You Read it Here First
Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 02:49PM A few days ago I wrote about the demise of the LMP2 from the Tudor Sports Car Series. Well it did not take long. We now have the news from IMSA that they are looking to replace DPs and LMP2 prototypes with a "spec" class which is in essence a carbon tub replacement for the tube frame DP. Designed to accommodate a variety of engines, as the DP is, and able to accept different body styles a la DP. This is the article from Racer Magazine.
http://racermag.kinja.com/talks-continue-on-2017-spec-prototype-chassis-1566231732?rev=1398199229
IMSA wants a car that can compete in a variety of series, including Le Mans. LMP2 anybody? Don't say I didn't warn you.
On a different note, literally, there is an interesting article on F1 engine noise in the April 3 issue of Autosport. I know it is old, but I have to wait to receive it. Apparently it comes by ship. It shows that yes, the new cars are quieter by about 11 dB, which is significant, but they are still louder than NASCARs! The real difference is in the frequency, which due to the lower revs and the turbo is lower pitched. The human ear relates to more higher frequencies, that is why the readings are not actual but scaled to mimic human response, the dbA scale. I always had a theory about that when I worked for Panoz. Anyone who heard that car would know it was LOUD, but being a big V8 it was all low down on the scale. The only way I could see it would pass the noise test was due to that absence of top end noise, and it seems I was right.
The other point is of course those of us listening at home are not hearing the real sound, only what the TV decides to give us. Positioning of the microphones around the track, and the filtering have an effect. That is why Bernie changed his tune a bit when hearing them live. So, come on TV Director, give us the real deal and we can turn the sound up.
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