The Computer brain - getting the edge.

Technical excellence is a pre-requisite in motorsport, such is the level of competition and investment made by the competing manufacturers. How each of the manufacturers' achieves this is, in essence, probably very similar - a dynamic combination of brain and computer power.

But, where Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart likes to think it has the edge is in its partnership with Rand Worldwide, a global leader in knowledge-based solutions to engineering, design and information technology requirements.

Rand Worldwide does more than put its corporate identity on the striking red and white Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution/Carisma GT that competes around the globe in the FIA World Rally Championship.

It also does more than simply deliver computer gadgetry to the team's headquarters at Rugby, England, leaving the engineers to get on with it. As the official engineering software partner to the team, Rand Worldwide provides a full engineering suite of hardware, software and as importantly, support services to the team.

"The beauty of implementing a suite of software such as this is that it creates a seamless engineering environment through which the present and future rally cars can be designed, electronically, from the ground up," comments Chris Warner, Project Manager of Rand Worldwide. "This technical partnership with Ralliart is a perfect way for us to showcase these advanced CAD products and our engineering support services at the cutting edge of technology in world rallying."

Four main engineering solutions are being implemented at Ralliart Europe in Rugby, including Pro/ENGINEER, Pro/MECHANICA, Pro/CDRS and Pro/INTRALINK and Product VIEW, which provide unique capabilities and solutions in both a static and dynamic environment.

"This is a new system for us," comments Chief Engineer Bernard Lindauer. "The implementation of the system is smooth as we have Rand engineers on hand to help with the development of the system and training. The immediate advantage was that it allowed us to extend our drawing office capacity and efficiency during the World Rally car development. In the longer term advanced technology systems such as these are very necessary for us to remain competitive at the top level."

As the world's largest independent provider of engineering design solutions, the difference Rand's software is making to the team's output, and the speed at which it can happen, is marked.
Pro/ENGINEER, the kind of software most would probably expect to find in a design office, enables the Ralliart engineers to design the components, assemblies - and consequently the car - in a full 3D environment, digitally validating the engineering performance and creating production drawings.

The Pro/MECHANICA software is a very powerful technology and will, in the future, allow the engineers to actually 'drive' the World Rally Car across a virtual stage in the World Rally Championship to simulate and analyse stress loadings throughout every component of the car, from the suspension to the roll cage. "With this package Ralliart will be able to analyse the strength and structural soundness of the designs, identify areas of potential weakness or even where something may have been over-engineered," comments Warner. "If this is the case, they can then remove what has effectively been identified as excess material, reducing the overall weight of the car."
Pro/CDRS, a freeform surface creation tool, has been used in the creation of the new World Rally Car carbon dashboard, aiding in the design of ergonomically correct components. By using it, the Ralliart engineers have been able to replicate that of the Mitsubishi production car, while also encompassing modifications to its design to increase stiffness and accommodate complex rally car electronics, as well as making the car as comfortable to work in for both the driver and co-driver.

Managing the mass of all this information is equally important, enabling the engineers to work more efficiently and speed up the flow of information created throughout the life of a rally car.

Pro/INTRALINK, which is linked to Product VIEW, allows two-way network access to all data, which will enable the engineers on a test, or a rally, to make changes that can instantly be shared with their counterparts in Rugby.

With Rand engineers taking time out to work alongside Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart on event, the team is confident the development and future possibilities of the software will be second to none.