Finally!!! My guess is that they are out to make a statement.
New Ford engine at Talladega UPDATE: Ford will delay the debut of its new Sprint Cup engine, Doug Hervey, who oversees Ford's North American racing operations, said Saturday. The engine was scheduled to have debuted next week at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Instead, Ford will debut the restrictor-plate version of the engine at Talladega in three weeks. As for the non-restrictor-plate engine, it likely will debut at Texas or Homestead.(Virginian Pilot)
AND: Matt Kenseth's crew chief Drew Blickensderfer is expecting to have the new Ford FR9 engine in the #17 Fusion in two weeks at Talladega.(FoxSports)(10-11-2009)
UPDATE: Doug Yates confirmed that the new FR9 Ford engine will debut at Talladega Superspeedway in two weeks. "We had our sights on Charlotte, to run it here," Yates said. "We just wanted to take our time and make sure everything was right. We're fortunate to have the luxury to do that. We're looking forward to Talladega but you know how much I love restrictor plate racing anyway."(FoxSports)(10-16-2009)
Basic Specifications
Layout: 90-degree V8
Displacement: 358 cid (5.87L)
Valvetrain: 2 valves/cylinder, pushrod
Induction: Naturally aspirated, single 830 cfm carburetor
Bore Spacing: 4.500"
Camshaft Height: 6.150"
Main bearings: 5, plain
Camshaft bearings: 6, 60mm roller
Deck Height: 9.000"
Compression ratio: 12.0:1
Fuel: Gasoline
Block Material: Compacted Graphite Iron
Head Material: Aluminum
2009 Ford Racing NASCAR Engine
• The engine is an all-new, clean sheet of paper design.
• There are no carryover parts from the current engine.
• Then engine meets all of the new NASCAR engine rules, most notable being the 4.500” bore spacing (new for Ford since we’ve been running 4.380” since the mid-70s).
• It is a purpose-built racing engine. It does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions, as the current engine does.
Code-named FR9, this new piece is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine to ever come out of Ford Motor Company. Its design has been spearheaded and developed by Ford Racing engineer David Simon, and famed engine builder Doug Yates, along with input from legendary Ford Racing engine engineer Mose Nowland.
“This is an exciting time for us to say the least, especially with the way our two companies have worked so well together on this project,” said Yates. “I’ve never had the opportunity to work on a NASCAR engine with a clean sheet of paper, but that’s basically what we’ve done and I’ve enjoyed every second. We feel we’ve got a piece that will not only be better than what we’ve got now, but will give us room to grow.
“With the exception of a few cylinder head changes through the years, we’ve had the same engine since 1991 and have been able to squeeze out every ounce of power and speed possible,” continued Yates. “What’s got me so excited is we’ve won races and championships with an engine many consider old, and this new piece is definitely a notch above, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to for years to come.”
There are three key differences between FR9 and the current engine. First, the cooling system has been re-worked and will allow teams to optimize the amount of tape they can put on the front grille and improve downforce. Second, the valve train has been improved, and, third, the production and assembly of FR9 will be much easier than today’s model.
Another thing is for certain, this isn’t your father’s 351 because FR9 does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions as the current model.
“Our main priority when we started this project was to get the bones of the engine right. We wanted to make sure we had the proper layout, the right block structure and that the overall skeleton of the engine was correct,” said Simon. “Even though we’ve been working on these engines for decades and know a lot of things about them, there was still a lot we didn’t know. In that case, we went and did some testing to get the answer.”
That data driven philosophy for designing the engine was crucial for building an engine that would not only be reliable and efficient, but powerful as well.
“It was a completely different mindset and approach to making power,” recalled Simon. “We did not finalize any part of the engine until we acquired the data that told us what was going to be our optimum setting or optimum dimension. The key to all of this in the first phase of our development was to produce as much power through the design of the engine as possible and to make sure we had the very best layout, the very best dimension, and the very best combination of dimensions that we could within the framework of the rules.”
Since taking over as Ford Director of North America Motorsports in August, Brian Wolfe has had to learn a lot in a short amount of time, but he’s been impressed with how well FR9 has developed.
