Here is the successor to the 2010 USA17 BMW ORACLE Racing Team boat, winner of the 33rd America's Cup in Valencia Spain. The new boat is the USA17 ORACLE Racing Team AC72 and it, along with its major competitors, employs hydrofoil wings to lift the boat out of the water to increase boat speed.
This graphic illustrates the difference in the size of the two USA17 boats. On the left is the 2010 boat which is substantially larger than the 2013 boat on the right.
The chatter right now is that Team USA will have their hands full competing with whichever challenger emerges from the Louis Vuitton series, especially New Zealand. The problem with USA17 is it tends to nose down while hydroplaning reducing its speed. Team ORACLE is currently building a second boat and it is expected to resolve the technical problems seen in the first boat. We'll see!
Team USA will defend the Cup in San Francisco with the 34th Americas' Cup finals staring September 7, 2013.
UPDATE: April 26, 2013
Boat 2 is ready! Look how steady and solid she looks! It looks like they solved the issue of the bow dipping. The rear transverse beam is much heavier on this boat than the one on Boat 1 (perhaps to balance her out some?) Love the new paint job also. Check out the new video of her maiden voyage:
UPDATE:
Team USA comes from behind to win the 34th America's Cup! Unbelievable! The time out was critical. They never gave up, and the shore team put in countless hours in the shed improving the boat speed. Congratulations USA17 ORACLE Racing Team!
This is the boat that won the 33rd America's Cup in 2010. It's a 90' x 90' Trimaran designed, manufactured, and raced by BMW ORACLE Racing and has an amazing 185' tall rigid main sail (wing).
I've been a fan of the America's Cup since the days of Dennis Conner and the 12 meter boats, but I had never seen anything like this. This boat is big! Its also fast. It can easily reach 20 knots of boat speed upwind. I love the graphics on the boat, especially the white noses followed by the black hulls.
Team USA will defend the Cup in San Francisco with the 34th Americas' Cup finals staring September 7, 2013.
The following pictures are of the boat with a more conventional main sail and missing the distinctive "batwing" rear shroud.
Audi R18 e-tron Quattro Hybrid
This is the car that dominated the endurance racing series in 2012 and is well on its way to continuing its winning ways in 2013. Major wins in 2012 included the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
R18 e-tron Quattros took the top two positions at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 16, 2013. The 6 Hours of Silverstone is coming up on April 14, 2013 in the UK (Update: Audi R18 e-tron Quattros took the top two spots on the podium at Silverstone 2013) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is on June 22 - 23, 2013. Team Audi is the acknowledged favorite going into these events, but of course in racing, anything can happen.
Powered by a 3.7 liter V6 TDI diesel engine, with a partially electrified hybrid drive utilizing a carbon fiber flywheel energy recovery and storage system, the car is a tour de force of automotive engineering and design.
A brief comment about the computer animation video above: I think the quality of the model is just fantastic! I like the way they abstracted the Le Mans race course to simplify the background and put the focus on the car itself. Given the detail of the computer rendering, I wonder if they had built up a complete 3-D computer model of the car, including all the internal components. I would be interested to see that if they did.
Here is a clip of the car testing at Monza, Italy - April 2013. This is the latest 2013 "Long-tail" version that will be raced at Le Mans in June. Love the sound of this thing!
Technical data Audi R18 e-tron quattro (2012)
Version: February 2012
Vehicle
Vehicle type
Le Mans Prototype (LMP1)
Monocoque
Carbon-fiber composite with aluminum honeycomb, tested according to the strict FIA crash and safety standards
Battery
Lithium ion batteries
Engine
Engine
Turbocharged 120° V6, 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC, 1 Garrett turbocharger, mandatory intake air restrictor of 1 x 45.8 mm diameter and turbo boost pressure limited to 2.8 bar absolute, diesel direct injection TDI Fully stressed aluminum cylinder block, diesel particle filter
Engine management
Bosch MS24
Engine lubrication
Dry sump, Castrol
Displacement
3.700 cc
Power
Over 375 kW / 510 hp
Torque
Over 850 Nm
Hybrid system
Type of accumulator
Electric flywheel accumulator, max 500 KJ
Motor Generator Unit (MGU)
MGU on the front axle, water cooled with integrated power electronics, 2 x 75 kW
Drive / transmission
Type of drive
Rear wheel drive, traction control (ASR), four-wheel drive e-tron quattro from 120 km/h*
Clutch
Carbon clutch
Gearbox
Sequential, electrically activated 6-speed racing gearbox
Differential
Limited-slip rear differential
Gearbox housing
Carbon-fiber composite with titanium inserts
Driveshafts
Constant velocity sliding tripod universal joints
Suspension / steering / brakes
Steering
Electrical assisted rack and pinion steering
Suspension
Front and rear double wishbone independent suspension, front pushrod system and rear pull rod system with adjustable dampers
Brakes
Hydraulic dual circuit brake system, monobloc light alloy brake calipers, ventilated carbon disc brakes front and rear, infinitely manually adjustable front and rear brake balance,
The 1930 Villa Tugendhat designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe has been recently restored and brought back to its original condition. Located in Brno, Czech Republic, the house is a classic example of modern residential architecture.
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