Brands Hatch, UK, 29th July 2013: Round 3 saw Car 59, Tiga CN212B driven by Alex Champkin and Roman Krumins take the second step of the podium at Brands Hatch, Fawkham, Kent, despite a misfire that developed later in the race.
Car 61, the Tiga CN212A driven by Mike Newton and Alan Bonner, although struggling for pace, took the third step on the Speed Euroseries Championship podium, mainly as a result of issues for their fellow competitors.
The team reviewed the data from the 12A, and although the latest suspension parts were working well, the cars handling was still very unpredictable, and difficult to achieve a consistent lap time.
It was decided overnight to implement a new rear wing configuration, reflecting a more conventional layout, rather than the experimental and innovative diffuser flow rear wing. This would at least potentially identify he cause of the handling instability. Excellent work by the Orex team saw the car emerge for a re-inspection by the scrutineers the next morning with a completely reconfigured rear wing. Analysis of the data from Race 1, and theoretical data from the aerodynamic design data provided the team with a basic assessment of a target wing angle for the upcoming race. It was immediately visible to all that Alan Bonner was more comfortable with the handling at the start of Race 2, and immediately set a pace on full tanks that improved on his pace at the end of Race 1, when on a much lower fuel load.
When a safety car threatened in the driver change window, Alan handed the car over to Mike Newton. After a few laps to understand the new setup, Mike was also improving on the times, and ultimately setting a time well over a second faster than the fastest time from Saturday, despite the green track from the heavy overnight rain.
The 59 CN212B unfortunately had a return of the intermittent misfire, and made several stops while trying to track down the cause.
The flag fell after the hour race to again find the 61 car driven by Newton and Bonner take the third step on the podium for the second time of the weekend.
QUOTES
Mike Newton (Tiga Cars) : “We were very conscious that this event may be more of a development exercise than outright race, and while the new mechanical package was working well, the car was still very difficult to drive. We took the decision to try an alternative rear wing configuration, such that we could understand whether this was the basis of the instability. While the configuration has been very promising on flatter circuits, there are definitely issues on circuits with elevation changes such as the demanding Brands Hatch GP circuit. Although still requiring more optimal setup, the conventional wing was a clear improvement in these circumstances, and this has provided valuable feedback and data. The second podium result felt more appropriate based on a more competitive race pace.”
Dave Beecroft (Orex Competition) : “The innovative aero package of the Tiga CN212A has shown great promise in straight line testing, however clearly still needs further development before it can be applied to all circuits. We are really proud of the way the team pulled together and created a major configuration change in the time available, which with one shot only at estimating a setup was an immediate improvement.
We were also hugely encourage that the debut of the CN212B has shown great pace straight away, and this is also now a very solid baseline on which we can build.”
Pauline Norstrom (AD Holdings COO & Motorsports Director) : “Tiga cars and Orex made great steps forward this weekend for AD Team Tiga, and we are really looking forward to the round at Spa Francorchamps when we will next be inviting our key clients to join us”
Full Release here : 30th July 2013