Did a C8 Corvette Prototype Crash During Testing at VIR Last Week?

[CorvetteBlogger]

From our post at CorvetteBlogger.com:

Did one of the C8 Corvette Prototypes crash last week while testing at Virginia International Raceway?

And was that car one of the rumored Twin-Turbo versions?

This latest rumor comes from a CF member named “Tool Hoarder” who posted about how the crash delayed entry to VIR where he was working as an instructor. He later added pictures of camo-wrapped panel that is alleged to have come from the car.

Here is “Tool Hoarder’s” original post:

I was instructing with NASA at VIR this weekend. Thursday an email was sent delaying any entry into the paddock until 7:30 PM at the earliest which is a good bit later than normal. Event organizers apologized explaining that their hands were tied with a private “high security” track rental. Chatter in the paddock this weekend was that Chevy was there testing the TT C8 and that one crashed which caused the delay in them wrapping up and leaving on time. This was confirmed to me by a source I won’t give any details on.

Someone needs to get a drone onstand-by in Danville





Speculation is that this could be a fake panel used for disguising the side intake vents based on the curved opening on one side. We know from various spy photos that the Corvette team has added fake lines, curves, and other padding to defuse the design elements of the car under it and the side intake cove has been at the forefront of those discussions.

[John]

Thanks CorvetteBlogger. I notice you framed this whole issue as a “question.”

Most importantly as everyone has noted, if there was this reported accident, we sure hope the driver is unscathed!

To understand this, did GM with its large team it takes to do track testing, and we know it is quite an engineering and support crew that also goes with the test drivers/cars to do such track testing each time, especially since we know there were up to seven C7’s in the area around VIR, leave such large pieces on the track where others could have picked them up?

Might these pieces right now being analyzed by Porsche or other GM competitors? And especially with one of those pieces seem to be the most important part of the C8’s IVERs disguise, the piece covering over its side scoop?

Inquiring minds are asking questions. For I too am very curious about this. No conclusions made by me; just wondering out loud.

[jsmatt]

Inquiring minds would like to know!

[Shadow]

We all hope the driver had no injuries.

[NewYuriCity]

Looks like the track is closed again today for "Private Testing", anyone in the area with a drone and a GoPro?

[John]

Nice find NewYuriCity. Helicopters allowed?

[SheepDog]

Thanks CorvetteBlogger. I notice you framed this whole issue as a “question.”

Most importantly as everyone has noted, if there was this reported accident, we sure hope the driver is unscathed!

To understand this, did GM . . . leave such large pieces on the track where others could have picked them up?

Inquiring minds are asking questions. For I too am very curious about this. No conclusions made by me; just wondering out loud.

Optimistic Bright Side Analysis and Speculation:

Great question , John

" 7:30 p.m. " : Crash. High speed. Debris field. Ground level search only? No overhead-view mechanism? The sun set. It got dark. Limited time exclusive track rental rights and access. There are probably a few bits and pieces still out there

The crew probably recovered and collected broken pieces on a priority order. The vent cover left behind was a fake fender. Low priority.

A Put it in Perspective Speculation:

Given the nature of the C8 development program and similar efforts by ?other companies, what if anything does the crash say or mean? The development programs are secret. Information is unavailable.
What was the test? Run it till it fail? Speed? Maneuver? Drift function? A specific feature, new feature, setting, adjustment, extreme, track record run? Had the record already been set and the C8 crashed in an attempt to put it out of reach?

Or just a parts failure . Driver's error? Track defect or condition? Convergence of multiple factors?

Limited information. Has no significance. It just sounds like this thing will fly! That's a good thing.

Optimistic Bright Side Analysis and Speculation: What do I know? Nothing at all.

[John]

Good questions. To which we sure do not have answers now; doubt we will ever...

[SheepDog]

Testing of the C8 TT V8 must be awesome. The C8R sounds impressive in the night video. The C8R is restricted to about 500HP. The street version is not restricted at 500 and people are saying 800/900 HP. New territory, new equipment, new performance, lots of nuance to sort.

