Turbo Dynamics Racing

Latest Developments

The latest development for TD is on the DJ Firehawk. Below is a description of the work being done, the partners involved in the project, including photos of the progress.

The DJ Firehawk last turned a wheel at Goodwood fitted with the normally aspirated Suzuki Hayabusa engine bored out to 1600cc. At the end of the season the engine was showing signs of low oil pressure so it was time for a rebuild. The engine was rebuilt by Mistral Engines but whilst the car was in pieces the decision was made to turbocharge the engine and change the engine management from MBE to Motec.

There is a general move in the Sprint and Hillclimb arena (as well as other racing formulas) towards forced induction in lighter weight single seaters (up to 1350 BHP per Tonne). 60% of those starting to go the forced induction route at the moment are going the supercharging route believing turbocharges are laggy! Our objective is to dispel this myth once and for all. Once done, we believe everyone will be flocking to the turbo cause because of the ‘free power’ and the variable and tuneable boost control possibilities.

The DJ Firehawk currently weighs in at 310KG plus driver (72KG) and we are looking to achieve a strong 400BHP with up to 500BHP on a ‘push to pass’ button for certain events on an overboost delivery. This is a feature not achievable with a supercharger. Our target therefore is between 1050-1300 BHP per Tonne. 

This lead us to the decision to do a complete rebuild of the car including a new paint job requiring the tub to be taken right back to the carbon fibre.

With oil leaks not an option the bottom part of the engine cradle that forms the engine sump was milled to provide for an o-ring bead.

New Paint work on carbon fibre monocoque	1600cc Hayabusa engine built into the cradle with the final drive assembly	Sump milled for o-ring seal

The engine assembly was then fitted to the back of the tub and the wishbone brackets fitted along with the rest of the front suspension.

With the back end taking shape, the next system to install was the Geartronics semi-automatic pneumatic gear shift system. This was chosen over all other systems to provide the reliability and accuracy of the gear changes to give the Hayabusa gearbox the best chance of coping with the additional power. The system allows for full throttle clutchless upshifts and auto downshifting with throttle blipping. There are safety features built into the system that prevents downshifting above pre-set RPM levels to avoid the risk of engine over revving.

The Geartronics system has its own programmable control unit (GCU) that interfaces with the main Motec engine management system.

Lightweight bracket laser cut to mount solenoids and pressure regulator	Accurate rotary potentiometer gives feedback to the GCU

Geartronics paddle shift system on quick release steering wheel

For the driver, steering wheel mounted carbon fibre paddles for upshifting and downshifting, all part of the Geartronics package.

John Truman (wiring contractor for Renault F1) was contracted to create the new wiring loom which has been designed to suit the normally aspirated engine as well as the new turbocharged engine. Using military connectors it splits behind the tub allowing the whole engine assembly to be removed. The Dash and ECU is all Motec, the M800 courtesy of Dave Rowe at EPS who will be helping out with the mapping.

A new dashboard created to house all the various switch gear and connectors. A lightweight on-board Lithium battery will be used to replace the heavier ‘Red Top’ existing battery.

ECU, GCU and other components mounted in a purpose made box situated in front of the seat	Loom now in place, new dashboard being designed.

The hardest part was the positioning and packaging of the turbocharger. Using our 3D CAD model this was positioned within the CAD model of the car. Space was at a premium, particularly as the sidepods waste away in the ‘Coke Bottle’ effect rearwards on the tub, see below.

Amazingly we were able to squeeze the turbocharger within the sidepod and Zircotec will be providing the ceramic coating not only to the exhaust system, turbine housing and wastegate housing but also to the inside of the carbon fibre sidepod to help with the heat management.

The engine which will run on Methanol is underway and in the design stage. No intercooling will be used. The hope of being ready for the start of the season has been dashed, the project being delayed due to a dramatically full order book.   Engine stripped down and cleaned prior to assembly

Meanwhile, team member Simon with the 1.4lt supercharged Hayabusa DJ Firehawk who is providing the benchmark for the comparison test is also delayed and in the process of a full rebuild from the tub upwards. The wiring loom courtesy of Steve Hurst of GWR Motorsport is now complete and incorporates an EFR speed sensor that we have supplied and will be machining into the compressor housing of the C38-81 Rotrex supercharger. This will be measuring the rotor speed which will be logged on the Motec ECU to determine how much slip there is in the planetary traction drive/gear assembly compared to belt drive installations.
	Simon Marsh’s supercharged DJ Firehawk in mock up build prior to full strip and repainting.

The other team member Richard Hollingworth has also been frantically preparing the black Firehawk after a full engine rebuild, renewal of all spherical joints and having to engineer new final drive casings, a problem he inherited from the previous owner of the car. Richard’s car will remain as a 1600cc in normally aspirated guise for the new season.
	TD race team member Richard Hollingworth testing his DJ Firehawk at Curborough