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Automotive The links between the mainstream
Gordon Murray – Petrolhead to urban green champion
automotive sector and the motorsport industry are obvious and the two have enjoyed a long and prosperous relationship. Henry Ford founded his company with the $1000 he won in a motor race and the Ford Motor Company has been one of the most consistent partners of motor racing ever since.
According to Chris Aylett, chief executive of the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), the automotive sector has drawn more and more on motorsport’s knowledge of efficiency, especially in the last five years. He highlights the development of F1’s kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) as an In July 2007, the Gordon Murray Design consultancy was established. Its first big example of this knowledge project was the T.25 prototype city car which was designed for optimal strength, performance, weight, cost, safety, usability, tooling, quality, energy efficiency, crossover. Kers is a form of recyclability and ease of assembly. On November 17, 2008 Gordon Murray won regenerative braking which the ‘Idea of the Year’ at Autocar magazine’s annual awards for the manufacturing acts as an energy recovery process proposed for the T.25. In November 2009 Gordon Murray Design and mechanism that reduces Zytek Automotive announced plans to develop an electric-powered version, the vehicle speed by converting T.27. The first prototype is due to hit the road early in 2011. some of its kinetic energy into a useful form of energy instead of dissipating it as heat as in a conventional brake. “We estimate that over well £20m went into the research and development of KERS almost overnight,” says Aylett. “That is the power and value that motorsport can bring. If an advantage can be found within the rules, then the sponsors or partners will find that money to exploit that advantage.” Two energy transfer systems were developed following the KERS ruling: Flybrid a rough crescent shape between Birmingham and and Williams Hybrid. Both systems have London, with its heartland near Silverstone now been adopted by a range of non-car in Northamptonshire. applications including trains, boats, coaches The size of the UK motorsport industry, combined and aircraft. F1 no longer actually uses either with its faculty for invention and rapid product system. In February this year, carmaker Porsche development, has made it a valuable resource for announced that its 911 GT3 R Hybrid would larger engineering companies. Formula 1 teams, for incorporate the Williams model and the vehicle example, have commercial partners from a diverse made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. range of industries including automotive, aerospace, Three years from the start of the F1 KERS communications, defence, electronics, energy, oil and project, Porsche has bought the Williams tyre manufacture. Strong relationships with companies solution and is one of first mass production such as Phillips, AT&T, Bridgestone, Boeing, Airbus, vehicle makers to implement the system BAE Systems and Shell are for more than marketing into a standard model. “Not even Porsche reasons, as a network of knowledge transfer between could develop such technology as fast as the these companies provides direct commercial benefits through direct input into their processes and products.
Professor Gordon Murray, born 1946 in Durban, South Africa, is a renowned designer of Formula 1 race cars and the McLaren F1 road car. He worked as a design engineer for the Brabham F1 race team for 17 years, where his designs helped secure 22 Grand Prix wins, achieve second in the constructors’ world championships in 1975 and 1981 and helped Nelson Piquet to the drivers’ championships in 1981 and 1983. After leaving Brabham, Murray joined McLaren as technical director. His 1988 Honda-powered McLaren MP4/4 won 15 of the 16 Grand Prix, and gave Ayrton Senna his first drivers’ championship..
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