Auto Racing

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Street Racing Dangers | Uncover The Dangers Of Street Racing Today! by M. Adler

Posted by AWSGroup

Are you looking for facts and specific data on street racing dangers? This article provides honest information on the dangers of street racing. Beware...

Street racers and street racing fans typically conduct their activities in an underground fashion to avoid attracting the attention of authorities. The Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services -- a division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) -- lists the following problems most frequently associated with street racing:

"Vehicle crashes (deaths and injuries to drivers, passengers, onlookers, or innocent bystanders; and property damage);
Noise (from racing vehicles and crowds);
Vandalism and litter at racing locations (including businesses where racers commonly gather);
Loss of commercial revenue (if racing crowds obstruct or intimidate potential customers);
Excess wear and tear on public streets (painted street markings commonly are damaged by the burning rubber of vehicle tires)."

It's crazy to think about all the street racing dangers associated with this particular activity, yet so many people continue the legacy. The problem (depends on how you look at it) is that now, national sporting agencies and motorsport sponsors have idolized the racing scene and given it marketshare and space to establish itself on the growing motorsport market.

So yes even though there are plenty of risks associated with street racing, it all boils down to your ability to decide right from wrong and if you personally feel no harm in racing, then by all means live it up. This article was geared towards those of you who are seeking honest facts about street racing dangers.

For me, one of the worst dangers of street racing is being caught by the cops. I mean if you aren't a pro signed to a major league drifting company, then any street racing you do off the track is illegal. If you get caught, trapped or stopped by the cops, jail time should be the least of your worries.

How do fines of up to $10,000 sound? Plus 6 months behind bars... Not good!

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Important Street Racing Information That You Must Know! by M.C.

Posted by AWSGroup

If you are looking for street racing information you have come to the right place. This article provides random bits and pieces about street racing and offers specific data you may have not previously known.

For starters I thought we'd roll out basic street racing terminology. I mean everyone in motorsports should know this but for those of you particularly interested in street racing, this lingo is a must:

A dig may refer to all participants toeing a line, aligning the front bumper of the vehicles, after which all vehicles race from a stop to a pre-arranged point (typically a quarter mile in the United States, but may vary by locale).

A roll generally refers to a race which starts at a non-zero speed, and continues until all but one participant have stopped racing. This may be accompanied by three honks which would be analogous to a countdown.

To be set out lengths is a system of handicapping that allows a slower car to start their race a number of car lengths ahead and requiring the faster car to catch up and pass the slower car. There are often heated negotiations to determine a fair number. This would be analogous to the bracket racing handicap start format used where one car has a head start over the other on the Christmas Tree.

To get the jump, break, hit, kick, or move is to start the race without the flagger. This is another system of handicapping that requires one car to wait until they see the other car start to move before they are allowed to leave their starting line. In Pinks, to jump is analogous to a red light foul.

You know, after looking over this article I didn't realize how much terminology exists in street racing talk. I guess we are almost out of time so here a few pieces of street racing information you should know:

A community generally springs up around the street racing "scene", providing social interaction among the participants and cliques therein. Street races are sometimes wagered on, either by the participants or observers. This is the origin of the term "racing for pink slips" (which means that the winner keeps the opponent's car), which inspired the 2005 Speed Channel series Pinks.

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Sunday, April 4, 2010

New Formula One Regs Don't Work Well by Mark Warner

Posted by AWSGroup

The 2010 Formula One season is underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix being completed this weekend. It was supposed to be the start of a glorious season with some big teams all looking competitive and no less than four world champions on the starting grid. As is often the case, the race did not even closely live up to the hype.

The FIA has played around with different regulations in an attempt to make Formula One more exciting with more passing. One idea that was focused on for the 2010 season was to eliminate passing in the pits. This would occur when one car would run longer than the other and then "pass it" when it needed less time to take on fuel and get back on track.

