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F1 Honda 2006 team launch info

1K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  TheGSRGuy 
#1 ·
Got this in an email:


Dear Honda Racing F1 Team fan


The dawn of Honda’s new era in Formula one officially kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with the unveiling of the team’s latest RA106 chassis, powered by Honda’s new RA806E engine.

The launch is timed for 09:00 CET (08:00 GMT) in Barcelona and you can follow all the action on HondaRacingF1.com. Studio photos, news and technical information will be available as soon as the reveal takes place in Spain and action photos of the car will follow later in the day. A new wallpaper featuring the 2006 Honda RA106 will also be available tomorrow via the download navigation at the top of this page.

In addition, a brand new ninth language version of the website has been created in Rubens Barrichello and Gil de Ferran's native Brazilian Portuguese. Welcome to our South American friends!

So get back on-line tomorrow morning – it's going to be the next best thing to being in Barcelona!

Kind regards

Honda Racing F1 Team
 
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#4 ·
from hondaracingf1.com said:
Honda unveils new F1 challenger

The Honda Racing F1 Team unveiled its challenger for the 2006 Formula one season in Spain this morning with the new driver line-up of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

This marked an important milestone for Honda as it is the first Formula one car launched by a Honda works team since 1968.

As an indication of Honda’s commitment to the new challenge and the strength of its manufacturing operation, the team delivered not one, but two identical RA106 race cars to the launch to enable Rubens and Jenson to start testing at exactly the same time. The new cars and their RA806E engines are the product of a single, unified team which combines the resources of the Honda Racing F1 Team Operations Centre in Brackley, England, Honda Racing Development’s engine base in Bracknell, England, and Honda R&D in Tochigi, Japan.

The RA106 sported its new base canvas of Honda Racing White, a colour which has been synonymous with the Honda motorsport identity since the company’s F1 debut in 1964. The rest of the livery has the more familiar feel of the Lucky Strike brand, which remains as title sponsor for the 2006 season.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer
“Our target in 2006 is to challenge for race wins and we will do our utmost to achieve that objective.”

“During 2005 we put in place some important building blocks that will help us meet our targets in 2006 and beyond. We secured two of the best racing drivers in the world, we proved our ability to develop a car through the season, resulting in points for Jenson in each of the last ten races, and we gained a better understanding of the strengths of the 2004 car and the issues with our 2005 race car. Lastly, and most importantly, we have “works” team status with access to the technical resources of Honda R&D. I’m particularly proud that we have been able to deliver a new car each for Jenson and Rubens today which demonstrates the depth of our manufacturing ability and skill and determination of our people. With our new wind tunnel also coming on-stream later this year, we are ready to step up to the challenge.”

Yasuhiro Wada
President of Honda Racing Development and Management Board Member of the Honda Racing F1 Team
“The 2006 F1 season means a great deal to all of us at Honda as it marks the beginning of a new adventure and confirms an even greater commitment to F1. The launch today of the first F1 chassis since 1968 to carry the Honda name is a particularly significant moment.

“It is up to all the engineers involved in the programme, at the F1 Operations Centre in Brackley, HRD in Bracknell and Honda R&D in Japan to rise to the challenge of F1 and show the world what Honda can do as a fully integrated force. The development of a new challenging spirit and a desire to work together to challenge for wins is at the core of Honda’s philosophy. Honda has always exposed its engineers to the highest competition in racing as it uniquely prepares them for the challenges that lie ahead. We are all excited about the season to come and up for the fight!”

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director
“The new RA106 is the product of four years of steady evolution. During this time, the team has developed a high level of technical capability which now sees it designing, manufacturing and operating at the highest level on the grid. The emphasis now is on integration and combining our design concepts and expertise to achieve a car capable of challenging for race wins.

