# Racecar vs. Fighter Jet



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

On the left, a F-18 Hornet fighter jet delivering 40000 lb of thrust, and on the right, the Player's/Forsythe Racing Reynard-Ford Champ car, delivering for the occasion more than 1000 hp, driven by Patrick Carpentier.

The race was held on June 10, 2000 at Bagotville for the opening of their annual air show, in front of more than 20,000 people. The race was run over a 3000 ft (0.57 mile) distance, from a standing start.

Although we have to see this race as a pure show, it was nevertheless very impressive. The Ford engine of the Player's car was boosted to 1000 hp, and it showed: even though CART race cars never do standing starts, its acceleration was really awesome, especially compared with the jet-propelled F-18.

Patrick really accelerated like there was no tomorrow and blew the F-18 away in the first 2000 ft. And even though the F-18 tried to make up for lost ground in the last 1000 ft, it wasn't enough and the Reynard-Ford was first at the finish mark, with something like a 100 ft advantage.

Something that really surprised the spectators, and Patrick, is that the jet got off the ground in a really short distance, not even a thousand feet. Said Patrick in front of TV cameras: "I was happy to see my early lead, but when I saw the F-18 taking off the ground after just a few hundred meters, I thought that I was in deep (stuff), but even then I was able to stay in front!"

The end of the race was a bit confusing since judging the winner when one competitor is on the ground and the other a few feet behind but up in the air is a tough call. Photo-finish cameras had to come to the rescue and the Player's Racing car was declared the winner.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/champ-car.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosworth

http://the-welters.com/racing/cart2000/speed/index.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

The XF engine debuting in the 2000 Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) season is currently Cosworth's smallest, lightest, highest-output engine yet.

"It's a more complete engine than anything we've done before," said Bruce Wood, CART Program Director for Cosworth Racing. The XF's 18% weight reduction is due in part to lighter castings with thinner walls achieved via a patented Cosworth casting process. The 32-valve, 8-cylinder, 2.65-L Ford-Cosworth XF is about 22 kg (50 lb) lighter than the XD engine it replaces. XD - used 1996 through 1999 - was capable of 15,000 rpm. The XF approaches 16,000 maximum rpm, produces more than 634 kW (850 bhp), and more than 400 Nm (300 lb.ft) of torque. "The biggest step forward was more power. It's a double-digit gain," said Wood.

Computer finite element analysis (FEA) helped engineers determine which XD engine metal parts could survive and thrive with a different material make-up. "It was the first time we did use it (FEA) so extensively," said Wood.

Primary materials in the engine are cast aluminum (cylinder block - cast by Cosworth Castings), steel (crankshaft), and forged aluminum (pistons - forged and machined by Cosworth). Titanium and carbon are also used in engine components. "We basically machine almost everything on the engine, the exception being valves," Wood said.

The center of gravity for the XF is about 19 mm (0.75 in) lower than the XD's. The XF's narrow-angle V design permitted a smaller engine package and enhanced aerodynamics. Ancillary parts including the water heater tank and swirl pot (a device to air out cooling water) that were part of the chassis makeup on the XD are XF engine-integrated. Past Ford-Cosworth engines had a dual water radiator and oil cooler systems. The XF uses a single radiator and oil cooler system.

The XF engine also is 50 mm (2 in) shorter than the XD.

"If you took a cross-section of an engine, it really hasn't changed in 50 years," said Trevor Crisp, Managing Director of Cosworth Racing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Automotive Holdings. "It's really when you get down to details that it represents a change."

http://www.sae.org/automag/techbriefs_09-00/11.htm

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/select.asp?Y=2000&S=CHAMPCAR&E=General/Presentation

http://www.amazon.com/Cosworth-Search-Power-Graham-Robson/dp/1844250156


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Zero to 1 mile

F-18 _ 23.6 s @ 308 mph

800hp Lola-Cosworth _ 24.2 s @ 203 mph

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/comparison/thunder-road-the-standing-mile

http://timoglock.weboldala.net/galeria/index.php?cat=10

http://www.lolachampcar.com/


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

The 2003 XFE is the evolution of the XF. It contains several performance modifications to comply with new Champ Car rules regarding horsepower and engine life. According to Ian Bisco, vice president of Cosworth Racing, "Our XF engine ran 300 to 400 miles before a rebuild. Now we have tripled the life of the XFE and we're running it to 1,200 miles."

Two issues came up: lowering the usable power of the engine while maintaining efficiency and oil consumption. Basically, in the world of racing, high rpms equal more engine damage. "The biggest thing was to reduce the rpms from 16,000 to 12,000," says Bisco. Power band for the XF ranged from 11,000 to 16,000 rpm. Cosworth engineers brought the power band down to a range of 7,000 to 12,000 to get a 5,000-rpm spread that drivers could work with.

