DS Racing Satory: Race Department Factory Visit - Preview
DS Racing Satory: Race Department Factory Visit - Preview
We previewed the Formula E circuit in Rome on the DS simulator.
A few kilometers from Paris is DS Racing Satory, the laboratory where racing cars are developed and where magic happens. We are here with a very specific purpose: to closely monitor the Formula E car that will race next season (la Generation 2) and try the driving simulator trained by the drivers of the DS Virgin team, one of the protagonists of the 100% Electric Championship, the only one this season to put at least one rider in the superpole in the last six races. ... The team ranks third in the championship, as does their best driver: Sam Bird.
SECOND GENERATION
For those who did not know this, Formula E this is the world championship 100% electric vehicles who, considering zero environmental impact, can afford to run on the most beautiful (temporary) urban tracks in the world.
Now, in its fourth season, Formula E is experiencing a turning point: from next season, the cars will be completely different, both in appearance and in technical characteristics.
We are standing at the foot of the new car, and the impressions of its picturesqueness are simply amazing. It's bigger, more “covered”, more winding, but above all more futuristic.
New cars will have a larger battery designed by McLaren (Williams provided this in the first 4 seasons), which will allow them to cover the entire race (now the car change is done in the middle of the race). Considering the additional weight due to the new battery pack (capacity from 28 kW / ha 54 kW / h), The car will weigh about 15-30 kg more, but it will be much faster. This is also thanks to the increase in power: come on 200 kW of maximum power translates into 250 kW (about 340 hp)use during the qualifying session.
Instead, the tires will remain Michelin roads (they are carved, relatively narrow and have almost no degradation), while, as in Formula 1, a protective ring "Halo" will be added, which, however, will be bright and will inform the audience.
SIMULATOR
Il simulator it is nothing more than the chassis of the car (which, remember, is provided by Dallas, Manufacturer Sparkand it is the same for all teams), with a large screen in front.
This is a really important tool because, unlike other motorsports, Formula E You cannot go to the track to try: you have to do it virtually. In fact, city tracks only open the day before the race for pilloti to drive through them. extortion.
A few weeks before the race, an agency appointed by the FIA arrives at the track site and draws up a detailed track map, which is then sent to the various teams.
The pilots, a few days before the race, conduct at least 4 hours a day for training... This allows them to get to know the track, and the teams to determine the best energy strategy: braking points and points at which energy can be restored.
The technology is so advanced that the circle on the simulator is different from a few tenths of a turnover in realityreally impressive.
Trying it: I find myself in the narrow interior of a one-seater car. The steering wheel is compact, has a few buttons and a nice large screen (over 20 data pages); the pedals have the same consistency as a real one-seater: the brake pedal is marbled and it is incomprehensible when it comes to locking the wheels, while the steering is quite heavy, but very precise.
The maxi screen (actually a semicircular white fabric onto which the images are projected) gives a good idea of three-dimensionality, but at the same time it does not boast an exceptional graphic resolution. The Rome circuit is also winding, with very fast climbs, descents and points. But above all, it is rich in history.
