface fromnothing in terms of geography of the solarsystem; a comet, with its light tail due tothe debris lost when it gets closer to thesun, lighten the sky and then goes back tothe space obscurities. Yes, comets have alittle impact on our everyday pace. Theidea behind the mission is simple andintriguing because it starts from necessityand intelligence. "Less is more" is afamous catchphrase in sports and it's veryfitting for this adventure. In the 2000's,

the American Space Program was on anhigh with the Shuttle

spaceships, the

International Space Station, and the plansto conquer Mars. On the other hand, theEuropean Space Agency and its affiliates,including the Italian Space Agency, didn'tget enough financing because the nationswere divided almost on everything. The ESAwas looking for a strong idea to justify anew challenge and put the Europeanscientific community to test. The ideabehind was: we can't go on Mars, we can'tdevelop a system of geostationarysatellites, is it possible to landon a comet with just a feweconomic resources and thanksto the ideas of our greatscientists? The spark startedfrom there. The MilanPolitecnico University, and theAerospace engineeringdepartment led by ProfessorAmalia Ercoli Finzi, proposedthemselves as a scientific guide andfound first the support of ASI, then theconsensus of ESA. A specialized companyby the name of Tecnospazio, now GalileoSelex, received the task of coordinating thetimes, costs and specifications of the entire

project in addition the retrieval ofexperienced companies in

the field of

composites and light materials. By theway, transporting a single gram for adistance of 400 millions of kilometers isquite expensive if we think that even thelight takes 20 minutes from there.Tecnospazio started searching in themotorsport panorama because this is theclosest field to Spaceexplorations in

termsof materials, quality

controls, manufacturing. Thelever is only slightly simplified.

Among many companies, the foundDallara. Honestly, we haven't been thefirst choice: Ferrari declined the offerbecause they were too busy in Formula1».

It's been a phenomenal an fascinatingchallenge, especially for people whohad Thor Heyerdahl and Neil Armstrongas their hero. What are the engineeringchallenges behind this kind ofexploration?«Of course, the technical challenge as benfor its most part... mental!. Imagine toconduct a mental experiment, without a

laboratory able to replicate at the sametime all the conditions in which

the object must operate.

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Vacuum space, temperature and pressureclose to zero, solar irradiation and thermalconductivity between all the componentsincluding the electronic circuits. All of that,without the chance to dissipate heatbecause there is no conductivity and noattrition. And after a 10-year trip in totalhibernation in which the probe traveledadrift in the most obscure and deepestparts of the solar systems, with most of thepersonnel changing with the years. Beforethe launch, of course, some "qualification"tests were held. Violent vibrations tosimulate the launch itself, tests in thehyperbaric and cryogenic chambers andother detailed analysis with variousiterations because sometimes noteverything worked at the first try».

So let's imagine we are Rosetta and weare traveling...«The mission started from the ESA base inGuyana (North of Brasil, close to the

Equator) with a normal Ariane Rocketthat pushed Rosetta outside the Earth'sorbit after dropping its stages. After thelaunch we are outside the atmosphere andwe're traveling away from Earth. We haveto reach a moving object at a distancesuperior to 400 millions of kilometers. Adistance of about 10000 times thediameter of the Earth. Do we go straight tothe goal. No. We don't have engines orbatteries. So we take advantage of thebeauty and substance of the Universe theplanets' masses. It's the gravity assist. Wego around the destination, 1.2 billionkilometers to an object which is 400millions of kilometers away. The time wasa relative variable, we were focused inarriving. We aim for the closest planetwhich is Mars, designing an hyperbolicflight path that uses the planet'sgravitational field to accelerate and changedirection. Then we go back to the Earthand we do the same, increasing the speed

again. And then with Mars again. At thatpoint, the Mission Control shuts downeverything. We sleep for 10 years like theSleeping Beauty and we go adrift throughoutdeep space. One year ago, there was a wake-up call scheduled by a special clock and wediscovered that our navigation point waswrong by several hundreds of thousands ofkilometers. Something like, 5 times thediameter of Earth! It seems that the slightmistake was due to a few grams of weightdifference (on a 400-kg total), to the fuelused for the slight corrections going outsidethe Earth orbit and to the loss - in emptyspace - of part of the resins used in the pre-impregnated fibers. From the Earth, MissionControl orders a temporary ignition andcorrects the route. But there is no attritionin space. If you accelerate too much, you getto the side of the comet and pass it withouthaving the chance to come back. If you don'taccelerate enough, the comet runs awaybecause it is faster. So, being precise withthe few energy available is imperative. Andyou have to be precise in using the minimalamount of energy you have while stayingready to correct the route because you can'tplan everything. From the Earth, thetechnician try to use as little batteries andhydrazine from the engines (there are strongties for the interplanetary explorations interms of emissions. Space is not only anabsolute heritage of the Mankind andUniverse, but together with time is thecondition by which we humans can explore

