Rodin Motorsport trimmed up to 0.25 seconds per lap at Macau’s Guia Circuit by retuning the rear wing of a previous-generation FIA Formula 3 car in PTC’s Creo software, with no new parts built.
Macau’s Guia Circuit winds through the city’s narrow streets and along its waterfront. Technical sections demand downforce, while the 1.2 km main straight rewards low drag. FIA rules barred new rear wing parts, so Rodin Motorsport could only adjust existing pieces within legally permitted limits and account for natural variation as parts wear.
“Design is ultimately about finding lap time – improving performance, increasing driver confidence and extracting every advantage regulations allow,” said Benn Huntingford, sporting director at Rodin Motorsport.
“The challenge at Macau was finding the right compromise between downforce for the twisty sections and drag reduction for the straight, within the strict FIA limits – and this is where PTC came into the equation.”
In Creo, Rodin Motorsport built a 3D model of the rear wing, ran Flow Analysis to capture pressure distribution across the mainplane and flap, and used Creo Simulate to convert those pressures into downforce and drag values for both open and closed drag reduction system (DRS) states. They then tested ten flap angle settings in half-degree increments, with each scenario taking about 15 minutes to generate inside the same Creo environment.
“Without Creo, this would have required building physical parts, booking wind tunnel time and re running the test for every minor adjustment,” added David Brown, technical director at Rodin Motorsport.
“Instead of ten iterations in an afternoon, we’d be facing days or weeks. Creo allowed us to analyze every half degree change with both open and closed DRS.”
The Rodin team fed the drag and downforce outputs into a lap time simulation tool to test whether straight-line gains justified the cornering loss. Raising the flap angle half a degree reduced drag but also cut grip. The simulation found the extra speed on the straight was worth the trade-off.
“Everything comes back to improving lap time,” said Huntingford. “Our lap simulation indicated a potential improvement of up to 0.25 seconds, which is significant when every fraction of a second counts.”
“Working with PTC has helped us to give drivers a more responsive, more tunable car, and that builds confidence and performance, which wins races.”
Paul Haimes, VP, EMEAI Solutions Consulting at PTC, added: “The power of Creo brings together design, analysis and simulation in one immersive environment and, for a team like Rodin, this means faster, more cost-effective iterations that, importantly, deliver faster lap times.”
“From an engineering perspective, it also supports the development of younger engineers who can easily work with reusable templates and shared models, creating a consistent approach across all seven of its racing teams.”
Rodin Motorsport has added the Formula Regional European Championship and GT racing to its 2026 program. The team is also expanding Creo access across its staff and linking CAD designs to in-house additive manufacturing for pit equipment and fixtures.
Source: PTC
About PTC
PTC was founded in 1985 and headquartered in Boston, MA, develops software for engineering and product development teams worldwide. Its portfolio includes CAD, PLM, IIoT, application lifecycle management, and augmented reality tools. The software supports product design, manufacturing, data management, and service operations. PTC serves manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, industrial equipment and energy sectors. The company reports more than 30,000 customers globally, including 95% of Fortune 500 manufacturers. PTC employs about 7,500 people worldwide. It operates primarily on a subscription-based business model focused on digital product development and connected operations.
About Rodin Motorsport
Rodin Motorsport is a British racing team competing across junior single-seater and GT championships. The team adopted the Rodin Motorsport name in 2024 following investment from David Dicker. It is headquartered in Surrey, England. The racing organization traces its history to Carlin, founded in 1996. Rodin competes in FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, F1 Academy, GB3, British F4 and British GT. The team provides race engineering, vehicle setup, driver development, simulation and trackside support. Its Driver Performance Centre includes motion and static simulators, gym facilities and heat-acclimatization equipment. Rodin also works with New Zealand-based Rodin Cars on motorsport programs.
