Autopia has been all over KERS (Kinetic Energy recover System) since it first hit the track. We've been avid fans of Corsa Motorsports hybrid that's been racing in the ALMS, applauded BMW's decision to bring its KERS hybrid tech from the track to the road, and thought that Lewis Hamilton's win with KERS at the Hungaroring was only topped by Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari coming home victorious at the mighty Spa circuit in Belgium.
And now, KERS has received the Powertrain Innovation of the Year award at the 2009 Professional Motorsports World Expo and it has us cheering again.
So why did KERS win? Essentially because it's a win/win sort of deal. Not only is it a slick little energy recovery system, taking the energy normally dissipated under braking and storing it in batteries, rather than wasting it as heat, but in it's Formula One guise, that energy can then be applied back to the road via a steering wheel mounted button. You're coming out of a corner, and someone is right on your tail? Hit the button and another 80 horsepower gets delivered to the tarmac via those sticky Bridgestone slicks.
And yes, it works quite well, and not just on a twisty, hard to pass on track like the Hungarian GP circuit, but it also proved to be quite effective on a more traditional, "power" circuit like Spa. Bottom line: An addition 80 horses are handy, no matter where you need them.
In the ALMS, the KERS is applied a little bit differently. Rather than having a button that gives you that extra 80HP at the touch of a button, the ALMS mandated system is always on. And Corsa motorsports has said in the past that the most noticeable gain is, of course, better mileage. Yes, we know that sounds like a contradiction in terms to a lot of non-cognoscenti, but racers care huge amounts about mileage. Look at it this way: You don't win races by stopping in the pits to get more gas, you win races by staying on the track. Racing is not about power alone, but the efficient application of that power.
And the future of KERS? It looks very good for ALMS, with Corsa Motorsports continuing on, and Peugeot says it still intends to run its bio-diesel fueled, KERS equipped racer at Le Mans in 2011. In F1, things seem a little bit murkier. For next season, KERS was in the technical regs, then it was out, then it was in, and last we heard, it's out, but they're thinking of bringing it back in. Ask Jean Todt, newly elected president of the FIA, he should be able to tell you.
So, congratulations all around to all the KERS equipped teams in all the various series that have run, and won with the system, and congratulations to 2009 Professional Motorsports World Expo for having the foresight to give out this award.
Photo: Mercedes Benz
