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Lowe: KERS to mix up order in 2009

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John S:
 

McLaren’s engineering boss Paddy Lowe expects the introduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) will shake up the pecking order from circuit-to-circuit in 2009.

Next year cars will be allowed to run with KERS units to recover and store kinetic energy under deceleration and then use it as a boost to aid overtaking.

Lowe believes KERS will provide a greater advantage at some circuits over others, and as a result, the order at the front could change from race-to-race depending on which team has developed the best system and whether it suits the track.

“Certainly, the variation from circuit to circuit will be different,” he told McLaren’s official website.

“Also KERS will have more authority at some tracks than at others – so the pecking order from circuit to circuit may change a little bit.”



Lowe added that building a good KERS unit will be about reducing weight and making it more efficient rather than producing power, which will be capped at around 80bhp.

Many teams are already concerned that KERS will push the basic weight of their cars closer to the 600kg minimum, restricting the ability to adjust weight distribution with movable ballast.

As a result, Lowe believes the main battleground for KERS development will be on reducing weight and optimising its integration with the car’s set-up.

“There will definitely be constant development of the KERS device through the year,” said Lowe.

“One thing to bear in mind is that the ultimate idealised performance benefit of KERS is capped – because it’s limited in power and energy.

“So assuming you’ve delivered to that cap, you’re looking more into the domains of doing it for less weight or doing it more efficiently or more reliably.”

Report from ITV-f1.com

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