“one of our key areas of focus has been aerodynamics, the design considerations for which were two-fold – the aero problem that we faced in 2005 and achieving a significant improvement in aerodynamic efficiency to meet the requirements of the new, smaller V8 engine and its implications on chassis design. We are pleased with the progress we have made in the wind tunnel over the winter and our data shows that we have made a good step forward. Mechanically, in keeping with the evolutionary theme we have refined our various concepts including our third generation carbon composite gearbox.

“Honda has produced a new engine to meet the challenge of Formula one’s switch from V10 to V8 power. The new RA806E is the result of a very intensive year’s work with many concepts designed and tested since the prototype first ran in May 2005. Since the latest specification started running in November 2005, the team has been encouraged by its reliability and performance.”

Car No. 11, Rubens Barrichello
“This is a very exciting day for me as it’s my first launch with a new team for six years! Honda has a fantastic heritage in motorsport and it’s great to be a part of that now. I can’t wait to drive the new car and the discussions I’ve had with our technical team indicate that we have good reason to be excited about the season ahead. I’m sure that will be confirmed when I test the car for the first time today.”

Car No. 12, Jenson Button
“I’m incredibly proud and excited to be part of the Honda Racing F1 Team and 2006 is going to be a very important year for all of us. We’ve achieved a lot in winter testing with our Concept car and I have seen first hand the huge effort in Brackley and Tochigi over the past few months. I’m confident that all the determination will be rewarded this year and I’ve done my part by working even harder on my fitness to ensure that I’m in the best possible shape for the season ahead. I can’t wait for the first race in Bahrain.”

Third Driver, Anthony Davidson
“I’m really looking forward to playing my part in what I’m sure will be a successful year for the team. It’s going to be great to be running again on Fridays at Grands Prix and I know this will really help our development throughout the year.”
 
#5 ·

It's funny...I look at this picture and compare it to the McLaren, Renault, Red Bull's RBR2, new Ferrari, Toyota, etc...the Honda looks way different from the middle towards the back.

All the others have a new, distinct, rounder body.

I'll have to find some better images to show this.

...

Bahrain is coming up!
 
#6 ·
yah, i just took a look at some of the new ones, it seems like the honda team has a lot of added pieces here and there.

whatever works i guess, go honda!
 
#9 ·
hpracing007 on Jan/25/06 said:
yah, i just took a look at some of the new ones, it seems like the honda team has a lot of added pieces here and there.

whatever works i guess, go honda!
whatever we hope works! lol...they'll have their own full size windtunnel..not just an average one...i forget the correct name (if i remeber correctly mid-summer opening) so hopefully that will help out if we do run into aero problems. i cant wait to see some real lap times..i'm sure today they will just be running the start up procedures.
 
#10 ·
As I had reported to you guys in an earlier thread, Honda lost last year's senior aerodynamicist William Toet to BMW under some suggestion that he left because of team politics (was he being pressured by the higher ups for having a not so integrated design package?).

Jan 13 said:
BMW have strengthened their engineering department following the announcement that former BAR Honda aerodynamicist Willem Toet will join the team as chief aerodynamicist in mid-March. Toet, who has also worked at Ferrari, Benetton and Reynard, left Honda at the end of last season. :


"Signing up Willem Toet marks a key step in the expansion of the BMW Sauber F1 Team's aerodynamics department at Hinwil," said BMW motorsport chief Mario Theissen.

"Willem Toet looks back on more than 20 years of Formula one experience in this field and will find in Hinwil a first-rate wind tunnel and exceptional computer facilities.

"He will support us in the further expansion of the department's staff and will provide input for the design of the car for season 2007."

Toet, 53, first set foot in Formula one with the Toleman team in 1985 before becoming the chief aerodynamicist of the Reynard project in 1991. A year later he moved to Benetton where he designed Michael Schumacher's 1995 winning car.

He moved to Ferrari in 1995, where he stayed for four years, before returning to Britain and the BAR Honda team from 1999 to last season.

"I'm really looking forward to the job," he said. "Any development phase is by nature very intensive and affords a lot of opportunities. I will be doing my utmost to help the BMW Sauber team on the road to success."












