March 19, 2002. Copyright, 2002, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Damping down the bumps in Brazil
By Elisabeth Ribbans

LONDON, March 19, Graphic News:  The Brazilian Grand Prix really sorts the men from the supermen. In the past three years, no more than 10 drivers have gone its 190-mile (305.85km) distance. It is not just that the Interlagos circuit (alone with Imola) runs in an anti-clockwise direction, straining the neck muscles of drivers more used to leaning into right-hand bends. Nor is it that late summer in Sao Paulo comes hot and humid, always threatening a tropical downpour to drench the dusty tarmac.

No, the real test of man and machine at Interlagos Ð with its sweeping bends, sharp hairpins and steep gradients Ð is the obstinate bumps that, despite best efforts at re-surfacing by the Brazilian authorities, persist in protruding through the weather-beaten, superannuated circuit. If it adds to driver discomfort, it also contributes an added challenge to the work of the technical crew.

ÒInterlagos puts a lot of mechanical load on the cars; we donÕt like it, but everyone has to learn to cope with it,Ó says Willy Rampf, technical director of the Swiss-based Sauber Petronas team.

They cope with it largely thanks to a piece of suspension-supporting equipment known as the Òthird damperÓ. This device controls the Òride heightÓ Ð the distance between the base of the car and the tarmac Ð allowing the wheel springs to be fixed on the soft setting necessary to ride out the bumps. Without the third damper Ð standard throughout F1 Ð the cars would either be forced to adopt stiffer spring settings or, soft sprung, would sit perilously low to the ground at the high speeds required on the fast main straight. This would not only risk damage to the chassis, gearbox and suspension components, but could result in disqualification if the Òskid-blockÓ, fixed beneath the car, were shaved by more than the regulation 1mm during the race.

ÒThe main special consideration in our preparation for Brazil is to establish the damper setting,Ó explains SauberÕs Rampf. ÒWe have the car on the test rig, fed with data from last yearÕs Brazilian Grand Prix, which means we can replicate the ride conditions almost exactly, making 90 percent of the mechanical adjustments here at Hinwil [Sauber headquarters]. Only the fine-tuning will be carried out in Sao Paulo.Ó  Despite the circuitÕs knotty idiosyncrasies, Interlagos has produced some of Grand PrixÕs most memorable moments, not least the jubilation that followed the 1991 win by home-town hero Ayrton Senna. And most drivers will attest that the enthusiasm of the crowd on any given year gives them a lift that more than compensates for the exhausting bumps.
/ENDS

Source: Sauber Petronas