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I believe these should be illegal, just as it is in F1. The basic problem with this concept is that if it ever stops working you are now driving way over the l

I believe these should be illegal, just as it is in F1. The basic problem with this concept is that if it ever stops working you are now driving way over the limit (not just a tiny bit) of what the car can handle and are unceremoniously thrown out of the track at a dangerous speed. It becomes basically the contest of who can create more downforce. The cars resulting from this have very little clearance and very hard suspension. Add a huge, changing downforce and you can imagine how anything failing like a suspension or a tyre can immediately put the driver in danger. I think allowing this creates unhealthy, dangerous incentive to escalate the downforce until something fails -- the driver due to G-force, some component in the car or an object on the track that causes the car to bump up, etc.

jackmott42 4y ago
What if a wing fails on an f1 car? Or a suspension component? Or a tire? Cars that get their downforce from traditional aero elements are also susceptible to catastrophic failures if they hit bumps too big for the design to handle. Mercedes famously demonstrated this at Le Mans. Anyway this car is designed for people to have fun with at track days, so their are no rules, so you can't make it illegal.
- leereeves 4y ago
  The article says "a road-legal version of the Goodwood fan car is in the works"
- omginternets 4y ago
  Each of those things you list are orders of magnitude more reliable than a fan system where a slight chip in the skirt can instantly send you careening off the road. This includes tires.
- twawaaay 4y ago
  F1 also bans cars that get a lot of downforce by traditional aero elements. For example, there is minimum required clearance between the track surface and any element that is not wheels, which severely limits downforce. Additionally, they have banned a lot of different types of geometry and aero elements that could create suction even with high clearance.

jackmott42 4y ago

What if a wing fails on an f1 car? Or a suspension component? Or a tire? Cars that get their downforce from traditional aero elements are also susceptible to catastrophic failures if they hit bumps too big for the design to handle. Mercedes famously demonstrated this at Le Mans. Anyway this car is designed for people to have fun with at track days, so their are no rules, so you can't make it illegal.

leereeves 4y ago
The article says "a road-legal version of the Goodwood fan car is in the works"
omginternets 4y ago
Each of those things you list are orders of magnitude more reliable than a fan system where a slight chip in the skirt can instantly send you careening off the road. This includes tires.
twawaaay 4y ago
F1 also bans cars that get a lot of downforce by traditional aero elements. For example, there is minimum required clearance between the track surface and any element that is not wheels, which severely limits downforce. Additionally, they have banned a lot of different types of geometry and aero elements that could create suction even with high clearance.