Forza Ferrari!

Courtesy of Ferrari,
www.ferrariworld.com

For the second year running, the Maranello, Italy-based Ferrari Formula 1 Motor Racing Team has claimed both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships. A stream of victories in 2001 from Ferrari, spearheaded by their German World Champion driver, Michael Schumacher, made them unassailable after victory in the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, even with four races left to run in the season.

The aerodynamic package created by the Ferrari Technical Team has been the product of extensive wind tunnel testing and numerous CFD simulations carried out using FLUENT. Marco Rossi, the Manager of Fluent Italia, was understandably delighted with this double Ferrari win, saying that "we take great pride in our relationship with the Ferrari Formula 1 Team and we trust our partnership will continue well into the future."

Indianapolis 500 One-Two-Three!

Courtesy of Dallara Engineering s.r.l.
www.dallara.it

Dallara Engineering s.r.l., the Parma, Italy-based designer and manufacturer of Indy Cars, was founded in 1972 and specializes in composite materials and external aerodynamic chassis design for race cars. It delivers customized cars for Indy Car Racing, Formula 3 Racing, prototype cars, and Le Mans 24-hour race cars. This past May, at the world famous Indianapolis 500 car race in America, Roger Penske's team took first and second place with the rookie Helio Castroneves winning, and his teammate and fellow Brazilian Gil de Ferran placing second. Even the third place car, from Team Green, driven by Michael Andretti, was manufactured by Dallara.

Path lines around the Indy 500 Dallara car

To remain at the top, Dallara recognized that CFD was essential to their aerodynamic design process and they chose FLUENT to be an integral part of it. They soon found FLUENT's reliable and robust flow predictions useful for highlighting aerodynamic design improvements, allowing them to focus their wind tunnel prototyping better.

NASCAR Winston Cup Success

Courtesy of Joe Gibbs Racing
www.joegibbsracing.com

To cap a triple crown of FLUENT-related motor racing successes, CFD analysis is becoming a critical technology in the high-tech world of NASCAR and CART racing as well. In November 2000, Winston Cup Champion team owner, Joe Gibbs Racing, demonstrated how quickly and effectively they could give their team an edge using FLUENT. Charles Jenckes, Team Engineer at Gibbs racing said, "Speed is a concern of ours every step of the way. That includes learning to use new software. I was extremely pleased with the ease and speed with which I was able to effectively use FLUENT… I can now analyze power-train components such as manifold or intake ports, proceeding from CAD to solution in just one day." Team owner Joe Gibbs remarked, "To win at anything you have to surround yourself with the best. That is why we use FLUENT CFD software to visualize and analyze fluid flows such as air flowing over the vehicle or water flowing through the cylinder head. FLUENT is an integral part of keeping our race teams at their best."

Celebrating success in the Winston Cup

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