| Grand Prix Racing - | The Science of Fast Pinewood Cars |
We start with a brief description of the Official AWANA Grand Prix Track geometry and assign symbol letters to some of its measurements.
The Official AWANA Grand Prix Track is a ramp followed by a long flat piece of track. The ramp will be dwelt upon more intensely because it is the seed to understanding the general track shape model. Though the transition from the ramp to the flat part of the track is a smooth arc, this will not be accounted for in the model.
Models which do account for rounded transitions produce results only slightly different. But a car that "wins" in such a model also "wins" in the simplified model. The models demonstrate the same behavior. So for the purposes of practicality, the extra work is not worth the trouble unless modeled dynamically via computer.
The ramp has a slope of -21.1781 degrees (-0.369627387 radians). This slope angle will be called, O, pronounced "theta". The expression "O = -21.1781 degrees" means that theta has the value indicated with the units indicated.
The track is 41.6 inches (3 feet 5.6 inches) high at the starting line.
The surface at the bottom of the track is elevated 1.75 inches.
The difference between these heights is the distance a car can "fall" on the track. It will be labeled, H. H = 41.6 - 1.75 = 39.9 inches.
The ramp portion of the track joins the flat portion of the track at at a height of 1.75 inches at a distance along the base of 103 inches (8 feet and 7 inches). Base measurements are taken from the point directly below the starting gate of the track.
There are four lane strips (or medians) 2 inches apart with dimensions of 1.375 inches wide and 0.25 inches tall.
The starting perches are one foot long, sloping into the starting posts at the ramp angle.
The race lanes, from the starting line to the finish line, are 360 inches long (30 feet). The part of the race lane on the ramp is 110.5 inches long (9 feet 2.5 inches) followed by 249.5 inches (20 feet 9.5 inches) of flat straight track. These measurements are called Lr and Lf respectively. Lr = 110.5 inches. Lf = 249.5 inches.
Beyond the finish line there is a 22.5 inch runway for "breaking".
The Official AWANA Grand Prix Track does not have an abrupt transition like the one modeled below. However, for studying the over-all behavior of cars in the race, it is quite adequate.
| SYMBOL | VALUE | UNITS | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| H (start height) | 39.9 | inches | Vertical height from the starting line to the level of the surface of flat. |
| Lr (ramp surface length) | 110.5 | inches | Length of ramp surface from the starting line to the join. |
| O (ramp angle) | -0.36963 | radians | Angle of the ramp surface from horizontal. The sign is negative because the cars run down the slope of the ramp. |
| Lf (flat surface length) | 249.5 | inches | Length of flat surface from the finish line to the join. |
| [Pit Area] | [Title Page] |
| Grand Prix Racing - | The Science of Fast Pinewood Cars |
| Copyright © 1997, 2004 by Michael Lastufka, All rights reserved worldwide. | |