Dundon Motorsports 992 GT3 Aero Package Data Analysis
Today we are looking at a 992 GT3 owned by Dundon customer and friend, Ray Mort. Ray is an experienced track driver, but not a professional. He has spent the last couple of years upgrading his 992 GT3 track car with our help.
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This particular analysis will draw conclusions from data Ray has provided between two different states of tune. The base data set has his 992 GT3 equipped with our Street Header power package, MCS 3-way suspension package, AP Racing brakes, and 19” Finspeed wheels with Pirelli DH slicks.
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The comparison data set has his car equipped with the same as above, but has added the Dundon Motorsports Valkyrie Aero package, consisting of the Dual Dive Planes, Carbon Splitter, and Valkyrie Swan Neck Wing. Ray had the wing set at 8° for this session.
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For general information, the full aero package adds huge downforce to the 992 GT3 platform, with CFD tests showing gains of 1000+ lbs of downforce at 160mph beyond the stock car. For more details on the aero package, click here.
The majority of Ray’s testing occurs at Circuit of the Americas, outside of Austin, Texas, so that’s what we will focus on. Ray’s car is set up with a complete VBOX data system, so we have lots of great information to compare the differences. This data is also helpful, because the only difference between the sessions is the addition of the aero parts, the rest of the car remains untouched.
Fig. 1: Full Lap Time Comparison (top curves are speed, bottom curve is time delta)
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Digging into the data, we can see the approach and braking for Turn 1 are identical. Ray does a little better through T1 and picks up 2 tenths, which can be attributed to the driver carrying more speed through the apex. The real differences begin to appear in the next sector.
Fig.2 - Data track for the first sector of COTA (Top lines are Speed, middle is Time delta, bottom is throttle position).
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This is where the time gap really starts to open up. With the additional downforce, Ray is able to stay at full throttle for much longer through T2, and stay on the gas longer entering the esses.
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The esses at COTA might be the toughest section of the track. It’s a series of tightening radius corners that can really punish any mis-steps, so you’ve got to be on your game.
Fig.3 - Circuit of the Americas Track Map (T3 - T6 "the esses" highlighted)
The aero really shines here. You can see Ray is able to carry way more speed through the entire sector, with longer applications of full throttle (looking at the red line on the bottom of the graph) compared to the blue trace where he is much more tentative on the throttle application. The increased grip and confidence resulted in a 1.5 second improvement through this section alone. Through the first 6 turns, Ray is already up 1.8 seconds compared to his previous best.
Fig.4 - Time gain is highlighted on the left side “Delta-T” and seen visually in the middle of the chart on the right
The gap stays even through the next sector, which is interesting as there are only two corners connected by long straightaways. This is important to note, and tells us the aero package is extremely efficient. This means the increased downforce comes with a minimal increase in drag (not easy to do!).
Fig.5 - Data traces of Sector 2 (T8 - T12). Top speed is only slightly impacted (4km/h delta) and time gained is static at 1.8 seconds (noted by the flat curve in the middle of the chart above).
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Our driver, Ray, loses a couple of tenths in the next two corners due to a little over-aggressive driving, but he nails the exit of T13 and gains it all back (plus some). This brings the lap improvement to this point to 2.28 seconds better than without aero.
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The next corner is two corners wrapped into one. Turns 17 and 18 combine to make an incredibly long corner at high speed (90+mph) and you can bet the aero is a game changer here. Ray is able to carry more entry speed, and maintain that speed all the way through the turn, cutting an additional 0.8 seconds off the lap, bringing the improvement all the way to 3.07 seconds.
Fig.6 - T17-T18 Time Gain.
Finally, Ray absolutely nails the exit at T20 and gets a great run onto the straightaway, picking up another 0.3 seconds, finishing the lap for a personal best of 2:15.90 seconds, a full 3.35 seconds faster than before installing the aero package.
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Hopefully by now you can see the proof is in the data. The full aero package complements the MCS damper upgrade to give the driver more grip, more confidence, and ultimately, more speed. Enjoy the video below to witness the lap yourself! Big thank you to Ray for his willingness to share and push the envelope along side Dundon!
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