Motor Racing and Formula One

Farmer Jed asked:


For once - is this a manufacturer telling the actual TRUTH about their racing programs?
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Before leaving Lee White (TRD’s group vice-president and general manager) to allow him to continue TRD’s relentless effort in NASCAR, I (Gordon Kirby) asked his opinion about IndyCar’s 2011 rules debate.

“Rod Campbell called me and they wanted me to come,” White related. “We had a board meeting in California when they scheduled their first meeting, so I couldn’t go. Then they decided they just wanted anybody wearing a Toyota shirt. So to me, at that point in time, hopefully without being too critical, this wasn’t about really having a discussion. It was about demonstrating that they had interest from the manufacturers.”

White says that if TRD tried to sell Toyota Motor Sales on entering NASCAR in today’s economic climate it would be a difficult if not impossible sale to make. He says that means Indy car racing is completely off Toyota’s map.

“To be honest, we have serious challenges budget-wise,” White said. “The concept of going back to Indy, or to open-wheel racing, given those challenges and the fact that we haven’t got ourselves to the level we want in NASCAR yet, I’d be a fool to even propose it to the company. So I wasn’t going to go and sit and listen to yet another meeting because I do enough of that, and I wasn’t about to send somebody else just to take notes. So we did not go.

“I asked (former Ford Racing boss) Dan Davis before he retired if he was going and he said, ‘Heck, no!’ And I stopped somebody from Chevrolet and asked if they were going and they said, ‘No. Why would we do that?’.”

White says he took the opportunity to suggest his own solution to Indy car racing’s debate about its 2011 formula.

“I did give Rod my opinion. I told him to go get a 1994 Lola or Reynard and put a Cosworth engine in it and go racing. Then you would have something that sounds great, runs great, looks great and puts on a great show, and everybody who loved them will jump at the chance to come and watch because there’s still a lot of people out there who remember how great those cars were. Use that as a kind of retro starting point and build it from there. But I don’t think they listened.”
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Until I read this article - I never liked Toyota that much. But they have become one of my FAVORITE manufacturers based on that last paragraph alone.

Just to quote that one more time:
“I told him to go get a 1994 Lola or Reynard and put a Cosworth engine in it and go racing. Then you would have something that sounds great, runs great, looks great and puts on a great show, and everybody who loved them will jump at the chance to come and watch because there’s still a lot of people out there who remember how great those cars were.”

Liam

Elizs asked:


Looking for a good way to watch Motorsport live on the internet ! Thank you !

Angelina

bigwheels1031 asked:


Kyle Busch to test F-1 car: Kyle Busch will test a Formula One car with Toyota later this year in Japan. As teams get ready for Saturday’s Sprint All-Star Challenge, Busch said Formula One is something that appeals to him, but not on the near horizon. “I’m planning on retiring at 30 and going Formula One racing,” the 23-year-old Busch said at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He also reveled his plan to drive an F1 car for the first time at the end of this year when he goes to Japan to do NASCAR exhibition runs for Toyota. “We’re working on a test session right now at the end of November, or the beginning of December, sometime going to Japan and doing a little exhibition, to see what it’s like,” he said. “We’ll take a Cup car over there too and just run around there at either Twin-Ring or somewhere like that to show them what the Cup cars are like and try to get into a Formula One car too. Your thoughts?

Nath

westphalia1 asked:


What amount of investment does it take to operate and own a motor racing team? Where would oyu find investors and sponsors? Drivers, Mechanics, Engineers? What are the other costs and requirements involved to have a, say-Daytona or LeMans type racing team that races year round? Thanks

Maya

Sridhar asked:


So much is talked about conserving fuel. For a little discussion on this see here -
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuKO7VBtNFm8rvVbbXVuBI3py6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080724114819AA6uxNl

The car-pooling idea was left out (maybe because it is not so practical).

I have always wondered, “Don’t we burn up so much fuel needlessly in motor racing sports?” The Formula One cars consume a lot of fuel for their acceleration etc. I presume. All this for our entertainment and vanity? Isn’t this an issue in fuel conservation?
Won’t stopping / reducing these (less purposeful) races save a lot of fuel?*

* - I say ‘less purposeful’, instead of ‘purposeless’ so as not to hurt the sentiments of the fans of the racing sport.

Aaron

marko asked:


Out of touch w/ my youth. How do you activate the multi-player option with Motorsport? My son and I can not figure it out.

Isabella

RallyMad95 asked:


Im thinking of buying a Canon 1000D. I would mostly use it for motorsport photography. I know it can take 3 FPS but im asking does anyone have any experiences with it?

Jennifer

LosAngelesAngels asked:


What is the difference between autosport or motorsport ??? Anyone??

Kaitlyn

Jenny Mclane asked:


Americans have been known for their many passions which includes speed. This apparent need for speed has led to the creation of motor races which have been attracting Americans year after year. While the sport may not seem as physical as other sports such as baseball, football, and basket ball, a huge number of Americans are supporting sports based on the speed of automobiles. And when one speaks of car race, the first thing that comes to mind is the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

The said championship series has captured the imagination of millions of Americans who are known for their attraction to speed contests. The United States is also undoubtedly the biggest market for automobiles in the world which is a reason for the love of automobiles shown by Americans. As popular as the Nextel Cup Series may be, there are still a large number of people who are still in the dark what this sport is about.

Basically, the Nextel Cup is a series of races where the best race car driver, as judged by the number of points received during the duration of the entire series of races is crowned as the champion. The motorsport can be traced back to the days when races are between “strictly stock” cars or cars which have not been modified in any way. During those early days, one can bring a car to the tracks and race it.

