Team Aon have been told to fit a 37mm restrictor to it’s turbo engines in order to equalise the performance of its LPG-powered engines. The changes, which will be made before the next meeting at Oulton Park, mean that the straight-line speed advantage of the team’s Ford Focus’ will be minimised after the outfit enjoyed a particularly strong start to the 2010 season.
Both Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole have been race winners this year as the team continues to improve its two gas -powered cars. Chilton has taken pole position at the previous two meetings and the team has also consistently had the fastest cars through speed traps this year.
Series boss Alan Gow defended the decision to restrict the car’s performance, saying that the use of LPG fuel in the championship was still an ongoing development.
“The LPG engine is very much ‘work in progress’ for both Team Aon and the championship, which is why we have a specific regulation that allows us to make changes along the way,” said the Australian. “It may not even be the last time we make some relatively minor tweaks to the specification, either up or down. Likewise with the new TOCA-NGTC turbo engine; there may be a time when we will also need to fine-tune its characteristics during the season.
“However, let me be absolutely clear; the decision on the LPG engine was made after logging and carefully analysing data from all its first nine races, then comparing that same data with those from other top cars – it was certainly not as a result of any team or driver complaining. Anyone who knows me will know very well that ‘whinging’ has absolutely zero effect on my decisions.
“It’s worth remembering that, as all cars are fitted with our mandatory data-logger, only TOCA has the ability to fully download, compare and analyse the exact same performance data from every car and at any time. This is how we are able to carry out comprehensive performance evaluations, produce factual comparisons and to then make a sound decision based on quantifiable data.
“Therefore anyone who may moan or theorise about the relative performances of different cars is generally using little more than self-serving guesswork, often laced with a fair amount of paranoia. But, thankfully, we don’t run the championship in that same way…”