Napoleon Motorsports Will Be The First Team To Give Formula DRIFT A Spark

First ever 100% electric motor powered Pro1 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship Presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras competition car. Welcome to the Napoleon Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 as depicted on the back of the Napoleon Motorsports Turnkey Industries transporter. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

Napoleon Motorsports Will Be The First Team To Give Formula DRIFT A Spark Se Joe, Lynn e Justin Napoleon, com a assistência de fabricação de Robert Quezada, de Houston, Texas, realizarem seus desejos, a Napoleon Motorsports será a primeira equipe a competir nos níveis mais altos da Fórmula DRIFT com a energia elétrica do 100%, acrescentando assim uma faísca a uma exibição visual e sonora já eletrizante nos esportes a motor e na cultura automobilística. A Napoleon Motorsports tem pelo menos três gerações de família dedicadas ao automobilismo e à cultura automobilística, construindo carros e competindo em todas as formas de competições de veículos motorizados, desde a pista de arrancada até a pista de terra batida e, mais recentemente, em pistas de rua com a classe Trans Am Series Pirelli TA2 com o piloto Shane Lewis. O último esforço, que surgiu há apenas seis meses, foi criar um carro que pudesse competir na série Formula DRIFT. Entre no Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship Presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras - Rodada 1: Streets Of Long Beach 5 e 6 de abril de 2019, dirigido pelo campeão da Formula DRIFT Pro2 de 2018, Travis Reeder. Esta é uma resposta séria a um desafio muito sério para o campeonato de Fórmula DRIFT.

Joe Napoleon, Team owner and director of Napoleon Motorsports, describes some of the fabricated features in the converted engine to battery compartment during the Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach Media Day. The weight and displacement of the batteries are fabricated to emulate the center of gravity and weight of a V-8 engine. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

In what was to be their first official competition, however, the City Of Long Beach Fire Department in a joint recommendation made with the Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach Friday morning, before Formula DRIFT’s first event of the 2019 season, that the Napoleon Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 could not compete due to a little known city ordinance, until Friday, that prohibits electric and gasoline-powered cars on a track at the same time. The City Of Long Beach Fire Department also came out to say that the fire safety crew will not have the adequate time to train in case there’s an emergency with the car. O aspecto mais confuso de tudo isso é o momento de última hora dessa recomendação, já que o histórico de competições movidas a eletricidade é amplamente conhecido, a Fórmula E da FIA correu aqui com sucesso por dois anos sem incidentes e tanto o Corpo de Bombeiros da cidade de Long Beach quanto o Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach se sentiram confortáveis com o treinamento para esses eventos na época. Pode-se pensar que o campo de competidores do Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship Presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras pode ter feito uma jogada política rápida, já que as evidências sugerem, depois de uma olhada no site da Formula DRIFT, que todos sabiam que o carro Napoleon Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 Formula DRIFT estava chegando, com dois artigos publicados - Napoleon Motorsports: Attacking 2019 PRO1 Formula Drift Series (December 18, 2018) & Napoleon Motorsports: New Champion Pilot for EL1 (12 de março de 2019). Ninguém esperava que a "faísca" do Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 da Napoleon Motorsport - apelidado de "Freedom" - seria uma na forma de uma controvérsia política ou de processo... para dizer o mínimo. Muito estranho. Official Response By Napoleon Motorsports via Facebook: Em resposta a uma decisão tomada pela cidade de Long Beach e pelo Acura Long Beach Grand Prix, que impede o EL1 de competir, Travis Reeder agora pilotará seu LS 240 em sua estreia na FD Pro1. INÍCIO "Iniciamos o plano B e continuaremos em frente sem falta. Agradeço todo o carinho e apoio e respeito as decisões tomadas. Isso é uma indicação da educação que ainda precisa ser feita... Vamos tirar nossas lições aprendidas, ficar à frente da curva para aprovação e estamos ansiosos para colocar o "Freedom" [EL1] em Orlando." - Joe Napoleon, Diretor Geral da Napoleon Motorsports FIM Com o LS240 movido a gasolina do Plano B, Travis Reeder terminou na 14ª posição em um grupo de 32 pilotos - 33 pontos - 70 pontos atrás do vencedor da 1ª Rodada, Aurimas "Odi" Bakchis.

