Rainwater management on track in motorsport racing.
If you are a Formula One enthusiast—or, more generally, a fan of motorsport racing on track—you can certainly attest to this: until a few years ago, the prospect of witnessing races where the variable of rain came into play represented a significant opportunity to increase spectacle, passion, and adrenaline. Not by chance, Ayrton Senna, for example, was the “rain master,” precisely to emphasize his abilities in difficult conditions, where the mechanics of the car left more room for the driver’s talent. But today things have changed considerably. For the worse. So much so that weather has become an absolute protagonist in recent years, and not in a “positive” way, as just mentioned, but rather because rain brings with it the nightmare for spectators of red flags, safety cars, extremely long waits, and, ultimately, the suspension of the race itself.
All this has occurred for a series of reasons. The main one can be summarized in the poor visibility of cars and single-seaters due to the amount of water thrown up by the vehicles, which, in fact, makes it impossible to drive in a race with an acceptable safety margin. For example, many wet-weather tires for F1 cars, driven at 300 km/h, throw up 30 liters per tire per second with intermediates and 85 liters when fitted with full wets: an enormous quantity, due to the increased width of the tires themselves, decided to increase the speed of single-seaters in corners.
In addition to the tire issue, there are also the new and modern aerodynamics, setups, and ride heights, increasingly reduced, with a consequent increase, however, in the risk of aquaplaning.
Thus, if from the standpoint of car engineering and tire engineering—both linked to the need for performance in lap times—it is difficult to expect reconsiderations in this regard, it becomes clear that, instead, regarding this problem, it can be much more useful to study solutions that allow for better and faster evacuation of water present on the circuit.
It is at this point that Greenpipe’s expertise enters… the track.
Our BG-FILCOTEN® ONE range features a channel and grating in a single piece, manufactured with the most innovative material available on the market, BG-FILCOTEN HPC (High Performance Concrete). The tongue-and-groove system design, developed for BG-FILCOTEN® ONE, ensures optimal coupling of one element with the next, regardless of their arrangement and installation direction (to the right or to the left), enabling rapid and fast installations. The S-shaped inlet slots ensure optimal water entry because they are, at the same time, wide enough to allow rapid intake of high volumes of rainwater, but not wide enough to permit the passage of large debris. The W-shaped bottom allows perfect water flow, both in cases of partial and complete filling, as well as continuous self-cleaning action. Finally, the grating with anti-slip surface is perfect for ensuring maximum grip during passage, ideal for every type of vehicle, including Formula 1 race cars.
In short, even in the rain, Greenpipe is ready to wave the checkered flag!
