Green Racing a Go With Roadsters

Auto racing has been getting a lot of flack in recent years for not being terribly environmentally friendly. Now it seems that this facet of sport may potentially have a lot to offer the average man on the street in terms of preserving our fast-degrading environment. Green Racing may ultimately help lessen the environmental impact that cars have on our ozone.

In a new type of auto racing known as ‘green racing’, the winner doesn’t only have to be fast – he has to be green as well. But that doesn’t limit the action or excitement. Instead it serves to improve the eco-friendly options available to the man on the street. According to John C. Glenn, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specialist, this new type of racing may actually have a huge impact on the technology used in street cars. Automobile technology generally develops at a much faster rate in race cars than it does in street cars. This technology is then carried over to and used in street cars. When the emphasis changes from simply going fast to having more energy efficient engines powered by cleaner-burning fuels, the shift in technological advances also changes. This is one of the most positive effects that Green Racing has on every-day car usage. Glen also noted that people tend to base their choice of car on popular race cars. He said: “They see cars racing on the track, and that’s the kind of car they want to buy.”

It was that sort of thinking that lead Glen and other EPA members to develop the concept of Green Racing. Plans where set in motion as early as 2006 and in 2008 the American Le Mans Series race was the first to feature the Green Challenge. The trend is set to continue this year, with Michelin sponsoring the Michelin Green X Challenge in only a few months time. The prize winners will be determined by three main factors, namely: the amount of petroleum displaced by alternative fuels, the amount of energy used and the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by the vehicle. However, in trying to making racing more eco-friendly event organizers certainly haven’t left much room to slow things down – the average car will still make 200 mph! The Green X Challenge is the only racing series in the world where the cars are actually permitted to be powered by an alternative fuel. And, with current problems faced by the economy combined with the continued green-house gas effect, people are more and more likely to embrace this healthier approach to auto racing.

Targa Racing

The world of auto racing certainly has something for everyone. While most people focus on mainstream auto racing, there are those who prefer to look for a more exclusive avenue of the sport. If you’re one of those people, you may well find that Targa Racing is for you.

Targa Racing is not a terribly new concept. It got its start at the Targa Florio, a motor racing event that used to take place regularly on the island of Sicily. When this event was finally brought to an end, the concept of tarmac-based road rally racing did not end with it. Instead it continued to spread, so that today it is an internationally recognized avenue of auto racing that enjoys great support from both drivers and fans.

The basic competition concept evident in Targa Racing has been carefully drawn up over the years by borrowing certain rules and guidelines from other events. The end result is that it is now based on the best aspects of the Mille Miglia, the Tour de Corse and the Coupe des Alpes. Competition is fierce and the rally is run regularly at various locations across the globe. Many are surprised to find that even the island state of Tasmania in Australia has been hosting an annual Targa Racing event since 1992. It is known as Targa Tasmania. Other popular editions of the rally include Targa Newfoundland, which is based in Canada, Targa New Zealand and Targa West which is run in Western Australia. There are also considerably more events, though smaller than those already mentioned.

Targa Newfoundland is a particularly popular edition of the sport. It has already been running for more than seven years and remains the first and only event of this nature to be held in North America. The 2200 km course that faces competitors each September provides the perfect opportunity to push automotive limits and drive your heart out. Though the course winds through beautiful open roads, past the glittering Atlantic Ocean and through beautiful countryside, competitors usually do not have a moment to stop and take it all in. Cars are raced at incredible speeds during this world-class event and the majority of roads used for the race are closed to the general public during the event for safety reasons. If you would like to enter the world of Targa Racing, Targa Newfoundland would be the perfect place to start.

Auto Racing Set To Take Pakistan By Storm

Pakistan has a widely recognized reputation for two things – cricket and hockey. The people of this country are largely poor and signs of this can be seen everywhere – from the rickshaws that clutter the streets to the rustic living conditions that many deal with. Auto racing is certainly something that most Pakistanis have only ever seen on TV. All that may be about to change as fans get ready to enjoy auto racing events in Pakistan.

