The field of aerodynamics has had an increasingly significant effect on performance enhancement over the past 50 years. Competition Car Aerodynamics 3rd Edition continues the practical, hands-on approach of its popular predecessors to cover all aspects of motorsport aerodynamics and features yet more CFD and wind tunnel project material and case studies. Aerodynamic theory is tackled in a comprehensive yet comprehensible way by author Simon McBeath, who has been granted unprecedented access to state of the art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques, as well as regular access to the MIRA full-scale wind tunnel in the UK. Photographs, graphs, CFD-generated images and wind tunnel data - much of which has appeared in the successful Aerobytes series in Racecar Engineering - are used to explain with unrivalled clarity how aerodynamic performance benefits are obtained in practice. With case studies from Formula 1, sports prototypes, Formula 3, GT and saloon cars, club single seaters and karts, this book will appeal to anyone, whether a designer, competitor, student or armchair enthusiast, wishing to gain an understanding of aerodynamics and how it can benefit the performance of all types of competition cars.

Composites have been around since ancient civilisations began making bricks from clay and straw. Glass fibre, carbon fibre and aramid fibres - to name but three - are recent innovations, yet today there are few competition cars that don't have at least some components made out of one or more of these materials. However, while it is well known that glass fibre technology can be used in the home workshop, what may not be so widely realised is that more advanced fibres also lend themselves to DIY methods.This revised edition of Competition Car Composites starts by examining the materials and methods that can be used, explaining basic 'wet' and 'dry' laminating techniques, pattern making and mould construction, and the design and manufacture of components. It then goes on to cover material and technology upgrades, and how more advanced materials can be exploited to achieve improved properties and reduced weight. The use of thermoplastic materials, resin infusion methods, and, especially, 'pre-pregs' in the home workshop, are also discussed, as are the composite techniques used by top racecar constructors.