The
B2K has a very prominent "bow" forming in the middle of the nose and blending
towards the cockpit that acts to direct air either side of the cockpit
rather than over the top thereby reducing the amount of air volume interacting
with the roll hoop and driver. Speaking with the crew of a certain
Lola team, they indicated that the drivers never complained of buffeting
and that air deflectors were never installed. More importantly, the
bow also reduces the amount of airflow that would be producing lift upon
the top surfaces of the tub. That the drivers never complained of
buffeting is proof that the bow did its job and reduced lift.
One other element
to point out is the valence type plate (yellow arrow). The plate
is in place primarily to meet rule 1.6.2 of the 2000 ACO regulations.
That regulation states that, "As viewed from above (plan view), from the
sides (elevation view) et from the front, the bodywork must not allow mechanical
parts to be seen."
Also note that the
brake duct on the Lola powerful aero. balance tuning device. |