Re-inventing the wheel

Racing improves the breed, and there’s no better example of that than Porsche’s venerable 911. In its most modern road and racing versions, the 911 is right at the top of its game.

The Porsche 911 is a technical tour de force that has won – and keep winning – awards, acclaim and races on every continent upon which there is motorsport.

Porsche says there’s no better component that emphasises the development motorsport has championed from road to track and back again than the humble steering wheel.

It wasn’t that long ago that Porsche’s racers were fitted with steering wheels almost straight from road cars. Porsche proffers the legendary Porsche 917 endurance racer as a case in point – it featured not a single button or display function.

“It’s hard to believe, but developments in this regard only really took off in the year 2000. Since then, the massive progress in steering wheel development is clearly evident,” explains Pascal Zurlinden, Porsche’s director of factory motorsport.

One of Porsche’s most storied racers, Timo Bernhard, explains what it was like: “In 1999 I contested the Carrera Cup as a Porsche Junior. Back then, the steering wheel had no buttons, no radio, no paddle shifters, no pit speed limiter. We had to drive along the pit lane with an eye on the speedometer.”

Since then the steering wheel has evolved to become a multifunctional controller. Indeed, drivers of the latest Porsche 911 RSR endurance racer, like Australia Matt Campbell, have no less than 30 functions on the wheel.

So important is this man-machine interface that, at Porsche’s racing development centre at Weissach near Stuttgart, two specialist engineers work entirely on wheel development.

In 2001, the Carrera Cup cars received a radio button on the steering wheel, and the number of control functions in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded in the American Le Mans Series grew to six by 2004.

At that time, the switches and buttons were installed in a modified, commercially available motor racing steering wheel. The layout at this stage played a minor role.

Over time, the design became increasingly important. The layout of all functions became the top priority so that the drivers could use them as intuitively as possible.

“It’s like watching television at home,” says Zurlinden. “The TV remote controls are constantly being upgraded with new buttons, with apps, Amazon Prime, etc.

“Despite this, operating them quickly becomes second nature. If I get a different model from the same brand I immediately know how to use it. That’s what we do at Porsche, as well. Because the layout always follows the same pattern, the drivers have no problems switching from one car to another.”

Porsche’s factory drivers play a key role in design process, providing input during the development stage to ensure the best possible ergonomics.

“The first step is the positioning of the four most important functions: the buttons for the pit stop limiter, full course yellow situations as well as the on/off buttons for the engine and radio. The other operating functions are then added following a priority list,” the motorsport boss explains.

In the process, Porsche’s developers must take into account that some functions have to be activated via designated combinations – just like Ctrl+Alt+Del on a PC.

“I experienced the hard way how important it is to have the correct layout and optimal user-friendliness under racing conditions,” recalls works driver Romain Dumas about a specific moment back in 2012.

“I was driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R at Pikes Peak and was on course to win when rain set in and then snow fell at higher altitudes. That’s where I lost everything.

“Why? A control button for the windshield wiper was installed on the steering wheel. You had to press it for a second to activate the intermittent wiping function, and for three seconds to make it continuous. It was way too complicated.

“At Pikes Peak, it’s one corner straight after the other. By the time I got the wipers working correctly I’d lost too much time,” says the Frenchman.

Porsche’s drivers even co-write the steering wheel instruction manuals (which for the Porsche 911 RSR consists of 27 pages).

“It’s easy to memorise so that you can concentrate completely on driving. It [learning the wheel] goes so fast because we have the chance to provide input during the development,” says Aussie, Campbell.

“As Porsche works drivers we’re mostly involved in endurance racing. Not only does it have to be intuitive to operate, but it also has to flow with as little physical exertion as possible. That’s always the goal when working on a new steering wheel layout.”

This flows directly into Porsche’s customer sports racers, too, the company says.

“For instance with the Porsche 911 GT3 R -- the steering wheel must be easy to use for factory drivers and hobby racers alike, and it is essential to find acceptable compromises during the development.”

It’s not just steering wheel functionality that’s changed, opines Porsche. Materials and shape are now very different – and the current set-ups are often comparable to the yoke of modern aircraft.

“When comparing an old and a new steering wheel, it’s hard to believe that the new models are even lighter than the earlier ones – despite all the operating controls, displays, and electronics. This is thanks to the use of aluminium and carbon fibre,” says Zurlinden.

The steering elements in modern racing cockpits can also be easily removed to allow drivers to climb in and out quickly and safely. The connection between the steering wheel and the car’s electronics occurs via a so-called CAN interface.

“Data flows in both directions over a single line. Now that is fascinating,” teases the Porsche motorsport boss…

This article was produced using source material from Porsche.