It Takes Two, Baby:
by Stuart Sykes.
1999 Qantas Australian Grand Prix Official Program.

You've just touched the 300km/h mark; the next sharp right-hander is less than 200 metres away - and you're not even
driving the car! What do you do: close your eyes and pray, or hit the panic button?

The McLaren Mercedes MP4-98T, like any modern car, offers you those and a whole range of other options. The "panic" button is one - literally. Air conditioning is another; it comes from the force of the air rushing past you at mind-boggling speed. There's an excellent radio as well - for communicating with the man in the driving seat. And in case you were worried about that corner, the brakes are pretty hi-tech too. Everything is, in fact. The McLaren Mercedes MP4-98T Two-seater is a car built to realise a motor racing dream: to find out what it's really like to do what the 22 F1 drivers on the Melbourne grid at Albert Park will be doing over the Qantas Australian Grand Prix weekend.

The hundreds of thousands of spectators who flock to the circuit will be the first outside Europe to see one of the most remarkable examples of technology in the flesh - and one lucky person will have won a ride in the McLaren Mercedes MP4-98T in the special "Ultimate Ride" competition. The two-seater McLaren Mercedes MP4-98T boasts a full-scale carbon fibre chassis, a tad longer than the one-man versions that made such a huge impact on the event at Albert Park last year. Its power unit is the same 750-horsepower Mercedes-Benz V10 that drove Mika Hakkinen to the World Championship in his MP4-13.

The car is designed to reproduce for the passenger the same aerodynamic forces the driver is subjected to in a Formula One car at the limit of its performance. One major difference is that the two-seater uses a smaller fuel cell to make room for the lucky passenger behind the driver. One Australian has already joined the list of F1 VIP's like commentator Murray Walker and FIA President Max Mosley who have actually been for a drive in the car. Scott Carson won this "money-can't-buy" prize in a ticket upgrade competition at the 1998 Qantas Australian Grand Prix and went to Silverstonem birthplace of the F1 World Championship, for a five-lap unforgettable ride last August. "Amazing - and pretty scary!" was his verdict on the experience after Darren Turner, the young driver responsible for testing and developing the two-seater McLaren Mercedes, had put the MP4-98T through its paces.

Just imagine it: twice your body weight as you're thrust back into the seat under a racing start; 2.5G through corners, and up to four times the force of gravity under braking. Built with the FIA's stringent F1 safety regulations in mind, the car was designed by a team headed up by McLaren Cars' chief designer Barry Lett, who put the new model through extensive Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to gauge the loads and stresses placed on a monocoque with the additional protective material needed to safeguard driver and passenger. A number of celebrities will jump at the chance to lap the Grand Prix circuit in the McLaren Mercedes MP4-98T over the weekend, and this fabulous machine will be on track on each of the four days. And yes, there really is a panic button for the passenger who, unlike the car, just can't take the strain.

Technical Specifications of the McLaren Mercedes MP4-98T:

Chief Designer: Barry Lett of McLaren Cars for McLaren International.
Chassis: Designated "158" because of its 1.5 litre, 8-cylinder engine. Moulded carbon fibre / aluminium honeycomb composite with integral fuel safety cell.
Engine: Mercedes-Benz FO110G Type: 72° V10.
Valves per Cylinder: 4.
Camshafts: 2 per bank.
Engine Dimensions: L 590mm, W 546.4mm, H 476mm.
Engine Weight: 107 kilos with clutch.
Ignition: TAG 2000 Electronic System.
Gearbox: McLaren longitundinal six-speed; semi-automatic; control by TAG Electronic Systems.
Brakes: AP Racing calipers and master cylinders.
Suspension: Coil spring over damper system operated by push-rod and bellcrank with double wishbone arrangement.

--End of Article--

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