Motorsports University

Race Starts. When to Go!

2010-11-12T10:38:00.000-06:00

www.guardian.co.uk

Race starts are a critical piece of the racing puzzle and starts are an often overlooked part of the training regimen. Part of the problem is that we only do a few starts per season and it happens quickly and isn't repeated every lap. It's hard to practice. So how do you improve? Keep these tips in mind the next time you line up to take the green flag:

1. Read the rules. Many series have different rules about when you can pass once the flag flies. Some, like NASCAR, don't allow moving out of line until the car is past the Start/Finish line. Grand Am uses a similar rule. Most amateur clubs allow for passing once the green is waved.

2. Watch the starter wave his flags for other races. Find a viewing spot close to the starter stand and watch his movements. Does his shoulder drop before he waves the flag? Does his head turn? Look for anything that give you an indication of the timing when he drops the green.

Every starter has some movement that you can spot before the actual flag waves. Now you know how to get a jump. When you see that shoulder drop, GO! because the green flag will follow. It's only a few tenths, but races are won and positions are gained by being milliseconds quicker than the competition.

3. Talk to the starter. Yes you can actually strike up a conversation with any race official. Ask him or her at what points on the track do they throw the flag? Experienced starters have an Early Spot and a Late Spot. These define the earliest position where cars will be and the latest position where cars can be and still get the green flag.

Knowing this helps you understand what to expect based on your position on the grid and the timing of the pack as it accelerates towards the starter stand. Smart racers know that it's very important to get to know the officials and ask them questions. If you spend a few minutes talking to them at every race weekend, it can help you immensely.

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4. Decide how close you should position your car to the row in front of you. Of course if you are on the front row then you stay in line with the person on the pole, but the rest of the pack needs to gauge distance. 5 feet? 3 car lengths? Remember, whatever distance you give up here you have to make up later.

As a general rule, we like 3-5 feet. Yes, that close. Why? Less distance to make up and it puts pressure on the person in front of you and we like that. You are close enough to make a move and you've not given away any distance.

5. Align your point of focus. Are you watching the car ahead or watching the starter? Well, you want to be watching the starter but at the same time you need to keep track of the cars in front of you. It's a simple thing really, just not conventional. Your brain tells you instinctively to watch what is closest so you have to "train" yourself to flip it around.

Focus on the starter while letting your peripheral vision watch the cars in front and next to you. The key is learning to trust your peripheral vision enough to watch the starter.

A popular way to learn is to drive around in your street car and watch something off to one side while learning to trust your peripheral vision. Just don't do this during rush hour or in a school zone. It's actually easier on track, as everyone is going the same direction and there are fewer distractions as well. Just remember to focus on the starter while keeping an eye on the vehicles around you.

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6. How do you see the flag when your 3 rows or 13 rows back? We learned this little tidbit from chatting with many starters over the years. Typically, starters and start judges are looking for cars to move to the outside when judging jumped starts. Every starter we've ever spoken too has told us that moving slightly to the CENTER is not only allowed, but looked upon more favorably.

But I don't want to go up the inside you say! Think back to all the starts you've done. What happens as the cars roll up to take the green? The cars fan outward from center ever so slightly as drivers look for room, try to view the flag stand and jockey for position. If you move slightly to the center, it looks like you're the driver staying in line!

Also you'll notice that a GIANT hole has opened up since the majority of cars are moving away from the center line of the track. This also gives you a great view of the starter in most cases. When you see the starter's shoulder drop, you're gone and everyone wonders how in the hell Ricky Bobby always gets the jump.

7. At what speed should you go if you're the pole sitter? The best thing to do is talk to the starter and start judges to find out the variance of speed allowed by the officials. If the pace car runs at 40 mph, and you find that your vehicle is best suited for a 2nd gear start within the meat of the rev range at 45 mph, wouldn't it be good to know if you'll get nailed for jumping the start if you creep up to 45? By talking to the officials prior to each race you'll know whether to keep it in 2nd gear or back it down to 30 mph and select 1st gear. Most of the time going slower won't get you in trouble and you just want to be in the revs when the green drops.

8. How do you accelerate faster at the start? Try to Left Foot Brake while keeping the throttle partiality open. This is, in essence the old "brake torque" trick you did in high school in your parents Buick when you were doing burn outs. The idea is to load the drive train with throttle while controlling your speed with the brake. When you see the starters shoulder drop, release the brake so the car jumps forward.

If you're careful this won't be too hard on the driveline, brakes, or engine. It is especially effective in turbo cars because it eliminates turbo lag. Just keep in mind to manage the distance with the cars in front of you. The bottom line is to keep it in the meaty part of the rev range and launch as fast as you can.

9. Practice as much as possible. There are only a few ways to practice starts. Ever go to races where you can run a second class? Or events with multiple heats that are optional? Start every one. From the back sometimes. Get practice at passing cars at the start. Sometimes we challenge ourselves and our friends and turn it into a game that helps improve our skills. We all start last in the field. Whoever passes the most cars on the first lap wins and the loser buys the beer that night.

Another great way to practice is by doing some of the more advanced racing schools like Bondurant, Russell, or Barber. Most have practice start sessions where they will grid everyone up and wave the green. The field races into the first turn and then everyone backs off. The pole sitter goes to the back of the grid and every car moves up one place on the grid for the next green flag. The session continues until every driver has done a practice start from every position on the grid. Most schools do practice start sessions on the third day and some will just sell you the third day of the school if you are a licensed racer.

If you gain positions at the start, it's less work later and by practicing your starting skills, you'll give yourself an edge. The added benefit once you get comfortable is that that starts are just fun!

Tire Warming Tips

2010-11-11T11:48:00.000-06:00

www.automobilereviews.com

To get optimum performance out of our rubber, we all need heat inside our tires and not just on the surface. Tire warmers heat from the outside in, gradually heating the surface, core elements (the belts, rubber layers), and the air or nitrogen inside the tire.

In addition, we’ve seen everyone from NASACAR drivers to Karters weave back and forth on pace laps. As most of you know, this serves two purposes:

--Weaving warms up the tires.

--It also scrubs the rubber clean from dust and debris from the pavement.

If only we could all have a dedicated tire technician and the trick tire warmers like they use in F1. Since we don't, here are some tips to help you get more heat to your tires.

During the pace lap, while everyone else is just bobbing and weaving, try to alternately add more load to each tire by using the throttle and brake while you are turning. Load creates the heat which is needed to create sticky rubber. Side to side weaving helps but you can add more heat using a simple process.

1. Create a decent gap between the vehicles around you so you have room to warm up your tires.

2. If Turn 1 is a right hander, turn into the corner and as you turn, brake heavily. This adds more load to the left front tire.

3. In the middle of the corner, accelerate, which adds more load the left rear tire.

4. By continuing around the course alternating this process through each left and right corner, you'll eventually cycle through all your rubber.

