Crunching numbers
56 IndyCarSeries 2007 Review
he rise in Vitor Meira’s heart rate
corresponds with his smile disappearing.
TThe
catalyst? Being buckled into the rear
seat of an FA-18 Hornet for a demonstration
flight with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
Seconds later, instructions from the steady
voice of one pilot, Maj. Nathan Miller, to
another allow for Meira’s acclimation to the
canopied environment and orientation with
the multiple information screens in the
cockpit. Now he can fully experience the joy
ride at Mach 1.
That he did, returning to terra firma 40
minutes later, sweat-soaked as if he’d put in
an hour of cardio at the gym, and eagerly
willing to go up again. “That was hard, but it
was so cool,” Meira says, before inviting Maj.
Miller to ride in the back seat of an Indy
Racing Experience car when their 2008
schedules coincide. “We don’t have video
screens in our cars, though,” Meira adds.
Meira draws parallels between the cockpit
of the No. 4 Delphi Panther Racing Dallara-
Honda and the computer-driven FA-18
Hornet. Both have an alphabet soup of
buttons, switches and sensors to aid the
individual at the controls. Whereas avionics
override pilot input, IndyCar Series drivers have
a number of tools at their disposal – inside
and out of the car – to improve performance.
In real time via radio telemetry, engineers
interpret data collected from more than 25
sensors on the chassis. Those sensors report
everything from tire pressure, to fuel economy
tailored to the racetrack, to steering angle
entering turns. They relay information to the
driver, who in turn provides the aspect of the
“feel” of the car. From the seat, the steering
wheel provides additional information via LED
readouts and, at the slight push of a button,
the cross-weight of the bow can be adjusted.
Sometimes, it’s information overload. “Just
tell me what I need to know,” three-time
IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. says
he occasionally thinks aloud.
With the race strategist and spotter in the
driver’s ear, telling him or her everything
from the need to use the weight-jacker to
eliminate pushing, to who’s running inches
off their right-rear wing, can the driver fully
concentrate on the primary missions of
speed, passing and winning?
“The brain is just like a computer,” Meira
says. “The more programs you open, the
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