For the vehicle concept of the IR24, the concept of the 23 was optimized and improved.
With the exception of the planetary gearbox, the drivetrain remained unchanged. At the end of development in season 23, it was determined that there was still great potential for weight savings in this area. The project was therefore put out to tender. By using ring gears of different sizes, the weight of the two gearboxes was halved. This not only reduced the weight of the vehicle, but also improved the weight distribution.
When developing the monocoque, the focus was on optimizing the manufacturing process. This enabled us to achieve a better surface quality, so that our car not only drove fast, but also looked good. Reusing the mold not only saved costs but also time, allowing us to rework the monocoque on a portal milling machine to accurately place all the connection points. This ensured that the finished prototype was as close as possible to the vehicle developed in CAD and could therefore achieve the desired driving performance.
The test drives carried out with the IR23 revealed a number of errors in the development of the chassis. These were rectified during the development of the IR24. One example was the implementation of a fully animated chassis in CAD. This enabled a collision check of the moving parts for the first time, which meant that the kinematics could be better implemented. In addition, the change from KW V3 dampers to KW V5 dampers offered more adjustment options on the suspension, which made it possible to achieve a better set-up.
A new battery cell was used in the high-voltage battery this year. This simple change led to a significant increase in capacity. As a result, full engine power could be called up over a longer period of time. We also switched from the Micro Auto Box 2 to the Micro Auto Box 3. The additional computing power enabled more complex vehicle control and better data recording.
New this year was a complete aerodynamics package, which not only significantly enhanced the appearance of our racing car, but also led to a significant improvement in driving performance. Particularly noteworthy was the iteratively simulated rear wing, which achieved significantly better values than the previous IRTe models.
Finally, the IR24 had to prove itself at the events in the Czech Republic and Germany. After some difficulties in the Czech Republic, a major goal was achieved in Germany. After the IR17 was last allowed to drive at an event, the IR24 was able to take part in a dynamic discipline again after seven years. A respectable 36th place in the autocross was the result, considering the strong growth of the starting field in recent years.
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