You can do this on straights as well, while you are weaving but be extra careful to avoid the other vehicles. The goal is to load each tire by turning and using the brake or gas to add more load faster than if you just weave back and forth.

Next time you are on an out lap give this method a try. Eventually this will become routine and you'll be able to feel the tires come in quicker, which will allow you to go for that fast lap right away.

Are Your Spare Parts Really Spare Parts?

2010-09-10T09:59:00.001-05:00

To some extent we all carry spare parts for our race/track vehicle. It might be nothing more than lug nuts or spark plugs, oil filter or wiper blades. Anyone that has bought a used race car or bike gets a pile of “spares” with the purchase. But are they spares? Just like the old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, spare parts fall in a similar way. In many cases, one man’s spares are another man’s trash.

By definition a spare part is one that is new, rebuilt or serviceable and ready to install. The last part is where many run into trouble, “Ready to install”. Why you ask? Well, is it really a spare if you’ve never opened the box to ensure that new alternator matches the one on the car? Even better, have you done a test fitting? Or that used radiator from the bike salvage yard. The tag says , “2008 Yamaha R1” but is it really? Test fitment will save much grief and wasted money.

As a rule of thumb, all spare parts should be exact duplicates from the same manufacturer. You have a complete suspension for your Formula Ford? Great, does it have rod ends installed? Is it set to the correct length? Are the jam nuts tightened with bushes or retaining washers and hardware? No? Then its not a spare. It’s a part that requires a bunch of work before it can be bolted on the car and used. Might as well not carry that around because it won't help you.

However, if you have a pressure tested radiator, in a box, with a new cap and drain plug, new hoses and clamps, mounting bushes and bolts for your vehicle, then that is a true spare. Ready to install with everything you need to get the job done in a minimal amount of time. By the way, you did remember the five gallon container of water to fill the cooling system, right?

Here is a list of parts that are NOT spares:

Used Spark Plugs
Used Ignition Parts (Cap, Rotor, Wires, etc)
Used Nylock Nuts
Broken Body Work
Used Chains
Worn out Shocks
Old Water Pumps
Used Belts and Hoses (Rubber and Old Braided)
Used/Worn Suspension Parts

You see where this is going. Go out to your garage, unload those boxes of so-called spare parts, figure out what is really a spare, what needs work to become a spare, what can stay home for shop repairs and what is hopeless and needs to find its way to the trash. We bet you thin the herd quite a bit using the above criteria.

UltimateCarPage.com Feature: Cunningham Racing Cars

2010-09-07T07:47:00.003-05:00

Very few privateers have been as successful in sportscar racing than Briggs Swift Cunnigham. Born as a rich banker's son in 1907, Cunningham got actively involved in motor racing rather late at the age of 41. He had previously backed others, but he did not drive himself until after his mother died, who very opposed to him racing. His first race was at Watkins Glen and the car was a Buick / Mercedes-Benz hybrid, known as the 'Bumerc', the construction of which Cunningham had backed in 1939. This race really spiked his interest in road racing, in which he actively participated for two decades.

More than anything, Cunnigham was interested in long distance racing and he set his sights on the most legendary of all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He did not just want to win the event, but he wanted to be the first to do so with an all-American team. After the Duesenbergs and Millers of the 1920s, very few American successes were scored in Europe. Prepared by Phil Walters and Frick and with the help of 1949 winner Luigi Chinetti, two Cadillacs were entered in the 1950 Le Mans race. One of these was fitted with a stock body, but the second was fitted with a custom built, which for obvious reasons was nick-named 'Le Monstre' by the French.

Although the cars were not on the pace, the 10th and 11th place finishes ensured that Cunningham's entries for the 1951 race would be accepted by the picky Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which organized the legendary race. To take on the strong competition Cunnigham bought Walters' and Frick's shop to form B.S. Cunningham Co, which was based out of West Palm Beach, Florida. Over the winter of 1950/51 a prototype racer was constructed, the C-1, powered by a Cadillac engine. Cunningham quickly abandoned the Cadillac engine, because of a complete lack of support from the company. He turned to Chrysler, who were willing to support the development and offer their HEMI engines at a 40% discount.

http://ultimatecarpage.com/car/2151/Cunningham-C-4R.html

Dubbed the C-2R, the HEMI powered Cunningham was a sophisticated and well constructed affair. A simple, but effective steel tubular frame chassis formed the basis of the C-2. It was suspended at the front by unequal A-arms and at the rear by an exotic DeDion rear axle. The only gearbox available strong enough to cope with the Chrysler Firepower's enormous torque was a Cadillac three speed 'box. The package was clothed in a simple aluminium barchetta style body. Being very well built and very large, the Cunningham was rather overweight, which made the car very hard on the brakes. This was made even worse by the lack of engine braking by going down the gears compared to other cars fitted with four or five speed 'boxes.

Chrysler modified the Firepower engine to produce around 250 bhp, from the 180 bhp available in stock form. Despite the enormous weight of the car, the C-2Rs proved surprisingly competitive. Three cars were entered livered in white with two blue stripes, the first use of racing stripes ever. Two crashed out, but the third car held 2nd position when a bearing and valve failure threw it back considerably. It eventually finished in 18th position. Back in North America, Cunningham started to rack up victories with his racers. At the West Palm Beach factory work was started on a new racer for 1952 and a road car, of which the ACO required 25 to be produced to make Cunningham eligible to run as a separate manufacturer.

For 1952, the C-2R's biggest problems were tackled, which resulted in the smaller and much lighter C-4R. Technically the biggest change was the replacement of the heavy and complex DeDion axle by a simple live axle. Almost half a ton was shaved off the C-2R's weight. Performance was further increased thanks to the reworked Firepower engine, now pumping out over 300 bhp. In North America, the C-4R was virtually unbeatable, so Cunningham was quite confident that he could take on Europe's finest at Le Mans. Three cars were built entered, two with a barchetta body and one with a Kamm designed coupe body.

Again only one Cunningham managed to complete the 24 Hours in one piece. One of the barchettas and the coupe was forced to retire with engine problems. The remaining car, driven by Briggs Cunningham and William 'Bill' Spear, took top honours in their class and recorded a fourth place finish overall. In 1953 all three cars finished in the top ten, with the rebodied C-5R taking a 'best of the rest' spot in third behind the disc-brake D-Types. In 1954, Cunningham recorded another fourth place and secured a class victory for the third year running. This was the end of a very successful career for the V8 engined Cunnigham racers. Briggs Cunningham continued to race at Le Mans for many years with Jaguars, Chevrolets and Maseratis.

http://ultimatecarpage.com/car/2151/Cunningham-C-4R.html

Briggs Cunningham's exceptional sportsmanship was not only displayed in cars, but also out on the sea, where he defended the United States' honours in the America's Cup. He won this prestigious sailing race in 1958 as the Captain of the 'Columbia'. As a manufacturer he was slightly handicapped by his ideal of building an all-American racer, which prevented him from using bits and pieces that would have made his cars even more successful. Especially his perseverance of using Firestone tires over the superior Dunlop rubber cost him dearly at Le Mans. Cunningham is a true pioneer who paved the way for people like Carroll Shelby and remains as one of the biggest names in motorsport.

