How To Manage Pit Stops In Endurance Racing – As motorsports has embraced the latest powertrain technologies over the past decade, its regulators have pioneered the development of new race cars, classes and racing categories. This has resulted in motorsport having the widest range of high-level championships ever. From electric single-seaters to hybrid endurance racing, as well as top-fuel dragsters and hydrogen-powered prototypes, there is a racing series for everyone.
Each of these championships varies either by rules or by race length, meaning that depending on the category, race speed may be limited by tire wear, fuel economy, battery charge, or driver time. These distinctive features create different ways to get to the end of the race in the shortest possible time; requiring a unique approach to racing strategy for each series.
How To Manage Pit Stops In Endurance Racing
In the highly developed world of Formula 1, cars are very similar to each other and depend on maximizing performance and tire life. Whereas IndyCar has a similar reliance on tires, but also includes variable fueling as well as long and short oval racing and more unpredictable track surfaces.
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Find the difference. Formula 1 (left) and IndyCar (right) are single-seaters but have very different strategic requirements. CREDIT: McLaren
Endurance racing series such as WEC and IMSA include a wide range of technical regulations in different classes. From the top-level LMDh/Hypercar/GTP regulations to LMP2 prototypes and road-going GTEs, these series have to deal with driver changes, night racing and stint length rules, as well as tire changes and refueling.
To get an idea of the differences between championships, Table 1 summarizes the main characteristics of some of the major motorsport series. All races of 90 minutes or more require pit stops. Of course, there are too many variations to summarize them all, from track to track and format to format, even within a championship. For example, the Indy 500 is very different from its Indy Road Course equivalent, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans presents a unique challenge compared to other events on the WEC calendar.
Formula 1 ✔ Multiple tire specifications for each event ✔ Restrictions on tire selection for each event ✔ Mandatory tire specification changes during the race
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Modern Formula 1 is unique in that it requires teams to develop and produce their own cars. While this determines the relative performance of the car, effective racing strategy coupled with good tire management means that it is always possible to beat a theoretically faster car.
Formula One teams manage different tire compounds within their allocation to ensure they have the right tires for qualifying and the race. CREDIT: Pirelli
Since there are no refueling stops in Formula 1, the length of stints is determined either by tire life or by teams seeking a tactical advantage. Undermining a car at a pit stop by switching to a faster tire or passing a car by increasing tire life and warming up slowly allows cars to pass competitors without being passed by them on the track.
To track the evolution of competitors’ tactics throughout the race, teams turn to strategy software such as RaceWatch. This allows them to monitor the tire wear and race pace of their drivers, as well as their rivals, in real time so that they can constantly analyze the threat of an undercut or overcut and react accordingly.
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To make the cut, teams monitor the spread of the field to find a gap in the traffic flow and position the car in the open air after the pit stop.
Other strategic variables that strategists have to respond to are yellow flags and safety cars. In Formula 1 these rules are relatively simple. There is either a timed virtual safety car or a physical safety car on the track, but in either case the pit lane always remains open. This provides the opportunity to pull under the safety car and minimize the time lost during a stop compared to green flag conditions, which can help cars overtake competitors, especially when the track position prevents other cars from taking advantage.
IndyCar ✔ Multiple tire specs per event ✔ Tire restrictions per event ✔ Mandatory tire spec changes during race ✔ Refueling ✔ Spotters
In previous years, IndyCar typically experienced negative or minor tire degradation during the race, with the tires actually getting faster throughout the stint. However, the recent introduction of alternative tires for road and street circuits means that IndyCar now suffers from the same degradation problems as Formula 1, with grip degrading every lap, resulting in slower lap times.
At Le Mans, More Acceleration And Fewer Pit Stops
However, the key difference is the lack of tires in IndyCar, which makes a successful trimming strategy unlikely as a new set of tires takes longer to warm up. The diversity of track types, surfaces and tire compounds means that each competition has different strategic requirements. The situation is further complicated by the possibility of refueling during pit stops as the cars no longer have enough fuel to complete the race. Therefore, the length of the laps can depend on the fuel supply and fuel level, and since 10 kg of fuel gives 0.2 seconds of lap time, carrying unnecessary fuel entails a significant loss of lap time.
IndyCar’s yellow flag and safety car rules are also more complex than in Formula 1. The pit lane is closed under caution, which can result in penalties and time lost if the decision is made incorrectly. On road and street circuits, teams tend to place the pit lane closer to the front of the pit window because if the yellow light appears, the drivers have to wait until the pit lane opens again, by which time the pit lane is completely will gather in a heap. While on ovals, a pit stop can set a driver back two or three laps, so teams try to stop towards the end of the pit window. This means that once the group has gathered, the driver can complete the pit stop and re-enter the track on the same lap.
WECIMSA ✔ Multiple tire specifications for each competition ✔ Restrictions on tire configurations for each competition ✔ Performance balance ✔ Refueling ✔ Driver categories ✔ Minimum/maximum driving time
Endurance racing arguably offers the most complex set of strategic options. Racing still considers tire and fuel management, although heavier cars and more conservative tires often make this less influential on lap times. However, controlling fuel consumption can be critical if it means the stint can be extended to reduce the number of pit stops.
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The requirement for multiple riders in endurance racing further complicates race strategy. Placing three different drivers requires careful management to ensure that each driver’s total driving time complies with regulations. So, in addition to managing tire life and refueling, strategists must monitor how long drivers stay in the car. In shorter events this may be the maximum or minimum total driving time for the race. While a 24-hour race requires the so-called 4 of 6 rule, where a driver can only ride for four hours in any six-hour window.
With over 35 drivers on the track, endurance racing can involve many full-course yellow stripes, slow zones and safety cars, and in the case of Le Mans, there can be multiple safety cars on the track. It is easy to break the lap length limit if the lap behind the safety car is much slower than the race lap.
The final element of endurance racing that influences strategy is balance of performance (BoP). To ensure a level playing field for different car designs, organizers use a variety of tools including ballast, boost, refueling rates and fuel tank capacity to limit performance. Teams will try to achieve good results in tournaments and throughout the season.
GT Racing ✔ Tire restrictions for each event ✔ Performance balance ✔ Refueling ✔ Driver categories ✔ Minimum/maximum driving time ✔ Minimum pit lane time
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Many SRO endurance series have races that are slightly shorter than WEC or IMSA events, but feature GT3 and GT4 cars with combinations of professional and amateur drivers. The same driving time restrictions apply, but there is now the potential for a much larger difference in lap times between two drivers in the same car. A good amateur can be 2 seconds slower than a pro, giving him the strategic advantage that the pro will be in the car while the competition has amateurs on the track.
These series may also have mandatory stops to allow for strategic changes and minimum pit lane time to prevent rushed driver changes and refueling. Exceeding the time in the pit lane by only a few tenths can lead to a miss on the track. In longer races with multiple mandatory stops, strategists will use safety cars to gain track position and minimize pit stop losses. Often the minimum time in the pit lane will result in the car being temporarily stopped on a lap, which can become permanent if the safety car is unlucky.
Formula E requires a completely different strategic approach than other racing categories. This single-manufacturer racing series uses grooved, controlled tires that experience minimal wear during short races without pit stops. However, these EV racers start with insufficient energy in the battery to get them to the finish line, and therefore rely on recovering energy when braking. It also requires drivers to drive as efficiently as possible; compromising track position if it means saving enough energy to get to the end of the race.
Other features like attack mode should also be there