Travis Reeder stands beside his Napoleon Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 electric-powered Formula DRIFT car on display in downtown Long Beach. Image Credit: Napoleon Motorsports via Facebook (2019)

Justin Napoleon escreveu em sua resposta por e-mail - "Seguindo em frente: como você sabe, tínhamos o carro de Travis como carro reserva. Ele fez um excelente trabalho na competição. Levaremos o carro de apoio conosco caso o EL-1 não possa correr por qualquer motivo. Entraremos em contato com o pessoal adequado no próximo evento (Orlando) com antecedência. Quanto à Napoleon Motorsports, esse é apenas um pequeno contratempo e continuaremos a nos esforçar para sermos um líder inovador em corridas de veículos elétricos. Como já foi dito, este é apenas o começo para nós. Temos algumas ambições muito criativas além do drifting, que serão concretizadas este ano, à medida que o EL-1 provar ser uma força de reconhecimento. "

Joe Napoleon, Team owner and director of Napoleon Motorsports, demonstrate the custom fabrication rear quarter panels used on the Camaro EL-1 for give during competition. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

Napoleon Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 “Freedom” Formula DRIFT As primeiras perguntas com as quais nos deparamos têm a ver com a adoção de tecnologias novas e não tradicionais, assim como os jogadores de esportes motorizados vêm fazendo desde que as soluções de mobilidade foram inventadas. Logo após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, as pessoas colocavam um soprador de um motor a diesel em um motor a gasolina para ver o quanto isso melhoraria a velocidade na pista de arrancada e o tempo de corrida. Com os motores elétricos, o primeiro elemento que se entende imediatamente é o torque aplicado às rodas, sendo que esse torque é o mesmo de alto nível do início ao fim da faixa de potência - isso não pode ser dito em relação aos motores a gasolina, em que uma curva de torque é fornecida - baixa no início, chegando a um ponto ideal em uma RPM específica e, em seguida, dissipando-se à medida que mais RPM é aplicada. Em segundo lugar, em situações normais de mobilidade em viagens, como uma alternativa de substituição de transporte para motores a gasolina, a energia elétrica dura apenas um certo tempo e, então, é preciso investir um tempo muito maior para recarregar as baterias do que para encher um tanque com líquido - isso é conhecido como "Ansiedade de alcance" - mas, quando aplicado à Fórmula DRIFT, não é um problema devido à duração muito curta de cada sessão de competição lado a lado.

Round 1 of the 2019 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship Presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras season was to be the grand debut for this evolution in power equipment available for drifting. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

This excerpted and edited from Drift Life – Electric Drifting – The Future? By: Jos Roder – March 22nd, 2019 With the all but confirmed introduction of an electric drift car into Formula Drift for the 2019 season, it opens the discussion around the future of drifting and the role electric vehicles may play in it. In December 2018, Formula Drift released a statement on behalf of Napoleon Motorsport about a sixth generation 2019 Chevrolet Camaro EL-1 the team was building that was described as “a revolutionary drift car” and “the first one of its kind in Formula Drift.” Fast forward to early 2019 and the rumours became stronger. On the February 27th Maximum Driftcast podcast, Formula Drift Technical Manager Kevin Wells spoke about regulations ahead of an electric car joining the series. The latest video from Napoleon Motorsport included flashes of electricity as part of the graphics so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put everything together. So unless there is a CIA level deception that has led everyone down the garden path, we will see an electric drift car competing in Formula Drift in 2019 and that Drift Life readers, is a fascinating prospect. Why Electric? “It’s inevitable!” Electric cars didn’t fly down in the last shower and they aren’t going anywhere.  Tesla is now a household name, manufacturers are pouring millions into electric R&D, ‘ludicrous mode’ makes grown men giggle and Formula E (electric based open-wheel racing series) continues to build an audience and has growing support globally. But electric drift car’s have already been made! Yes, companies around the world have already been experimenting with electric drift cars, like EV West and their Tesla powered E36.

The cockpit of the next evolution in Formula DRIFT competition. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

