SCCA F500 migration to 600cc motorcycle engines - Need FSAE Members Help

[Huskamp]

All,
I know you are busy prepping for competition, but we have a neat opportunity to apply your FSAE experiences on a full road race car. I am an FSAE alumni (UM-Rolla '91-'95) who is working with pertinent members of the F500 club class to convert the class. The SCCA Board Of Directors has invited suggestions for evolving the F500 engine selection in FastTrack about a month or so ago. From that invitation, we are looking to convert the class in two specific ways; to allow spec coil over shocks and the use of stock (sorry no mods allowed outside of exhaust and oil pan) mainstream (Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki) 600cc engines with intergral transmissions. Yep, pneumatic/electric shifting allowed. The plan is to provide for competition adjustments based on the engines/transmission to keep the HP/shifting/cg height differentials in check so that neither the 500s or 600s have a distinct performance advantage. This means ideally running unrestricted 600s with a weight adjustment on the appropriate configuration as required. These changes are significant to the class as we have to transition for the current guys who have cars and do not want them obsoleted overnight. We have to be sensitive to their need to run.

The true purpose of the change is threeforld. First, to provide a reliable source of engines, as the FSAE has shown the 600 bike engines are a durable powerplants. Additionally this is a perfect fit for the natural progression of Formula car drivers in the US. Imagine Karts, FVee, F600, F1000, Formula Atlantic, and then on to a pro class in the future of club racing . Additionally it is idealized as a starter formula class where a person can get into a new road racing car for ~$15K new. However for the fab-savy or cash strapped you can build, homologate, and compete you own chassis as well. For me the most important factor was to start to link the FSAE experience to something out there on the track in the US. The quality of the FSAE cars has continued to improve, and I want that to transition to the SCCA by putting together a nice link.

Technically, the F500s have a longer wheel base and slightly wider track. They are 850lb minimum weight with the Rotax 493s putting out about 103hp. And before I get a lashing about them being live axel, understand that they are trying to control cost and to have a natural transition from live axel karts to independant F1000's. To give you an idea of current performance, two weeks ago at Gateway International Raceway (St. Louis) average lap times were between 1:05:000 and 1:06:000 which is what the 600cc bikes are running there as well. The new lap record that was set by Kenny Price was 1:02:754, where the record for the 600 bikes is 1:02:523. We caught and out ran the Formula Fords at the even. These cars are great bang for the buck. We want the FSAE experience and design talent to start kicking in to improve the quality of the engineering and performance of the cars.

So after all that, here is what we need... any FSAE members that are also SCCA members (any level, with or without any licenses), we need you to drop a quick email to the SCCA Board Of Directors (bod@scca.com) to tell them that you support the idea. Here are the five important things that most be included to have the best chance of success:

1. Tell the Board Of Directors that you support the change to allow an alternative to Rubber pucks as a spec coil over shock (springs are open).

2. Tell the Board that you support the change to stock 600cc four-stroke motorcycle engines with integral transmission as an alternative to the 500cc two-stroke/CVT combo. And it is improtant to tell them that you support competition adjustments to have a level playing field.

3. Request that the BOD allow the F600s to run on a no points basis in both regional and National races through the end of 2007 and through 2008 to assess performance adjustment requrements.

4. Please include your SCCA membership number and send the email as soon as possible. If you could please cc me at chuskamp@gmail.com I want to keep tabs on how many submissions we are getting.

5. Write your own email do not copy+paste as they count it as a single letter no matter how many people send it in.

As you are at competition soon please share this with as many people as possible to help get the board to change. If you have questions, Scott Race of the University of Missouri-Rolla camp is familiar with the cars and the goal. I encourage you to ask him some questions... sorry Scott. Anybody interested in going to see the cars at a local track email me and I will try to hook you up with dates, tracks, and drivers to get a good look taste and feel for the cars.

Good luck at competition and I look forward to seeing your letters ASAP. Go ahead... generate the buzz.

