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In this case study the cooling airflow of an existing open wheeled racecar has been improved with the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics. The race team in context had at several occasions experienced overheating of their racecar and was looking for ways to improve the cooling performance without changing the bodywork radically. As the car is used for autocross events on tight and twisty courses it spends most of a lap in yawed condition. Therefore, a novel approach was taken to model these yawed conditions with the numerical method. The simulation was based on the fully detailed race car. Through the study it was possible to locate problem areas, and hence, give indications to where the bodywork should be modified. With subtle changes to the bodywork the cooling performance of the car was significantly improved and the drag kept at the same level.

Amongst the aerodynamic devices often found on race cars, the diffuser is one of the most important items. The diffuser can work both to reduce drag and also to increase downforce. It has been shown in previously published studies, that the efficiency of the diffuser is a function of the diffuser angle, ground clearance and most importantly, the base pressure. The base pressure of a car is defined by the shape of the car and in particular the shape at the rear end, including the rear wheels. Furthermore, on most race cars, a wing is mounted at the rear end. Since the rear wheels and wing will influence the base pressure it is believed that, for a modern race car, there could be a strong interaction between these items and the diffuser. This work aims to systematically study the interaction between the rear wheels and wing; and the diffuser of a contemporary, sports car type, race vehicle.