And it is being done while we wonder.

[John]

The C8.R does sound magnificent. For those looking for a shortcut to hear that video. https://www.midenginecorvetteforum.c...est-at-sebring

[SheepDog]

From our post at CorvetteBlogger.com:

Did one of the C8 Corvette Prototypes crash last week while testing at Virginia International Raceway?

And was that car one of the rumored Twin-Turbo versions?

This latest rumor comes from a CF member named “Tool Hoarder” who posted about how the crash delayed entry to VIR where he was working as an instructor. He later added pictures of camo-wrapped panel that is alleged to have come from the car.

Here is “Tool Hoarder’s” original post:

I was instructing with NASA at VIR this weekend. Thursday an email was sent delaying any entry into the paddock until 7:30 PM at the earliest which is a good bit later than normal. Event organizers apologized explaining that their hands were tied with a private “high security” track rental. Chatter in the paddock this weekend was that Chevy was there testing the TT C8 and that one crashed which caused the delay in them wrapping up and leaving on time. This was confirmed to me by a source I won’t give any details on.

Someone needs to get a drone onstand-by in Danville





Speculation is that this could be a fake panel used for disguising the side intake vents based on the curved opening on one side. We know from various spy photos that the Corvette team has added fake lines, curves, and other padding to defuse the design elements of the car under it and the side intake cove has been at the forefront of those discussions.

This body panel has thickness. There are panels all over the car. The cumulative bulking and visual distortion of all panels and cover obscures an appreciation of any sleekness beneath. There is a thing of beauty under this stuff.

[tooold2race]

Anyone think that they may have been testing the C8R??? If they are going 'live' with that configuration in 2020, they need to get some serious track time behind 'em.

[SheepDog]

Anyone think that they may have been testing the C8R??? If they are going 'live' with that configuration in 2020, they need to get some serious track time behind 'em.

Engine test stand

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An engine test stand is a facility used to develop, characterize and test engines. The facility, often offered as a product to automotive OEMs, allows engine operation in different operating regimes and offers measurement of several physical variables associated with the engine operation.

A sophisticated engine test stand houses several sensors (or transducers), data acquisition features and actuators to control the engine state. The sensors would measure several physical variables of interest which typically include:

• crankshaft torque and angular velocity
• intake air and fuel consumption rates, often detected using volumetric and/or gravimetric measurement methods
• air-fuel ratio for the intake mixture, often detected using an exhaust gas oxygen sensor
• environment pollutant concentrations in the exhaust gas such as carbon monoxide, different configurations of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter
• temperatures and gas pressures at several locations on the engine body such as engine oil temperature, spark plug temperature, exhaust gas temperature, intake manifold pressure
• atmospheric conditions such as temperature, pressure, and humidity

Information gathered through the sensors is often processed and logged through data acquisition systems. Actuators allow for attaining a desired engine state (often characterized as a unique combination of engine torque and speed). For gasoline engines, the actuators may include an intake throttle actuator, a loading device for the engine such as an induction motor. The engine test stands are often custom-packaged considering requirements of the OEM customer. They often include microcontroller-based feedback control systems with following features:

• closed-loop desired speed operation (useful towards characterization of steady-state or transient engine performance)
• closed-loop desired torque operation (useful towards emulation of in-vehicle, on-road scenarios, thereby enabling an alternate way of characterization of steady-state or transient engine performance)

Contents

• 1Engine test stand applications
• 2Engine testing for research and development
• 3Magnifying LDV sensors in engine testing
• 4See also
• 5References

Engine Test Stand with WALTHER-PRAEZISION Multicoupling System

• Research and Development of engines, typically at an OEM laboratory
• Tuning of in-use engines, typically at service centers or for racing applications
• End of production line at an OEM factory. The changing of the engines to be tested takes place automatically, and fluid, electrical and exhaust gas lines are connected to the test stand and engine and disconnected from them by means of docking systems. When the engine docks in the test stand the mechanical drive shaft is automatically connected to it.

