Presenting to you: our newest beauty for the World Finals 2013. Check it out!
If you think there is a limit in the the development of a F1 in Schools car, we think you’re wrong. This is the fourth car Safire Racing has designed and produced, and we are more proud than ever about it.
In comparison to the SR03, which was a drastic redesign to our concepts, the SR04 seems similar. But actually, everything is new. And with everything, we mean every single aspect. It was designed in the UAE, and the cars were milled in Germany and in Greece by our collaboration partner White Blue Bullets.
The Main Innovation – Magnetically Levitated Sapphire Bearings
The SR04 uses the magnetically levitated sapphire bearings that originate from the SR03. The system was showcased at the Think Science Fare 2013 and even brought us to win second overall place in this competition!
The wheels are magnetically levitated, which means that they do not produce any friction while spinning. The sapphires only act as a backup, whereas they will most likely never be needed.
The use of sapphires as bearings has been our main innovation since the SR01. But it is still something unique for Safire Racing, and we are convinced that there is no better way to produce a frictionless spin.
The Axles
This is the part of the car that is least visible, but still has a dramatic impact on the driving behavior. The wheels of the SR04 are each attached to an axle with an elastic element, which ensures no unnecessary loss of speed due to uneven points on the track, etc.
A Little Secret
The dampening system, as mentioned above, has a magnificent detail: it allows the perfect absorption of uneven points on the track, no matter what the speed is. But pssst … No more details on that.
The Bullet
Our cars have always stood out by the long nosecones, which is an alternative attempt to achieve perfect aerodynamics. The body of the SR04 is in the shape of a bullet, and is actually the result of mathematics. Frictional force is limited to the surface only. This is something that was first calculated by Sears and Haack, and VonKarman experimented with this later on. A Von Karman curve is the most aerodynamic something can ever get, and this is exactly the reason why we use it. Together with redesigned spoilers and wings, the SR04 ensures perfect aerodynamics to once again limit any friction to the minimum.
These are only a few of all the new aspects of our new car. We believe mathematics has never looked so beautiful before. The SR04 resembles a maybe perfect design that just looks great, and already gives the impression high speed! This is once again the best car we’ve ever made, and we are extremely proud to present is at the F1 in Schools World Finals 2013 in Austin, Texas.