Quote:
Nick Fry's role safe at Honda Racing F1
By Phil Huff - January 7 2006

Honda Racing F1's Nick Fry has rubbished rumours that he is facing the sack as team boss. The unsubstantiated rumours started in last months testing at Jerez, following the well publicised departing of Honda's senior aerodynamicist William Toet.

According to F1 Racing magazine, Toet sent Fry an email which, amongst other things, says "I will not be abused."

Nick Fry admits the email exists, but denies he is any danger of losing his team leader role.

"That's rubbish," Fry told F1 Racing. "I have absolutely zero worries as far as that's concerned."

Given the aerodynamic flaws of the 2005 BAR Honda 007, it remains to be seen how much of a loss to the team Toet's leaving will be.











I'm no aerodynamicist and not to disparage Mr Toet who has impressive credentials but the BAR 007 did look a bit "unpolished". It seemed to me like the new additions every time they had an upgrade development improvement as the year progressed were not part of an overall evolution of design. It was more a reactionary afterthought to the tunnel data compiled. That piece over the corner radiator entrance is one example.


To me, if a design is well thought out from the start, the development items are merely a fine tuning of an existing shape to make it more precise. There shouldn't be drastic add ons. If there is, the overall package concept is flawed. That may not have been Mr Toet's fault though. If he was handed a concept to "work with" that was flawed from the outset then all he could do was make the most out of what he has. But if the concept to implementation steps were all under his domain, then the responsibility is on his shoulders. Who knows. Obviously he was under some heat from above and it wasn't nice or civil. Did they chase him out? Good question.


if you look at the McLaren or Renault aero, the aero parts are integrated into a package.

the lines flow into one another a lot better.


I always got the impression that the new development aero bits on the 007 looked like they were a tacked on afterthought with bubble gum to compensate for a lack of desired flow direction or lack of downforce or excessive drag.

they weren't a remolding of an existing part to shape it better to provide a more precise range of aero parameters.



I just compare the McLaren front wing to BAR's and I got this impression...like I said, I'm no aero expert.

Anyway, the bottomline here for me is that Geoff Willis, the technical director who ironically used to be Williams BMW's chief aerodynamicist before coming over to BAR will now take over the aero development as well as be the tech head.

You may see a more integrated design since his ideas will be directly implemented without a step filter in between.


Quote: itv-f1.com
WILLIS CoNFIDENT OF AERO SOLUTIoN
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25, January, 2006, 11:23


Honda Racing’s technical director Geoff Willis is confident the team has addressed the weaknesses that confined it to a bit-part role in the 2005 world championship.

Foremost among these was a lack of aerodynamic downforce, and Willis confirmed that the design team has concentrated its efforts in this area on the new RA106.

Speaking at the car's launch in Barcelona, Willis said the initial indications from the wind tunnel and track testing with the concept car have been positive.

He said: “one of our key areas of focus has been aerodynamics, the design considerations for which were two-fold – the aero problem that we faced in 2005 and achieving a significant improvement in aerodynamic efficiency to meet the requirements of the new, smaller V8 engine and its implications on chassis design.

“We are pleased with the progress we have made in the wind tunnel over the winter and our data shows that we have made a good step forward.”

In other respects the RA106 does not represent a radical departure from last year’s BAR 007.

“The new car is the product of four years of steady evolution,” Willis said.

“During this time, the team has developed a high level of technical capability which now sees it designing, manufacturing and operating at the highest level on the grid.

“The emphasis now is on integration and combining our design concepts and expertise to achieve a car capable of challenging for race wins.

“Mechanically, in keeping with the evolutionary theme we have refined various concepts including our third-generation carbon composite gearbox.”








Quote: itv-f1.com
FRY: WE ARE NOW READY TO WIN
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25, January, 2006, 12:08
Click to enlarge

Honda Racing is aiming to challenge for race victories on a regular basis in 2006, team boss Nick Fry said at the Barcelona launch this morning.