Featured is one of the two barchetta bodied C-4Rs, which finished fourth in the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours. It returned to the track fifty years later as one of the stars of the 2004 Le Mans Classic. It also served as the base for the continuation replicas built in the 1990s.

Editors Note: Some historians credit Briggs Cunningham and his cars with the first use of "racing stripes" beginning in 1951. Their idea was to make the cars easier for spectators and team members to identify. Some speculate that the stripes also helped drivers figure out their direction after they'd spun out. This led to their wide spread use in all forms of motorsports. They even made their way onto street and performance cars, a trend which continues to this day. The White w/blue Stripes of the Cunningham racers are considered by many to be the national racing colors of America. The colors are also be flipped to Blue w/White stripes as seen on Shelby Cobra's and Dan Gurney's Eagle racing cars. These stripes opened the door for much of the custom paint work seen on hot rods, custom cars, racing cars and street cars over the last 60 years.

Article and Photography by Wouter Melissen at UltimateCarPage.com.
To view more Cunningham photography visit the UltimateCarPage gallery.

Racing Steering Wheels

2010-08-17T10:17:00.004-05:00

www.amalgamcollection.com

Many think of the steering wheel of their race car as a styling accessory but it is the primary device we use to control the vehicle. Here are a few items to consider when choosing your next wheel:

Rim Width

Choose a wheel with a comfortable grip width. It should fit your hand without causing cramps or fatigue. Every time we see an older vintage race car we wonder how the drivers of old steered with those skinny wood rimmed wheels.

Grip Material

Choose the material that is most comfortable in the hand rather than what looks the best. They come in a variety of options including Leather, Suede, Dense Foam Rubber or custom fitted grips.

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This boils down to driver preference really, but there are a few keys points in that whatever you choose should be slip free when dry or wet.

Glove Test

Test grip each wheel option with your gloves on. The glove material will make a difference in how the wheel feels in your hand.

Wheel Diameter and Shape

The overall diameter of the wheel is also very important. In some cars where space is limited, you may want to consider using a small steering wheels in either a “D” shape or a “Butterfly”.

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If you have more room, the use of a larger wheel is encouraged simply because a larger diameter wheel provides more leverage which requires less turning effort. Sort of like adding power steering. Typical sizing runs from 250mm to 360mm with European wheels or 10 inches to 17 inches for US wheels.

Hubs

Quick release hubs are inexpensive and make getting in and out easier. Most importantly they make it easier for safety crews to get at you in times of need. There are two standard types of release hubs. A Button or a Ring release.

With the Button type, you have to press a button to pull the wheel off. This works fine with the wheel aligned straight ahead, but what about after you whack the outside wall? Where is the button now?

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With the Ring type, you can simply pull back on the ring to release the wheel regardless of where the wheel is pointed. Cost should never be a factor when it comes to safety and we highly recommend the Ring type quick release hubs.

Wheel Stripe

Last but not least, almost every driver has a little stripe on the wheel at the 12 o'clock position. From World Rally to NASCAR to ALMS, everyone has it. This indicates straight ahead and helps you align your wheel properly on it's hub so you don't have to hope your steering is aligned with which way your tires are pointing.

Cockpit Layout: Race Car Seats

2010-08-02T13:51:00.004-05:00

www.astonmartinracing.com

How important is your connection to the car? Can you drive for hours without aches and pains? Can you take a nap on the starting grid because your racing seat is so comfy that it feels like home?

Your body has three points to connect to the car: Hands on the steering wheel, feet on the pedals and body in the seat. Many think if the hips fit they are done but proper seat fitment is worth the extra time and effort. Some experienced racers and crew chiefs will tell you that it can mean up to 1/2 a second a lap.

You get most of the feedback from your car through the seat. If you're not properly fitted to the seat, you can not receive those g-forces and vibrations that tell you what the car is doing. Let's look at how to improve your connection to your car.

Seat choice. There should be no pressure points that cause discomfort or pain. They will detract from your ability to focus and concentrate on driving fast. This is where custom fitted seats or custom inserts come into play.

Seat inserts. You’ve probably seen endurance drivers climb in and out with their personal seat insert. No matter what kind of seat you have, you can tailor it to fit your body shape. Using things like 2 part expandable foam, stiff seat foam of aircraft or military grade (as thin as possible) or even the latest bead seat kits, you can fit yourself to any seat like it was made just for you.

Proper fitment. We know of drivers/teams that will easily spend 10 hours designing and tuning a proper fitment. Yes, 10 hours! We know of one case where the team invested 40 hours in a bead seat to get it just right. The end result is what counts, as a driver can then do his or her job for hours on end, focused and comfortable.

Layout and Positioning. Once you've been properly fitted to your seat, it's time to look at steering wheel placement, pedals, and shifter placement. In addition, we shouldn't forget about the other controls, such as switches, radio, fire extinguisher and so on.

The seat should be placed first, then everything else moved to fit the driver. Yes, it sounds backwards, but this is the right way to optimize the interior layout for the driver.

1. Arms should be slightly bent at the elbow with the wheel turned 180 degrees.

2. You should be able to shift into the hardest to reach gear without lifting your shoulder off/out of the seat. Can’t do that? Then its time to get out the tools and fabricate/modify the shift lever.

3. Your switches, radio, and fire extinguisher should be placed within reach so the driver does not have to move out of the seat. How many times have you seen a driver that can’t reach the fire extinguisher while belted in? We have seen this many times.

Note: Please remember not to place anything in an area that can be bumped by your hands as you move through the normal actions of driving. We have personal experience thinking the engine had failed when in fact it was just a hand flying around the steering wheel to save a slide that hit the ignition switch off.

4. The knees should be slightly bent as well with all the pedals fully depressed. This allows for the best modulation. In many cars the pedals can be operated by flexing the ankle, instead of lifting and moving your entire leg.

Think of the seat, pedals and steering wheel as the most important tools you have and take the time to properly design and modify your cockpit layout.

Using the Brakes Part IV: Practice Tips

2010-07-20T14:32:00.002-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

So how do you go about choosing the best corner on a track to practice braking? These 10 tips should help:

1. Review a track map and find the corner(s) with the most run off room.

2. Of those corners with good run off, pick a corner that requires heavy braking before the turn in. Create a gap between you and the other cars and/or bikes.

3. When you go out to practice, don't worry about downshifting for the chosen corner. This will allow you to focus all your mental powers on effective threshold braking.

4. As your skills improve, remember not to get greedy. Chip away at it in small increments and move your braking point a few feet at a time.

