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Serge can agree with me on this. We've been doing research on racing designs for cars, trucks, and motorcycles for years. I've come up with a couple of conclusions for the neophytes that think cars are cars, who cares, right? Not so fast there!
1. Standards: It's very similar to the Computer Operating System world. The racing organization gives you a standardized frame to comply with (NASCAR, NHRA, IRL, etc) and you tune the hell out of it based on those rules and you are good to go. The goal is to create a platform so you can compete. Obviously throughout the years these standards need tweaking or overhauls. That's life.
2. Engines: V8 blocks are mostly American metal stock. The major differences are racing engines have no catalytic converters (clean exhaust filters), no mufflers (sound filters), still use carburetors (pure air/fuel add vs. electronic fuel injection), hand-crafted cylinders to exacting precision for extremely high-temperature runs, and wider air bores all around to keep the engine cooler and allow the driver to control the speeds faster when passing and dodging. The result is an engine that produces upwards of about 700HP to 1000HP depending on type of race. Don't even try to guess how much funny-car drag engines can achieve.
3. Safety: All vehicles have roll-bars and massive cages around the drivers that are designed to protect them against 4000-5000 Lbs. of metal running into them or any collision into a wall and allow them to literally walk away after such an accident. Compare that to a regular car you drive today; you'd be dead.
4. Control: The external frame is boxier and ugly for a reason. The less aerodynamics, the more control a driver has for passing and less chance of flying around the track. Thus you have wider stance, more vertical front windshield, large rear wings, and front drag dam to displace more air. The tires have little or no treads to maximize rubber to road cohesion (remember surface tension?) to assist the driver in being able to control the car in much more precise engagement.
5. Entertainment: What makes racing so entertaining? It's the fact that the vehicles appeal to the carnal fighting nature within us. Much like football and boxing and rugby, you want to see and know that the rawest, purest form of man-made power is put to the extremes.
I just thought I'd share that with you all. OK, that's it for now.
1. Standards: It's very similar to the Computer Operating System world. The racing organization gives you a standardized frame to comply with (NASCAR, NHRA, IRL, etc) and you tune the hell out of it based on those rules and you are good to go. The goal is to create a platform so you can compete. Obviously throughout the years these standards need tweaking or overhauls. That's life.
2. Engines: V8 blocks are mostly American metal stock. The major differences are racing engines have no catalytic converters (clean exhaust filters), no mufflers (sound filters), still use carburetors (pure air/fuel add vs. electronic fuel injection), hand-crafted cylinders to exacting precision for extremely high-temperature runs, and wider air bores all around to keep the engine cooler and allow the driver to control the speeds faster when passing and dodging. The result is an engine that produces upwards of about 700HP to 1000HP depending on type of race. Don't even try to guess how much funny-car drag engines can achieve.
3. Safety: All vehicles have roll-bars and massive cages around the drivers that are designed to protect them against 4000-5000 Lbs. of metal running into them or any collision into a wall and allow them to literally walk away after such an accident. Compare that to a regular car you drive today; you'd be dead.
4. Control: The external frame is boxier and ugly for a reason. The less aerodynamics, the more control a driver has for passing and less chance of flying around the track. Thus you have wider stance, more vertical front windshield, large rear wings, and front drag dam to displace more air. The tires have little or no treads to maximize rubber to road cohesion (remember surface tension?) to assist the driver in being able to control the car in much more precise engagement.
5. Entertainment: What makes racing so entertaining? It's the fact that the vehicles appeal to the carnal fighting nature within us. Much like football and boxing and rugby, you want to see and know that the rawest, purest form of man-made power is put to the extremes.
I just thought I'd share that with you all. OK, that's it for now.
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