>
AVL RACING offers brake
optimization testbed
solutions for a variety
of racing categories.
F O C U S 2 9
of Motorsports, Marketing and Lead
Development at AVL RACING.
“While both approaches are justified,
the technology approach goes
far beyond the mere drive system.
At this point it will be particularly
crucial to address topics that are relevant
to the automotive industry
but have not yet been incorporated
in motorsports, such as autonomous
driving, car2x or UX.”
AVL RACING delivers cuttingedge
solutions and services along
the support chain SIMULATE –
ENGINEER – MAKE – TEST –
RACE. It is a portfolio, which, for
many racing teams in Formula 1,
Formula E, NASCAR, Indy Car,
Moto GP, DTM or the World Endurance
Championship, provides a
vital basis for their daily engineering
and tuning jobs, and ultimately contributes
to their competitive ability.
“Discretion is a major factor in the
premium segments of motorsports;
our customers trust in our commitment
to work discreetly, professionally,
and to maintain the highest level
of secrecy,” Michael Resl points out.
To help teams focus their full attention
on winning races, AVL RACING
assists them with not only the
crucial preparations beforehand, but
also, depending on the requirements,
at the racetrack itself – wearing discrete
team wear, which goes without
saying. “Obviously we offer strategic
and simulation support during
the race, too. But our main work is
basically finished the moment the vehicles
make it to the start line of the
qualifying session,” the AVL RACING
expert explains. “In the past, we
used to spend the first free practice
session adjusting the vehicle setup,
the aerodynamics or the tire pressure.
But that is now a thing of the
past. Nowadays, thanks to our Advanced
Simulation Technologies and
state-of-the-art testbeds, we are at
setup level weeks ahead of the race.
So in the free practice sessions, all we
need to do is fine-tuning and that’s
it. Sometimes we also use this time
to test products our customer wants
to install.”
“THE RACE WON’T WAIT UNTIL
THE CAR IS READY.”
Changes to the rulebook, fierce
competition and the constant striving
for maximum performance under
extreme time and cost constraints
make even the tiniest optimization
of the racing car a key factor. There
are many teams that rely on the
simulation and testbed solutions by
AVL RACING. Unlike what many
of other competitors offer, the test
unit experiences the simulated environment
as if it were driving 1:1 on
the racetrack, and in such detail that
even the smallest features like curbs,
the ideal path, shadow sections or fuel
movement in the tank during cornering
are simulated. Even tricky weather
conditions are mirrored realistically
in the AVL Simulator. At low cost
requirements, racing teams can benefit
from a variety of situations and
vehicle tunings which is unparalleled,
particularly given the complexity of
high-end Formula 1 power units.
AVL RACING focuses not only on
analyzing the vehicle and its environment
but also on the pilot – another
one of AVL RACING’s USPs.
“Driver telemetry informs us about
the drivers’ stress level and about anything
else that might be of relevance:
when they hit the brakes, turn the
steering wheel, the way they take corners,
whether they hold their breath
when doing so, and so on.” And the
drivers are not only analyzed during
a race but also when they are practicing
all circuits and situations virtually
inside the AVL driving simulator to
help them react optimally later on the
race circuit. “Focusing on the equipment
is one thing, but the ability to
analyze the link between the equipment
and the human being is a capability
of AVL RACING which many
racing teams take advantage of. Our
employees work very closely with
their teams,” Michael Resl says.
Additionally, when it comes to user
experience (UX), AVL concentrates
on optimizing the level of intuitive
handling in all tools. A large number
of applications were programmed
and developed over decades and
across many locations in order to