Rolling road installed in new Sauber windtunnel.

Work on the new Sauber windtunnel continues to progress as scheduled, as the facility's core element - the so-called 'rolling road' - was installed this week at the Hinwil factory.

Fitted with a steel belt simulating the relative motion between ground and vehicle, the 'road' is the largest of its kind ever built. Manufactured by MTS Systems Corporation, based in Minneapolis, the unit arrived in Antwerp aboard a container ship, before being taken to Hinwil by special 'heavy duty' carrier, as the complete system weighs no less than 57 tons.

It is the core element of the Sauber tunnel which, when built, should compare favourably with the most advanced Formula One facilities currently in existence. The Swiss facility is of a closed-circuit design and, thanks to the unusual length of the test area and its cross-section of more than 15 square metres, measurements of original vehicles up to the size of vans can be made.

Although Sauber's aerodynamic engineers will usually be working with 60 per cent scale models, they can, if necessary, run full-size Formula One cars as well. One of the specialities of the Sauber wind tunnel will be the possibility of performing tandem measurements of two 60 per cent models to investigate the influence of air turbulences.

A fan with a maximum power consumption of 3000kW accelerates the air stream to nearly 300kph, whilst the steel belt moves at the same speed as the air stream. In order to simulate side-slip conditions, the entire rolling road platform can be rotated by up to ten degrees. The cars under test are connected with the so-called model motion system, which allows any real-world motion of the vehicle to be simulated to measure the corresponding aerodynamic forces. The building, which accommodates the wind tunnel, has a length of 65 metres, a width of 50 metres and a height of 17 metres.

"Aerodynamics are the primary factor affecting a modern Formula One car," team principal Peter Sauber said, "This shows the importance which the construction of this highly advanced facility has for us. I'm convinced that we'll have a first-class tool for achieving major progress."

Moreover, Sauber is planning to continuously expand his aerodynamics department, and thus create the basis for future two-shift operations in the new facility. Whilst wind tunnel tests are currently limited to approximately 2400 hours per year, two-shift operations in the new facility should double this number.

"In order to achieve our goals, it is envisioned to expand our aerodynamics team at all levels," Sauber insisted.

Provided that the project continues to stay on track, the windtunnel facility will be completed by mid-December, which means that calibration can start before the end of the year. This will take approximately three months and, consequently, it is anticipated that the first measurements in the new windtunnel will be undertaken at or about the start to the 2004 Formula One season.