Lahore played host to a brand new, exciting auto racing event on Sunday when various flashy, privately-owned sports cars were gathered for the first official auto racing event in Pakistan. Not content to sit and watch the excitement only on international TV, various young South Asian men have decided to break free from old sporting traditions and start racing. Auto racing in Pakistan is not a new idea – it has been carried out somewhat illegally for a little while now. Drag racing has always been discouraged by both local communities and the government due to the dangerous nature of the sport. But now it seems that all that is about to change. Persistent pleading from a few of the country’s racing enthusiasts has led to the government rethinking its stance on the sport. They decided to sponsor a day of drag racing and the result was Sunday’s proceedings in Lahore.

Most of the cars are owned by the country’s elite who have already been gathering in Lahore and Karachi for a couple of years in order to showcase their vehicles and race them in un-sponsored events. Now, with the government’s backing, fans of the sport can make the most of auto racing in Pakistan. Even those who are unable to afford a vehicle can finally experience the thrill of watching from the sidelines with the smell of smoke, rubber and fuel thick in the air.

As the Corollas, Datsuns, Nissan R35s and Mazda RX-8s competed for the fastest time, enthusiastic onlookers decked themselves out with name brands like Ferrari, Honda and Corvette. One of the biggest crowd pleasers was a striking, fire-red Corvette C6, owned by Syed Raza Ali Gillani. Almost sixty men tested their vehicles down the quarter-mile track. Each was allowed two runs in their attempt to clock the fastest time and claim the trophy. The event was a massive success and it seems that now that the eyes of government authorities have been opened to the potential this sport has in the country, it might well flourish under their encouragement. Only time will tell.

Gumbo Nationals 2008

Racing fans living in Mississippi will want to start preparing themselves for the 2008 Gumbo Nationals. This great annual event has something for everyone and will keep even the most hard-core auto racing fans entertained. The race will take place at Greenville Speedway on the ¼ mile Gumbo clay oval track.

The two-night racing event will see more than 400 laps take place in five different racing divisions as drivers compete for the $40,000 that will be awarded as prize money. Racing drivers from as many as ten different states have already entered themselves in the Greenville race. The main races to take place during the course of the weekend are the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, which is sponsored by 750 horsepower 1300 pound O’Reilly Auto Parts, complete with winged sprint outlaw cars and the three-wheelin’ 750 horsepower Super Late Models. Friday night will see the drivers competing for a top spot on the grid with time trial qualifiers and head-to-head qualifiers. Then all will return on Saturday to compete not only in the 40-Lap main event finales (both divisions), but also in the B-Mains and the Dash races. The top prize for the event is $4,400, while the drivers racing in the “Halloween Havoc” Super Late Model Showdown will stand the chance of winning $4,000.

But that’s not all. The Greenville Speedway will also be playing host to the Rislone USCS Modified Series during the course of the weekend, with a full program of action prepared for modified fans. Competitors in this series will also run qualifying races and time trials on Friday and come back on Saturday night for the grand finale. The top prize for the Rislone USCS Modifieds is $2,500. The Gumbo Nationals Championship races are expected to have an excellent response with massive turn-outs. Already pre-entries have been received for both the Street Stock and Mini Stock divisions and competitors for these divisions will be competing for $1,000. The Gumbo Nationals will be taking place from October 31 – November 1 and are not to be missed. Those that really enjoy making the most of the event will be happy to know that there is also a special practice session scheduled for October 30. So book now and get ready for a great weekend of racing action!

The Annual AMP Outlaw Winter Nationals

For the past six years the AMP Outlaw Winter Nationals have been bringing race-lovers of every sort together for some fantastic auto racing action. The races take place during the last few months of the year, continuing into early next year and are divided into four divisions: ATV Quads, Karts, Motorcycles and Modified Hot Rod Riding Lawn Mowers.

This year all the action will be taking place at the OK Corral Indoor Arena in Harrah, Oklahoma. The competition is open to a wide variety of drivers, including vintage drivers, regional professionals, adults and youths. The various divisions have been carefully created to cater for specific engine sizes and rider skill levels. The 2008-2009 race schedule has just been released so fans of the AMP Outlaw Winter Nationals Indoor Short Track Race Series would do well to get a head start on the event and have a peek at the schedule.