To see an electric drift car in a top-level competition series however is a big step up. It was only a matter of time but the reality brings fundamental, technical and philosophical questions about the sport to the here and now. Some questions are being resolved through regulations but others can only be answered in competition and in the spectator stands. -- This brings us to what many see as in theory at least, a logical step into the world of electric motors. Electric Motor Benefits: Amazing torque characteristics No gears to change – should be quick off the line Handling characteristics  –  low battery and motor placement for 50-50 weight split and lower centre of gravity. Reliability – once early issues ironed out, in theory, there are fewer things that can go wrong with the drivetrain. Lowering overall vehicle weight Electric Drift Car Commercial Benefits Momentum is building and millions are being poured into R&D. Chevrolet recently displayed the eCOPO Concept Camaro, a car designed to run 9’s on the quarter through its two electric motors that produce a combined 800hp (and all the torques) and is no doubt a ploy designed to convince Chevrolet supporters that ‘electric’ can be cool. For Napoleon Motorsport, choosing a new Camaro as their electric vehicle choice given Chevrolet’s recent moves could be strategic or simply coincidental. Funding a race program is a huge investment so with projects like eCOPO underway, perhaps Napoleon Motorsport feels doors could open for manufacturer support. At a minimum, an electric drift car is unique, so a new range of sponsorship avenues for the team could no doubt be opened. Strategically, this aspect of the program could prove to be a smart move. Side note: electric cars are primarily about efficiency and environmental benefits….so the irony of introducing a smoke-inducing, tyre destroying electric drift car is not lost on us. Downsides/Challenges and Unanswered Questions From putting down its power too well off the line, lack of noise, through to handling advantages and reliability improvements, let’s rationally analyse some of the questions and thoughts that came up in our conversations on the matter. Q: Can a silent drift car excite anyone? For drift judges, a philosophical debate has to take place. The ‘sound’ of the car is not judged obviously, but it will be hard not to be fooled and remain impartial to what you are seeing compared another car that may have had an identical run, except with the screaming engine to compliment the run. For spectators, the equation is pretty simple. Can you get excited by a silent drift car that only oozes tyre squeal? That is a really hard sell. A huge component of drifting is enjoying high revving engines, turbo’s and V8s’s as they power through a course so an electric car will be eerily underwhelming. Q: How driveable are electric engine drift cars? According to the EV West team and JehuGarcia, the light switch on and off feeling, plus the ramp on and off characteristics of the engine was quite hard to control in current specification. Is Napoleon Motorsport there yet? We don’t know. Q: Will electric drift cars put down the power too well from the holeshot? A cars ability to accelerate is dependant on a variety of factors, but primarily comes down to how much grip a tyre can produce on a given surface. The crazy 0-100 (0-60) times we see by Tesla’s are with AWD systems. A RWD based system would be absolutely slower. Overall, I think this would be a negligible difference. Q: Will electric cars have a fundamental performance/handling advantage? Overall vehicle weight, the centre of gravity and weight distribution are all considerations. The overall weight of a vehicle governs the tyre size a car can run, so even if the car was substantially lighter than a standard Camaro (which it probably is), tyre size will be reduced to negate the advantage in this area. Centre of gravity however is certainly an area a competition drift car could have an advantage in. -- The flexibility of battery placement (should it be allowed in technical regulations) can also ensure a perfect 50:50 weight distribution should that be the balance they are looking for. Q: Will electric drift cars be perfectly reliable? I’d suggest not initially, but with fewer components in play, that should prove to be a slight advantage in this area over the medium-term. It is worth noting a number of Formula Drift Pro cars are very reliable and most have backup parts to keep them in the game even with failures. Q: Will electric drift cars create an arms race/fractures in the fabric of the sport? This question only brings up more questions. If electric vehicles drift amazingly, are ultra reliable and gain momentum, will other teams be forced to spend into oblivion to keep up? Will there become a huge divide and traditionalists that mean electric cars are outlawed or become a separate series? Having electric drift cars upsetting the competition apple cart in such a severe way is probably hyperbole, but major controversy in motorsport is hardly a new concept so who knows! 

The business end of the Napoleon Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro EL-1. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

The Bottom Line – We Fear Change -- Electric cars are part of our collective future whether we like it or not, so we should at least give them a chance in the sport and investigate if it will be a fit for drifting in the future. So until the electric car competes a season, I’ll be watching on with an open mind and a tonne of popcorn. My bet is it will be an anti-climatic debut, but that is nearly to be expected of any new campaign in Formula Drift Pro category with a new build, let alone an electric variant, but I’m happy to be wrong! -- P.S Drift runs are so short, Range Anxiety shouldn’t be a thing!? Unless you have 5 re-runs in your Top 32 and you can’t swap out batteries? [Reference Here] Depois de pesquisar alguns artigos que analisaram a situação que colocou o "Freedom" à margem, a resposta inicial da Napoleon Motorsports foi que o carro foi fabricado usando todos os aspectos de segurança da Fórmula E da FIA como modelo e construído de acordo com os regulamentos da FIA para carros de corrida EV. Eles nunca foram informados sobre essa portaria da cidade de Long Beach e, aparentemente, nem o produtor do evento, a Formula DRIFT... ou seria o contrário? A Napoleon Motorsports deseja apenas competir e levará a todos os locais de competição as duas plataformas de corrida - "Freedom" e LS240 - reconhecendo que pode haver uma curva de aprendizado em cada local de evento ao longo da temporada. Portanto, estamos todos aguardando a primeira corrida real do "Freedom" em uma competição de Fórmula DRIFT da divisão Pro, trazer a faísca e ver até onde essa aplicação de tecnologia vai - até agora, o equipamento ou a equipe não permitiram que o Camaro EL-1 competisse... em Long Beach, talvez tenha sido o medo da mudança ... notas de The EDJE TAGS: electric drift car, Formula DRIFT, Napoleon Motorsport, Camaro EL-1, Freedom, City Of Long Beach, Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach, The EDJE