Cheers,
Chris Huskamp
Senior Engineer
The Boeing Company's Phantom Works
chuskamp@gmail.com

[Huskamp]

In response to a couple questions:
1. Yes, it would be great if you could also include the competition board on the distribution.. their email address is crb@scca.com

2. If you did not have time for anything else.. you could include the following text in a very basic email:

I support the 600cc motorcycle engine alternative for F500. Assure the competitiveness of those engines with the currently competitive two stroke engines through competition adjustments.

Cheers and good luck,
Chris

[mtg]

Hey Chris, that definitely sounds like it would make the F500 class more popular. Too bad I'm not an SCCA member.

[2BWise]

I am not very familiar with F500 technically, but am interested if there would be a way a integrate the base of an FSAE car (chassis inparticular) and convert it into a viable F600 car. The biggest question would be the crash worthiness of a converted FSAE car, but I don't know how they compare to a F500. As I am trying to find a way into the SCCA Club Racing ranks I would like to get into the formula classes, but as I do not have the access or the money to buy one out right. I'd like the prospect of being to convert an old FSAE car for road racing.

[Steve Yao]

I would never really consider the usual FSAE chassis for road racing. The vast majority have the driver's legs extending forward of the front axle, which as i recall is illegal in every form of a regulated road racing. Deakin (sp?) Univ has built a sidewinder car that does have the driver's legs rearward of the front axles. Even then, the structures we design are really not meant to hit anything larger than a cone.

[Matt N]

What I would (will?) do after FSAE if I was smart:

Take the knowledge of what it takes to make a really fast little car - principally, reasonable track x wheelbase for the desired competition events, the right tires with pretty good suspension kinematics, some adjustable dampers and swaybars, and a stiff enough chassis to tune.

Add as little weight as possible and as little power as you can tolerate (it makes things lighter and more reliable). Take all of this and build an 80" wheelbase FSAE turned into A Mod autocrosser, or some sort of competition Locost (Lotus 7 clone).

Matt

[Wizard]

For those of you who are interested in reading some more info on F500 I would suggest reading the SCCA rules and checking out the F500 forum on eFormulaCarNews (http://www.eformulacarnews.com/forum.php)

The change that Chris is supporting has really split the ranks in F500. Many feel that these changes will only increase the costs of this "budget" class and lose its appeal. Although I agree that some changes to a more modern set-up can only help the class in terms of drawing younger racers(esp. FSAE alumni), I have yet to see any type of documentation of potential rule changes. Plenty of suggestions on the forums, but nothing concrete.

Chris, is this something that is out on the web or that you could provide?

Jay Novak (designer/builder of the F500 Novakar chassis) is currently doing this 600cc conversion on one of his older F500 chassis and plans to evaluate the pros/cons from a performance, cost and reliability standpoint. He has been documenting some of this process on the eFormulaCar forum.

As for converting Formula SAE cars to F500 cars, I doubt this would be allowed. As for legs in front of the front axle, this also occurs in some F500 cars - Rakavon F500 (http://www.eformulacarnews.com/viewtopic.php?t=614) Not nearly as bad as FSAE but still not ideal.

I wish Chris the best of luck on this effort and hopefully we will see some changes soon (for the positive) in the F500 class.

Eric Moyer

[Huskamp]

Eric,
Fair and reasonable comments. I will break my response into two posts (because this one will be long.. sorry). Please remember, we are not trying to prevent the 500s from having a place to run their cars, we are merely wanting to introduce and alternative.

The problem is that the 2 strokes/CVT combo, though great power-to-weight and good for putting power to the road has some major hurdles. First they are expensive. The guy I ran with just spent $8000 for the parts for two 493 Rotax engines (labor to build them up not included). Hollingsworth Engines (micro-sprint engine builder north of Indy) has said he would do a refresh of a 600cc to the rules posted below for between $1200 and $1700 depending on what parts you need. So if you figure that you spend $1500 on a salvage, low mileage engine for $3200 tops you have a fresh motor to run for the whole season.

In addition the clutches require a lot of attention to get going and to stay on top. An experienced F5 racer (not to be named) was off the pace by a mile at the Runoffs. He loaded the car in the trailer and found a nice isolated strip of road where he 'found' four seconds per lap. That is just not right. It is also a barrier to growth for the class, as the new guy coming in sees that as 'I could be four seconds off the pace.' The fuel injected/integral transmission makes the class much more user friendly.