The 2008-2009 Outlaw Winter Nationals are sponsored by NOS Energy Drink and will get underway on October 4, 2008, with a massive series opener. After that the action will die down for a while, only to return on October 25 with Bike Night. November 8 and 22 will be Regular Points Night, while December 6 is the night of the 4th Annual Curley Sutton Memorial Race. The final race of the year is the Inaugural Eddy Daley “Celebration of Life” Tribute Race which will take place on December 27. Bicycle races will take place at half time and double points can be earned on the night.

January 3 & 10 in 2009 are another two regular points nights while Dad’s Race Night will follow on January 31. The Mom’s are not left out and February 14 is the date for Mom’s Powder-Puff Night. The Birthday Bash will take place on February 28 and there is a Spring Break Special with a five dollar special on kids’ tickets on March 14. March 28 is Mechanics Race Night and the action will start to draw to a close on April 4 with the Grand Finale. However, while the points series ends there, the fun does not – a massive Fun Race will take place on April 18, followed by an Awards Party on May 3. Further noteworthy events include the Lightning C Arena McAlester Indoor MOTO TT and Indoor Short Track events taking place in the Lightning C Arena in McAlester, Oklahoma, on May 15 and 16 respectively. Tickets will be available at the gates on the day of the race and drivers can enter their respective races on race day before 17:30.

Aerodynamics in Sports Cars

With the desire to go faster than ever before cars have been making use of the aerodynamic principles developed for aircraft for some time now. In many cases, good aerodynamics can be the key to success in sports cars, and so it comes as no surprise that millions of dollars are spend researching and developing this facet of auto racing each year.

There are two main factors to take into consideration when discussing the aerodynamics of an automobile: down force and drag. Down force is an aid for good, as it helps to push the car’s tires onto the track and so improves a car’s ability to corner and stay on the road. Drag, on the other hand, is not a favorable factor, since it is essentially air turbulence that slows the car down. Finding the right balance between the two can sometimes be tricky.

Altering the aerodynamic performance of race cars was something that was more or less started in the late 1960s. This is when the wings that are now commonplace on the racetrack were first added to cars. Early experiments with wings resulted in some rather spectacular accidents and so regulations were introduced to limit the size and location of wings in 1970. Race car wings are essentially upside-down airplane wings – instead of creating lift they create down force using something known as Bernoulli’s Principle. As the wind travels over the shorter and longer planes of the wings, it pushes the car down and helps it to stay on the road. Modern Formula One cars have this science down to such an art that the cars are capable of handling a lateral cornering force of 3.5g! The concept was further improved during the mid 1970s when Lotus engineers discovered that adding a wing to the car’s underside could further help to improve road holding. Over time a number of rules have been drawn up regarding this aspect of down force to ensure that no team has a distinctly unfair advantage over other teams. Today wings may be altered from race to race to improve the cars performance on a particular track.

When it comes to reducing drag, wind tunnels have certainly helped to make race cars more streamlined. By now every single aspect of the modern Formula One car has been investigated and improved to make it as streamlined as possible – including the driver’s helmet and the suspension! There is, however, one downside to a slippery smooth car: the incredible heat produced by a Formula One engine does need good supply of airflow to ensure that it doesn’t build up and cause problems. So designers are always careful to ensure that this is something that is provided for, even though they also spend hours trying to make sure that the air travels over the car as effortlessly as it can. No doubt, as racing cars continue to get faster and leaner, you will continue to see more and more of these developments take effect.

Southern Indiana Set To Have Great Racing Weekend

Auto racing fans in Southern Indiana are no doubt looking forward to a fantastic Fourth of July weekend. Both the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions and the O’Reilly Midwest All Star Series will be heading to the Terre Haute “Action Track” to celebrate the weekend in style in what is one of the most anticipated events of the season.