Pistons in the XF were extremely light with low friction to maintain high horsepower. For the XFE, engineers designed a stronger piston by increasing the weight using more of the same material in different areas. Also, another O-ring was added to ensure oil consumption didn't escalate over 400 miles. This adds more friction to the piston, but boosts durability. Other changes for strength and longevity include switching from titanium components in the valve train back to steel, although Cosworth won't get into specifics. The increased weight of the pistons meant that the crankshaft had to be balanced differently and weight added as well.

To get performance levels up, intake trumpet length increased from 1 to 3 in. Cam time and fuel-injection timing also were tweaked. But how to get the required horsepower? By increasing boost in the turbocharger. Over the past few years, as speeds rose, CART reduced the amount of boost from 45 inches down to 34, using pop-off valves. The valves are electronically monitored by sensors. The only way for teams to get power up was by increasing rpms, which was costly. "Part of the cost savings this year was our ability to reduce the rpms back to 12,000. But to bring the power back up again, we increased the boost," says Bisco. Currently, 41.5 inches blasts through the turbocharger, making 750 hp at 12,000 rpm.

http://machinedesign.com/article/seeds-of-change-0619

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/racing/racinglines_old/motoring_on.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1874557926


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

The XFE carries a conventional commercial-type turbocharger that runs with bronze bearings with aluminum and iron housings. Previously, the XF ran an expensive, titanium and magnesium turbocharger with roller bearings. A ring of injectors around the outside of the turbo would spray alcohol into the inlet wheel before it was forced into the engine. "This was costly, and a service problem because the turbo was separate from the engine," says Bisco. "Also, it was a maintenance issue because the electronic injectors and wire harnesses wrapped around a very hot turbo. But in the days when you were looking for that last 2 or 5 hp, it was a necessary evil," he adds.

In the current turbo, Cosworth engineers reintroduced precompression injection (PCI) to the inlet runner and made it part of the engine. "The injectors now get serviced with the engine and there are no electrical wires around the hot turbo housing, which will help with maintenance," says Bisco. "The current turbo is $7,000 compared to $13,000," he adds. Garrett Corp., of Torrance, Calif., makes the turbo.

Other modifications to the powerplant include changes to the fuel pump and materials in the engine. Fuel pumps had to increase flow to coincide with the higher turbo boost. The rpm reduction forced the mechanical fuel pump to turn more slowly. This necessitated increasing the size of the pump rotors, ensuring the same amount of fuel at lower rpms. Magnesium and carbon-fiber-engine components switched to aluminum for longevity. Dynamometer tests after 1,200 miles show the XFE with only an average 10-hp power loss. The powerplant weighs about 240 lb, or about the same as a conventional four-cylinder engine.

Each XFE's engine control unit (ECU) is programmed to run at two levels of turbo boost, a base level of 41.5 inches producing 750 horsepower and a P2P level of 44 inches that extracts 800 horsepower from the Ford Cosworth V8.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/special_inside_push-to-pass/

http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_arti...775/cosworth-xfe-champcar-engine-on-dyno.aspx

http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_arti.../961/categoryid/9/champ-car-turbocharger.aspx

http://www.gurneyflap.com/engine.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

G-Force

F-18 _ 7.6g (vertical)

Fighter pilots wear G-suits.

2001 CART at Texas oval _ 5.5g (lateral) + 3g (vertical)

Drivers enter 'uncharted waters' when they began to run laps in excess of 230 mph on the 24 degree banks of the Texas Motor Speedway. This created very high lateral G-forces, exceeding five G's. This combined with vertical G forces of three G's is greater than any experienced previously by CART FedEx drivers in any racing situation. Dr. Olvey explained that at such high lateral forces, the inner ear is affected causing loss of balance and spatial orientation.

Several drivers after long periods of time at speeds above 230 mph, reported to their teams that they felt they could no longer maintain control of their cars, so they parked them. At least one driver later reported to Dr. Steve Olvey that he could not walk straight, or maintain his balance for five minutes after he exited his car. Vertical G-force causes blood to flow away from the head.

"A situation developed on Friday afternoon that in my 25 years of working in motorsports, I had never experienced. Two drivers pulled off the race track after long stints at over 230 miles per hour. They pulled in because they were dizzy and disoriented and felt that they could no longer control the race car."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_F/A-18E/F_Super_Hornet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_Firehawk_600


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

2001 Texas Practice

Reynard-Honda _ 22.542 s (236.678 mph)

"The G-forces on this track are incredible! You are pulling five-G's for 14 seconds of every 23 second lap."

"I was concerned about the G-forces I was feeling on Friday. I ran a 236.5 mph lap yesterday where my crew tells me the data showed me pulling 6.3 G's in Turn 2. On Friday, I had to stop in the middle of a long run because I was feeling dizzy."

