On Fri, 23 Oct 1998, Stig Brautaset wrote:

> >I believe that top sports cars (Porche type things) can corner at
> >over 1g - no doubt wings play a part here.

That would be news. Anyway don't try that.

> I think I have read somewhere that because of their effective wing flaps (is
> that the right term? My dictionary didn't contain a translation of the
> norwegian word) Formula 1 cars can drive upside down (i.e in a tunnel) at
> speeds above 140 km/h.

This is based on top figures applied to an extreme case. You must not
forget that many systems in a sports car don't work upside down at all.
Getting fuel to the engine in turns is hard enough, and non-injected
carbs have all sorts of interesting arrangements in them to keep the fuel
supply independent of vibration and lateral forces. Also, they all use
only sealed batteries for the same reason. There is much more, and I am
not an expert. Anyway that McLaren hydraulic brake distributor coupled to
the steering wheel was a killer imho ;) How come no-one thought of it so
far ?

> How the formula racer would handle the vertical curving?
> That I don't know! :-)

Well, normal race cars that race on a closed concrete track DO attain 90
degree angles in raised curbs quite commonly. It's a bad idea to hit the
brake even so slightly in that position imho ;) So do bobsleighs since
we're at Norwegian. It's all in the centrifugal force ;)

Peter