It will all kick off when the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions makes a stop at the KC Raceway in Chillicothe, in Ohio, on July 3rd. The event taking place there is called “The Night the Stars Come Out” and it will see the best of the series vying for first place and extra points on the high banked 3/8 mile track. After that the series will head off to the Terre Haute Action Track for the Independence Day festivities. Off the track fans can expect the usual buzz with promotional tents, t-shirt trailers and plenty of excellent food. The autograph sessions will start around 16:30 and fans will be able to get their effects signed by Brian Ellenberger, Kody Kinser, Jerrod Hull, Miranda Throckmorton and more.

The racing schedule promises to be excellent and event organizers have tried to ensure that fans get to see a wide variety of events. The action will kick off with two non-winged sprint car events – the Don Smith Classic and the Tony Hulman Classic – and then go on to feature the main event: the All Star series. The All Star drivers will bring a very high caliber of driving to the circuit and fans will no doubt enjoy watching them blast around the track at exhilarating speeds. Once all the racing action is over, fans can stick around for a massive fireworks display by Sky Magic Promotions. All of this will mark the perfect start to the Fourth of July long weekend. Tickets for the event are only $10, while family’s can organize a family infield pass for two adults and four children for just $25. Reserved Grandstand tickets are also available for those who enjoy their little luxuries. Gates will open at 16:00 and hotlaps will begin at 18:00. So make sure that you don’t miss out on all this hot racing action!

Donny Schatz Receives Second Dakota Award

Donny Schatz has been racing since he was only a kid. His dream of becoming an auto racing champion started when he was just fifteen years old and he has never looked back. During the past ten years of his life he has been racing almost 100 nights a year on two different continents – a clear indication of just how dedicated he is.

So it comes as little surprise then that Donny Schatz was chosen to receive the prestigious Dakota Award for 2008. The award, which is handed out by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, gives due recognition to any person from North Dakota who is excelling in other states. Schatz has long been proving himself in the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series and it seems he is driven to succeed. Schatz remarked that receiving the award was a “great honor” and said he was happy that he could represent his home state on a national level. He added: “Like a lot of things that happened as a result of our efforts last year, this award is truly a family award…We worked together as a family to build a race team that could compete with the best in the world and ultimately came away with consecutive World of Outlaws championships.”

The last time that Schatz received the Dakota Award was in 1998. He was chosen for the honor after a successful WoO Sprint Series Rookie of the Year campaign. It’s been ten challenging years since then and a lot has changed. He is certainly no longer a rookie and these days he’s winning back-to-back championships. Just last year he made history when he became the first driver to win the Knoxville Nationals, Williams Grove National Open, Kings Royal, Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and the Williams Grove Summer Nationals all in the same year. That was the second time in a row that he took the checkered flag at the Outlaw championship, the Knoxville Nationals and the Silver Cup. Schatz was invited to drive for Tony Stewart in the WoO Sprint Series this year and he has been hard at work wracking up points in his new car already, with 10 victories in place after driving 27 races so far this year. Clearly this 30-year-old still has a long and successful driving career ahead of him and we may yet see another Dakota Award go to Donny Schatz in the future.

New ‘Start Your Engines’ Exhibit in Hayward

Hayward and San Leandro are certainly no strangers to the auto racing scene. This small corner of East Bay has been burning rubber on the racetrack for more than fifty years. While people continue to cram themselves into speedways around the country few people give much thought to the history of this legendary sport.

