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New Formula E car demonstration[/caption]
The Spark-Renault SRT_01E made its first dynamic public appearance in Las Vegas, USA, in front of a crowd of technology fans at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The car was in the hands of Brazilian racing driver Lucas di Grassi who drove along the Las Vegas Strip before moving on to Mandalay Bay in the centre of the city.
- The 100% electric Spark-Renault SRT_01E single-seater race car performed its first public demonstration run in Las Vegas, USA, on Monday 6 January
- The event was held in conjunction with the International CES, a global consumer electronics and technology trade show
- Following its presentation at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013, and its debut track run at La Ferté Gaucher, near Paris, France, the Spark-Renault SRT_01E broke new ground by making its first dynamic public appearance
The demonstration run was confirmation that the visionary idea of fully-electric single-seater race cars is today very much a reality to which Renault, as a technical partner, has made a significant contribution thanks not only to its winning record in motor racing, but also to the lead it enjoys in the world of electric vehicles.
Renault Sport Technologies CEO Patrice Ratti, said: “Everybody at Renault is very proud that we were able to show the 100% electric Spark-Renault race car in driving conditions for a very tech-savvy crowd in Las Vegas. The work that has been done by all technical partners over the last few months has been fantastic and the car lives up to Renault’s high competition standards. We are very happy about the result so far and our engineers will keep working with Spark, Dallara, McLaren, Williams and Michelin to further improve the Spark-Renault SRT_01E so that all teams can compete with an amazing 100% electric race car when the championship begins.”
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On the Las Vegas strip[/caption]
The post Formula E car performs maiden public demonstration run in Las Vegas appeared first on Diamond Motors - Renault & Renault Sport Specialists.
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[caption id="attachment_1484" align="alignright" width="300"] Ferodo signs 3yr sponsorship[/caption]
Ferodo Racing, one of the globe’s premier specialist brake pad brands, has today, Thursday, 9th January, confirmed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the flourishing Michelin Clio Cup Race Series and Michelin Clio Cup Road Series.
As each of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) led categories prepare to embark on their first year as fully-fledged championships, organisers are delighted to welcome the Italian manufacturer as a key partner for the next three seasons.
“Ferodo is a fabulous name to have connected to the Series alongside title sponsor Michelin and is an excellent racing product”, said Clio Cup Series promoter Simon North, “I’m delighted to start the year with this news and very much looking forward to helping promote the Ferodo brand.”
In line with the new sponsorship deal, all cars in the Michelin Clio Cup Race Series and Michelin Clio Cup Road Series will use Ferodo D1.11 brake pads which will be sold trackside by Renaultsport UK’s official parts supplier R.Sport.
Drivers setting the fastest lap during the first race of a weekend in each division of the Series will also be rewarded with a free axle set of pads as part of the ‘Ferodo Fastest Lap’ prize. Additionally, each car will carry Ferodo Racing branding on its doors.
Based in Mondovi, Italy, Ferodo Racing produces competition brake pads in a specialised racing cell to the highest international quality standards – ISO16949 and 14001. Continually developing new materials with great innovations, Ferodo Racing delivers leading-edge products at the very forefront of brake technology.
The new deal with Ferodo Racing ties-in neatly with Michelin’s three-year headline sponsorship of the Race Series and Road Series and sees the brand also join fellow championship partners Protyre, Safety Devices and Mark Fish Motorsport.
Former Renault UK Clio Cup Champion Danny Buxton, now team principal of the rebranded SV Racing squad [formerly Scuderia Vittoria], says the involvement of such a well-known and high-profile name as Ferodo is great news for the Michelin Clio Cup Race Series and Road Series.
“Ferodo is a very big name in motorsport so it’s great for the Series, especially in its first year as a full championship, to be associated with such a prestigious brand”, he said, “I’m confident 2014 is going to be a very strong year for the category and it’ll prove to be one of the most popular championships in the country.”
Along with headline sponsors Michelin and Protyre, the Clio Cup Series is additionally supported by Ferodo, Safety Devices and Mark Fish Motorsport.
The post Ferodo racing signs three year sponsorship deal with Clio Cup series appeared first on Diamond Motors - Renault & Renault Sport Specialists.
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The BR series coilovers is our personal suspension of choice for use on track. They employ a large 46mm diameter piston in a 53mm diameter monotube damper body but we also offer some optional extras for those that want to vary their setup for different circuits:-
- Damper adjusting extenders
- Assister spring perch
- Uprated springs (Front & Rear)
[learn_more caption="Optional Upgrades" state="open"]Damper adjusting extenders – to save you the time and trouble of removing the parcel shelf each time you want to adjust the damping on your BC Racing coilovers we can offer pairs of adjuster extenders. These attach to the adjuster knob on the top of the coilover and are available in three lengths, 110mm, 200mm and 250mm. They attach in seconds with a simple grub screw design.
