Ganassi’s secret tunnel
For the powerhouse teams of the IRL IndyCar Series, the secret to going in circles might be taking the most direct route possible. But don't expect many straight answers about straight-line testing, the monotonous art of running Indy cars on long stretches of asphalt to measure aerodynamic data without turning a wheel.
"It's kind of like wandering into Area 51," jokes Mike Hull, the managing director for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. "You might not get out alive if we gave you the answer."
Here's what is known about straight-line testing: Drivers don't like doing it, and teams don't like talking about it, but all seem to benefit from the concept, which essentially confirms computer simulations in a manner reminiscent of drag racing.
Cars accelerate to 200 mph, then coast to a stop as teams calculate wind resistance and down force. Such information also can be gleaned from a wind tunnel, but straight-line testing affords better data collection because the readings occur while the car runs at speed.
"The wind tunnel is all virtual," Penske Racing President Tim Cindric says. "This is an aerodynamic test of the car in real-world conditions."
Les Mactaggart, Indy Racing League's technical director, knows of only three teams that use straight-line testing: Ganassi, Penske and Andretti Green Racing, which have won 43 of the past 44 races and the past five championships in the IRL.
The IRL doesn't restrict straight-line testing — it even occasionally asks for parts to be tried on cars — although teams are allowed just two sets of test tires for the season. Mactaggart says Ganassi, whose drivers, Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon, are ranked first and third in points and have won five of eight races this year, conducts sessions in a tunnel outfitted for straight-line testing and owned by the team.
A story last October in Racecar Engineering magazine reported Ganassi's test facility was adjacent to Laurel Mountain near Donegal, Pa., in an abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Hull would confirm only that the team's testing was done "in the United States." [Editor's Note: But of course AutoRacing1.com (the #1 source for inside information) readers know exactly where this tunnel is – see below.]
Dixon and Wheldon have led 431 of 828 laps on 1.5-mile ovals this season. Cindric says Ganassi's success at the superspeedways, where aerodynamics play a bigger role, suggests the team has a technical advantage from having its own facility.
"A lot of these (straight-line) tracks are used by car manufacturers or tire companies, and you get very limited availability," says Cindric, whose team has tested at manufacturer facilities in Michigan, South Carolina and Arizona. "The fact Ganassi has unlimited availability helps." More at USA Today
06/02/06 Rumor has it that Chip Ganassi uses an abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel to test his NASCAR Nextel Cup and IndyCars in secrecy. As far-fetched as this rumor is, AutoRacing1.com hears that it is true.
When the Turnpike was realigned in 1964 three tunnels were abandoned. The Laurel Hill Tunnel, which is nearly 1-mile long is reported to be used by the Ganassi team. They run the cars there for both NASCAR and IRL (Not sure about this year with the IRL cars the engine lease program is pretty tight). We hear they do straight line tests to test the dampers/wings/gears/etc, as well as coast-down tests where they run the cars up to speed and then coast to measure rolling friction losses without the influence of wind.
With new ceramic bearings to reduce rolling friction losses, even minute changes in wind direction could throw off the test data, so we hear this tunnel has really served a great purpose in this regard. So good in fact that rumor has it even the Toyota F1 team has used the tunnel, though we have not been able to confirm this.
We hear the team gets some very good data from these tests. The NASCAR team runs many cars to see how the different cars do. The team has about 16 cars in the shop and they work on the superspeedway cars to reduce drag. Because there is no limit the team is able to run for days just testing different packages and set-ups. We think you are seeing the results for the IRL team this year as the team has great straight-line speed.
We hear that they repaved the road to make it smooth and they always have a medical team there in case of an accident, but they are going really fast in a small closed tunnel so we have to question how safe this is for the driver should something break and he start bouncing off the tunnel walls. In fact we hear Darren Manning put it in the wall once and it looked like a pin ball going from one side to the next.
Go to the website for the abandoned tunnels and click on the Laurel Hill Tunnel link and you will see it says the "tunnel is currently leased to a private race team." This webpage has photos of this secret test tunnel including leftover test tires, empty race fuel drums and a satellite dish, perhaps for communications of some sort.
The Ganassi race teams are always very competitive. It seems we may have unearthed one of their top secret tricks. What else does Chip have up his sleeve? Mark C.