Dirt and Tar racing

What's under the hood?

2009-02-06T03:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you do like racing and like to watch the Late models? And sometimes you think (like me) how the heck do they control that large car around a track and what is under the hood of that monsters?

Why are they so big? Well are they?

If you would strip one of these would find that they are not that large nor big (much like car and van insurance prices).

Its only because of the body panels and there wheels that they look wide.

Well under all the body panels you'll find one of these, the chassis. Okay then where do all the power come from you would ask. You would need one very big power plant for these cars.

Okay, so you got the chassis and you got the monster power plant. What next? Youre suspension and and your tyres. Here are some pics of a suspension.

Mostly the frame of the chassis are build out of round tubing (pipe), because its stronger and lighter than other tubing (square).

And some pics of the tyres they use under these cars.

GRIP? OR DRIFT!!!!!

2009-02-04T02:00:00.000-08:00

Background

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport that calls for drivers to control a 450hp car while it slides sideways at high speed through a marked course. It is similar to rally racing, but is done on a closed course and judged on execution and style rather than who finishes the course fastest. Drifting takes all the thrilling moments of traditional motorsports and packs it together into non-stop competition. The D1 Grand Prix takes the excitement one step further by being the only drifting competition that features aggressive side-by-side action as finalists burn up the course two-at-a-time often only inches apart.

Drifting pros finesse their cars into spectacular powerslides around a series of corners of a set course as powerful engines roar and the tires bellow smoke. The driver controls engine power, shifts gears and feathers the brake pedal, while at the same time spinning the steering wheel in a precise fashion from left to right linking corners with pinpoint accuracy. The driver is controlling and maneuvering the car beyond the limits of the tires' traction.

History

Drifting started in Japan approximately 10 years ago. Today, drifting is so accepted and popular that drivers have become recognized celebrities.

In time, drifting evolved into an officially sanctioned sport called the D1 Grand Prix in which top Japanese professional drivers compete in a series of events to determine the best drifter. Amateur drifting events take place in Europe, Australia and now in the U.S., but the D1 Grand Prix remains the only pro drifting series in the world.

U.S.-based drifting has been an underground sport for the last few years but professional drifting has only taken off in the States recently. In Spring 2003, top professional Japanese drivers participated in a demonstration event in front of a large audience at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, CA. Now, only six months after that electrifying debut, Slipstream Global Marketing, along with Yokohama Tire Corporation as title sponsor, have brought the D1 Grand Prix All Star Invitational to the U.S. in its official debut appearance outside Japan.

South America for Dakar 2010 ???

2009-02-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

Madrid - There is a "very high chance" the Dakar Rally will return next year to South America, following this year's event in Argentina and Chile, organisers said on Wednesday.

"The chances of returning to Latin America, to Argentina and indeed to Chile, are very high," Yann Le Moenner, delegate director general of organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), said in Madrid.

"This (year's) Dakar was a success - we respected the nomad element of the Dakar and there is a great temptation to bring the participants to other territories - but the chances of a return to Latin America are very high," Le Moenner told a press conference.

This year's event was switched from Africa following the cancellation of the 2008 edition in the wake of a terrorist attack in Mauritania which left four French tourists dead.

Le Moenner recognised, nonetheless, that "Africa (is) in the Dakar's genes and made the Dakar" and that, even if for the time being a return to Africa was not being envisaged "we will return to Africa as soon as we can".

Spanish motorcycle champion Marc Coma said he would like to return to race in Africa, as "that would mean there was no longer a terrorist threat".

Le Moenner envisaged confirming the venue for 2010 next month.

NOW THAT'S A CLOSE CALL!!!!!

2009-02-03T03:19:00.000-08:00

The never ending battle!

2009-02-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Comparing rotary engines to their piston counterparts has probably ended more than one friendship and perhaps even led to minor bloodshed. Such is the nature of apples-to-oranges arguments, but why the disproportionate fuss? Rotaries are not well understood by most people—too frequently including those that rightfully sing its praises—and nothing devolves into a pissing match like an uninformed argument! Equivalency is a hotly contested subject, not only in actual racing but more importantly in bench racing.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK!!!

You can comment on this.

Midget are fun they say!!!!

2009-02-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

Midget cars have been around since the 1930s. Originating on Americas West Coast, spreading fast through the country, and soon as far afield as New Zealand and Australia and South Africa They proved to be an entertaining distraction from the hard times of the Great Depression where large crowds would attend their local dirt track to watch these four cylinder engine cars throw dirt and clay skyward. With most of the home built chassis having humble beginnings in barns and sheds across the globe in the 1930s, today’s Midgets are nearly all factory produced and have developed into what would barley be recognizable as the same class of car by those first pioneer, leather capped, goggle wearing, dare devil drivers of yesteryear. Although through any and all the great eras of midget racing one common theme runs through them all, close, competitive, side by side and slide by slide action.

People that drive the migdets, Say that its a adrenaline rush.

Worcester Show 2009

2009-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well we had some great Dirt oval racing at the 2009 Worcester Show.
The drivers had the spectators on there feet the whole time.
The competition were hard and although
some of the cars did not make to the final, was
it still good racing. Well done boys.

Not for the faint hearted. THEY ARE FAST!!!

2009-01-31T01:03:00.000-08:00

Late model racecars are the highest class of local stock car racing vehicles at many race tracks in the United States and North A merica. Some regional and lower national-level series race in late models. Varieties of late models (ranked from highest vehicle performance to lowest) include Super Late Models, Late Models, and Limited Late Models. Some series require crate motors to be utilized by racecars under their sanction. Vehicles raced on dirt are significantly different from vehicles raced on asphalt. Asphalt late model racing is an extremely common stepping stone for drivers who race in regional and national touring series.

Late model vid