To eliminate such passes, the FIA announced there would be no refueling this year. Cars would have to pit once for tires, but that was it. The basic idea was this would force the drivers to be aggressive and make passes on the track. Bahrain showed just how misguided this idea was. There was a lot of passing in the first lap, but then almost none except for back markers. The only passing late in the race occurred when leader Sebastian Vettel lost power with an engine problem and was passed repeatedly.

There are two problems with F1. The first is the tracks. Bahrain is a perfect example. The track only has one or two places were passing can occur. The new section added was bumpy and included something like nine sweeping turns in the new mile long section. It is impossible to pass in these turns as there is simply not a wide enough grove and no where to go. The tracks need to be designed with more areas for passing automatically built in.

The second problem is the aerodynamics on the car. The regulations have not dealt with this issue. The problem is the cars are still so aero sensitive that they can't pull up behind each other. If they do at any speed at all, the car in front disturbs the air and the car behind loses grip. This creates the proverbial train around the track with slower cars holding up fast cars. This is exactly what we saw with Lewis Hamilton spending half the race behind the obviously slower Nico Rosberg.

I am not the only one who thought this was a problem. Michael Schumacher complained immediately afterward and Martin Whitmarsh who leads McLaren called for immediate rule changes. I agree with both of them. If none are made, this highly anticipated season could become one of the more boring on record. That would be unfortunate.

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Friday, April 2, 2010

F1 - What The Bahrain Grand Prix Tells Us About The 2010 Season by Mark Warner

Posted by AWSGroup

The Formula One season is now well under way with the running of the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 14, 2010. The first race of the season is always a tell tale sign for what the season will look like. Let's take a look at what we learned.

There are two top teams once again. Whereas it was Brawn and Red Bull last year, it looks to be Ferrari and Red Bull in 2010. The Scuderia came up with a 1-2 finish, but only after the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel started having engine problems. Before this, however, it was clear that both teams were well ahead of the others on the track and were simply marking time while trying to save the tires. The fact Fernando Alonso said he had more speed after the race means there fight between Red Bull and Ferrari should be a good one. That being said, the flimsy Red Bull has to stay together from a reliability stand point or Vettel's championship hopes will be ruined.

What of McLaren? Well, we learned the car performs much better of a race distance then it does on the one lap qualifying. While that is generally good news, it also does not provide much hope for the season. This appears to be another season where passing is going to be difficult. If Hamilton is qualifying in the fourth through sixth position each race, it is asking a lot for him to somehow catch and pass the Red Bull and Ferrari cars. His teammate, Jenson Button, appears to still be enjoying the 2009 championship and does not look like much of a threat to anyone.

And what of the king? Michael Schumacher returns to Formula One after a three year retirement. He had an uneventful race. He didn't make a charge, but he also didn't fall back into the field. It could be a frustrating year for him as the Mercedes just doesn't look very fast. Of the four big teams, it currently seems to rank a distant fourth. Things should improve since it is only the first race, but Red Bull and Ferrari appear to be well in front which makes it a large hill to climb.

This was also the first race where we saw the prodigy of Max Mosley. He pushed hard to get rid of the manufacturer dominance so privateers could join the field. As expected, they were terrible. Of the six cars from the three new teams, only two made it to the finish line - the Lotus cars. This is a good development for Formula One? I think not.

So, what can we predict for the 2010? Well, Red Bull seems to be the fastest car, but also very iffy on reliability. The Ferrari is also very fast, but much more reliable based on the history of the team. Given this, I would think the driver's championship will come down to the end between Alonso and Vettel. I'll pick Vettel, but Ferrari for the constructor's championship since Massa appears to be a much more consistent driver than Webber and is thus likely to rack up far more points. It will be interesting to see how things play out over time.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Horse Racing Tournaments: Kentucky Derby by Dania fortner