HORIBA engine test stand type TITAN

Research and Development (R&D) activities on engines at automobile OEMs have necessitated sophisticated engine test stands. Automobile OEMs are usually interested in developing engines that meet the following threefold objectives:

• to provide high fuel efficiency
• to improve drivability and durability
• to be in compliance to relevant emission legislation

Consequently, an R&D engine test stands allow for a full-fledged engine development exercise through measurement, control and record of several relevant engine variables.

Typical tests include ones that:

• determine fuel efficiency and drivability: torque-speed performance test under steady-state and transient conditions
• determine durability: ageing tests, oil and lubrication tests
• determine compliance to relevant emission legislations: volumetric and mass emission tests over stated emission test cycles
• gain further knowledge about the engine itself: engine mapping exercise or development of multidimensional input-output maps among different engine variables. e.g. a map from intake manifold pressure and engine speed to intake air flow rate.

Spark plug velocimeter - SPV

Laser technology adds useful tools to improve engine design during engine testing. Lasers sensors using laser Doppler velocimetry with magnifying LDV sensors can record the movements of gas particles during the entire 2-stroke, 4-stroke or rotary combustion cycle. These spark plug velocimeter (SPV) sensors can be inserted into the spark plug hole of the combustion chamber of the engine. The sensors can be adjusted to all depth levels of the pistons movement - typically ranging from 0 - 50mm. The magnifying LDV sensors will record the velocity and direction of the movement of gas particles. Engine design can then be optimised with the recorded data and the visualisation of the combustion cycle. The flow and direction of the gas particles can be improved by changing shape and sizes of the chamber, valves, spark plug, injectors and pistons resulting in improved combustion and performance and in reduced emissions. Engine heads with two spark plug holes per cylinder can be used to record the velocity and direction of the movement of gas particles in an engine running under live, firing conditions. SPVs can also be added to the intake and the exhaust to record flow of particles in these areas to further improve engine design. Magnifying LDV sensors have been used in even more extreme situations to measure particle flow in rocket engines.

[SheepDog]

Chevrolet is connected to Illmor. Is GM engine technology all in-house. Is Illmore in-houe? ". . . Ilmor President Paul Ray, who came to America from England in 1990 to establish Ilmor Engineering in the United States and help build the IndyCar turbo-charged engine program, works closely with Lester. . . . [Below]

The C8 Corvette flat-plane crank DOHC V8 TT should be "ready". They have the resources. If they are testing the TT at Virginia International , then it it probably in an advanced stage. There are GM tracks in Detroit, Bolingreen and other locations. When the LT5 was finally tested at Virginia International, the car was at final and finishing phases.


Detroit technology powers Chevy INDYCAR success

By Mike BrudenellPublished 6:45 a.m. ET May 14, 2018
(Photo: GM)
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Make no mistake, the Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit is a brutal test of engine power, durability and efficiency.

Engines are pushed to the limit on the challenging 2.3-mile street circuit on Belle Isle, during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear June 1-3. The only doubleheader race weekend on the series calendar – the Chevy Dual in Detroit – can be tough on man and machine.

Chevrolet and Ilmor Engineering have a track record of winning.

Stepping up to the challenge, General Motors has committed a virtual motorsports laboratory to the success of its IndyCar race engine program and two local technology centers are powering the production.

In what has been a seamless collaboration with legendary Ilmor Engineering, Inc., based in Plymouth, GM is utilizing its state-of-the-art Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, which opened in 2016 and is connected to GM’s high-tech Global Propulsion Systems facility, to propel faster and more integrated technology between the company’s racing experience and production vehicle powertrains.
The bond between Chevy and Ilmor is so strong that at the race track, the two local companies form one single support team. (Photo: LAT USA)
The center was designed primarily to enhance the development processes for GM’s diverse racing programs, showcased on Belle Isle by IndyCar, and including winning entries in NASCAR, NHRA and IMSA.