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Remote adjuster extenders[/caption]
Assister spring perch – you might prefer to run some droop with your coilovers or maybe you want to alter the ride by adding an additional smaller assister spring. The spring perch and assister springs allows you to do this. The springs are available in a wide range of spring rates.[/learn_more]
The post BC Racing Coilovers – Optional Extras appeared first on Diamond Motors - Renault & Renault Sport Specialists.
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The BR series coilovers use a large 46mm diameter piston in a 53mm diameter damper body to maximise oil capacity.
As the damper unit operates the oil contained within heats up. The viscosity of oil changes as its temperature varies which can lead to changes in the damping characteristic of the unit.
BC Racing only use a very high quality oil with their coilovers but go that extra mile to maximise performance and build their BR range with a large 53mm diameter damper body. This increases the capacity of the unit which increases the volume of oil contained which in turn reduces the peak temperature and so significantly improves damper performance.
[learn_more caption="Features & Specifications" state="open"]
- 53mm Nitrogen/Oil filled Monotube dampers
- Pillowball upper mount (*)
- Camber adjustable top mounts
- Aluminium top plates
- 30 way adjustable damping
- Adjustable spring platform
- Height adjustment via bottom mount to retain full damper travel
- Bearing mounted upper front spring platform
- Dust boot to protect damper seals
- Available for Clio II RS (Inc. 182 Cup), Twingo II RS & Megane II RS models
(*) - Please note that some features are dependent on model, not available for RS172/182
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Track proven products - Our 172 Cup car running BR Coilovers[/caption]
[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="Corner weight adjustment"]The lower spring platform of the BC Racing coilovers are adjustable. This allows the car to be set up for corner weighting to achieve perfect balance and ensures that maximum tyre efficiency is achieved.
The car needs to be placing equal weight on each tyre on an axle so both front tyres need to be taking equal loading as do both rears. This makes sure that both tyres are doing their equal share of work when cornering which increases overall grip, maximises corner speed and reduces lap times.
Optional assister springs can be purchased to allow wheel drop to be dialled into the unit to suit specific needs.
[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="Damping adjustment"]BR coilovers feature 30 way damping adjustment that combines both rebound and compression in one adjuster for simplicity and ease of use. This adjustable facility allows you to fine tune the vehicle to meet the relevant conditions.
By tweaking front and rear damping you can adjust the way the car handles. Increasing damping force on the rear relative to the front, for example, will start moving the vehicle into a more oversteer orientated stance.
If you want to go drag racing in a rear wheel drive car then you want the back of the car to squat off the line to maximise weight transfer to the rear and therefore onto the rear tyres. This maximises traction and helps prevent wheel spin. To achieve this you would soften the rear dampers to allow faster compression. If you had the rear dampers set to hard, as you might run the car on a race track, then the car would be less inclined to squat so traction would be reduced.
Conversely, if you want to go drifting and are finding it hard to break traction and are having problems with understeer then making the rear dampers harder will help reduce traction whilst making the front dampers softer will give greater front traction. This will make the rear of the car looser whilst minimising understeer thus altering the vehicles handling characteristics more towards drift than drag, road or track.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="High quality coil springs"]BC Racing coilovers only use the highest quality steel for their spring manufacturer. They are produced from SAE9254 high strength durable cold wound steel.
The springs are compression tested through over 500,000 cycles with less that 5% deformation.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="Ride height adjustment"]Ride height is determined by the position of the coilover bottom mount. The mount can be wound up and down the damper body to give a full range of adjustment from near standard ride height to so low it wouldn’t be drivable on the road.
Because ride height is determined by an adjustable bottom mount rather than spring platform you retain full damper travel regardless of the ride height run.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="Corrosion protection"]The damper units are black chromed steel to give superb durability even through the darkest of European winters. The aluminium components (top mounts, locking collars etc) are anodised and the steel lower mounts go through an electrophoretic disposition process followed by powder coating. A random selection of steel components (brackets, dampers, screws etc) are put through a salt spray test once a month to check the quality of the protective processes and that anti corrosive properties are kept at the highest possible standard.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="High quality oil"]BC Racing dampers use a sophisticated shim stack design and high quality oil to consistently control the compression and rebound speed of the damper rod even under the most extreme conditions.
As the vehicles travels over rough ground the compression and rebound motion of the damper rod heats the oil. Poor quality dampers use cheap oil whose characteristics alter with varying temperatures. Its vital that high quality oil is used that can maintain consistent viscosity under a wide temperature operating range. Once the oil start to degrade, its properties change leading to damping changes leading to changes in the vehicles handling characteristics.