Posted by AWSGroup

Kentucky has a very unique and special history of horse racing. It dates all the way back to the late eighteenth century when Lexington got its very first race course. From that time in 1789 to 1875 when the Churchill Downs first officially opened, there were races held in different courses throughout the country. Once the Churchill Downs opened, it became the home of the Kentucky Derby and has been most widely known as that. To give a little history on the Churchill Downs is to go back to 1872 when Col. M Lewis Clark created a Louisville Jockey Club to hold racing meets. Clark then went on to visit a number of other racing leaders in Europe and learn from the best. When he returned to America he began the development of a new Kentucky racetrack to house the best horses in the breeding industry. This new track would become known as the Churchill Downs by 1883 when a news article posted an excerpt about the track. The name stuck and was finally incorporated into the Churchill Downs name in 1937. The first time that the track was publicly established was in May of 1874 and it was posted in the edition of the Courier-Journal. The construction of the truck was debated by a few different organizations but it was finally funded and construction was started. Clark rose over $30,000 dollar by selling membership subscriptions. He sold the subscriptions at $100 a pop and leased over 80 acres of land. The whole track, when it was completed, had a clubhouse, porter's lodge, grandstand, and a number of different stables that all were complete for the opening race of the track. Clark designed three different major races, the Clark Handicap, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Kentucky Derby. This mimicked the three main races in England and was thought to bring prestige and class to the US version of it. Ever since the Kentucky Derby, Clark Handicap, and Kentucky Oaks debuted in 1875, they have continued to be held at the Churchill Downs. Over the course of the years some of the best horses and jockeys have raced on the Churchill Downs and it has become one of the most prestigious racing venues in all of horse racing. There have been a lot of different renovations over the years, the biggest and most recent in 2002. The track went through a $121 million renovation. This phase of the renovation would include large new balconies, an updated grandstand with meeting areas and suites. This phase was finished by 2003 and the second phase expanded the Turf Club and added even more boxes, seats and suites. The whole renovation added 404,000 square feet to the stadium and increased seating by over 50,000. The Churchill Downs racetrack continues to be one of the best tracks on the horse racing circuit will continue to showcase some of the best horses in the world. It has had a long history of incredible races, and will continue to add to that history as time goes on.

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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Modified Street Racing | Better Known As Drifting For Enthusiasts! by M. Adler

Posted by AWSGroup

Motorsports is a big market. Street racing is a niche within that market. Drifting is a form of modified street racing, creating an even smaller niche of drivers, enthusiasts and fans. Let's talk about it...

According to Wikipedia.com, usually, drift cars are light to moderate weight rear-wheel- drive coupes and sedans over a large range of power levels. In Japan and worldwide, the most common drift vehicles are the Nissan Silvia/180SX/200SX, Toyota AE86, Mazda RX-7, Mazda RX-8, Infiniti G35 Coupe, Nissan A31 Cefiro, Nissan C33 Laurel, Nissan Skyline (AWD versions are developed into a RWD platform), Nissan 350Z, Toyota Altezza, Toyota Chaser, Toyota Mark II, Toyota MZ20 Soarer, Honda S2000, Toyota Supra (MKIV), Ford Mustang and Mazda Miata/MX-5. US drift competitions usually use the same cars, plus Chrysler LLC's Dodge Charger, and Dodge Viper SRT-10, and General Motors's Chevrolet Corvette, and Pontiac Solstice.

This exciting form of modified street racing has practically taken over. I'm sure drag racing will go on forever but the more and more I hear about racing events, the Drifters are never left out. In present day, Drifting has evolved into a competitive sport where drivers compete in rear wheel drive cars, and occasionally all wheel drive cars, to earn points from judges based on various factors. At the top levels of competition, the D1 Grand Prix from Japan and now with a full series in the US have pioneered the sport.

It's crazy to think that what once was illegal is now sponsored by major league motorsport associations and major corporations.

Drifting competitions are judged based on line, angle, speed, and show factor. Line involves taking the correct line, which is usually announced beforehand by judges. The show factor is based on multiple things, such as the amount of smoke, how close the car is to the wall, and the crowd's reaction. Angle is the angle of a car in a drift, speed is the speed entering a turn, the speed through a turn, and the speed exiting the turn; faster is better.