5. Be prepared for the inevitable mistake. The goal is to find how deep you can go into the corner and find the maximum amount of speed you can carry. Eventually you going to go 3 feet to deep!

6. When you go in to deep, don't turn in. Carry the braking past your turn in point. Your goal now has switched from speed to slowing the car as much as possible before it leaves the road. In 99% of the cases, you'll simply continue to slow the car and once you've reached a speed that allows you to turn in, TURN.

7. After a few laps of practice, now its time to add back downshifting. Be prepared for not braking quite as effectively, so move your brake point back 5 or 10 feet. Once you've got the motions down pat, move your brake point forward the 5 or 10 feet.

8. Transfer this to the other corners on the track. For some, it will come easy, while others, not so much.

9. Don't get frustrated. It will come with time. As you learn and put more tricks in bag, you'll find it easier to learn new tracks and you'll get up to speed quicker.

10. Adapt. Practice adapting to the changes that occur throughout each session. Grip levels change as the surface of track wears. Temperature has an effect as well as tire and brake conditions.

Go to Throttle Practice Tips.

Using the Throttle Part II: Practice Tips

2010-07-12T09:04:00.004-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

So how does one go about practicing throttle application? These tips should help:

1. Review a track map and find the corner(s) with the most run off room.

2. Then pick a corner with good run off that requires heavy throttle application. A slow speed corner is usually best for this exercise.

3. When you go out to practice, don't worry about perfect threshold braking on corner entry. This will allow you to focus all your mental powers on effective, hard, and early throttle application.

4. Take small bites of the pie and work up to maximum application and modulate the throttle as you do so. As your skills improve, remember not to get greedy.

5. Be prepared for the inevitable mistake. The goal is to find how early you can go back to the throttle and how much you can apply as you find the maximum amount of exit speed you can carry. Eventually you are going to gas it 5 feet to soon, so be patient.

6. When you do make a mistake, quickly modulate the throttle while counter steering as needed. At this point your goal has switched from creating maximum exit speed to not spinning out. As the car comes back into control, get back on the throttle.

7. After a few laps of practice, its time to add back your threshold braking. Be prepared to not be able to apply throttle quite as effectively. Do this by moving your throttle application point forward 5 or 10 feet to give yourself a cushion till you get back in the rhythm of threshold braking and maximum throttle application. Once you've got the motions down pat, move your throttle application point back the 5 or 10 feet.

8. Once you've mastered the process in the corners with the most runoff and throttle requirements, transfer this process to the other corners on the track.

9. Keep in mind that your car and the track are continuously changing. Grip levels change as well as the condition of your brakes and tires so be prepared to adapt.

10. Lastly, don't forget that as you get better what you were capable of last time at a certain track might be different the next time you hit the gas.

As you learn and put more tricks in bag, you'll find it easier to learn new tracks and you'll get up to speed quicker.

Fixing Your Racing Mistakes: Corrective Actions

2010-07-07T10:14:00.010-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

A key skill that distinguishes the most successful professional racers from the rest of the pack is their ability to recognize mistakes and fix them before they become larger and repetitive issues.

They instantaneously Recognize, Correct, and Move on.

We've all seen video's where a driver or rider saves what looks like a guaranteed slide off the track. We've also watched as a racer continually looked like he or she was going to spin, go off, or even crash, long before the driver knew it. You watch them repeatedly go through a corner and inevitably they fly off or hit somebody after making the same mistakes lap after lap.

What's the key difference? Super fast reaction to the error. It's said that the great Ayrton Senna was the best ever at this skill. His ability to recognize mistakes, fix them and continue was such that most never knew an error had occurred.

All mistakes are fairly equal when they first happen. The result of missing your brake point by 2 feet is the same as missing an apex by 2 feet, as is exiting wide and dropping two wheels in the dirt on exit. All require instantaneous correction.

So, how do we accomplish this?

1. Learn the different sets of corrective actions. For instance, if you miss your braking point and brake 5 feet later than normal, you must extend the brake zone by 5 feet. This action moves your turn in point 5 feet farther than normal, which means you have to adjust your apex and throttle point in order to make a reasonable exit without going off the track and losing too much speed. So with this example of missing your braking point, the actions you take are as follows:

a. You extend your braking zone.
b. You move your turn in point.

b. You extend your apex point.

c. You move your throttle point.

d. You extend your exit point.

Everything moves and you have a set of corrective actions versus just one. Making the right choice as soon as you've missed the brake point impacts all the other choices that follow that action.

Many racers will make one mistake and then only focus on one corrective action. So they'll extend their braking zone after braking too late, but then try and hit the same apex, throttle, and exit points. This approach will just compound the original mistake and slow you down even more.

Each mistake has a set of corrective actions and they should become second nature.

2. Memorize and learn to make immediate corrections. In order to help you make rapid corrections, we suggest you write down every mistake you are making immediately after a session. Then write out the sets of corrective actions you should have taken. Once you have a comprehensive list of your common mistakes, commit the corrections to memory and work on them session by session. You want your mind and body to be able to react without thinking.

3. Listen to the seat of your pants. Focus on the feel of the car or bike and respond accordingly. Once you get accustomed to the varying levels of vehicle balance, you will instinctively know what set of corrective measures to implement.

4. Move on. Once you've made a mistake and tried to correct, put it out of your mind and focus on the next driver action. Don't stew on the issue while you are on the track. That's for later when your helmet is put away. While racing you need to move your mind past the mistake and on to the next corner.

We make errors every lap. The winners know how to fix them fast and know how to capitalize when you don’t. If you write out your list of mistakes and corrections and continue to practice them every time you are on the track, you'll start seeing better results on the time charts.

Brake Modulation

2010-06-27T13:54:00.006-05:00

f1banter.wordpress.com

By now, you may have read about Threshold and Left Foot Braking. So now lets dive into explaining brake pedal modulation.

The most widely used method is 0-10, with 0 being no brakes applied and 10 being maximum braking without lock up. Thus 10.1 would equal a locked up wheel, a flat spotted tire and in some cases a vibration bad enough to rattle your teeth!

When applying the brakes on our family truckster while driving through town for doughnuts, most people apply the brakes like this:

0-1-2-3-4-5-5-5-4-3-2-1-Stop. On the street this works fine, but on the track, not so much. Doing this on the race track, even if you get to 9.5 is not a very good way to slow the car quickly or effectively.

Here is what the braking should be like in a race vehicle:

0-6-8.5-10-10-10-10-10-GAS! That's more like it. After all, the goal is to slow the car quickly and effectively, then get back to the throttle as fast and aggressively as possible.