BC Racing ensures that only high quality oil is used so that damping rates are maintained not only for the moment in hand (i.e. whilst out for a back road blast on or track) but that long term longevity is maximised with oil that doesn’t degrade quickly over time thus extending the dampers operating life significantly.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption="Nitrogen pressurised dampers"]When you work a damper hard on track or on high speed bumpy roads you can cause the oil to aerate and cavitation can occour. This causes foaming which effectively reduces the oils viscosity and so reduces the units damping effect. High quality oil goes a long way to help reduce this problem but BC Racing go one step further and pressurise the dampers with nitrogen. The nitrogen exerts a pressure on a floating piston which in turn exerts a permanent pressure on the oil dramatically reducing aeration and so improving the consistency and quality of the damping. The pressurised nitrogen also adds an additional element of effective spring rate to the damper unit.[/learn_more]
The post BC Racing Coilovers – £760 (inc. Free delivery or installation) appeared first on Diamond Motors - Renault & Renault Sport Specialists.
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NEW CLIO CUP CARS READY FOR 2014 CHAMPIONSHIP
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As the New Year dawns and preparations gather momentum for the 2014 Renault UK Clio Cup season, the first to feature the latest generation turbo-charged racing Clio, championship organisers are pleased to confirm 15 of the new cars are ready to race in the flagship British category – with more anticipated to join prior to the opening event of the season.
With almost three months still remaining until the start of the new campaign, the ante-chamber to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship looks set to be as popular as ever as existing and newcomer driver-owners and teams continue to place orders for the sensational 1.6-litre Clio.
Category race winner Lee Pattison is the latest driver to purchase the fourth generation car, joining the likes of Masters Cup stalwart Finlay Crocker who was the first competitor from the Renault UK Clio Cup to take delivery of one of the new Renault Clios.
Reigning and multiple title winning squad Team Pyro, which took a clean sweep of championship crowns last season, has purchased five new Clios for its Renault UK Clio Cup operation with the rebranded SV Racing – formerly Scuderia Vittoria – buying two cars and 20Ten Racing securing three of the 2014 specification machines.
Mainstay entrants Total Control Racing and JHR Developments have each purchased one car apiece while championship newcomer, and motorsport returnee, Daniel Rowbottom has already begun testing his Clio which will be run under the DRM Motorsport banner.
“We’re delighted we have 15 new Clios ready to race in this year’s Renault UK Clio Cup, it’s a very strong and pleasing start as we prepare for the 2014 season”, said Renault UK Communications Director, Jeremy Townsend, “We’ll be showcasing the new Clio on the BARC [British Automobile Racing Club] stand at Autosport International next week, where we’re hopeful of more orders.
“The championship organisers are in regular contact with existing competitors, as well as a number of potential owner-drivers looking at racing in the Clio Cup for the first time, and we’re confident we’ll be able to confirm our target of 20 cars in the coming weeks.”
Behind the scenes, the structure of the Renault UK Clio Cup organising team has been refreshed with Ian Watson of the BARC now taking a more hands-on role with championship promotion as well as a greater presence at the track alongside long-standing category co-ordinator Pauline Hillon. The BARC will also take on responsibility for all financial aspects associated with the running of the championship.
Simon North, who was entrusted with the rejuvenation of the Renault UK Clio Cup throughout 2013, now takes on an umbrella role as a consultant overseeing key areas, such as marketing, and working closely with both Renault UK and the BARC to help drive the series on to even greater heights.
North’s company Grovewood PR continues as the designated media consultancy for the Renault UK Clio Cup, building on the strong foundations already put in place. From a technical perspective, the championship’s official parts supply will continue to be provided by Renault mainstay R Sport.
“I’m very much looking forward to having a more central role within the organisation of the Renault UK Clio Cup this year, it’s the start of an exciting new era and we’re all determined to build on the amazing success which the championship has enjoyed year-on-year”, said the BARC’s Ian Watson.
“We had a sensational final season for the third generation car last year, Simon [North] and the team did a tremendous job and we’re all committed to making the first season for the latest turbo powered Clio one to remember.”
The brand new 1.6-litre, turbo-charged racing Clio will be displayed at the Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC next week as part of the Renault stand. Masters Cup competitor Finlay Crocker has kindly loaned Renault UK his newly acquired fourth generation car for the purpose.
The latest racing Clio will feature alongside the road-going Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo EDC, the recently face-lifted Mégane Renaultsport 265 and the previous generation Clio race car from the Michelin Clio Cup Race Series. Renaultsport’s single-seater prowess will also be on display on the stand, No. 7430, with a new generation Formula Renault 2.0 kindly supplied by Fortec Motorsport.
Existing and prospective teams are also able to learn more about the new technology involved in the fourth generation racing Renault Clio at R Sport’s South London base near Wimbledon, where an example of the 2014 car is currently housed.
Autosport International opens to trade visitors at 09.00 on Thursday, 9th January, and Friday, 10th January, with members of the public able to attend the show on Saturday, 11th January, and Sunday, 12th January. Visit the show website www.autosportinternational.com for more details.
The post New Clio Cup cars ready for 2014 championship appeared first on Diamond Motors - Renault & Renault Sport Specialists.
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