Ain't no electric nonsense in that one; it's the 2011 one that's being worked on. Diesel, maybe, so nothing near the Group 5 sounds, but a 'proper' engine nonetheless.
But then that's always one of the explanations for the sheer existence of motor sports, it is there where future motoring technologies are being introduced and tested, so I think, although it not being where it should atm, FE was long overdue.
As Rodger said, we fortunately choosed the 2011 R18, where the engine is still audible (not loud but still louder than the E-Tron). And yes, I'm prepared to fight with some potential upcoming LMP or other hybrid models In the end, it's gonna be very easy for me, it only needs the wind, chassis and tranny sounds and it's packed.
Perhaps this can be traced to a childhood trauma? Did your Scalextric set malfunction regularly? How about a racing series for these then? A guy near where I live has one, and when it gets really windy you can see it lifting up onto two wheels like a catarmaran, sailing and car racing at once, bound to be a winner.
I agree with you that motorsports should be somewhere to test new technologies, but I don't believe Formula E does that because it's effectively banned all other technologies. Historically, the drive in motorsport has come about to beat the opposition and do something better than them to gain an advantage and it's this competition that's driven evolution. But in Formula E, the cars are spec, so there's no developing necessary because you can't gain an advantage over your rivals. They're trying to promote how amazing electric cars are, but doing so by not allowing any opposition or comparison. For the record, I believe the P1 regulations at the moment are one of the 'purest' forms of motorsport left, where there is a looser ruleset that encourages development to beat opposition, as can be seen by the speeds of the current cars which are using fractions of the fuel they were just a few years ago.
Well, I used to have a Polistil circuit with three F1 from 76 - 78 seasons (Ferrari, Lotus and Tyrrell six-wheeler) , and 3 Can Am cars Mc laren, Ferrari and Shadow) . It was working flawlessly though so we might need to look somewhere else
Ah, the Tyrell six wheeler, made a lovely Tamiya model of that in the 1980's, such a great looking car, like something from the 'Thunderbirds', back when F1 was really exciting. So we can then assume that after owning F1 cars with electric motors you developed an acute need to be a sound engineer................
Yeah... Now let's think of a world where petrol is way too expensive to burn it for fun, would be a real advantage to still be able to drive. Most of what you're saying is true but nowadays it's not like back in the "good old days", this stuff is the evolution if you think outside the usual racing-logic (faster=better) and inside an ecological and economical (greener=cheaper(in the long run)=better). And there's always gotta be an avantgarde that can afford doing so, apparently this is not as easy/popular as it used to be when drivers had a smoke before a race and not a six-pack on their body.
I'm all for professionalism among drivers; that's putting effort in to beating drinking, smoking, unfit rivals I'm not against electric cars, and I've little doubt they are the future, but I'm looking forward to seeing them be developed in competition with 'regular' cars. Look at some of the interviews with Ulric Beretzky over the last few years and you'll see a passion for doing something better (the most efficient diesel, in this case) because of competition. I expect an electric car to win Le Mans in the next few years (possibly BMW). It still exists and isn't completely from a bygone age yet. FE isn't inventing the tech of the future; it's just using the tech of now; there is no inventive to make the tech used better, so long as every team uses the same car. Of course, I still like GTs and rally cars with speed, flames and loud noises, but this is a different form of entertainment!
@Anthony Monteil, I'm totally with you in this matter. I'm about your age and in my youth my first real motorsport experience was when I was racing karts which can have a fearsome sound at 18000+ rpm. 120 dBA (and more) is not bad considering these things had only 100 cc 2 stroke engines. Of course the sound of a kart lacks "body" compared to bigger engines. During that time I also experienced other racing (not by myself but directly watching, not only on TV) and the sound of racing machinery always gave me goosebumps. Later, after several years in which I didn't experience any real racing (only watching TV or doing simracing) I went to Oschersleben to watch FIA GT. That was in 2008 and I will never forget how I just couldn't stop smiling when I approached the track and heard what was going on there. Even compared to the loudest recent GT3 cars I know (BMW Z4, Camaro) the old GT1 beasts were nearly double in volume - at least that was how it felt, I don't have any dBA numbers. I can especially remember the Corvette and the Aston Martin DBR9. These two not only marked the two endpoints of the sound-spectrum in the GT1 field, I remember them being the loudest too. While the Corvette was making your whole body vibrate when it passed you the Aston was screaming in a way that I felt it must be exploding into bits anytime. The sounds of these cars were so awe-inspiring and beautiful I must have smiled nonstop for about a week or so... Sadly there were no Lambos in Oschersleben in 2008. In the following years GT1 was dumbed down a little to reduce costs which unfortunately also had a noticable effect on sound and volume. I got to see some Lambos then at Nürburgring but I guess it wasn't the same sound as before. The best sound in this late GT1 era was the Ford GT1 in my opinion. So raw... So for me the sound was always one of the things I liked the most about motorsport. Because of that I also appreciate your work so much. But I'm also aware that due to the pollutive nature of combustion engines and the fact that there won't be fuel forever, electric engines are the silent future of car engines and so for racing too. But all good things must come to an end sometime, I guess. And remember, the end is important in all things...
@Arthur Spooner : Considering the current evolution of motorsport and the engines becoming more and more silent, I think the only way to enjoy motorsport for sound freaks like us are historic races and rallies. Some events provide a very high level of competition and the show is more than spectacular. I personally never miss the Monaco Historic GP (which includes a Ferrari F1 parade sometimes, featuring the loudest car on earth, the 412T, something you'll never forget! ) . This race is a kind of pinnacle of the F1 sounds for me. Also, the Rally Legends in San Marino became my favorite destination when I need an extreme Group B and Group A fix
What about something with a Wankel? Don't get much louder or unique than a race derived Rotary Anything in the pipe lines to fill that void in R3E?
I don't believe electric cars will ever take over motosport, they will have their part in it, but they aren't just enough of a spectacle(no sound, never smoking or exploding when going wrong....), which is sort of what motorsport is all about. Hybrids however will propably become more and more common, but thats not bad. They can theoretically be as loud as normal engines.
Well, rotary engines sound gorgeous for sure. Let's see if those will make their way in the game, that's my wish
Electric?... evolution? They should have thought about a real evolution on streets racing: Nuclear power propulsion