You have to be careful with initial application as you can apply too much brake and incur lock up at speed. Why? The weight of the car transfers to the front when you lift off the throttle. If you lift and slam on the brakes to say, 8, you'll have applied too much pressure before the cars weight can transfer fully to the front. This is called "Beating the weight transfer", and if you do it often, you'll probably flat-spot a lot of tires and go through a lot of pads.

sine.ni.com

It get's tricky because level 10 pressure on the brake pedal at 100mph is different than 10 on the brake pedal at 50mph. Less force is required to stop a given weight from 50mph than it is from 100mph.

Finding the maximum braking limits takes a lot of practice and feel because the scale is almost infinitely variable between 1-10 due to the variety of speeds combined with the weight and attitude of the vehicle. That's what makes good Threshold, Left Foot and Trail braking so hard. Brake pressure is only one variable among a variety of other variables!

The best way to learn how to use proper Brake Modulation is to get out to the track and practice. During practice sessions, take some time to focus solely on braking. Forget downshifting. Don't worry about perfect lines. Simply brake late and hard, and work on modulation.

Once you have this mastered, it will become second nature as muscle memory will take over. But if you don't perfect this skill, there will always be people ahead of you on the lap charts. Just stay motivated and don't give up. Proper braking is one of the funnest challenges we face every time we fire up the engine. Many of us spend a lifetime working on our ability to properly use the brakes. Go to Threshold Braking or Left Foot Braking.

John Surtees: Two and Four Wheel World Champion

2010-06-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

www.forocompeticion.com

A Champion on Bikes and in Cars

Sir John Surtees won the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship, the Formula One World Championship and the inaugural Can Am Championship.

Surtees's father was a three-time British motorcycle sidecar champion and motorcycle shop owner. By the time John was 11, he had his own bike that he could both ride and repair.

www.ensanian.com

He began racing motorcycles with his dad at the age of fifteen and seven years later, in 1956, Surtees won the 500cc World Championship riding a MV Agusta.

www.classicrallies.com

From 1958 thru 1960, he won 32 out of 39 races for MV.

www.rspeed.org

In 1960, Surtees transitioned to car racing, beginning his Formula One career at the age of 26. He made his Formula One debut at the Monaco Grand Prix driving for Colin Chapman and the Lotus Racing Team. In his second race he finished in second place, and he qualified for the pole position and finished third in only his third Formula One race. John went on to drive for a variety of teams including Honda, pictured above.

www.foriz.autosport.com

After moving to the Ferrari factory team, John Surtees made history winning the World Championship in 1964.

After recovering from a life-threatening accident, Surtees went on to win the inaugural Can Am series in 1966 beating illustrious drivers such as Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue, Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, and Phil Hill.

In 1970, Surtees went on to form his own team and for nine years fielded cars as a constructor in Formula 5000, Formula Two, and Formula One. He retired from driving in 1972 and continued to run his team until 1978.

John Surtees remains the only person to win World Championships in both cars and on bikes. He is considered by many to be the greatest racer of all time.

Threshold Braking

2010-06-22T14:34:00.005-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

Going Faster
All things being equal, Threshold Braking is the primary skill that separates racers on the lap charts. While the concept is quite simple, for many, mastering the technique can take a lifetime. In this multi part series, we'll outline the approach to help you go faster.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

Purpose
The primary objective is to carry as much speed through the corners as possible and the quicker we slow the car down, the sooner we can get on the gas. The trick is to slow the car down quickly, but not slow it down too much, and to do this in the shortest period of time at the right moment going into every corner. Not as easy as it sounds...

The Point of the Technique
With Threshold Braking we apply the optimal amount of brakes at the quickest rate. It's taught in defensive street driving schools and is commonly used in accident avoidance situations. We slam on the brakes to avoid a deer or errant soccer ball, and in road racing we do this every corner of every lap.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

The Goal
You want to reach the point of maximum braking as quickly as possible, i.e. the point just before wheel lock up. Fast, firm application of the brake pedal is the order of the day. The rate at which you decelerate is limited by tire adhesion, as is cornering and acceleration. This applies regardless of surface: pavement, dirt, rain, gravel.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

As soon as you're tires begin to slip or lock up, you've surpassed the limit of adhesion and should momentarily lessen the brake pressure to allow the wheel to regain traction. Your car will let you know when you've passed the limit with tire smoke and/or tire squeal.

Items to Consider

Car Set Up
a. Alignment
b. Brake Bias

Type of Course & Course Conditions
a. Dry or Wet? How wet? Cool or Warm track temperature?
b. Dirt or Gravel? Hard pack? Lose surface? Rutted?
c. Bumps in brake zone?
d. Camber of course in braking area? Uphill? Downhill?

Threshold Braking Tips: Let's Do It
a. Identify the areas where you can practice without getting in trouble. Practice in corners with plenty of smooth run off, preferably paved or grass/dirt runoff areas.

b. Find suitable visual markers for use as your braking point. The place where you will lift off the throttle and apply the brakes.

c. Practice! Consistency is key. Apply the brakes at the same place each lap so you know that you are making improvement in your technique.

d. Don't forget that the whole point is to get on the throttle sooner in the corner, so once you get the car slowed down, get on the gas.

e. As you gain confidence and improve, you will find yourself slowing too much for the corner. Now you can move the braking point closer to the turn in point. Make small changes in your initial braking point, 3-5 feet at a time.

f. Once you mastered the basics, expand to other corners, using the same process.

Put it all together into a brilliant qualifying lap or set a new lap record!

Keep in mind that as soon as you lift off the throttle, the balance of the vehicle is upset and the weight moves towards your front wheels. So under braking the front tires are doing the most work. This comes into play as you begin to master turning while braking, called Trail Braking, which we will cover in a subsequent article.

Multi-Tasking Part I: In the Car or on the Bike

2010-06-21T00:22:00.000-05:00

www.boston.com (CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images)

Connecting the Hands, Feet, and Mind

Unless you play the drums, most of us aren't used to simultaneously doing separate things with our hands and feet. Especially while flying down a track with our hair on fire.

www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

We think we know how to multi-task with our appendages because we all drive or ride on the street almost everyday. But traveling on the street doesn't require anywhere near the same level of simultaneous inputs. On the street we usually go from one step to the next and we take our time.

In a race car, truck, or on a race bike, you are rapidly doing different things with all your limbs at once and when you get really comfortable, you do it all without even thinking about it. We're on the throttle, brake, clutch, shifter, and steering wheel. Sometimes we are also adjusting suspension settings, fuel mixtures, and electronics and doing this all while we are flying into the next turn.

www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

Racing a motorcycle is even harder since you are also moving your body mass to positively adjust the handling of the bike. Great motorcycle racers are the most amazing of all racing athletes. Just awesome.

Any good instructor will tell you to slow down in the car, but you can only do this once you are comfortable making simultaneous inputs to the vehicle. Whether you're running on two or four wheels, set aside adequate daily time to think about and practice what takes place while you are flying in and out of turns on the race track.

Continually work to be better at using your mind and body in unison. Once you've gotten used to the rapid pace of inputs, your movements in the vehicle will seem slow. They'll be smooth and fluid and most importantly, extremely fast.

