TeamBlueOval
Admin
Number of posts : 1919
Location : VA
Registration date : 2009-01-14
 | | Subject: New Ford engine news Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:00 pm | |
| - Quote :
- CONCORD, N.C. – Ford NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will begin using a new engine later this season, but the exact rollout hasn’t been determined, Roush Yates Engines President Doug Yates said Thursday.
The FR9 engine is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine ever built by Ford and the first new piece for the manufacturer since 1991. It has been in development for three years.
Ford is the last of the four manufacturers to introduce a new engine as NASCAR has pushed for a more common engine in recent years. It meets all of the new NASCAR engine rules.
“The best part about our approach is we’re the last guys in, so we get to see what everybody else did, but at the same time we remained very competitive with our current engine,” Yates said.
“That gave us the luxury to take our time and do proper research. … The rollout for the new engine is probably the second half of the year. [It won’t be] in all of the cars. We’ll see how our strategy develops as points and teams go.”
The engine has all new parts and the cooling system and lubrication systems are new. It is a lighter engine, allowing for more flexibility as far as weight distribution in the car. The new engine requires new engine mounts and changes to the chassis to accommodate the new mounts, said Yates. Modifications would have to be made to current cars to be able to use the new engine.
“We still have some work,” Yates said. “We’ve been in development mode. … The cooling system has improved, so that should be able to run the engine hotter and put more tape on the car, which relates to going faster around the race track.
“Also, there is more potential for power with the valve-train layout, and the induction system is lined up a little bit better.”
Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush said he doesn’t want to hurt his teams – financially or competitively – by rushing the new engine.
“The timing on it is going to be determined by how much we can afford and how competitive the engine proves to be,” he said. “The old engine has been doing a really good job. That [new one] is the engine of the future.
“The obsolescence of the existing engine, depending on the timing of it, will result in a very little additional cost to the teams or it could be millions of dollars per team. I’m anxious, given the economic circumstance and the competitiveness of the engine. I’m going to have the brakes on its introduction so that we don’t obsolete a current engine that has got value in it, has service life in it, and we certainly don’t take a risk by trying to do something sooner than we have done enough testing to verify that it is going to be a solid move.”
It wouldn’t be surprising to see it in the Wood Brothers’ car first since that car is running a partial schedule or in an ARCA car. Roush said it likely also would be tested during a tire test.
“All five of mine and hopefully all three of Yates’ teams will be running for a championship trying to get in the Chase, and we certainly wouldn’t make any decision that would involve any risk that we would be able to anticipate,” Roush said. ~Scene Daily~ | |
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cascar_fan
Number of posts : 39
Location : Ontario, Canada
Registration date : 2009-01-16
| | Subject: Re: New Ford engine news Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:55 pm | |
| Hey, that's great news, and nice to see the Wood Bros. try it first.  | |
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