Nick Wirth
Encyclopedia
Nicholas John Peter "Nick" Wirth (born 26 March 1966) is an automotive engineer and the founder and owner of Wirth Research.
He is also the former owner of the Simtek
Formula One team, a former aerodynamicist at March
and former technical director at the Benetton
, and Virgin Racing
teams.
from 1977 to 1984 and has B.Sc(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (First Class
) from University College London
and is the youngest-ever Fellow of the Royal Institution of Mechanical Engineers
.
, responsible for all aerodynamic concepts, schematics and design of windtunnel model components for the and Leyton House March cars. In addition, he conceived and designed all components of the March active suspension
system, which ran successfully in February 1989.
, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley
and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third parties. Wirth was previously employed by March Team owner Mosley.
From October 1993 to June 1995, Wirth was founder, owner, and technical director of Simtek Grand Prix
, a Formula One racing team that first appeared in the 1994 Formula One season
. Simtek Research provided the team with engineering and design for the cars.
Simtek suffered a difficult first season and eventually pulled out of Formula One during the season which forced Simtek Research into bankruptcy.
In 1999 Wirth founded RoboScience, creators of the RS-01 RoboDog.
In 2003 he founded Wirth Design.
In 2006 Wirth Design began working for the FIA in the Casumaro windtunnel in Italy
on the split rear wing (CDG) design that the FIA proposed for the 2008 F1 season.
In 2007 Wirth Design became involved with the Acura
LMP
programme in the American Le Mans Series
and was involved with designing the LMP1 class car for 2009 season. Wirth used computational fluid dynamics to design the LMP1 class car.
of Manor Motorsport
to create a car for the 2010 Formula One season
. Wirth was appointed the technical director of the team. Richard Branson
's company Virgin became a title sponsor and the team was renamed Virgin Racing
. The car that Wirth designed for use in the 2010 season, the Virgin VR-01
, is the first Formula One racing car designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics
with no use of traditional wind tunnel
s during the design or build process.
Wirth also designed Virgin's second F1 car, the MVR-02
, but its performance proved to be disappointing as it failed to close the gap to the leaders relative to the VR-01. In June 2011, Virgin announced that it had parted company with Wirth and abandoned its policy of only using CFD.
He is also the former owner of the Simtek
Simtek
Simtek was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team. The F1 engineering consultancy arm, Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third...
Formula One team, a former aerodynamicist at March
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
and former technical director at the Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
, and Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing
Marussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...
teams.
Education and early life
Wirth attended Sevenoaks SchoolSevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
from 1977 to 1984 and has B.Sc(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (First Class
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
) from University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
and is the youngest-ever Fellow of the Royal Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...
.
March
Wirth started his Formula One career as an aerodynamicist for March EngineeringMarch Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
, responsible for all aerodynamic concepts, schematics and design of windtunnel model components for the and Leyton House March cars. In addition, he conceived and designed all components of the March active suspension
Active suspension
Active or adaptive suspension is an automotive technology that controls the vertical movement of the wheels with an onboard system rather than the movement being determined entirely by the road surface...
system, which ran successfully in February 1989.
Simtek
Simtek ResearchSimtek
Simtek was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team. The F1 engineering consultancy arm, Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third...
, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley
Max Mosley
Max Rufus Mosley is the former president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , a non-profit association that represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide...
and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third parties. Wirth was previously employed by March Team owner Mosley.
From October 1993 to June 1995, Wirth was founder, owner, and technical director of Simtek Grand Prix
Simtek
Simtek was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team. The F1 engineering consultancy arm, Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third...
, a Formula One racing team that first appeared in the 1994 Formula One season
1994 Formula One season
The 1994 Formula One season was the 45th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 27, 1994, and ended on November 13 after sixteen races. The season is remembered as one of the most tragic and controversial seasons in...
. Simtek Research provided the team with engineering and design for the cars.
Simtek suffered a difficult first season and eventually pulled out of Formula One during the season which forced Simtek Research into bankruptcy.
Benetton and projects outside Formula One
From 1996 until 1999 Wirth was chief designer and later a board member of the Benetton Formula One team.In 1999 Wirth founded RoboScience, creators of the RS-01 RoboDog.
In 2003 he founded Wirth Design.
In 2006 Wirth Design began working for the FIA in the Casumaro windtunnel in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on the split rear wing (CDG) design that the FIA proposed for the 2008 F1 season.
In 2007 Wirth Design became involved with the Acura
Acura
Acura is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company. The brand has been available in the United States and Canada since March 1986, marketing luxury, performance, and near-performance vehicles. It was introduced to Hong Kong in 1991, Mexico in 2004, and China in 2006...
LMP
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
programme in the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
and was involved with designing the LMP1 class car for 2009 season. Wirth used computational fluid dynamics to design the LMP1 class car.
Virgin Racing
In 2009 Wirth Design teamed up with John BoothJohn Booth (auto racing)
John Alfred Booth is the Team Principal of Formula One team Virgin Racing. He was initially the team's Sporting Director, but took over the role of Team Principal from Alex Tai less than one month after the team's launch.Booth was a racing driver during the 1980s, racing in Formula Ford.He created...
of Manor Motorsport
Manor Motorsport
Manor Motorsport is a British motor racing team that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth.Throughout its history the team primarily competed in Formula Renault, with past drivers including 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen, 2008 F1 World Championship winner...
to create a car for the 2010 Formula One season
2010 Formula One season
The 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...
. Wirth was appointed the technical director of the team. Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's company Virgin became a title sponsor and the team was renamed Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing
Marussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...
. The car that Wirth designed for use in the 2010 season, the Virgin VR-01
Virgin VR-01
The Virgin VR-01 was a Formula One motor racing car designed by Nick Wirth for Virgin Racing in the season. It was driven by former Toyota driver Timo Glock and Brazilian ex-GP2 driver Lucas di Grassi. The car was the first Formula One racing car designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics...
, is the first Formula One racing car designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD, is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with...
with no use of traditional wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
s during the design or build process.
Wirth also designed Virgin's second F1 car, the MVR-02
Virgin MVR-02
The Virgin MVR-02 is a Formula One racing car designed by Nick Wirth for the 2011 Formula One season. Like its predecessor, the Virgin VR-01, the MVR-02 will be designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics, with Nick Wirth's Wirth Research design studio doubling their CFD capacity ahead of...
, but its performance proved to be disappointing as it failed to close the gap to the leaders relative to the VR-01. In June 2011, Virgin announced that it had parted company with Wirth and abandoned its policy of only using CFD.