Project Brabham has released more details about how it aims to inspire engineers through its Brabham-Engineer web application. One of the three Brabham-Digital online experiences underpinning David Brabham’s model for open source racing, aspiring engineers have until Saturday, 1 November, to secure a three-year subscription.
The iconic team will return to racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and LMP2 next year. Brabham Racing plans to create an online learning environment that allows its community to contribute to the team’s strategy, develop core skills and be involved in the collaborative design of the first future Brabham LMP1 car.
The Brabham-Engineer LMP2 programme will provide an excellent grounding in racecar engineering, allowing members to build a solid knowledge foundation and gain valuable insight into team management from an engineering perspective.
As the team continues its journey to return as a constructor, Brabham-Engineer will become an all-encompassing engineering experience for professional and aspiring engineers alike that will not be available with any other global motorsport team. Brabham is already in advanced discussions with a leading CAD software developer to provide their software as an integral part of Brabham-Engineer.
Brabham Racing promises to open the doors and allow people to see inside the world of motorsport engineering. Brabham-Engineer will be an e-learning portal, online motorsport engineering experience and a series of open source engineering challenges all rolled into one.
Brabham Racing team engineers will set Brabham-Engineer challenges in line with class homologations and regulations, which form learning modules across the racing season. The community will also be asked to vote and engage on particular event strategies and team decisions, allowing them to directly contribute to the development of the car.
Engineering challenges will be set before, during and after every race. Each event will have an assessment attached and a score given on completion, with a total score calculated at the end of the year. Anyone achieving a score of 75 per cent or over for an entire season will be given a certification of achievement for that race series. In time it is hoped that this will become a recognised mark of quality for the motorsport engineering industry.
The engineering challenges will become much more complex, increasing in both the level of difficulty and interactivity as Brabham Racing strives to become an LMP1 constructor by 2018. The design of the team’s first LMP1 car could start as soon as 2016, which would reflect Brabham-Engineer tasks as complex as designing a complete chassis. Other series such as Formula E will remain a future consideration, while Brabham Racing has ambitions of taking its model for open source racing back to Formula 1.
Brabham-Engineer LMP2
During the Brabham Racing LMP2 campaign, Brabham-Engineer members will be provided with an engaging learning environment based upon:
Pre Event: General event planning and schedulingShakedown: Routine engineering tasks, areas of analysis and special tasks related to the eventCar Set-upTyre StrategySession Planning: Driver rotation and plan, fuel usage, set-up evaluation, runs planned per session and tyre usage in relation to conditionsSession DevelopmentChassis AnalysisConcern and Fault AnalysisOpposition AnalysisDriver PerformanceTeam PerformanceData AnalysisSimulation AnalysisProgressive Development / Future EventsLMP2 Example Challenge – Tyre Management and Strategy
Tyre strategy can make a huge difference between winning and losing in any form of motorsport, but particularly in endurance racing. Brabham Racing would explore which compound is best suited to each stint and driver at each track, how long each tyre set will last and provide real data on performance degradation.
The Brabham-Engineer challenge would allow members to analyse the data, consider potential strategies, and then put forward their own tyre strategy proposal for team consideration. The team would provide up to three defined strategies to put to the community vote.
The community will be given access to comprehensive de-briefing notes, team and driver feedback following each event, which will allow members to evaluate their thinking and consider what they would change for future races.
A Unique Learning Opportunity
Project Brabham recognises the potential value and interest this learning environment will have for engineering students and supporting education will play an important role as Brabham Racing progresses.
David Brabham commented: “I have been a racing driver for over 30 years and it has always amazed me how much people can learn about themselves and their chosen profession in a competitive environment. In motorsport, engineering knowledge and knowhow is usually locked away behind closed doors in the spirit of competition. By creating an open source platform that allows people from around the world to learn through the team, contribute and influence its development, Brabham Racing hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers.
“The aim is that the Brabham-Engineer web application will initially help members form a solid understanding of racecar engineering as we compete in LMP2. It will be a valuable tool for those who want a deeper level of involvement or are climbing the ladder of motorsport engineering, whatever their age.
“When we move to LMP1 the level of engagement will dramatically increase and Brabham-Engineer will become a unique portal for aspiring and professional engineers alike. We believe what we are striving to create is completely unique and not available through any other motor racing team.”
Brabham-Engineer community members will get a rare opportunity to participate in the development of a real life motor racing team. Subscribe by this Saturday, 1 November, via the Project Brabham crowdfunding page to contribute towards the development of Brabham Racing in its early stages, and join one of the Brabham-Digital web applications for three years. Visit www.brabham.co.uk for further details.
