Aerodynamics Fundamentals: Introduction
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Introduction
03.23
| 00:00 | I'm Carl Forster and I'd like to welcome you to High Performance Academy's Motorsport Aerodynamics Fundamentals course. |
| 00:06 | Whether you're developing a race car or you're just getting started on a big build project, aerodynamics plays a crucial role in getting the most speed you can out of any vehicle on track. |
| 00:16 | But that doesn't mean that you can just order any random selection of splitters, wings and canards off the internet and throw them on your car hoping for the best. |
| 00:26 | The reality is, doing this is likely to see little improvement in pace and may even result in a slower car if you're unlucky. |
| 00:33 | This course was designed to give you the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to analyze, design and spec aerodynamic elements that your car actually needs. |
| 00:43 | Nothing more and nothing less. |
| 00:45 | Before we get started though, I should let you know who I am and why I'm qualified to teach this course. |
| 00:50 | I am a motorsports aerodynamicist with over 15 years experience working on and designing race cars. |
| 00:57 | I also hold a PhD in aerodynamics, with my research published in top ranking peer reviewed journals. |
| 01:03 | After my PhD, I worked as an aerodynamicist in the Mercedes Formula One team, clocking up three world championships. |
| 01:11 | I then returned to become a freelance consultant, providing aerodynamic advice and design work for vehicles ranging from homebrew, club level cars to OEM car projects with aero development budgets in the millions. |
| 01:23 | I've also spent time providing trackside race support for LMH cars at Le Mans to class wins in Pikes Peak, which has really helped grow my understanding of how car aerodynamics behave in different conditions, and what it takes to have successful aerodynamics in a competition. |
| 01:40 | So, with that covered, let's take a quick look at what we'll be learning in this course. |
| 01:44 | We'll start by covering all the key fundamental concepts behind vehicle physics and aerodynamics, which is going to give you a solid foundation to build your aero knowledge on. |
| 01:55 | This section of the course does involve some mathematics. |
| 01:58 | The important thing to remember is that even if you haven't done an equation since high school, we've included these formulas to give you a well-rounded understanding of what's going on in the world of aero. |
| 02:08 | You don't necessarily need to pull out your calculator to devise an effective aero package for your car. |
| 02:14 | After that, we'll look at the factors that influence aero in the real world, aspects like viscosity, pressure gradients, ground effect and more. |
| 02:23 | Then we'll be diving into aero development for club level races, which examines how best to utilize the rules in a given category to maximize aero performance. |
| 02:32 | A detailed breakdown of aerodynamic devices comes next, as we take a close look at everything from front splitters to diffusers, canards and wings, learning about their roles, effects and importance when fitted to a race car. |
| 02:46 | Although at first it might not seem that important to aerodynamic performance, cooling is crucial, more and more so the faster and more powerful a car gets. |
| 02:55 | So, in the next section of the course, we'll learn about heat exchanges, engine bay temperature management, brake cooling and ducting. |
| 03:02 | Finally, you'll learn the proper way to test and develop aero elements, both digitally and on track. |
| 03:08 | By the time you've soaked up all the information found in the last section of the course, you're going to be very familiar with all the fundamentals of motorsport aerodynamics and you'll be ready to get stuck into your own projects. |
