Maximilian Buhk’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 will race in the DTM from the weekend with special Space Drive equipment that enables steering column-free driving. The German driver already owned the device in 2021.
“This is what the car of the future will look like”said Schaeffler Paravan Technologie GmbH & Co. KG CEO Roland Arnold. “We are writing automotive history here because autonomous vehicles controlled by artificial intelligence, sensors or anti-accident driver assistance systems must digitally transfer and send steering data to the wheels. We have used this technology since 2019, in the harsh conditions of the racetrack and since last season in the DTM. The motorsport test bench is a proven development accelerator. »
As Peter Mücke, boss of German construction, explains, the experts at Schaeffler Front are counting on the team: “We’re looking forward to the season, but this year will be much more difficult. We are almost working on the future of the car and being able to support this development makes the team proud. Our main task is to collect data that is then properly processed by the development engineers and fed back into the system. We have already reached a very high level, But that’s not all. The possibilities for the automotive industry are so great that I think there is much more to be done.”
Maximilian Buhk wants his Mercedes-AMG GT3 to shine in the DTM: “The goal is to do better than last year, to build on what we learned and of course to continue where we left off in 2021, with a podium. As a rider, I feel a lot has changed in terms of technology. Of course, sometimes there are things that don’t work very well. It’s part of development. But we’re still moving in the right direction and are constantly improving technology. »
More than 200 parameters are permanently saved and transferred to the Schaeffler Screen repository. “We are the first to convert the steering feel into electronic signals which are then fed back to the driver via the steering unit”explains Hubert Hügle, CTO of Schaeffler Paravan Technology GmbH & Co.KG. “It’s a very technically challenging and exciting challenge for engineers. At the end of last year, we took the collected data into the steering dyno and used it to expand our vehicle models necessary to drive development forward. We’re talking about improvements in the detail area, and now it’s about synchronizing the tests, ideas and results we developed on the test bench with the actual data measured in the tool to continue the evolution of the entire complex system. That’s the goal of this year’s DTM. »
Since 2019, the Space Drive system has been tested in different series by different pilots: Markus Winkelhock, Bernd Schneider, Armin Schwarz. Space Drive technology has been an integral part of DTM regulations since last season.