In the videos below, note how Senna's hands and feet are rapidly providing simultaneous inputs to the vehicle, and watch the speedy hand and arm movements of Paul Tracy, Michael Schumacher, and J.J. Lehto. In Part II, we provide some tips on improving the connection between you and your race vehicle.

Racing in the Rain Part III: Preparation

2010-06-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

www.boston.com (AP Photo/Bazuki Muhammad, Pool)

Get Ready to Be Wet

When we're young, it's fun to jump in puddles. For racers, not so much. I don't know about you, but I don't like that squishy shoe feeling so let's look at preparing yourself and your car or bike for rain racing.

Extra Safety Equipment

Having a complete spare set of safety equipment is the best option, but at minimum, have a spare pair of socks, head sock/balaclava and gloves. Why? Warmth can sometimes be as important as keeping dry. Once wet, your suit/leathers/helmet won't dry in the short time between qualifying and your race, or even over night in most cases. Treat your safety gear like your Sunday best (oh, wait, in some cases our nomex is our Sunday best!), and have a spare dry set.

Visors and Windshields

It'd be nice to see, right? Who hasn't experienced fogged up glasses? Those of you with 20/20 eyesight need to keep reading, this applies to all of us: Visor Fogging. !@#$%^&*(). Yeah, that's what we all think when the visor fogs. Same thing for the windshield. Here are some tips that apply to one or the other or both:

Helmet

Keep a bottle of liquid dish washing soap with your gear. Spread it around on the inside of the visor. It works well, but is a pain to clean up afterwards. Anti-Fog Sprays/Wipes/Solutions can work in some cases. Fog City Shield Inserts are a thin plastic film that creates an air gap between itself and the visor.

Windshield

Spread liquid dish washing soap around on the inside of the windshield, same as with a visor. Works well, but a HUGE pain to clean up afterwards unless you can power wash the interior of your car.

If you are in a sedan, you can set up a Boat Bilge Blower or other type of high powered fan to blow onto the windshield. The key here is to ensure dry air is available to the intake side.

Use an old school aftermarket rear defogger kit, which is like the rear defogger on a street car. They used to make them as a BIG "Decal" that could be stuck to rear windows. Stick it to the front windshield, wire it up and go. Down side is you have to look through it and they have to warm up to work.

Use a squeegee if you race sedans. Seriously, I know drivers that carry one in their car when it rains to clear the windshield. This is a last resort kind of thing or last minute "oh man its raining" fix. Get the kind you see at truck stops with the long handle. They work, but it takes your attention away from driving. I can't imagine the Tech Crew being very happy about your carrying a Scepter into battle either!

We don't like to come right out and say "Do This" or "Buy That", but in this case a box of Fog City Shield Inserts and a high quality bilge blower are our recommendations. Having used both we can personally attest that they work. The fact that both are reasonably priced is a bonus.

Towels, Umbrellas, Outerwear
Although these may seem obvious, they are easy to forget. Towels come in handy whether it's raining or not. If mother nature is playing tricks, bring extra. Whether you are staying at the track, with friends, or at a hotel, borrow a bunch of towels and keep at least one in the car with you. Carry a few umbrella's in the trailer for both you and your crew, and make sure that everyone has a variety of outerwear and clothing with them at the track.

You know how unreliable the weather forecast can be, so take a spare set of dry safety gear, and go to every track armed with your fog prevention tools. Most of the time you won't need it, but you'll be glad you have it when the sky opens up and you get to experience the challenging pleasure of racing in the rain. Go back to Part I or Part II.

Dan Gurney: The All American Champion

2010-06-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

www.allamericanracers.com

A Champion Racer, Car Manufacturer, Team Owner, and Racing Promoter

In the world of automobile racing, Dan Gurney stands alone. His achievements read like a too-good-to-be true Hollywood movie script.

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jimculp/554679332/

During his 15 year driving career, he competed in 312 events, finishing on the podium 98 times. Gurney won 42 pole positions and started on the front row an additional 58 times. He won a total of 51 races and finished 2nd or 3rd in another 47 events.

www.seriouswheels.com

Gurney won 7 Formula One races, 7 IndyCar Races, 5 Five Hundred Mile NASCAR races, and he finished 2nd in two Indy 500's. Gurney also won in Can Am, Trans Am, and all the classic sports car endurance races. He won at Daytona, Sebring, the Nurburgring, and LeMans. He even won the real Cannonball Run which inspired his co-pilot, famed automotive journalist Brock Yates, to write the screenplay for all the movies.

www.motortrend.com

What's even more compelling than his jaw-dropping career stats is that he accomplished all of this competing against a who's who of the greatest drivers of all time.

http://www.theautochannel.com

Dan raced around the world in an era with unprecedented talent. Guys like Jimmy Clark, John Surtees, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, and Phil Hill. Even against the best in the world, Gurney became one of the most popular drivers ever.

www.allamericanracers.com

Most drivers retire and move on, but Gurney has been a race car manufacturer and team owner for the last 30 years. While still racing, with backing from Goodyear, he and Carroll Shelby formed All American Racers. When he retired as a driver, Gurney bought out Shelby, and has been the running the company ever since.

As a manufacturer and team owner, Gurney has earned 83 pole positions, and won 78 races and 8 championships.

Gurney Eagles won three Indy 500's and the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and three IndyCar Championships

Dan is also credited with a slew of other motorsports firsts.

-He was instrumental in the change from front to rear engined IndyCars.

-He was the first driver to introduce a full face helmet in IndyCar and Formula One.

-He invented the Gurney Flap, which is widely used in racing and aviation.

-He was a founder of Championship Auto Racing Teams and came up with the name and acronym (CART).

-As a co-founder of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, he played a key role in bringing street racing to America.

-Gurney is even credited with being the first driver to spray champagne into the crowd at a victory circle ceremony. This celebratory gesture is now replicated in every form of the sport in every country around the globe.

Gurney will go down in history as one of the most versatile racers in the history of the sport.

He drove 51 different makes of cars and he was the first driver to ever win races in the four major categories of auto racing.

He beat the best as a driver and won races and championships as a manufacture and team owner. To this day, Dan Gurney is the only American to win a Formula One Grand Prix in a car he built. He is the one and only All America Racer.

