Without air conditioning, the drivers in the Ford Mustang GT3 don’t get enough fresh air: How the car was still allowed to compete in the DTM without this feature
The Ford Mustang GT3 is not designed to be used without air conditioning. However, unlike in FIA homologation, the vehicle is allowed to compete in the DTM with a special permit without the 15-kilogram system, including all attachments, so that the popular race car is more competitive compared to the other vehicles.
“The car is actually designed to have air conditioning,” “There is no ‘variant option’ like on the Mercedes that allows you to adjust it either way. So you need this device to bring in fresh air, otherwise it gets really stuffy and warm in there.”
Former DTM driver David Schumacher knows all about this, because during the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the air conditioning compressor on the Mustang with the number 65 broke down in the introductory lap, turning the race into an absolute endurance test for him, the Owega brothers, and Dennis Fetzer.
How they managed to deviate from FIA homologation
“When you’re driving around with a broken air conditioning system, no air can get in,” confirms Fritz. Nevertheless, in consultation with the ADAC and the SRO Motorsports Group, which is responsible for the balance of performance, the DTM decided to slim down the Mustang by removing the air conditioning system before the official test in Oschersleben at the beginning of April.
“In the DTM, there is the option of additional homologation – and we have taken advantage of this here to remove the air conditioning system because of the weight,” says Fritz, referring to the gray area regulation introduced this year by SRO and ADAC. It was actually intended to restrict freedoms in FIA homologation in order to prevent a performance arms race for cost reasons.
The Mustang weighed 1,315 kilograms in the first BoP draft for official testing, but without air conditioning, the weight could be reduced to 1,300 kilograms. Apart from Zandvoort, where five kilograms of ballast had to be temporarily added, the Mustang will always be used with a weight of 1,300 kilograms this season. Added to this are the seven kilograms for the inboard camera.
How the drivers still get air into the cockpit
But how did the team solve the heat problem in the cockpit, which is particularly important during summer races? “We have small ‘impellers’ that at least create a flow of air and take over the job of the air conditioning,” says Fritz, referring to the propellers installed in the cockpit especially for the DTM.
But why wasn’t it an option to leave the air conditioning in the Mustang and make the other vehicles heavier via the BoP? “You also have to look at how you classify the car here,” explains the HRT team boss.
“I would prefer it to be different, but I can understand that you don’t slow down ten cars to help one. You also have to make sure that the car fits into the performance window of the other cars. If that can be achieved through such measures, then it makes sense.”
In fact, additional ballast on the other cars would not only have a negative effect on lap times, but also on tire degradation and other wear issues. And the Mustang can’t always be brought up to the level of the competition via the restrictor – i.e., via engine power – because the straights are too short on some tracks. There’s also room for improvement on the brakes.