If you want to change this trend and learn more about the history of auto racing in the East Bay area, the Hayward Area Historical Society Museum is the perfect place to get yourself acquainted with the past. This museum, which is located in downtown Hayward, has just launched a ‘Start Your Engines‘ exhibit, which explores the auto racing history of the surrounding area. Few people today realize that auto racing was once king on the San Leandro flatlands and the Hayward Museum’s new exhibit recreates all the excitement of stock car, roadster, hardtop and midget racing in those early years of auto racing. While today this area is jam-packed with homes and businesses, between 1931 and 1955 it was the home of the Oakland Speedway (later the Oakland Stadium). Despite difficulties, the Speedway remained open during the Great Depression and it continued to carve a name for itself even after the AAA pulled out of the West Coast. In its day it was known as the “fastest dirt mile in the Nation”. This was the place where locals came to watch the biggest names in auto racing compete with locals for top titles and prizes. One of those big names was Tom Motter. Motter is now an auto racing historian who’s first hand experiences no doubt give his books an exciting edge. His books about Oakland Speedway and Oakland Stadium are currently on sale at the museum’s gift shop for those who would like some additional reading. The Oakland Speedway was finally replaced with the Oakland Stadium in 1946 after a grandstand fire and the fuel and rubber rations of WWII brought the old speedway to a close. The new track had a 5/8-mile paved oval combined with a quarter-mile oval and was every bit as popular as its predecessor.

Visitors to the museum are usually surprised to learn that the Bayfair Center shopping mall was once the location of the top auto racing stadium in the area. After the Oakland Stadium was torn down to make way for the shopping mall, youths between five and sixteen years of age continued to compete on quarter-midget tracks in Hayward for almost 30 years. Among them was the Rice family who are now famous for their quarter-midget racing cars. Many enthusiasts may feel saddened that very little of this once great legacy remains in Hayward, but a visit to the museum can certainly help to ease that feeling. A life-sized side-view cardboard cut-out of a 1915 Ford race car provides visitors with a great photographic opportunity and the museum’s shop has all the additional information and keepsakes you could want.

Keep an Eye on Colin Braun’s Career

Colin Braun is widely considered to be one of the bright rising stars in the world of American motor sports, and auto racing enthusiasts will no doubt be watching the progress of this talented young driver with intense interest in the years to come. Colin had already won two professional racing championships at the age of seventeen – a clear indication that he has what it takes to carve a memorable career in the competitive world of motor sport.

Colin was born in Ovalo, Texas, on 22 September 1988. He was six-years old when he started his racing career by racing quarter midgets. At the age of eight, Colin’s career as a go-cart driver went international, and he competed in Spain, Monaco, France and Japan. At the age of fourteen, Colin moved to cars, going on to win championships in Formula TR2000 Pro Series and Formula Renault TR1600.

At sixteen-years of age, Colin became part of the Team 16 squad as teammate to Brad Coleman, making his road racing debut driving a Porsche 996 GT3 in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. At seventeen, driving an Essex Racing Ford Crawford, he made history as the youngest Daytona Prototype driver. In 2006 Colin Braun joined Krohn Racing’s #75 team as Jorg Bergmeister’s teammate. These two talented drivers had great success despite the fact that they had no sponsor. Colin’s win at the Brumos Porsche 250 in Daytona made him the youngest winner of a major race in North America. He once again went down in history when he drove his Ferrari F430 to a second place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, making him the youngest driver to be placed on the podium for this prestigious race. Colin remained with Krohn Racing for the 2007 auto racing season, with Max Papis as his teammate.

In 2007 Colin Braun made the move to stock cars by signing a driver development contract with Roush Fenway Racing. He made his stock car racing debut at Gateway International Raceway, competing in an ARCA RE/MAX Series race and finishing thirteenth. He went on to notch up a fourth place finish at Chicago, followed by a near win at Talladega. He made his NASCAR debut driving the #50 RSC Equipment Rental Ford for Roush Fenway in the Craftsman Truck Series. He was holding his position within the top 20 when a flat tire sent his car into the wall, causing him to finish in 34th place. Colin went on to compete at the Sam’s Town 250, driving the #16 3M Ford. He was in eleventh place when another car went into a spin in front of him, forcing him to drop back, resulting in a 30th place finish. On 16 November 2007 it was announced that Colin Braun would be the full-time driver of the #6 Ford. Colin qualified for the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 by scoring his first Nationwide series pole at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigues in Mexico City.

Colin Braun’s future plans include making a run for Rookie of the Year, under the sponsorship of Con-Way. Should he succeed, he will be the first road racer to win such an award. Judging by his achievements thus far, it would seem that this determined young driver can achieve anything he sets his mind to.

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