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Re: [ST] Sauber GP Engine



Darren Mason wrote:

 > Interesting features include a
 > reversed cylinder head (intakes at the front) & pneumatic valve
 > operation.

Finally -- pneumatic valves! I was wondering how long it was going to 
take that technology to trickle down from F1 into motorcycles. Have you 
seen any pictures of the new head design? I'm curious how they route the 
snakes...

 > But at only 200ps @ 15,000 rpm I cant see it ever
 > being competitive against Honda's 230ps V5, or Yamaha's 5 valve 4
 > cylinder that is already quicker than the 2 stroke, but still
 > considerably under the 990cc capacity limit.

Wasn't there a post on this list that referenced an article questioning 
why Honda and Yamaha were developing engines capable of putting out 
greatly in excess of 200 HP? The rationale was that current tire 
technology has a hard time dealing with 200 HP, so the additional HP -- 
plus the poorer power delivery that comes with more cylinders -- would 
likely cause more problems than advantages. It seemed like a pretty 
compelling argument to me.

I don't think that we'll see dramatic improvements in motorcycle tire 
technology like we're currently seeing in F1 tire tech. Given that, I 
think Sauber's pretty darn smart in developing an engine that focuses on 
good power delivery to the limits of what current tire tech can handle. 
I'd guess that they can squeeze another 20 HP out of the engine fairly 
easily should tire tech make an unexpected leap forward.

You'd think Honda would have at least learned this lesson, given the 
amount of crow they had to eat when forced to develop the RC51. Maybe 
they've figured out how to get widely spaced power pulses out of an 
asymmetric engine?

Regardless, next year promises to be a wonderful season -- at least for 
tech junkies.

- -- 
Blake "Dawgbert" Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Burlingame, CA, USA


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