fatto gatto racing

While heat is usually the bane of a racing driver’s existence, a little heat at the appropriate time is not only good, but also required. We often see cars idling in the pits before a session. This is a good technique to ensure the engine is up to operating temperatures shortly after reaching the race track. However, warming up for a session is not as simple as starting the car and letting it idle. In addition, warming up should not be limited to the engine only. There are several other areas to be considered.
Probably the most critical though, is the engine. There are bad ways and good ways to warm up the engine and damage can be done if not careful. First of all, consider the goal. To warm the entire engine up so that it is at or near proper temperatures when it enters the track. (We have all learned how hard it is to warm up a cold engine after we are on track as the airflow now works against us.) Notice I said "the entire engine." That includes water and oil. Most race cars have no method to force cooling air through the radiators. This means the water will heat up more quickly than the oil in most cases. Some racers heat the water up to their chosen maximum and shut the engine down, allowing the residual heat to warm the oil. This may be somewhat effective but probably will not get the oil warm enough. It may be necessary to have a small fan that can be placed in front of the radiator to provide some cooling air. This will allow the car to run long enough for the oil to become thoroughly warm while preventing the water from overheating.

Check with a professional engine builder who specializes in your engine, or a knowledgeable competitor regarding your specific engine. Some engines have characteristics that require specific warm up techniques. There are even some engines that will self-destruct if they are not properly warmed up prior to starting. (The Nissan GTP engines and many F1/F3000 engines are designed with zero bearing clearances when cold. If started without warming up severe damage will result. What to do? There are several companies that make external warm-up kits that include the fittings, heaters, and pumps. Usually these plumb into the water lines, bypassing the radiator. Hot water is pumped through the system until good temperatures are reached. Then the oil system is pressurized to ensure all the oil is circulated and warmed properly.) Cosworth BD series engines require close attention to the rpm while warming up, with an engine speed kept between 2000 and 2200 rpm if possible until oil temperature is showing on the gauge to ensure proper oiling of the cam trays. There are other engines having their own warm up quirks.

One danger of warming up is the tendency for some sanctioning bodies to get you to the false grid way too early (car cools down) or making you wait after starting the engine for an extreme amount of time, thereby causing the car to overheat. Always leave a bit of temperature leeway to account for this eventuality.

Even though you have diligently warmed up the car be ready for the temperatures to drop a bit as you get on the track. It should be fairly easy to get them back up within a short time. There are different gouges as to when it is OK to run the engine at high rpm. Many use the ratio of rpm to oil temp. If the oil temp is 50C limit your rpm to 5000. At 70C the rpm should be limited to 7000, and so on. Again, check with an engine builder for the gospel according to your engine.

How about the gearbox? Does it require warming up? While there may not be the close clearances involved throughout the gearbox that there are in the engine, remember the gearbox lube is much thicker. To immediately start running a gearbox at max revs without some warm-up time can cause damage. Some people prefer to use the time spent warming up the engine to warm up the box as well. Being very careful, and chocking the car extremely well, they lift the driven wheels off the ground and put the car in top gear while it idles in the pits. The danger is obvious. If the car falls off the jack/jackstands while the wheels are turning . . . . ! If this technique is used it is a safety requirement that someone always be in the car ready to shut it down and apply the brakes. If no warm up is done to the gearbox take it easy for a few laps. This is usually the time it takes to heat up the rest of the car so it works well.

Getting heat into the tires. That’s easy! Weave the car on the opening laps like a madman, to the point of making yourself seasick. We’ve seen the pro drivers do it. However, this does not do much to heat the tires. The main purpose for weaving is to clean the tires of dirt and debris picked up while driving off line. (One good reason to always drive on line unless you are required to do otherwise by a full course yellow or pace lap.) Tires develop heat through extended side wall flexing. While the erratic and maniacal (not to mention dangerous) weaving might add a minute amount of temperature, more will be accomplished by longer, more gradual loading of the tires. Once on the track drive the car fast, feeling the tires slide. Sliding the tires is the quickest way to heat them up. If the car is well set up and balanced it should not exhibit any strange tendencies. It just slides at a lower speed. This will also let you feel the tires "come in" as their temperatures rise. (This can be done while using the engine/gearbox at lower rpm, i.e. a higher gear than normal, while they warm up.)

The brakes are usually fairly easy to warm up. Light pressure on the pedal on the first lap out of the pits will normally be enough (unless you have carbon-carbon brakes.) If you start smelling the telltale odor of burnt pads, or the brakes begin to fade, you are overdoing it.

The clutch is one area we really don’t want too much heat. Obviously, slipping the clutch is not that good. If your car requires extreme slipping of the clutch to start moving then the clutch needs adjustment or you have an improper clutch installed.

OK, so we’ve got the car and all its sundry parts warmed up. Anything else? Yes. Probably the most important part: the driver. Jumping into a race car without warming up, both physically and mentally, should be avoided. As we all know, racing is a stressful and physical activity. Take care to get yourself ready. Stretch well, hydrate yourself to the extreme (some drink enough fluids until their urine is clear), leading to going to the bathroom before the session. Your aerobic state is important as well. Your aerobic rate will increase normally between the time you get in the car and the time the session starts. However, if you are taking part in an enduro and are expected to jump in a car and start racing without this warm up time, do something to get your heart rate and breathing rate up. (At Le Mans many teams have a stationary bike that the next driver will use, fully dressed including helmet, to get his pulse and breathing rate up to the norms required for driving.)

We need to warm up mentally as well. Clear your head of any worries that might take your concentration away from the task at hand. We all have these concerns so do your best to ignore them for a while. Remember, we are doing this for fun. If you are not in a mental state to have fun then there is something wrong. Think about where you are on the grid/track. Create scenarios of what might happen and what you might do under these possible scenarios. Nothing set in concrete, but psychologists have shown we deal with situations better if we have thought about them even a little bit. It reduces the effect of surprise.

Where there is warming up, there is cooling down. After the session is over reduce your speed, allowing both you and the car to begin to cool. Stay on line, avoiding the nasty stuff off line. This also reduces any surprises you might provide to the idiots that always want to get back to the pits quickly. As far as I know there are no sanctioning bodies that prohibit passing on the cool down lap. In my opinion, unless someone is going very slowly, there is no reason for it. If you want a good check of tire pressures, temps, or plugs then come in a lap or two early. Be on the lookout for these drivers and let the car cool down, realizing the temps on the gauges may actually go up a bit due to residual heat and reduced airflow, and the oil pressure might be lower than normal.

Don’t put your brain on "suspend." Do you need to go to impound? Are there any special track procedures you need to follow? Be alert on the way back to the pits. Once there, take a moment or two in the car to relax. Take off the helmet and gloves and calm down. Give your mind and body the chance to acclimate themselves to the changes in stress, noise, motion, and sensory overload. Then, get out of the car, get out of the suit, and, after a drink, decide what the next step is. It’s to have fun, right?