The Briton set the Brackley-based squad the same goal prior to last season, and the results fell far below expectations as 2005 brought controversy and mediocre results.

But Fry believes the tribulations of last season – as well as the success of 2004 – have given the team a better understanding of what it needs to do to join the ranks of Formula 1 winners.

He pointed to the recruitment of Rubens Barrichello, Honda’s buy-out of the team and a new wind tunnel ready for use later this year to support that claim.

“Our target in 2006 is to challenge for race wins and we will do our utmost to achieve that objective,” Fry said.

“During 2005 we put in place some important building blocks that will help us meet our targets in 2006 and beyond.

“We secured two of the best racing drivers in the world, we proved our ability to develop a car through the season, resulting in points for Jenson in each of the last 10 races, and we gained a better understanding of the strengths of the 2004 car and the issues with our 2005 race car.

“Lastly, and most importantly, we have ‘works’ team status with access to the technical resources of Honda R&D.

“I’m particularly proud that we have been able to deliver a new car each for Jenson and Rubens today, which demonstrates the depth of our manufacturing ability and the skill and determination of our people.

“With our new wind tunnel also coming on-stream later this year, we are ready to step up to the challenge.”

Honda Racing Development’s new president Yasuhiro Wada made it clear the Japanese company expects results this season.

“It is up to all the engineers involved in the programme to rise to the challenge of F1 and show the world what Honda can do as a fully integrated force,” Wada said.

“The development of a new challenging spirit and a desire to work together to challenge for wins is at the core of Honda’s philosophy.”





The press is really getting on Nick Fry's case. I hope he ignores their probing for a crack in his armor. He knows what he has to do this year and I'm sure he won't get distracted by the political hijinks to try to get his goat.
 
#12 ·
His experience should add to the precision needed to get a win.

I think that's what he brings to the team. More focus on the correct valid things needed to obtain wins from a driver's perspective.

From the car end of things, look to see if the laptimes can match the McLaren and Ferrari. Renault is working off a whole new chassis since their V10 chassis was not extrapolated onto the new V8. Ferrari F2004 downforce/drag numbers and McLaren's 2005 MP4-20 downforce/drag numbers are the benchmark. The RA106 has to match this year's McLaren and Ferrari at minimum.
 
#13 ·
ok guys/gals, let's put our eyes & heads together (look for details) :what's new on this car compared to the 007?
The obvious ones are the rear of the sidepod taper, larger winglet over the radiator entrance on the front of the sidepod and the back sidepod winglet, the reduced tunnel height under the car behind the front wheels on side view, the front wing, and the V8 effect vs V10 on back view (higher center of gravity or wider V angle ? ).


1. SIDE

RA106



007

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2005




Launch 2005 (minus the 2005 radiator winglet developed later in the season introduced at Montreal)



4. FRoNT

RA106




2. BACK

RA106




007





3. THREE QUARTERS VIEW

RA106





007

Launch 2005



Silverstone intermediate downforce 2005



Shanghai intermediate downforce 2005




4. FRoNT

RA106





007 at Suzuka



007 at Launch 2005


 
#15 ·
They ran the curvy wing in a few races last year and they ran the straight wing in a few others too.

if you look at the rear end, you can see two gill slits on each side of the new one, 007 doesn't have those.
 
#16 ·
notice that they didn't give you the clean photo of the front wing this year. I had to crop the team photo to get a look at it for comparison...that's where the money shot is folks since the higher nose dictated by the rules drops downforce a ton and causes understeer.

so the front wing and front downforce is the key to these cars...last year's Ferrari couldn't recapture the F2004's dominance because both the front downforce from an even higher nose location rule and Bridgestone's failure to produce a longlasting competitiive tire in a no tire change rule really smacked Ferrari to the back of the grid.


this year's Honda front wing looks a lot cleaner and doesn't have all those horizontal cross mambers attaching the leading and trailing edges to the nose/bodywork.
 
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