dumrick wrote:That's right, the Lotus 76 had an electronically-operated clutch, when changing gears. We have different books on transmission types, but that's semi-auto by me.
Not a great or difficult question, as I had mentioned, but I'm not very inspired today..
It's a shame that Renault wasn't in F1 in the `60s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_8# ... ansmission
Automatic transmission
From 1965 onwards the 8 and 10 were available with an automatic transmission of unique design. This transmission was developed and produced by Jaeger. The clutch was replaced by a powder ferromagnetic coupler. The transmission was a three-speed mechanical unit similar to that of the Dauphine, but with synchromesh on all gears.
The system used these input devices:
* a push button control panel by means of which the driver could select forward or reverse drive
* a governor which sensed vehicle speed and throttle position
A "relay case" containing electromagnetic switches interpreted signals from these devices and commanded operation of:
* the coupler
* a decelerator to close the throttle during gear changes
* an actuator consisting of a solenoid to select operation of the reverse-first or second-third shift rail, and a reversible electric motor to engage the gears
The system was thus entirely electromechanical: no hydraulics, pneumatics or electronics were used.
Benefits of the system included no loss of fuel economy as compared to the manual transmission version, and easy adaptability to the car.
Deficiencies included loss of performance due to there being only three available gears, and somewhat jerky operation during gear changes.
This transmission was also used in the Dauphine and the Caravelle.
WhiteBlue wrote:What was the record string of pole positions a driver took at one F1 race. The pole must be won each year in an uninterrupted queue to count. Driver name, race name and number of poles is required.
WMSC (Welt Meister Michael Schumacher) Spanish GP, Catalunya 2000-2004, 5 in a row.