Today though, the race cars used in the Nextel Cup Series are tailor made for racing. Although teams can tinker with their cars to make it better than the competition’s, NASCAR imposes rules to keep the cars equal. This year, four car brands have their vehicles racing at the series. These are Ford, Dodge, Toyota, and Chevrolet. The latter has been dominating the current series by winning nine of the last ten races.

While a NASCAR Nextel Cup race car can be modified for racing, they must have three stock parts from manufacturers. These three parts are the roof, the trunk lid, and the hood of the cars. Aside from these three parts, the chassis, the drive train, suspension, steering, and other systems can be modified to make the car so as to be suited to the demands of high speed operations. In fact, aftermarket parts such as the Pacesetter exhaust parts can be used by these race cars. While these systems can be tinkered with, NASCAR set some rules that each team must meet including the weight of the race car.

Currently, the weight set by NASCAR for race cars is 3,400 pounds. Another rule is that the distance between the front and rear wheels should also be uniform on all race cars which would compete in the Nextel Cup Series. The wheelbase of all race cars should be 100 inches. The fuel capacity of these race cars are also controlled by NASCAR. For most tracks, the mandated fuel capacity is 17.5 gallons. All race cars entering the contest should have the same fuel type which is 110 octane unleaded fuel as ruled by the sport’s sanctioning body. The cars’ top speed also has a limit which is set at 235 miles per hour.

For a car to be permitted to race at the Nextel Cup Series, its engine should conform to the rules set by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing or NASCAR. For instance, electronic features are not permitted and instead, mechanical parts are used. This keeps the costs from ballooning for the benefit of teams competing in the races. Engines allowed to be used on race cars competing in the Nextel Cup Series should have eight cylinders with combustion chambers measuring 358 cubic inches. To keep the cars equal power output is set at a maximum of approximately 750 horsepower.

An interesting fact about these race cars is their headlights. Since these cars are raced only during the day, they do not need to have a pair of headlights. The actual headlights that we see in front of these cars are in fact decals which look realistic enough to fool the unknowing person. Another interesting fact about these race cars is that they have to meet a number of templates that NASCAR is using to make sure that the shape of the cars is almost uniform. The tires used on these cars have no tread on them which is the reason why the Jimmy Stewart 400 was postponed due to the rain that poured during the event. The absence of treads on the tires of these cars makes them impossible to race in wet tracks. The tire compound used on these cars’ tire is harder than those used by other motorsport vehicles given the fact that these race cars significantly weigh more.



Jocelyn

Thomas Pretty asked:


For those who were hoping that the F1 season would be open for all teams and drivers are likely to be disappointed. Sponsors, F1 bosses and merchandise producers are all trying to claim that this year will see the most open season for almost a decade in terms of team performances.

The early rounds of testing however are proving otherwise. So far of all the F1 practice sessions the two teams that have come through strongest are Ferrari and McLaren; good news for the sponsors and merchandise producers linked to those teams, but what of the rest of the pack?

Schumacher; the greatest statistical driver F1 has ever seen has been recorded as saying this week that he sees the upcoming season as a two horse race. Merchandise companies and sponsors will be trying to play down the former champion’s claims as the risk of F1 becoming a procession rather than the pinnacle of racing will dent profits severely.

The chances of the season being a battle between the prancing horse and the silver arrow seems likely, testing has shown they are clearly the fastest cars on the track, the question is with new regulations; will a more exciting season be forthcoming?

Sponsors and merchandise produces will be hoping that the new regulations on the banning of traction control systems will create more exciting racing. Without traction control it is clear that the F1 cars will be even harder to control. Driver mistakes will be more disastrous than ever and if it is wet, expect to see cars flying off the track in abundance.

Smooth driving will be the name of the game for drivers and aggressive driving is likely to be unrewarding, sticking to the racing line will be increasingly important if drivers want to win races. This sounds as if the racing will become duller but with a mistake now likely to cost more than it has in the past, the opportunities for other drivers to capitalise on mistakes will be evident.

Merchandise and sponsorship companies in Britain will be hoping that Lewis Hamilton can build upon the impressive performances he put down in 2007. Worryingly however it seem as if the British F1 team will be undergoing a management shake up in the weeks leading up to the first race.

Ron Dennis, who has been team manager at McLaren since the late eighties is set to leave following increasing pressure from team bosses; although the company line is it is due to his want to spend more time with his family. Dennis, who has been like a father to the young Hamilton, will be a great loss to the British driver. As his most ardent supporter in the team Hamilton will be losing some of his support structure in the upper echelons of management.

Of the other teams, most have seen Renault and BMW as the biggest rivals of the two favourites. Renault have signed former champion Alonso after his clashes with McLaren management throughout the previous season and will undoubtedly raise Renault’s sponsorship and merchandise profits in Spain; as he has arguably trebled the fan base in his home nation in the past few years.

BMW however will have their work cut out if they wish to achieve the podiums they so strongly desire. Kubica, a driver for BMW has stated that the BMW F1 08 is still way behind the pack after radical changes to aerodynamics and engine design. Although winter testing has been troublesome for the team, the supporting sponsors and merchandise companies will be hoping the car will come good by the time of racing in Melbourne.

Hopefully the new season will be able to throw up some surprises; Raikkonen and Hamilton may well be the favourites for the title in their Ferrari and McLaren respectively but there are other drivers who may add to the excitement for the title race.

Alonso, although in a poorer car will undoubtedly bring home results with his unique driving style and Kubica in his BMW will be hoping to build on his good results from last year. For those of us in the F1 fraternity, the wait for the new season is nearly over; as the race gets underway in Melbourne in a couple of weeks, we will see how exciting the 2008 season will be.



Alexandria