“Before taking over this job, I worked in powertrain development at Ford for 26 years, and it’s always great to see a new product,” said Wolfe. “To see the way everyone has worked together on this project is extremely gratifying and I know when FR9 is ready for the race track, we’re going to be spending a lot of time in victory lane.”
Just when FR9 is ready for competition remains to be seen, but a tentative target date is the second-half of the 2009 season.
“We’re not going to rush this engine into competition until we’re 100 percent sure it’s going to meet our strict standards,” said Yates. “We don’t feel a need to rush because our current engine is still strong and that gives us the luxury to take our time and make sure we do FR9 right. I know we’ve got a winner here, and I can’t wait to see it on the track.”
2009 FORD RACING NASCAR ENGINE
Design Process
• The engine design was evaluated on a system by system basis.
· Systems that are critical to performance were studied to identify optimums.
· We used a data-driven process meaning if the data didn’t exist to make an educated decision, We tested the part or system until we had the information we needed.
• Multiple engine design iterations were actually built and tested before the final design was chosen.
Engine Features
• Induction and exhaust systems are an evolution of our current ones providing increased performance potential.
• The cooling system is all-new resulting in more efficient cooling of the heads and block.
• The lubrication system is all-new which allows us to meter the oil supply to every part of the engine.
• The block and head structures are all-new resulting in stronger, lighter components.
Performance Metrics
• Power: The initial power has surpassed our expectations. For an all-new engine, very early in its development, the power has been excellent.
• Durability: There is still a lot of testing to be done, but after thousands of dyno miles, the durability has been perfect so far.
Testing and Development
• Extensive dyno testing has been conducted since early ’08—thousands of dyno miles have been logged including performance and durability testing.
• The first track test was in November at Rockingham. The engine ran fine without any issues.
Installation in the Cars
• The engine requires new engine mounts and changes to the chassis to accommodate the new mounts.
• We’ve worked with the race teams to identify all of the concerns and design issues. Everything has been sorted out to make the new engine work in the current cars.
New Ford engine at Talladega UPDATE: Ford will delay the debut of its new Sprint Cup engine, Doug Hervey, who oversees Ford's North American racing operations, said Saturday. The engine was scheduled to have debuted next week at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Instead, Ford will debut the restrictor-plate version of the engine at Talladega in three weeks. As for the non-restrictor-plate engine, it likely will debut at Texas or Homestead.(Virginian Pilot)
AND: Matt Kenseth's crew chief Drew Blickensderfer is expecting to have the new Ford FR9 engine in the #17 Fusion in two weeks at Talladega.(FoxSports)(10-11-2009)
UPDATE: Doug Yates confirmed that the new FR9 Ford engine will debut at Talladega Superspeedway in two weeks. "We had our sights on Charlotte, to run it here," Yates said. "We just wanted to take our time and make sure everything was right. We're fortunate to have the luxury to do that. We're looking forward to Talladega but you know how much I love restrictor plate racing anyway."(FoxSports)(10-16-2009)
Basic Specifications
Layout: 90-degree V8
Displacement: 358 cid (5.87L)
Valvetrain: 2 valves/cylinder, pushrod
Induction: Naturally aspirated, single 830 cfm carburetor
Bore Spacing: 4.500"
Camshaft Height: 6.150"
Main bearings: 5, plain
Camshaft bearings: 6, 60mm roller
Deck Height: 9.000"
Compression ratio: 12.0:1
Fuel: Gasoline
Block Material: Compacted Graphite Iron
Head Material: Aluminum
2009 Ford Racing NASCAR Engine
• The engine is an all-new, clean sheet of paper design.
• There are no carryover parts from the current engine.
• Then engine meets all of the new NASCAR engine rules, most notable being the 4.500” bore spacing (new for Ford since we’ve been running 4.380” since the mid-70s).
• It is a purpose-built racing engine. It does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions, as the current engine does.