Tyrrell P34: The Most Outrageous F1 Car

2010-06-15T14:33:00.000-05:00

www.project34.co.uk

The Six Wheeler

The Tyrrell P34 (Project 34), otherwise known as the 'six-wheeler,' was designed by Derek Gardner, who was Tyrrell's chief designer starting in 1970. The car used specially manufactured 10-inch diameter wheels and tires at the front with two regular F1 sized wheels and tires at the back.

www.ebay.com

The idea of the smaller front tires was to reduce frontal area thereby reducing drag. A complex front suspension design allowed all four wheels to steer. When the P34 was unveiled, the cover was removed from the rear forward. The collective gasps from the press said it all.

www.project34.co.uk

The six-wheeled Tyrrell was one of the two most radical entries ever to succeed in F1 competition, and is considered the most recognizable chassis design in the history of motorsports. The other outrageous design is the Brabham BT46B Fan Car which we will cover in another article.

www.project34.co.uk

The P34’s first race was the Spanish GP in 1976, and the car was competitive straight away. Drivers Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler produced solid results, but while Depailler praised the car, Scheckter realized it would only be a temporary situation. Goodyear was unable to properly develop the special 10 inch tires to keep the car competitive.

www.project34.co.uk

The P34's shining moment came in the Swedish Grand Prix, when Scheckter and Depailler finished first and second, making Scheckter the only driver to win a major race in a six-wheeled car. He left the team at the end of the season, insisting that the six-wheeler was "a piece of junk!"

www.project34.co.uk

In 1977 Swede Ronnie Peterson took the helm alongside Depailler. The P34 was redesigned during the off season, utilizing cleaner aerodynamics. But the P34B also got wider and heavier, and although Peterson and Depailler were able to string together some promising results, it was clear the car was not as good as in 1976, due to the continuing issues with the front tires and the added weight of the front suspension system.

www.project34.co.uk

To be fair to Goodyear, they were asked to build one tire for Tyrrell and another for everyone else in F1. With limited application of 10 inch slicks, it is easy to understand Goodyear’s hesitance to invest in a development program for the tires for one team.

The P34 was abandoned for 1978, and a remarkable chapter in F1 history was over.

Monaco 1982

2010-06-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

The 1982 Monaco Grand Prix had one of the most unpredictable and exciting endings in the history of motorsports. The characters in the final act included Alain Prost, Riccardo Patrese, Didier Pironi, Andrea de Cesaris, and Derek Daly. We won't spoil the ending. Enjoy.

Brazilian GP 1993

2010-06-10T17:50:00.000-05:00

Left Foot Braking: Shave Lap Times

2010-06-10T08:52:00.000-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/old_boone/ (James Boone)

Although most racing schools don't teach Left Foot Braking, it is a skill that we encourage you to learn once you've mastered the use of your right foot. Left Foot Braking is just as it sounds. It's the technique of using the left foot to operate the brake pedal, leaving the right foot free to apply throttle.

The approach is attributed to Finnish rally legend Rauno Aaltonen (the "Rally Professor") when he raced in the 1950’s, and every kind of car racer can benefit from the exercise using any type of car or go kart.

http://forums.autosport.com

The most basic benefit of Left Foot Braking is that it decreases the time it takes for your right foot to move between the brake and throttle pedals. If you are saving milliseconds every time you brake, you'll be shaving seconds off your overall lap and race times.

In addition, from a handling and stability perspective, the approach can be very beneficial. It is commonly used when a racer is cornering under power. If you don't want to lift off the throttle, which could cause oversteer, you can stay on the gas and simultaneously apply brakes to induce a mild oversteer situation to help the car turn in.

The technique is also a great benefit when its used to balance the car in high speed corners, since you can keep the throttle applied and gently apply/tap the brakes to induce a weight transfer. In general, you can improve the smoothness of the weight transfer and carry more speed through the corners.

Keep in mind that with Left Foot Braking you are continuously applying the brake and the throttle at the same time which can cause extra wear on the transmission and brakes and is hard on drivelines, but even with these issues, the technique is worth mastering.

Many of the top pro's in oval, road racing, and rallying use the approach every time they are behind the wheel. It can shave seconds off your times and help you manage weight transfer when you are flying in and out of the turns.

Once you've gotten comfortable with the normal right foot approach to throttle and brake management, take some time to practice Left Foot Braking. Here are a few tips.

For most of us, it takes lots of practice since our left foot is programmed to slam on and off the clutch. As you know, you don't want to do that with your brakes. You need to teach yourself to apply the same sort of delicate brake pressure you do when using your right foot.

Develop a feel for applying brake pressure with your left foot. Practice by doing visualization laps while sitting still. Go through the motions in the cockpit using your left foot and do this repeatedly until you feel you are able to apply brake pressure in the same manner with both feet.

Be prepared that the first time you try it at speed you may apply way to much pressure since your left foot is programmed for pushing the clutch and we usually aren't to gentle with that pedal. Don't try it on the track with other cars behind you as you may suddenly and unintentionally come to an abrupt stop. That left foot likes to slam the clutch!

Take your time and soon you'll be shaving time off the lap charts and improving your cornering stability.

Rendezvous: The Best Driving Film

2010-06-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hair Raising Fun

Rendezvous is a short film about an eight-minute drive through Paris in the early hours of the morning.

There is no other street driving film footage in existence that gets the adrenaline flowing like this movie. (See below)

It has been an international hit since its debut in 1976. The continuous roar of a high-reving engine, and the sounds of gear changes and squealing tires combine to make Rendezvous a wonderful speed junky treat.

The film starts in a tunnel of the Paris Périphérique at Porte Dauphine, with an onboard view from a car exiting up on a ramp following the route to Avenue Foch. The driver flies past well-known Parisan landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, Opéra Garnier, Place de la Concorde with its obelisk, as well as the Champs-Élysées.

Pedestrians are buzzed, pigeons scatter, red lights are ignored, one-way streets are driven up the wrong way, centerlines are crossed, and the car flies down a sidewalk to avoid a garbage truck. The final shot is the car pulling in front of a curb on Montmartre, with the famous Sacré Cœur Basilica in the background. The driver gets out and embraces a young blonde woman as bells ring, with the backdrop of Paris in sight.

Shot in a single take, it is an example of cinéma-vérité. The length of the film was limited by the short capacity of the 1000 foot 35mm film reel, and filmed from a camera mounted on the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9. It’s quite likely that the soundtrack was dubbed with the sound of Lelouch's Ferrari 275GTB, which has a 5spd gearbox and a V-12 sound that is quite distinct, and surely not the 6.9 liter V8 of the Mercedes camera car.

Upon release it was not known who was driving the car and rumors circulated that it was either an unnamed F1 racer, a taxi driver or Lelouch himself. One observer was posted, with a walkie talkie, close to the Louvre palace at the only blind junction, however Lelouch revealed years later that the radios failed.

In 2002, Spirit Level Film and Lelouch restored and re-mastered Rendezvous from the original 35 mm negative and released it on DVD, to the delight of fans worldwide. The biggest rumor surrounding the film, is that due to its illegal nature, director Lelouch was arrested upon the first screening. It is unknown whether this is true. No matter. Rendezvous is still the best car movie. Ever.