As for the rules to be submitted to the compaction board, ask and ye shall receive... Jack and I had prepared these to go the COB. It is what we sent in our letters.

I really appreciate the questions and will respond to them as quickly as possible.

Cheers,
Chris Huskamp

Proposed Rules Changes F5/F6 Class in 2008
(These include the existing rules)

E3. Suspension
E3.A.
DELETE NOTE

E3.C.1.
Blocks, bushings, and/or mounts of rubber or similar material shall be used to isolate engine and drive assemblies, and/or axles from vibration, shock, or track irregularities. The number of mounts shall not exceed one (1) per wheel and shall not exceed one (1) inch in thickness in uncompressed state nor shall they be stacked. The diameter of the mounts shall not exceed two (2) times their thickness. The mounts shall carry the weight of the car. Installation will be evaluated on compliance with both the letter and the intent of this provision.

E3.C.2.
Alternatively, the spec shock/coil-over spring combination may be used in place of the isolators identified in E3.C.1. The number of mounts shall not exceed one (1) per wheel. No adjustments to the shock may be made, except to change ride height (by threading the spring perch up or down).


E.6. Transmission and Final Drive
Transmission of power from the engine to the rear wheels shall be through an automatic torque converter-type, centrifugal variable ratio drive, using a belt and/or drive chain and centrifugal clutch. No electronically or driver-controlled variable drive is permitted.

Alternatively, cars may use sequentially shifted integral motorcycle transmissions. Reverse gear is not required. The stock gear ratios (per the factory manual) must be retained. The clutch disc material is unrestricted, however the clutch type shall remain stock (e.g. if a dry clutch is fitted, it shall be retained). All gear changes must be initiated by the driver. Mechanical gear shifters, direct-acting electric solenoid shifters, air-shifters and similar devices are permitted. Devices that allow pre-selected gear changes are prohibited.

Sprocket and/or pulley diameters may be changed to alter the final drive ratio.


E.14. Engines
Engines shall be from one of two basic configurations; two-cycle engines as defined in E.14.1 below, and four-cycle engines as defined in E.14.2.


E.14.1. Two-Cycle Engines
Two-cycle engines shall be two-cylinder, water-cooled in stock configuration as listed below: Fuji "Chaparral"� Model G44bw. "Kawasaki TC440A"�/C-200, B-201, C-201, C-202, F-202, and G-203. The F-202 and the G-203 are electric start engines. Cylinder head P/N 440/2A is permitted for the engines listed. Only the "A"� series engine is legal; the use of any parts from other Kawasaki series engines is prohibited. Rotax Model 494 and Model 493, single expansion chamber and electric and/or pull starter. Rotax 494 RAVE engine not allowed.
AMW engine as specified:

The AMW engine approved for F500 shall be the AMW model no. 250-2 RC2, two-cylinder, two cycle, liquid cooled, reed valve engine with a nominal bore and stroke of 72mm x 61mm and a displacement of 497cc. All components of the engine shall be in "as cast"� condition or as delivered from AMW. No component of the engine may be altered, modified, or changed nor be of any other origin than the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) unless specifically authorized in these rules. Any Y-pipe exhaust manifold and single expansion chamber meeting 9.1.1.E.14.b is permitted. All factory technical bulletins shall be approved by the Club Racing Board prior to implementation and publication. AMW Technical Bulletins #10/96.01, Published October 1996, #03/97.01, Published January 1997 and Technical Bulletin #04/99.01, Published February 1999, have been approved by the Club Racing Board.

The engine must be installed in the chassis so that the exhaust ports face the front of the car. The engine may be inclinded from vertical.

Hardware items (nuts, bolts, etc.) may be replaced with similar items performing the same fastening function(s).

No component of approved engines may be altered, modified, or changed, nor be of any other than original equipment manufacture unless specifically authorized. Engine components shall be assembled in stock configuration. Stock configuration is defined as including: thermostat, water outlet elbow, ignition harness, etc.

