Videoscope helps Frosty's success at Bathurst

When Mark ‘Frosty’ Winterbottom joyously lifted the winner’s trophy for the 2013 Bathurst 1000 race, it was a tribute to the whole Ford Performance Racing team. Among those celebrating behind the scenes were the engine technicians who had used an Olympus videoscope before the race to visually inspect the inside of the engine of his Pepsi Max-sponsored V8 Supercar to detect cracks, scoring, material transfer or other flaws that could have potentially led to a catastrophic engine failure during the race.

Olympus has partnered with Ford Performance Racing (FPR) since 2007 to provide the team with the latest technology to ensure their cars are tuned for success. “The level of support in terms of servicing the scopes we have, and upgrading equipment to the latest model, has been sensational,” according to FPR’s chief engine builder, Ashley Campbell.

FPR competes all over Australia in the V8 Supercar Challenge race series, and the win on the Mount Panorama circuit was the team’s first victory in the nation’s premier motor racing event.

The inside story

A videoscope is an inspection instrument that consists of a small camera mounted on a length of cable. The camera can be controlled remotely by an operator while it is inserted in the cavity to be inspected.

The governing body for V8 Supercar racing stipulates the performance characteristics that all vehicles must comply with in order to participate in a race or series. This means that the size and weight of each front-engined, rear-wheel drive vehicle is essentially the same. The only differentiation is in the tuning and performance of the engine.

“To us, the videoscope is absolutely essential and we are able to eliminate major failures because we are able to know the condition and viability of an engine throughout its life,” stated Campbell. The latest model supplied to FPR is lighter, easier to use and more conducive to how the team operates in the ‘pressure cooker environment’ on the Saturday night of a race meeting.

An Olympus iPlex LX in the engine bay of an FPR V8.

Engine preparation

The highly skilled FPR engine technicians spend the time between races stripping down and rebuilding race car engines in preparation for the next series.

It takes between six and 10 weeks to build an engine from scratch and about two weeks to strip down and rebuild an existing engine. The FPR team has a full CNC machine shop that is used to custom make components for their engines. The technicians know the entire history of every part and component.

According to Campbell, each conrod spends its life in a specific location in the engine and each piston is dedicated to a particular cylinder. Cranks and rods are matched to a specific piston weight in order to balance the engine. Once a part is allocated to a position in an engine, that is where it stays. Most items go into an engine ‘new’ and remain in that one power plant until they need to be replaced. FPR also makes its own timing gears, manifolds and exhaust systems.

The aluminium sump doubles as the engine mounting block. “We mount the engine rigidly to the chassis cross member to give some stiffening to the front of the car,” said Campbell. “There is no commonality with a car you might buy from a dealership: it may look like a Falcon, but take off the skin and it is a very different machine.”

Once an engine is ready, it is run on a fully automated dynamometer which allows the technicians to check ring seals, pistons and bore seals. The engine is run under optimum conditions for oil temperature and pressure. It is also connected to a computer ‘mapping’ program that maps the generic tuning to match all the idiosyncrasies of a particular powerplant. It is run up from a base RPM to the mandated peak RPM of 7500. This gives a readout of the horsepower and torque values to ensure that the engine is giving the expected performance. At the end of the procedure the technicians set the idle rate and shut the engine down.

After the engine is removed from the dynamometer, it is inspected using the Olympus videoscope to see if there are any signs of wear or damage or if unplanned events have occurred in the engine.

The Olympus videoscope has enabled the team to catch many potential failures before they cause problems while racing. According to Campbell, technicians can detect indications of markings in the cylinder wall or evidence of transfer of material from the piston to the cylinder wall. By removing the engine and stripping it down to its components, the engine technicians are able to limit damage to a single part or component before it impacts the rest of the engine.

Preparing the car at the track

FPR technicians plan for an engine to be in a car for the full race meeting. However, the team always has a spare engine in the support truck. Except for the exhaust manifold and pipes, the spare unit is ready to go with all ancillary components and plumbing already attached.

On race days, there is a dedicated team for each car. The team comprises the number one and number two car mechanics assigned to a particular vehicle and, usually, two engine technicians who work on all the team’s four cars as well. There may also be one or two ‘floaters’ who provide extra muscle for moving equipment and tools around the garage. “Any more than this and it gets a bit claustrophobic within the confines of the chassis,” said Campbell.

The FPR pit crew in action on one of the team’s V8 Supercars during the 2013 Bathurst 1000 race.

During an engine change, everything from the harmonic balancer at the front of the unit to the flywheel with the clutch attached is removed and replaced. To assist with the changeover, the engine has lifting tags attached to the exhaust system. When a new engine is placed in the car the first two things connected are the oil and water. “The oil is kept heated and the water is at 65° prior to starting the engine,” said Campbell. “This is to eliminate cold start wear because when engine components are cold, they are not at their operating size.” Once the water and oil supply and return pipes, radiator bleed pipe and fuel line are connected, all the wiring associated with the injectors and all the monitoring sensors need to be plugged back in.

In the workshop

Between V8 Supercar race meetings, the cars and engines are returned to the main FPR facility. The workshops are remarkably clean and uncluttered. “We are spoilt to some extent that we are able to work in this environment,” Campbell mused. “I am continually amazed when I show someone around here that they can be so passionate about the outfit which, for us, we are lucky to have as our day-to-day job.”

According to Campbell, all team members are dedicated professionals who are willing to put the effort in to make sure the cars always perform at their peak. “Race day is everyone’s Number One priority,” he said. “The team is prepared for the sacrifices they sometimes have to make to their personal lives.”

During a standard rebuild, the piston rings and pistons are replaced. Technicians also check the bearings but usually these can be re-used until they do show signs of wear, although gaskets and seals are always replaced. Every ferrous and steel item is crack tested, while aluminium components are tested using dye penetrant procedures. The cylinder head is under high stress during a race so is checked after a race and technicians inspect the valve and valve seats where they meet the cylinder head.

Meeting the needs of customers

Olympus is also willing to work with customers to adapt or modify instruments to meet their needs. “We have worked with FPR for several years now and have upgraded their equipment to the latest, lightweight model,” said Mark Wheatley, sales specialist at Olympus. “With the new untethered videoscope, the race technicians can quickly inspect an engine in the pit straight if necessary, rather than bring it into a workshop.”

Campbell concluded that his team is looking forward to trialling new high-speed camera systems that Olympus has been discussing with FPR. “We will be able to view and record the actions of most parts of our engines and see what might be the actual event that causes an engine failure, rather than just the aftermath,” he said.

A previous version of this story was published by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL).