Deagostini RB7 - Optimising Filter Performance

Red Bull Racing RB7: Step by Step
™
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The air lter unit is tted inside the right and left parts
of the driver’s helmet in the running bodywork. This
concealment is necessary because there is no room
beneath the bodywork of the model to house the engine
assembly. Because of this space restriction, the air lter
has to protrude from the body somewhere in the area
of the cockpit, and the obvious solution to the problem
of siting it was to integrate it with the driver’s helmet.
In this way, this indispensable but somewhat inelegant
technical component is hidden inside one of the car’s most
important external details, decorated with authentic logos.
A slot below the helmet visor, plus six semi-circular
openings at the base of the air lter in the ‘neck’ of the
helmet, allow a good supply of clean air to be safely sucked
into the engine. From the lter, the cleaned air passes
through a curved rubber pipe, 50mm long, which feeds it
into the carburettor.
OPTIMISING FILTER PERFORMANCE
For the air lter to do its job of ltering ne particles
eectively, the foam rubber insert must be impregnated
with a specially formulated air lter oil (see photograph
above), which is available from model shops and online.
This fairly viscous lubricant narrows the pores of the foam,
making the lter even ner, and it also helps the foam to
create an airtight seal at the joins between the element and
the base and the element and the lter cap. This airtight
seal ensures that no stray dirt particles can sneak under or
over the ends of the element and into the engine.
After ve tanks of fuel have been used, the air lter
should be removed and cleaned. To do this, you have to
split open the driver’s helmet to remove the lter assembly,
then take the lter apart so that you can clean and re-
lubricate the foam element.
It’s advisable to saturate the lter element with air lter oil before tting it
onto the base. Knead the element to work the oil into it and distribute it
evenly across the element’s exterior.
Right helmet air lter cover
Air lter cap
Air lter element
Air lter base
Air lter pipe
The air lter unit is concealed within the driver’s
helmet, and a rubber pipe connects it to the
GX21 engine.