Rolex 24 at Daytona

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And speaking of GM Racing...

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GM Inaugurates New Performance and Racing Center

February 2, 2016

GM Opens Performance and Racing Center

General Motors today opened the doors to the all-new GM Powertrain Performance and Racing Center – a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the development processes for the company’s diverse racing engine programs.

The new, 111,420-square-foot facility is connected to GM’s Global Powertrain Engineering Center and is part of a $200-million investment at the Pontiac, Mich., campus. It relocates the Racing center from Wixom, Mich. to the Pontiac Powertrain Campus, bringing together under one roof an additional team of nearly 100 engine builders, engineers and other support staff. The Performance and Racing team is responsible for developing engines for NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar, IMSA and other racing series.

It also leverages the resources at the Global Powertrain Engineering Center, enabling faster and more integrated technology transfer between GM’s racing experience and production-vehicle powertrains.

“We race to win and learn,” said Dan Nicholson, vice president, General Motors Global Powertrain. “This new facility offers unprecedented opportunities to connect our racing engineers and powertrain engineers, integrating their knowledge to give our racers an edge on the track and our customers better vehicles on the road.”

Tasked with complete racing engine design and validation, the Performance and Racing Center’s capabilities include:
•Design release
•Full CNC machining
•Engine build
•Electronics and telematics
•Dyno validation
•Calibration

“Chevrolet earned six manufacturer and five driver championships in 2015, and we are carrying that momentum into 2016,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “This new center is a valuable tool in developing powertrains with the right combination of performance, durability and efficiency to help our drivers and teams win races and championships.”

The racing engines under responsibility at the new center include:
•NASCAR “R07” – a unique 358-cubic-inch V-8 engine designed and developed exclusively for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing
•IndyCar 2.2L Twin-Turbo V-6 – a technical marvel that uses a pair of high-boost-producing turbochargers to help extract about 700 horsepower from the small-displacement, direct-injected V-6
•NHRA COPO Camaro V-8 engines – racers competing with a new 2016 COPO Camaro in NHRA’s Stock and Super Stock eliminator classes can select from supercharged and naturally aspirated LS- and LT-family engines
•Corvette Racing 5.5L V-8 – Based on the production LT engine family, the naturally aspirated and all-aluminum 5.5L V-8 engine is used by the Corvette Racing C7.R team
•Cadillac ATSV.R Twin Turbo – A racing engine based on the production model’s 3.6L twin-turbo engine.

Additionally, the high-performance crate engines and crate powertrain systems offered by Chevrolet Performance are developed at the new facility.

Clean-sheet design

A clean-sheet design of the new facility incorporates the latest engine-assembly, engine-testing and calibration equipment. The connected layouts of the engine assembly and testing areas are designed to enhance workflow, making it easier for the eight dedicated performance and racing engine builders to retrieve parts, build engines and move them to the dyno cells. Collectively, they bring 150 years of engine-building experience.

“The process development possibilities with the new center are exciting,” said Dan Nicholson. “We’ve merged the best engineers and engine builders in the business with one of the industry’s most advanced powertrain development facilities.”

Facility highlights include:

Engine assembly – There are 10 all-new engine build bays – eight in the Engine Build room and two in the prep area to facilitate quicker transfer to dyno testing and other validation areas. Each 120-square-foot bay has an air drop for powered tools and access to an overhead crane for easy loading on the build stands. Builders also use specialized tools such as programmable torque wrenches to help ensure consistency with the engines. Additional specialty tools at their disposal include a Cam Doctor for precise camshaft evaluations and a ROMER Arm coordinate measuring machine.

Machining – Engineers and builders also have access to over 30 machining tools, offering complete machining capability for cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, fuel rails and engine components, comparable to the racing industry’s best racing shops. The equipment roster includes nine CNC machines that can transform designs right into new components – including a new Hurco five-axis machine. The staff also has access to a 3D printer for constructing new or modified components, as well as laser scanners to help ensure the powertrain parts meet the high degree of dimensional accuracy demanded for the rigors of racing.

Engine testing – There are four state of the art AVL engine dynamometer cells dedicated to the Performance and Racing Center:
•Two gas-powered engine dynos
•A gas-powered driveline dyno
•A new electric driveline dyno

The engine dynos are similar to those used to develop GM’s production engines, but rated for the high output of racing engines. The gas and electric driveline dynos are firsts for GM Powertrain’s campus and are used to test axle differentials for NASCAR and IndyCar. The drive input capability for each is more than 1,000 hp and approximately 560 lb-ft of torque, while the drive output capability is approximately 885 hp and 2,500 lb-ft of torque.

Calibration – An electronics lab is used for the design, assembly and calibration of custom control systems that drive most of the racing and performance engines. Engineers are also able to make calibration changes in the dyno cells. In fact, the dynos can use telemetry data from the race cars’ control systems to replay an engine’s entire race, which can help with development of new engines and calibration changes for existing ones.

