11
assembly. After just two months it was
already possible to conduct all the
acceptance tests and last April, less than 12
months after the initial approval, we
welcomed the first IndyCar team for a test
session aimed at preparing for the round on
the Indianapolis road course, a race that
was held on May 10th».
Compared to the Italian Simulator, what
are the main differences and
developments?
«As far as it's possible, the two systems
share the same characteristics and design
choices from the mechanical, electronic or IT
standpoints. The decision to keep the two
Simulators aligned brought an upgrade to
the Italian one, which was made this year
mainly on the software department, which
after four years of running might have been
not "state of the art" anymore. The addition
of the American Simulator gave us the
chance to have two systems instead of ones
that, as happened so far in Italy, can be
able to explore new confines in terms of
technology and research, especially for what
concerns pushing the boundaries of realism.
And with a more realistic simulation,
improve the responses delivered by the
tests».
What are the circuits and cars that can
be tested there?
«The collaboration between the staff and the
alignment of the two Dallara divisions
enables both Simulators to have all the cars
and tracks available in both locations. In
every moment, a customer can drive a GP2
Series car at Spielberg, or the new Super
Formula at Motegi, or the IndyCar and
IndyLights cars on a track where they
actually race during a championship».
The USA Simulator is close to an
edutainment structure that includes the
Dallara Museum. In addition to its
professional use, will it be available for
visitors and for the IUPUI students as a
part of your collaboration?
«The professional use we make of the
Simulator, with the teams using our cars or
with other programs it's committed to,
cannot be compatible with the number of
visitor we receive there. Even though they
are located in the same building, the
structures are completely separated. The
Simulator also has its dedicated entrance to
provide the customers with the privacy they
need. Our collaboration with IUPUI must be
considered a professional one. Apart from
some demonstrations for educational
purposes for the Engineering and
Technology students, only the ones involved
in activities shared by Dallara and the
University can access and use our
Simulator».
After testing a Ferrari at Silverstone,
Pedro de La Rosa said it had been a
great eperience, but the Simulator was
the future. Do you agree?
«The professional use of a Simulator is well-
suited for resolving many of the current
issues faced by the technicians in Formula 1
and beyond. I think to the management
and optimization of how the electronic
devices used in the modern cars behave,
both on-track and on the road.
Regarding this aspect, I agree. Everything
that can be physically put in a Simulator
(like an ECU, an ERS and so on)
on that can be simulated in an acurate way,
can provide early answers that, if researched
on-track would cost much more effort,
time and money.
But if I think to other aspects that can
provide you with marginal advantages on-
track, or the importance that the champion
has in figuring out race situations and their
consequences, I think that the Simulator will
never replace real-life testing. Its goal
should be to provide early answers to to fix
problems that a driver of his technicians
might come to deal with. So everybody can
be more free to focus on the remaining
details, the ones that can make the
difference between winning and losing».
Stefano Semeraro
