Auto Racing

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)."

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.

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.