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SALT LAKE CITY -- History will be made at the Larry H. Miller Grand Prix of Utah Friday. Utah ingenuity will be showcased when the locally-based Corsa Motorsports debuts it's hybrid race car on an American race track for the first time.
The car is similar to one you can go buy off a dealer's lot, but crew members say it's bigger and better. "It's a 'beefed-up' car on steroids, but the principle is the same," said Adrian Lindsey, crew chief for Corsa Motorsports.
It looks like any other LeMans car, but how it runs is very different. Like any other hybrid, it runs on fuel only some of the time.
"The big difference is we're generating our own energy through a system called 'KERS,' Kinetic Energy Recovery. Through kinetic energy, through the drive line of the car, we store that energy in a big lithium ion battery much like the battery used in a cell phone. We introduce that energy back into the car. It's a boost. Speeds are the same. Fuel economy will be better, which means we make fewer pit stops and spend more time on the podium," Lindsey said.
This is the only hybrid of its kind on the racing circuit. The crew tested it recently on a track in London and it worked perfectly.
"Our driver said the most remarkable thing about driving the car is it's like nothing he's ever seen because it's silent. You're used to all the noise and vibrations, but this simply goes," Lindsey said.
This hybrid makes its debut Sunday at Miller Motorsports Park.
E-mail: rzundel@ksl.com