the Universe as it is). After gettingback on the right orientation,

we deploy our solar panelslike a chrysalis and we

collect, "drop by drop"the sunlight becausewhen it's 400 millionkilometers away, thereis only a little of it.With these few drops,

we re-orient the antennasin order to communicate with

the Earth, we start the photographicequipment and the on-board systems.Imagine driving a car in an empty space, inabsolute darkness, having only a vague ideaof where you're headed, without any kind ofautonomy as you are following instructionscoming from far away. Now, imagine havingto tell the driver where you are and receivingthe instruction after about one hour. Well,that can make you pretty anxious. From lastJanuary until June, we get closer and closer,down to about 30 kilometers. From July toOctober, in four months, our photo camerascapture the entire surface of the comet that -surprise! - is not round. It's like a potato,and 4 kilometers long with valleys, cratersand small hills. From the Earth, Mission

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Control looks for a flat spot to drop theprobe on. The place for the"accometaggio", landing on a comet inItalian, is found and the first contacthappens. It's the 12th of November. Theprobe is dropped by the mother-module.Since there is no gravity the risk is tobounce away forever. We have some pre-loaded harpoons that have to hook theground (but without knowing itsconsistency). Once anchored to thesurface, the phase of the mission thatinvolves Dallara begins. Between thenumerous optical, electrical and magneticexperiments, there is one that uses thedrill designed and built by Dallara. Thehollow tip penetrates the ground andbrings them to some special "micro ovens"tied to a sort of a carrousel that enablesmore experiments to be made. Last butnot least, we send the data back to Earth.As the probe is pretty small, we have only60 hours of autonomy to complete all theexperiments that will eventually drain ourresidual energy. At that point, thebatteries will be over forever. Is like ablossoming agave that explodes in hismaximum amount of beauty andfunctionality before dying».

It's really fascinating. What kind ofspeed a probe like this can reach?What kind of engine propels it?«In space you have to use what you gotand bring with you everything you will

use in your mission. There are noguardian angels: “Out there, it is better tohave in your back pack whatever you needto survive and work” (John Aldrin). Thealternative is to rebuild, using thematerial you have on the spot, includingthe waste, what you may need (like inApollo 13). It's like a group of sailors inthe middle of the ocean, too far awayfrom any port, that have to repair theship. You can't rebuild everything, becauseeverything deteriorates, like our life andidentity. If you have nothing to repair theship with, you take something out of theempty around you... and the sun will helpyou with its lively energy».

What are the most interestingmaterials and technologies used?«I can remember two of the mostinteresting materials: Vespel, which isself-lubricating. When it penetrates thecomet's surface, the tip produces attritionbut you can't simply carry with you thegrease, because it will disappear after 10years in vacuum space. The other is Invar,a particular material which has almost nothermal expansion. We go back withRosetta for a minute. For years and yearswe have been half exposed to the sun,while the other half face the dark space.Without Invar, or two sides will expand ina different way so they would assumedifferent shapes. These expansions couldignite thermo-structural vibrations and

hamper the precision of the antennas thatcommunicate with the Mission Control, orreduce the efficiency of our solar panelsthat need to collect every single "drop" ofsunlight, or even generate catastrophicvibration ending in a collapse. This wasexactly the argument of my degree thesisin Aerospace Engineering!»

What are the scientific, technologicaland also philosophical repercussions ofthe space exploration in oureveryday's life?«See, there are basically two principlesthat push us to knowledge. The first is thepursuit of knowledge and truth for thesake of themselves, as non-negotiablevalues needed to satisfy a pure andpowerful curiosity. The other principlepushes us to go after knowledge as aninstrumental value, in order to use it toimprove the human condition. Bothprinciples are substantial, and everysingle man is more oriented on one sideor the other. What pushed Ulysses toabandon his son, father and wife? "Thatshould have crown'd Penelope with joy /Could overcome in me the zeal I had / T'explore the world, and search the ways oflife / Man's evil and his virtue / Forth Isail'd Into the deep illimitable main /With but one bark, and the small faithfulband / That yet cleav'd to me / Our poopwe turn'd, and for the witless flight / Andover us the booming billow clos'd". What

Spac

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was his plan? Getting back from therewith new technologies and some know-how to get a competitive advantage? Nah,Ulysses knew he would have never comeback».

