The aerodynamic tests that the technicians of Aero Research Partners (Arp) carry out, with the vehicles moving inside the Catesby Tunnel, which is a structure obtained from a Victorian double-track railway tunnel crossed by the first steam locomotives, might seem empirical. in July 1898. But they are instead very precise and very useful for the development of cars, including racing ones.
As the Arp technicians explain, this 'environment' is free of disturbing elements such as the wind found on the tracks for dynamic tests and is more realistic than those found in wind tunnels.
The measurements on aerodynamic resistance which are carried out using the 2.7 km long strip of asphalt - perfect like that of the Silverstone circuit - "are perfectly aligned with those of traditional wind tunnels" but with the crucial addition that the vehicle is evaluated in real operating conditions.
This is why the latest edition of the 'naked' Atom 4R compact super sports car, produced by Ariel Motor Company and presented last year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, was subjected to a thorough series of tests in the Catesby Tunnel.
The aim, the company specifies, was to verify the aerodynamic results for this 350 HP racing car with or without a cockpit protection deflector.
It has been seen that without this element - however wearing the case which is essential when you get behind the wheel of the Atom 4R - the air flow is no longer bearable by the driver above 100 km/h and at the maximum speed allowed by the system (190 km/h) the protection of the passenger compartment is vital.
In reporting the news, the British magazine Autocar recalls that above 65 km/h aerodynamic resistance plays a fundamental role in performance, increasing with the square of the speed.
To double the speed - therefore - you need four times the power and to triple it you need nine times the power.
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