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Friday, March 26, 2010

INTRODUCING FUEL DOCTOR USA's FD-47 by Megan Palmer

Posted by AWSGroup

New Device for Motor Vehicles Saves Gas, Money & the Environment

CALABASAS, CA - According to the U.S. Congress's Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), "Older cars generally are much less fuel efficient than new ones, they burn a disproportionate share of gasoline and thus are responsible for a similarly large share of the environmental, economic, and national security effects of gasoline use." Just in time, a new auto device is sweeping the nation that addresses these issues; Fuel Doctor USA's FD-47. Simply plugged into the lighter socket/power port, the FD-47 is saving the environment (and consumers' money) one car at a time. The FD-47significantly changes the rate of fuel consumption of an automobile, saving consumers money with each tank of gas. The FD-47'scutting-edge technology increases fuel economy, which thereby creates less CO2 released into the environment. Fuel Doctor USA has officially joined the ranks of new companies using science and technology to effectively lessen environmental damages. While the technology of Fuel Doctor USA's FD-47 is intricate, the process is quite simple. The FD-47 is a Fuel Efficiency Booster that increases a vehicle's miles per gallon (MPG) through power conditioning of the electrical systems. Conditioned and clean power allows the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU), fuel injection and engine timing equipment to operate more efficiently. When the vehicle's engine runs more efficiently it will require less fuel, produce more power and have reduced exhaust emissions (reduced CO2). As a vehicle matures, the power systems tend to generate and experience more electrical noise or electrical interference. This noise can have many detrimental effects on the vehicles systems and decrease their efficiency. The FD-47 simply plugs into the cigarette/power outlet and the power conditioning qualities of the FD-47 help to reduce and remove this noise and to restore a vehicle's efficiency. While on a business trip in Asia, Mark Soffa, CEO of Fuel Doctor USA, was introduced by a business associate to an item he hailed as "the greatest product in the world...it actually saves gas." Soffa decided to conduct his own preliminary test, and brought the product to a friend who has lab and field testing equipment. Soon after, Soffa received an exciting call from his friend whose tests showed an 18% increase in fuel efficiency. Soffa decided to put the product through rigorous independent testing, which were done in three different continents. To ensure the product complied with regulatory rules, he brought the FD-47 to Southern California's Automotive Research Center, an EPA-certified testing center for CARB (California Air Resource Board). "We firmly believe it is important to provide our customers with complete details about our product as well as our testing procedures, so they may see the effectiveness of the FD-47 first-hand," Soffa states. "The results were excellent on cars, trucks, and SUVs 24-months and older," Soffa states. "The FD-47 can now be considered one of the most important and effective after-market auto accessories available in the marketplace today," he concludes. To the consumer, this translates to more mileage (less money) per tank of gas and less CO2 emissions. The savings average $7 per fill-up, depending on type of car and gas prices. Additionally, the Fuel Doctor's FD-47 can save thousands of pounds of CO2 per driver per year, which means that for roughly every ten FD-47 users, an entire car is taken off the road. Soffa explains, "Our goal at Fuel Doctor USA is to produce user friendly and environmentally safe products for our future." He continues, "Through my promotion and import business, we started to see the demand for green products growing at a rapid pace and wanted to be part of it." In September of 2009, Soffa used his production-trained eye to give the original product a trendier appearance, and the FD-47was launched on the Fuel Doctor USA website as well as with the popular mid-west catalogue, Heartland America. The Heartland America launch was so successful that the company tripled their next order size weeks later! Since October, thousands of FD-47 units have been sold, and Soffa has personally taken a majority of customer calls so he could experience the excitement first-hand. These calls range from technical questions to NASCAR questions, and everything in between. As of February 28th, the FD-47 was launched at the nation's largest electronic retailer, Best Buy. To learn more about Fuel Doctor USA please go online to www.fueldoctorusa.com. ### Media Contact: Megan Palmer AMG PRWorks megan@amgwagency.com 305.856.8004 x304

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