Motorsports and aerospace engineeringhave always been tied: can you explainhow?«The Dallara group of Sailors whodesigned and build the drill was prettylean. We worked on this project in ourovertime. The production manager wasItalo Montanari, who has retired now, wasa man with great practical sense. I stillremember his countryman's metaphorsapplied to the space exploration. Thenthere was a young designer, a surfacespecialist, a great mechanic, anengineering intern and me. No managers.Interesting isn't it? We managed ourselvesamidst many other projects that were sourgent and important that now... nobodyremembers about them. The "space drill"was a delicate and sober project, but withsuch a strong depth in time that it mightnow be remembered in the history ofmankind as a courageous act ofconscience. Like Galileo, who dared toobserve the moon and the planets todiscover that they weren't exactly perfectand spheric like the philosophers antheologists said. Like Werner von Braunwho, after spending some terrible years inGermany developing the deadly V2 bombs,was welcomed by America. Thanks to theexperience made with these instruments ofdeath, he led the Space Program aimed atconquering the Moon».

How does an engineer get the idea todesign a remote-driving racecar... well,spaceship?«Maybe I had this temptation, or maybepresumption, twenty years ago when I

thought that the credit for the race winswere mainly to attribute to the engineers.Then I had the chance to drive a smallracecar in an Henry Morrogh driving campand I realized that the driver is almosteverything. A remotely-controlled racecaris not a racecar. It's a toy that exciteswho drives it and bores all the others.And there are drivers behind the RosettaMission too. They are the Mission Controlmen in Darmstadt, the people fromPolitecnico di Milano and many others.Alone, Rosetta is nothing, it's only anobject lost in space».

A brand-new blockbuster movie,"Interstellar, has hit the theaters. Ittells about the research of analternative living habitat, far awayfrom us. Would we have thetechnology needed to accomplish thatnow?«Of course, we have the technology, butwe need a dream. A beautiful poem byEmily Dickinson said:

To make a prairie it takes a clover andone bee,—One clover, and a bee,And revery.The revery alone will doIf bees are few.If you think that a man walked on theMoon almost fifty years ago without supercomputers, Internet, GPS, carbon fiber,real-time processors, what could we dotoday? Looking for an habitat wouldmean that we had to run away from here.That we destroyed our own world, filled itwith waste and made it dangerous toourselves. Think about Easter Island. It'sso far away from any shore that there isno chance to communicate. Theinhabitants destroyed all the trees andreveries only to move their monolithicidols until everybody died. Now extend thesame dynamics to the rest of us all. Welive in a limited and finite world. It wouldbe good to take care of it, "preserve whatyou can't generate».

So why this mission started in thefirst place?«Because only by going back in time wecan understand who we are and slingshottowards the future. With our means, allalone, we will never get there. If we onlyrow, we are going to get tired soon. If wespread a sail and learn how to navigate,we are going to fly away with the wind.Comets, like asteroids, are pieces of debrisdating back to the beginning of the solarsystem. If the analysis of the comet'sground will reveal the presence of aminoacids, which substantially are ammoniaunder the form of dry ice, or the samecomposition of primordial crystals that wefind on Earth, then we will understandthe substance of stars, of Cosmos (whichmeans Eternal Beauty) and ourselves. "Weare all mad of stars!"

Andrea Tosoand Stefano Semeraro

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AMotorsport Academy that canbreed highly-qualified engineersand technicians before positioning

them into the job market, both inEmilia-Romagna and at internationallevel, responding to the needs of thecompanies and re-launch the ItalianMotor Valley. It's a dream that will beturned into reality from the next 23rdof December, when the newheadquarters of Experis Motorsport, adivision of Manpower, will beinaugurated. Their goal will be to trainand deliver to the best motorsportcompanies in business the talents theyneed and often struggle to find. «I didn't hesitate to choose Dallara as apartner» said Luca Giovannini. Themanager was born in Maranello andspent 12 years working for Ferraris,before becoming the Director of ExperisMotorsport and the MotorsportAcademy. «The base was an agreementover the values. People stand first and they have to be deep, have ideals,dedication, and passion for what they work on. These concepts are shared by Andrea Pontremoli and Filippo Di Gregorio».

