‘PARROT’ PILOTS AUDI RACE CAR
Posted 16th November, 2008 in Audi | Leave a comment
Münster / Aachen.BASF Coatings, BASF’s Global Automotive Steering Committee (GASC) and RWTH Aachen University’s department for motor vehicle studies (ika) are closely cooperating on research and development projects.
One obvious sign of this success story is the assembly of an Audi A4 3.0 that is currently racking up successes in the car racing arena and whose development is constantly being refined.Manfred Schmale, head of Strategic Planning at BASF Coatings, Prof. Stefan Gies, head of ika, as well as Leif Ickert, an engineer at ika specializing in auto bodies, have now pooled their research results in a practice test and are implementing them in vehicle development.“Car racing offers the opportunity to try out new technologies under extreme conditions,” Gies said.
And for Manfred Schmale, one thing is clear:“As part of BASF’s Automotive Strategy 2020, we have worked with ika on the long-term trends in vehicle body construction.In this area, RWTH Aachen University does absolutely outstanding work.I am very proud of the fruitful partnership with this university, which fully deserves its distinction as one of Germany’s ‘elite universities.’”
The car’s appearance attests to the cooperation between BASF Coatings and ika.Its snow-white metallic finish, a titanium black stripe on the hood and roof and the wheel coating in the same color are all attention-grabbers.Preening on the hood is “the” parrot, the logo for Glasurit, BASF Coatings’ automotive refinishing brand.The refinishing job was particularly fascinating, because the substrate involved not just conventional metal, but also carbon, which was used for the doors.Another partner involved in building the car was the Tuning Academy in Ingolstadt, Germany.However, the official partners and sponsors weren’t the only factor contributing to the vehicle’s success.Students, university researchers and doctoral students all worked intensively on the project too.A number of tasks were carried out as part of diploma theses written by the students.“We want young people to become enthusiastic about cars and ensure that we will continue to have a future generation of researchers working in this field,” Gies explained.The hot Audi racer will be piloted by Gies, Thomas Harnisch, CEO of the Ingolstadt Tuning Academy, and Klaus Leinfelder, who works for the Tuning Academy on a contract basis.
The 2008 racing season has just come to a close. The team’s first experience involved their participation in the BF Goodrich long distance champion race at the Nürburgring racetrack, and while it was successful, it also taught the team a lot.The premiere season was a good one for the Audi, with the team placing fifth in one race and third in another.The lap times constantly improved.In addition, the team used improved perfusion of the engine compartment to lower the operating temperature of the motor by 10 degrees.Between now and March 2009, the start of the new racing season, the team has a full agenda.“We will continue to refine the Audi with respect to its centers of gravity, lightweight construction, chassis, electrical system and aerodynamics,” Gies said.Sounds like the Glasurit parrot is in store for lots more racing adventures.
[Source: BASF]
Add Your Comments