In concert with Ilmor, a global provider of high-performance engines and precision design with a long and distinguished pedigree in racing, GM’s Performance and Racing Center efforts will be measured in part by its success at the Indianapolis 500 this month and a week later in Detroit, where Chevrolet Racing’s twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 2.2-liter V6 engine will power Chevy Racing teams.

For Dom Lester, the challenge of winning at Indy and Belle Isle hinges a great deal on what he calls “intellectual horsepower” and how that can be a difference maker as Chevy and rival race manufacturer Honda battle for IndyCar honors this season.

Lester is senior engineering manager at GM’s Performance and Racing Center.

A weekend drag racer, Lester wants to add to Chevrolet’s six back-to-back Verizon IndyCar Series manufacturer championships since 2012.
Ilmor Engineering’s state-of-the-art facility in Plymouth provides the added horsepower to Chevy that will be on full display at Belle Isle, June 1-3. (Photo: Ilmor Engineering)
“One thing about being on the Pontiac campus as part of the Global Propulsion Systems center is that we share the same technology and access to experts just 100 yards away,” said Lester. “The integration, or ‘intellectual horsepower,’ as I label it, is not being segregated out, as is the case of other manufacturers and their race engine programs. It speaks volumes to what we are doing here (at our Performance and Racing Center). It’s music to my ears.”

GM’s racing center in Pontiac is a multi-faceted performance mecca capable of engine design, machining, engine building, calibration and dynamometer validation.

Ilmor President Paul Ray, who came to America from England in 1990 to establish Ilmor Engineering in the United States and help build the IndyCar turbo-charged engine program, works closely with Lester.
Ilmor engineers work closely with all Chevy INDYCAR teams to maximize performance on race weekends. (Photo: LAT USA)
He describes Ilmor and GM as “a racing family.”

“The guys you see here working on the dynos are a mix of Ilmor and Chevy employees,” said Ray. “That’s how deep the collaboration goes. They work side by side here and at the racetrack. You share information openly. It is just one team; it is a totally transparent program.”

Lester sees it that way too.

At the race track, be it the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, you can’t distinguish between the Chevy and llmor engineers. They will be there sporting identical bowtie shirts and positive attitudes in the paddock, garage and on pit lane.

“Everyone wears a Chevrolet shirt; everybody gets to the racetrack at the same time for breakfast together and they leave in the evening at the same time,” said Ray. “We pack up together at the end of the weekend. Just a single team.”

Tight and technical, Belle Isle will test all the preparation and hard work Ilmor and Chevrolet have done at the GM Racing and Performance Center.

“Qualifying can be the most important session at Belle Isle,” said Lester as a Chevy IndyCar engine was being put through its paces just a few feet away on a dynamometer at the racing center. “We strive to reduce the development time at the track by utilizing the dyno here, so when qualifying comes around, you are ready to run your fastest lap.”

GM and Ilmor will have an army of engineers at Belle Isle to support Chevy’s race teams.

“Belle Isle is all about the city, the community, and the ‘Dual in Detroit,’” said Lester.

“The Dual is in GM’s backyard,” said Lester. “You always want to do well in home territory.”

With its complex set of corners and different grip levels, Belle Isle is arguably the hardest place to win on the Verizon IndyCar Series calendar.

“It’s a tough track to conquer,” said Ray. “It’s one of the hardest weekends for our engineers working on optimum engine setup. Just the gearing strategy for Belle Isle adds another layer of complexity; there’s actually more pressure on you to win at Detroit than at Indianapolis.”

[RoketRdr]

Keep in mind that a lot of testing was already under way back in 2012 because the C7 was actually "supposed" to be the mid-engine Corvette before the financial downturn. It won't surprise me if they reveal the base coupe, vert AND ZR1 spec cars at the same time or just a few months apart.