Fantastic Race Finishes

2010-06-03T23:06:00.025-05:00

www.theepochtimes.com

1982 Monaco Grand Prix
1979 French Grand Prix
2001 IROC at Daytona
1979 Daytona 500
1985 Indianapolis 500
1993 Brazilian Grand Prix
2003 Carolina 400
1986 Spanish Grand Prix
1994 Indianapolis 500
1987 Winston
1971 Italian Grand Prix
1992 Indianapolis 500
1959 Daytona 500
2006 Indianapolis 500
NASCAR's Closest Finish
NASCAR's Closest Finishes

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Racing Videos

2010-06-03T22:36:00.045-05:00

www.speedtv.com

Racing Classics
Racing Classics
A variety of great short motorsports videos.

Barber Motorsports Park | Blackhawk Farms Raceway | Brainerd International Raceway | Buttonwillow Raceway

Chicagoland Speedway | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Daytona International Speedway | Detroit Belle Isle

Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Infineon Raceway | Iowa Speedway | Kansas Speedway | Kentucky Speedway

Laguna Seca Raceway | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Llihrednuht | Lime Rock Park | Long Beach

Talladega Superspeedway | Texas Motor Speedway | Thunderhill Raceway | Toronto

Setting Up Corner Weights: Scaling Your Race Car

2010-06-03T20:22:00.004-05:00

www.mktechnologies.com

Corner Weights

The proper scaling of your vehicle is a critical piece of the set up puzzle. This process is typically referred to as setting up the "corner weights" which creates optimal weight balance across your tires contact patches. Simple enough, right? Well, not exactly. This article covers the process rather than the physics and science of it all. First you’ll need some scales and a way to level your garage floor or trackside paddock area.

www.mktechnologies.com

Find a level spot to set your scales. How level? The pro’s use a machinist level, which will level an object (floor, machinery, etc) to .005 an inch per 10 feet. Yes, you read that right. Remember, any variation is exaggerated by distance. So if you are off by 1/4 inch over the wheelbase of your car, your corner weights may be off by as much as 100 pounds.

www.mktechnologies.com

So how do you level your cracked and broken garage floor or the wavy paddock area? There are a couple of options depending on your budget.

Self-adhesive floor tile. What? I don’t want to tile the bathroom, you say? No problem. You'll use the tiles as shims to level your scales. They are hard, have almost no deflection and are very durable.

www.mktechnologies.com

Find a spot, level things up, and then mark the spots on the floor so you don’t have to do this whole process over and over. We’ve used a Smart Level and an 8 foot aluminum level to build this contraption. Believe it or not, it works. We’ve actually done this in the field at tracks as well as in the shop.

Once you have the spots marked and level, roll your car into position, jack it up, slide the tile and scales in place, lower the car, and you are in business!

Roll Off Levelers. These are fixtures that hold the scale and have adjustment screws built in to allow for variance in the floor. Set them on the floor, lay your leveling equipment in place and start turning the adjustment screws.

www.brspecialtuning.co.uk

Be careful as you can drive yourself crazy looking for that last hundredth of an inch! These are portable, like the floor tiles above, are built to hold your scales and can be set up on any surface. Most include a roll off pad that allow for moving the car off the scales without raising the car off the scales. This makes adjustments MUCH easier.

Scale Platforms. You’ve seen the big teams with these. Indy. ALMS. Grand Am. NASCAR. Yet, they are not so far out of reach for the amateur racer. Scale Platforms create a level place that is the exact width and wheelbase of your car.

www.mktechnologies.com

All include roll off platforms, so moving the car around is easy, plus ramps to roll the car on and off. Sure, they take a dedicated spot in the shop or at the track, but if you are serious then it comes with the territory. These require the use of the previously mentioned machinist level. Also used are water levels, and in some cases survey equipment!

www.mktechnologies.com

Now we need scales. There are many types of scales made for racing, but here is some sage advice. Buy more scale than you need. Inexpensive scales that have a max range of 1000 pounds per scale sounds like plenty, but all scales have an accuracy factor, usually in the .1-2% accuracy range.

Again, that sounds great, but this error factor isn’t always over the whole range of the scale. It may be in the “sweet spot” of say 300-600 pounds. Over or under and the factor may go higher. Now, your thinking, “Geez, how can that matter, .2% is next to nothing.” If your going to this much trouble, it just makes sense to do it right.

Also, what if in 2 years you move from racing a 1100 pound Formula Ford to a 2800 pound Grand Am Mustang? Will the scales you bought for the FF work on that Mustang? Maybe not. Buy the right thing and they can and will!

As for choosing to go with the latest trend in wireless, or the superbly cool zero deflection models, or the models with billet scale pads, or rechargeable scales that require no 110v current, this is where your fingers get to meet Mr. Google. The sky is the limit ranging in price from $1000 for basic hard wired models to $3000 or more for billet zero deflection, mirror finish rechargeable scales. In this case choice is a good thing!

Dynamometers: Engine and Chassis

2010-06-03T17:03:00.004-05:00

www.seriouswheels.com

Race Tuning

A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for measuring force, moment of force (torque), or power. Dynamometers are useful in the development and refinement of modern day engine technology.

Used for many years by manufacturers and race engine builders to break in and perform development on engines, with the advent of computer technology, simulation and portability they can now be used to replicate endurance races as well as compliance testing for sanctioning bodies.

Engine Dynamometer

An engine dynamometer measures power and torque directly from the engine's crankshaft (or flywheel), when the engine is removed from the vehicle. These dynos do not account for power losses in the drivetrain, such as the gearbox, transmission or differential etc.

Chassis Dynamometer

A chassis dynamometer measures power delivered to the surface of the "drive roller" by the drive wheels. The vehicle is parked on rollers, which the car or bike wheels then turns and the output is measured. Because of frictional and mechanical losses in the various drivetrain components, the measured rear wheel brake horsepower is generally 10-20 percent less than the brake horsepower measured at the crankshaft on an engine dynamometer.

http://image.automotive.com

Modern chassis dynamometers can do much more than display RPM, horsepower, and torque. With modern electronics and data acquisition it is now possible to tune to best power and the smoothest runs, in real time. It is also common to measure other engine parameters, such as air/fuel ratio, water, oil and intake air temperatures, ignition timing and exhaust gas temperature, with the goal of maximizing an engines capabilities.

The top professional teams will do complete races runs on the dyno which provides reams of data to help extract superior performance from their vehicles.
Check out the race engine videos below.

Villeneuve vs Arnoux

2010-06-03T00:22:00.005-05:00

www.racingscreens.blogspot.com

Wheel Banging Fun

The breathtaking back and forth action between Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux during the last laps at the 1979 French Grand Prix is considered by many to be the greatest open-wheel battle in the history of motorsports.

www.sportvintage.it

We won't go into any more detail than that. You can see for yourself and enjoy the videos. One clip is commentated for U.S. television by Ken Squier and David Hobbs, one is for British television with Murray Walker, and the other has more recent commentary by Jeremy Clarkson, the host of the popular BBC car show Top Gear.