The Experis Motorsport project startsfrom one of the guidelines that havealready driven Dallara Automobili:innovation. «Until a few years ago, theteams and the companies wanted somehighly-experienced people» continuedGiovannini. «Now things have changed.Even in Formula 1, the rules are tighterand the budgets are so precise thatmade convenient hire people comingfrom outside motor racing but that haveother competences. People who can planand reduce the expenditures with amore industrial approach without losingthe ideas and the craftsmanship that isproper of racing. So I asked myself: whyI have to drive myself crazy to findcompetence that aren't available on themarket when I can breed them in threeyears exactly like my customers want?So this large investment, about 300.000,was started in an effort to turn an ideainto a practice that will change theworld of education. For the first time wewill provide, in the same offer, trainingand placement. Nowadays, you doeither, while each time a new internmakes it to the Academy, he or sheimmediately becomes a candidate. We

kept them under control, verify theirprogress and select the ideal workopportunities for them. So at the end of his educational path we send them tothe companies for rehearsal».The classes include maximum 15 or 20 people per course, withextremely high-level teachers andlearning opportunities that nobody else can offer, mainly thanks toDallara. «The courses comprise 140 hours in aweekend formula every two weeks. Theguys will have to work very hard toreach the goal but who will succeed, willdefinitely get a great boost. Theteaching body will be a mix ofUniversity Professors that alreadycollaborate with the companies andprofessionals that already work inmotorsport. Dallara will provide us thewind tunnel, their simulator and thetechnicians needed for the workshops. Ofcourse, the program won't be availablefor everybody and the selections will bevery tight. The candidates will have tosend their resume to the research andselection team that will then go on withthe placement. Once verified their

Motorsport Academy, a School of Talent

IN HIS NEW HEADQUARTERS, EXPERIS MOTORSPORT, A SPECIALIZED DIVISION OF MANPOWER, WILL BREED HIGHLY-QUALIFIED ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIAN, AND FIND THEM AN EMPLOYMENTAMONG TEAMS AND COMPANIES. SERVING AS A MAJOR INSTRUMENTS WILL BE FOUR HIGH-LEVEL COURSESTHAT WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DALLARA SIMULATOR, WIND TUNNEL AND PERSONNELOF DALLARA AUTOMOBILI, THE MAIN PARTNER OF THE INITIATIVE. ALONGSIDE THE HIGH-LEVELCOURSE THERE WILL BE A RE-QUALIFICATION PROJECT TO RE-LAUNCH THE EMILIAN MOTOR VALLEY

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suitability, the candidates undergo aninterview with the representatives ofExperis and the partners. At that point, aclass will be defined and will have to bereduced because, in the end, all theparticipants will have to find acollocation in motorsports».The initiative, launched at the Motor Show of Bologna, has been really successful so far andcounts more than 10 inscriptions perday. Alongside the high-level courses,Experis Motorsport will also providequalification and re-qualificationcourses, aimed at the local needs. «In the next few years - continuesGiovannini - we will be investing half a

million euros per year to train 250 peopleper season on the Motor Valley thematics.It's the largest private initiative launchedat local level. Through specializedtraining, we want to be back ascompetitors of the British Oxfordshire,and Dallara also has a key supportingrole. The reason we chose the Parma,Fornovo and Varano areas, is to take fulladvantage of the leverage provided byDallara and the local companies». This way, a double channel is activated.The four high-level Academy courses(«but starting from the second semesterthey could become six, with theintroduction of new subjects related toelectronics») will train technicians to

Formula 1 and to the automotivedepartments of great brands like Ferrari,BMW or Renault, will be pairedwith courses that will deliverspecialized workforce to all the satellite activities.«A lot of courage was needed to create aproject like this - concludes Giovannini -and it's incredible that an idea that firstcame out last summer is already startingin just five months. Training talents andinvesting at local level. These are theguidelines that both us and Dallara carefor. And, as I said, we start from thesame set of values».

Stefano Semeraro

Luca Giovannini Director, ExperisMotorsport,with Dallara CEOAndrea Pontremoli

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ROSETTA MOTORSPORT ACADEMY INDY LIGHTS ... - Dallara