Zakspeed 841
Zakspeed 841 at the Grand Prix of Germany 1985 ( Palmer )
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The Zakspeed 841 was a Formula 1 racing car of the German Zakspeed Motorsport team, which was used in the 1985 Formula 1 World Championship. The car was powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Zakspeed himself had developed. He was considered the first Formula 1 race cars for the Porsche 804 from 1962, which was fully developed in Germany.
Background
Erich Zakowski maintained since the 1960s in Niederzissen a Ford dealer. From 1968 he took with Ford vehicles that had even prepared his operation, participate in motor sport events. In the 1970s, Zakspeed was a regular participant in the German Racing Championship, which the team won several awards. Zakspeed received during this period increasingly work support. At the beginning of the 1980s Zakspeeds Motorsport program was broadly based: The team was engaged with modified Ford vehicles in Group 2 and Group 5. In the late 1970s, Zakspeed was a " turbo pioneer": From 1978, the team self-developed turbocharged four-cylinder engines began in racing, which were based on Ford blocks. The 700- hp Zakspeed racing cars, which were based on production models like the Ford Capri, included in her series of the most efficient vehicles, and Zakspeeds experience in dealing with turbocharged racing engines grew increasingly.
At the beginning of the 1980s hoped Erich Zakowski, Ford contract to develop a turbo engine for Formula 1 to get. Ultimately, Ford gave the order but to the British subsidiary Cosworth that had the engine ready for the beginning of 1986. Erich Zakowski then decided in the summer of 1983, independently and without financial support from Ford ascend into Formula 1. Zakspeed developed in the following months, a turbo engine according to Formula 1 rules and its own chassis, the prototype was ready for driving in the summer of 1984. The Formula 1 debut took place in the 1985 season until half a year later.
Zakspeed was next to Ferrari and Renault the only team that restored the chassis and engine itself.
Technology
The 841 was the first single-seater designed by Zakspeed. The development led the former Chevron, March and masonry employee Paul Brown, aerodynamics developed the longtime Zakspeed engineer Helmut Barth. At its debut, the car was perceived as corresponding to the state of the time.
The chassis had an aluminum core with additional carbon fiber components. It weighed 26 kg. The wind tunnel tests were carried out in the facilities of the University of Aachen; Zakspeed claimed that the team spent 600 hours in the wind tunnel research. The front suspension consisted of double wishbones. The shock absorbers supplied Koni. A special feature of the 841 was the division of the cooler: the water and the oil cooler were located in the right side box while the charge air cooler was housed in the left box. The transmission was referring Zakspeed Hewland, but modified the housing.
Zakspeeds engine was a four-cylinder, which was developed under the leadership of Norbert Kreyer. At times, was the Italian engineer Gianni Marelli, who had previously worked at Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, in a consultancy capacity for Zakspeed. The engine had no connection to Zakspeeds previous turbo engines, based on a core of engines from Ford. The cylinder block was made of aluminum. The two overhead camshafts are driven by gears. Kreyer used a turbocharger which has been obtained from KKK; the fuel injection supplied ball fishermen. Initially, it was a purely mechanical injection; only for the Grand Prix of Great Britain in July 1985 was a self- developed by Zakspeed electronic control system ready for use. The ignition was developed in-house Zakspeeds. The engine weighed 125 kg without turbochargers. The compression was initially at 6.5:1; during the summer of 1985, she was raised to 7.0:1.
For the power of the engine, there are different information. Zakspeed itself speaks in retrospect in a publication from 2011 of 700 hp. Some sources say 700 to 750 hp, others go 800-820 hp from.
During the development Zakspeed made numerous detailed modifications. Among other things, the oil tank was increased from 8 to 12 liters, which required an extension of the wheelbase by 80 mm.
Zakspeed used fuel from Shell; the tires came from Goodyear.
Production
Zakspeed put two copies of the 841 here. The first vehicle was ready in the summer of 1984, the second in May 1985. The 841/ 02 was slightly stiffer than the first copy, but nevertheless easily. The weight was given as 565 kg.
Presentation and race preparation
Zakspeed initially planned the Formula 1 debut for the Grand Prix of Germany 1984. Due to delays in the production process the team had at that time but not enough material for the recording of the race holding.
However Zakspeed put the public presentation of the 841 on the weekend of the Grand Prix of Germany. The car was painted at this time silver. After the end of the race angle Manfred Hock led to the Hockenheimring by a so-called shakedown, which was largely without problems, according to the Zakspeed engineer. During the year 1984 was followed by further tests at Misano with angle Hock and, in December 1984, on the Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France. These tests led by Jonathan Palmer.
The races
Zakspeed debuted in the Formula 1 season 1985. In March 1985, it was Erich Zakowski managed to close a long-term sponsorship agreement with the Hamburg cigarette producer Reemtsma. Reemtsma was the title sponsor and promoted with the brand on the West Zakspeed cars. In countries where cigarette advertising was banned, the West lettering was alienated, and later he was occasionally converted into "East ".
For cost reasons, Zakspeed was limited in the first Formula 1 season on the European races. The team announced as Spirit, Minardi and Osella just a car. As a driver Jonathan Palmer was hired as angle Hock, the test driver of last year, in the meantime stood at RAM Racing under contract. After Palmer had an accident in the 1000 km race at Spa- Francorchamps and then turned out for several weeks, Zakspeed replaced him for the last race of the year by Christian Danner, who made his Formula 1 debut here and took without a fee.
The first race of the team was the Grand Prix of Portugal in 1985, the second World Cup race of the year. Palmer qualified for the 23 starting place, behind the two Tyrrell, who still inserting naturally aspirated Cosworth, and before the turbo -powered cars from Spirit and Osella ( FA1F ). His best lap time was 6.5 seconds on the pole time of Ayrton Senna in the Lotus - Renault; the top speed lacked 20 km / h on the Lotus. In the race, Palmer dropped out prematurely. At the start he was with the Williams FW10 left standing collides Keke Rosberg. This he had suffered a suspension failure, which resulted in the second round to a technical failure. During the subsequent Grand Prix of San Marino Palmer qualified for the launch site 17; this was Zakspeeds best qualifying result in 1985. During the warm-up lap before the race there was misfiring and engine failure, so Palmer in Imola ultimately did not start. In Monaco Palmer came with four laps down in 11th place finish. It was the first and last goal coming of the Zakspeed 841 In the other eight races that Zakspeed in 1985 took part in, the driver fell out of each as a result of damage in the engine environment. There have been several problems with the oil pressure (France and Netherlands), once turned out the alternator, and the Grand Prix of Germany, the camshaft broke after 17 rounds.
Jonathan Palmer on the Zakspeed 841
Jonathan Palmer held the Zakspeed despite the fact that he came only once to the finish with the vehicle, for a solid car. In an interview with the magazine Fast Lane he said in October 1985 that the Zakspeed was clearly superior to the carriage of Minardi, RAM and Osella: