Marcel Steiner: Hoping for the best
NEW SEASON PLANNING The cancellation of five of the nine Swiss hill climbs in 2021 has forced Marcel Steiner to change the program. He also had to adapt the Honda turbo engine to the new FIA regulations. Like all hillclimb enthusiasts, the five-time Swiss hillclimb champion hopes that the races can at least be held from summer onwards - and that Steiner Motorsport will finally be able to use the new turbo engine under racing conditions [...]
Like all hillclimb enthusiasts, the five-time Swiss hillclimb champion hopes that the races can at least be held from summer onwards - and that Steiner Motorsport can finally use the new turbo engine under racing conditions.
FIA throttles turbo engines
The engine, which had previously only been used in the French Turckheim-3 Epis hillclimb race in September 2020 and which had run uncleanly in Alsace, had to be modified for 2021. The FIA neutered the turbocharged engines of the E2-SS and E2-SC groups via an air restrictor, which put a damper on Steiner's joy.
In general, drivers of racing cars with turbocharged engines, including French mountain champion Sébastien Petit, already had to make do with 1.7 times less displacement than naturally aspirated engines.
Search for solutions
With the FIA decision, the turbo was again trimmed with an air restrictor of 42.25 mm.
Marcel Steiner: "This briefly pulled the rug out from under me and the guys at Helftec Engineering. But burying our heads in the sand didn't help either - we had to find a solution. So we just adapted the Honda engine to the new requirements during the repair."
The LobArt Honda would be ready
Steiner Motorsport also made minor aerodynamic updates to the LobArt chassis. In the meantime, the modified turbo unit has been reinstalled in the rear of the unique sports car from Italy.
Minor adjustments to the exhaust manifold are still pending, after which it's a matter of tuning the engine map on the roller dynamometer. So, according to the Bernese, the LobArt/Honda turbo would soon be ready to do laps or chase up a mountain road.
FIA regulations do not yet apply nationally
According to the latest information, some national associations (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France) do not adopt the FIA regulations. In these countries, the turbo can still breathe freely and without an air restrictor. For this reason, Steiner will still tune the engine openly and use it as it is until further notice.
The LobArt Honda is to find its outlet in 2021 mainly in the Swiss Mountain Championship, which originally consisted of nine races. Unfortunately, La Roche, Hemberg, Reitnau, Anzère and Les Paccots - the latter due to road construction at the finish - have already been canceled.
First race in France
For this reason, Steiner Motorsport has already had to reorient itself somewhat. In addition, Marcel Steiner would not find the St-Ursanne-Les Rangiers round of the European Championship quite ideal as the first start on the mountain in 2021.
For this reason, the French races of Vuillanfans on the first weekend in July and Beaujolais moved into his schedule. In addition, he would also like to contest the races in Osnabrück, Türckheim and St. Agatha. However, this would depend on the regulations on the restrictor and the financial situation of the team.
Hillclimb Masters as season highlight
The big highlight will be the 4th FIA Hillclimb Masters in Portugal in mid-October. After participating in Gubbio in 2018, Steiner would like to be there as well.
Marcel Steiner: "But in order to compete in all these races and climb the finishes, we still have to get through the Corona crisis and get approval for events. Let's hope for the best!"