Code-named FR9, this new piece is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine to ever come out of Ford Motor Company. Its design has been spearheaded and developed by Ford Racing engineer David Simon, and famed engine builder Doug Yates, along with input from legendary Ford Racing engine engineer Mose Nowland.
“This is an exciting time for us to say the least, especially with the way our two companies have worked so well together on this project,” said Yates. “I’ve never had the opportunity to work on a NASCAR engine with a clean sheet of paper, but that’s basically what we’ve done and I’ve enjoyed every second. We feel we’ve got a piece that will not only be better than what we’ve got now, but will give us room to grow.
“With the exception of a few cylinder head changes through the years, we’ve had the same engine since 1991 and have been able to squeeze out every ounce of power and speed possible,” continued Yates. “What’s got me so excited is we’ve won races and championships with an engine many consider old, and this new piece is definitely a notch above, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to for years to come.”
There are three key differences between FR9 and the current engine. First, the cooling system has been re-worked and will allow teams to optimize the amount of tape they can put on the front grille and improve downforce. Second, the valve train has been improved, and, third, the production and assembly of FR9 will be much easier than today’s model.
Another thing is for certain, this isn’t your father’s 351 because FR9 does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions as the current model.
“Our main priority when we started this project was to get the bones of the engine right. We wanted to make sure we had the proper layout, the right block structure and that the overall skeleton of the engine was correct,” said Simon. “Even though we’ve been working on these engines for decades and know a lot of things about them, there was still a lot we didn’t know. In that case, we went and did some testing to get the answer.”
That data driven philosophy for designing the engine was crucial for building an engine that would not only be reliable and efficient, but powerful as well.
“It was a completely different mindset and approach to making power,” recalled Simon. “We did not finalize any part of the engine until we acquired the data that told us what was going to be our optimum setting or optimum dimension. The key to all of this in the first phase of our development was to produce as much power through the design of the engine as possible and to make sure we had the very best layout, the very best dimension, and the very best combination of dimensions that we could within the framework of the rules.”
Since taking over as Ford Director of North America Motorsports in August, Brian Wolfe has had to learn a lot in a short amount of time, but he’s been impressed with how well FR9 has developed.
“Before taking over this job, I worked in powertrain development at Ford for 26 years, and it’s always great to see a new product,” said Wolfe. “To see the way everyone has worked together on this project is extremely gratifying and I know when FR9 is ready for the race track, we’re going to be spending a lot of time in victory lane.”
Just when FR9 is ready for competition remains to be seen, but a tentative target date is the second-half of the 2009 season.
“We’re not going to rush this engine into competition until we’re 100 percent sure it’s going to meet our strict standards,” said Yates. “We don’t feel a need to rush because our current engine is still strong and that gives us the luxury to take our time and make sure we do FR9 right. I know we’ve got a winner here, and I can’t wait to see it on the track.”
2009 FORD RACING NASCAR ENGINE
Design Process
• The engine design was evaluated on a system by system basis.
· Systems that are critical to performance were studied to identify optimums.
· We used a data-driven process meaning if the data didn’t exist to make an educated decision, We tested the part or system until we had the information we needed.
• Multiple engine design iterations were actually built and tested before the final design was chosen.
Engine Features
• Induction and exhaust systems are an evolution of our current ones providing increased performance potential.
• The cooling system is all-new resulting in more efficient cooling of the heads and block.
• The lubrication system is all-new which allows us to meter the oil supply to every part of the engine.
• The block and head structures are all-new resulting in stronger, lighter components.
Performance Metrics
• Power: The initial power has surpassed our expectations. For an all-new engine, very early in its development, the power has been excellent.
• Durability: There is still a lot of testing to be done, but after thousands of dyno miles, the durability has been perfect so far.
Testing and Development
• Extensive dyno testing has been conducted since early ’08—thousands of dyno miles have been logged including performance and durability testing.
• The first track test was in November at Rockingham. The engine ran fine without any issues.
Installation in the Cars
• The engine requires new engine mounts and changes to the chassis to accommodate the new mounts.
• We’ve worked with the race teams to identify all of the concerns and design issues. Everything has been sorted out to make the new engine work in the current cars.