Authorized Changes:

a. Carburetors: The induction system is restricted to two (2) 38mm Mikuni VM 38 round slide carburetors (except AMW). No modifications are permitted to the carburetor bodies. The use of any jets or jet needles is permitted. Carburetor mounting shall be of individual runners, no balance pipes, no plenums unless fitted as standard as on the 493 engine. Supercharging, turbocharging, and direct fuel injection are prohibited.

b. Any exhaust pipe(s) may be used (unless otherwise specified). Maximum exhaust length behind the rear axle centerline is twenty-four (24) inches. It is the intent of this rule that the exhaust pipe includes the exhaust manifold.

c. Alternate piston replacement for Chaparral engine only, "Wiseco"� one-ring piston.

d. Any thermostat may be used.

e. Alternate AMW/Wiseco piston (#2687) is permitted.

f. Engine specifications will not be changed during the current year.

g. Rotax 494 and 493 engines: Any Rotax 494 or 493 respectively, model thermostat housing or water outlet elbow may be used. The water bypass may be blocked.

h. Rotax 494 engine only: Rotax OEM 0.010"� overbore piston P/N 887-554 is permitted. Engines may be overbored as specified by Rotax so that this piston may be fitted.

i. Alternate WISECO piston (#2084PS) is permitted (for Kawasaki engine only).

j. Rotax 493 engine only: Rotax OEM 0.010"� overbore piston P/N 420888443 is permitted. Engines may be overbored as specified by Rotax so that this piston may be fitted.


E.14.2. Four-Cycle Engines
Four-cycle engines shall be production 600cc, water cooled, 4-cylinder, 4-cycle motorcycle engines with integral transmissions from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha. The competitor must present, on demand, an original factory manual for the engine to allow compliance verification.

No component of the engines may be altered, modified, or changed, nor be of any other than original equipment manufacture, unless specifically authorized. Overbore up to 610cc of displacement. is permitted. Engine components shall be assembled in stock configuration. Stock configuration is defined as including: thermostat, water outlet elbow, ignition components, etc.

Carburetion and fuel injection are restricted to the stock configuration of the engine for its specific year of manufacture (as defined in the factory manual). If the engine is fuel injected in a stock configuration, then the stock ECU shall be used. The ECU fuel and/or ignition maps may not be changed. Devices that modify inputs to the ECU (e.g., Power Commander) may be not be used. Stand-alone after market ECUs are not permitted. Any needles, jets, and/or floats may be used for carbureted engines. Turbochargers and superchargers are prohibited. The air filter and air-box designs, types, and counts are not restricted. The exhaust system and exhaust manifold are unrestricted, within SCCA safety regulations.

Fuel injected engines produced after January 1, 2002 shall have a round airflow restrictor. All air for the engine shall flow through the restrictor. The required restrictor minimum diameter shall be XX mm.. (THIS IS ONLY IF REQUIRED AS A PERFORMANCE ADJUSTMENT)

The lubrication system shall remain stock with exception of the oil sump or pan. The sump or pan may be modified however the other wet system components shall remain stock. Dry sump oil systems are specifically not allowed. However, addition of an Accusump-type pressure accumulator is permitted. Oil coolers are unrestricted.

The cooling system is unrestricted. Radiators, if housed in or incorporating a cowl air-scoop deflector, shall comply with bodywork rules.

Hardware items (nuts, bolts, etc.) may be replaced with similar items performing the same fastening function(s).

[Kirk Feldkamp]

As much as I like the idea of keeping cost of racing down by allowing the use of stock 600's, my opinion is the F500 cars are still very 'antiquated' if the goal is to attract FSAE alumni. Rubber mounts on a race car?! It feels like if you're shooting for extreme bang for your buck value, a shifter kart or TAG 125 would probably fit most budgets better.

I know it's slightly off topic, but I think it would be awesome to have a new class of sports racers or even something similar to a F1000 that used this unmodified engine model, but still included all the usual chassis adjustment of a sports racer. The initial investment to get into a DSR or CSR is far beyond what anyone just out of college could ever come close to affording.

-Kirk