"There was no way we could race under these conditions. Four drivers almost passed out when they got out of their car. Their vision had become narrow and impaired."

"It was physically impossible to endure that much pressure for such a long period of time. I started feeling the symptoms of this excessive G-force on Saturday after doing 20 laps."

"I must say that in my 20 years of auto racing, I've never experienced the kind of forces I experienced here this weekend."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_CART_season

http://csel.eng.ohio-state.edu/voshell/gforce.pdf

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/question633.htm

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/select.asp?E=Texas_600&Y=2001


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

An IndyCar driver's F-18 ride

http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/index.htm


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Fastest CART Qualifying Lap

Fontana Qualifying

2000 Reynard-Honda _ 241.428 mph

In the year 2000, Champ Cars were capable of higher speeds at superspeedways if smaller rear wings were used instead of the Handford wings.

http://www.bullpublishing.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=46


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

2003 Ferrari F1 car vs. Eurofighter

Zero to 600m (0.37 mile)

F1: 9.4 s @ 294 km/h (183 mph)

Jet: 9.6 s

Zero to 900m (0.56 mile)

Jet: 13 s

F1: 13.2 s @ 305 km/h (189 mph)

Zero to 1200m (0.75 mile)

Jet: 14.2 s

F1: 16.7 s @ 308 km/h (191 mph)

The F1 car could beat the Eurofighter at the 1200m mark on a dry surface.

http://www.carpictures.com/Ferrari/F1-vs-Fighter-Jet-Close-Race-2003-03LBL203395470

http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/863

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/1606/Ferrari-F2003-GA.html

http://www.gurneyflap.com/ferrarif2003ga.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

2007 Spyker F1 car vs. F-16

Zero to 1000m (0.62 mile)

Jet: 15.5 s

2007 F1 cars (2.4-liter V8 engine) are slower than 2003 F1 cars (3-liter V10 engine).

http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/2007/430f1/f1.htm

http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/929

http://www.f1technical.net/news/5485

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

1981 F1 cars vs. F-104

http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/469

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Fastest F1 Lap

Monza Pre-Qualifying

2004 Williams-BMW _ 1:19.525 (162.949 mph)

http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/stats/

http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/881

http://www.f1network.net/main/s107/st66401.htm

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/engines/p84.htm


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Most Powerful NA F1 Car

2005 Toyota

3-liter V10 _ 1000 hp

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/...82907/toyota-s-1-000bhp-formula-1-engine.html

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/2235/Toyota-TF105.html

http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/888

http://www.highpowermedia.com/mall/ret/RET049_Sample.pdf


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Most Powerful Turbo F1 Car

1986 Benetton-BMW

1.5-liter Inline-4 _ 1300+ hp in qualifying (unlimited boost)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_B186

http://www.f1db.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3148&page=338&pp=10

http://www.gurneyflap.com/arrowsbenettonbm.html

http://www.gurneyflap.com/bmwturbof1engine.html


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## paul_tracyposer (Jan 10, 2005)

great posts.

judging by my forum name......HUGE,HUGE ChampCar...aka CART fan....and decidedly anti-IRL 


Benetton F1 1300hp 4cylinders rocked...


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Most Powerful CART Champ Car

1994 Penske-Mercedes (Indy 500 only)

3.4-liter V8 Turbo _ 1024 hp

If this engine is installed in a modern chassis, it will lap Indy at well over 240mph.

http://forix.autosport.com/8w/penske-mercedes-pc23-may-practice.html

http://forix.autosport.com/8w/penske-mercedes-pc23-specs.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

2006 LMP Audi R10 vs. Harrier

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/07/le-mans-winning-audi-takes-on-jet-fighter/

http://www.autoworld.co.za/NewsArticle.aspx?Article=3020

http://www.worldcarfans.com/10607106714/le-mans-winning-audi-nearly-beats-harrier-jump-jet

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/audir10.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrier_Jump_Jet


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

2013 Mercedes F1 vs. RAF Red Arrows


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Red Bull F1 vs. F-18


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

A superbike outpaced a fighter jet, aircraft, Tesla and three sports cars, including a Redbull F1 race car, during a two-day test race at an aerospace and technology festival in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Kawasaki H2R, driven by former Supersport World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu, outpaced its rivals by 0.04 seconds.

https://insideevs.com/watch-tesla-race-many-strange-rivals/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCoqgEeFeTo


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

An F-18 weighs 20,000 pounds and carries more fuel mass than the car weighs.


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## Jamolay (May 11, 2014)

Ha! That must have been an expensive race where the outcomes were entirely predictable. Add another 1/4 mile and there would be a different winner. 
Bet the bike stops faster than the others, too


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