Interactive lobby and meeting space

In addition to its technical development areas, the new Performance and Racing Center also features an airy, modern and connected lobby that celebrates GM’s motorsports legacy, as well as a conference center that accommodates up to 125 people. It can be reserved by racing teams, component suppliers and even enthusiast clubs and organizations seeking a meeting location under the checkered flags of GM’s racing programs.

“Louis Chevrolet established GM’s racing legacy more than a century ago and every win since then has helped us design and build better vehicles,” said Campbell. “With the new Powertrain Performance and Racing Center, we will advance that legacy with greater competitiveness on the track and stronger technology transfer to production vehicles.”
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The C7R's are running 5.5L engines, so I would be very surprised if they could do over 800HP, and then I would doubt they could last 24 hours. Sports car sanctioning bodies all around the world seem intent on limiting every race car to 600-ish HP. I hate air restrictors.


Ya they have been running the 5.5L since 2010 in the C6.R.

I will say the new GT3 formula makes for awesome racing. I really enjoy watching the Blancpain series. There are 22 GT3 spec cars entered in the Bathurst 12hr this weekend from 7 different makes not including the 7 Porsche Cup GT3 entries in their own class.


I believe that in typical race trim, the 5.5L is electronically limited to 5,500 RPM or whereabouts. That thing could make so much more power if allowed to spin up more!
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The C7R's are running 5.5L engines, so I would be very surprised if they could do over 800HP, and then I would doubt they could last 24 hours. Sports car sanctioning bodies all around the world seem intent on limiting every race car to 600-ish HP. I hate air restrictors.


Ya they have been running the 5.5L since 2010 in the C6.R.

I will say the new GT3 formula makes for awesome racing. I really enjoy watching the Blancpain series. There are 22 GT3 spec cars entered in the Bathurst 12hr this weekend from 7 different makes not including the 7 Porsche Cup GT3 entries in their own class.


I believe that in typical race trim, the 5.5L is electronically limited to 5,500 RPM or whereabouts. That thing could make so much more power if allowed to spin up more!


Just went through the new GM Racing Center during their open house, and they had a video of the 5.5L doing a dyno simulation of a lap at LeMans. The tach was indicating between 3900 and 6200 rpm all through the lap. Another thing that I didn't know about it was the C7R uses E85 for fuel. This is a neat trick which probably allows them to run higher compression than with gasoline.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The C7R's are running 5.5L engines, so I would be very surprised if they could do over 800HP, and then I would doubt they could last 24 hours. Sports car sanctioning bodies all around the world seem intent on limiting every race car to 600-ish HP. I hate air restrictors.


Ya they have been running the 5.5L since 2010 in the C6.R.

I will say the new GT3 formula makes for awesome racing. I really enjoy watching the Blancpain series. There are 22 GT3 spec cars entered in the Bathurst 12hr this weekend from 7 different makes not including the 7 Porsche Cup GT3 entries in their own class.


I believe that in typical race trim, the 5.5L is electronically limited to 5,500 RPM or whereabouts. That thing could make so much more power if allowed to spin up more!


Just went through the new GM Racing Center during their open house, and they had a video of the 5.5L doing a dyno simulation of a lap at LeMans. The tach was indicating between 3900 and 6200 rpm all through the lap. Another thing that I didn't know about it was the C7R uses E85 for fuel. This is a neat trick which probably allows them to run higher compression than with gasoline.


I should pass through their racing center... i live like 15 minutes from there. I wonder if their LeMans spec can run more RPM? Maybe it was the old motor that was limited to 5,500... at any rate, I'm sure 6,200 is quite conservative for that motor.
 
They use E85 here, but at LeMans they have to use whatever the ACO supplies them. There was a whole section in Dan Binks' book about the junk fuel the ACO gives American teams.
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: splinter
Listened to the Corvette in-car streaming audio overnight.

No commentary just that thumping LS V8 circulating 'round and around. I'm weird like that but do it every year.

Glorious for gearheads.


Yes, I could only wish for one of those Katech built, ITB equipped, MULTI stage dry sumped, C7R engines in anything I'd ever own.
frown.gif


I am told that they would make upwards of 950 crank hp in totally unrestricted form.
eek.gif



The C7R's are running 5.5L engines, so I would be very surprised if they could do over 800HP, and then I would doubt they could last 24 hours. Sports car sanctioning bodies all around the world seem intent on limiting every race car to 600-ish HP. I hate air restrictors.


Correct, as that (900+ HP) figure was for the older, Katech built, 7 liter thumpers, un-restricted (I should have said C5 R engines, NOT C7R.)

I'm also guessing that Katech now has nothing to do with the development of the 5.5 liter Vette racing engines (even as consultants)??
 
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