The Evolution of Motorsports - Research Paper Example

The Evolution of Motorsports After automobiles had been initiated in America, auto racing came into existence in the late 19th century. Since then, Motorsports has grown to include rallying, drag racing, demolition clashes, stock vehicle racing, and many more. Motorsports has advanced in a manner that the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the second favorite sport watched in America, after football. However, Motorsports are much more than fast driving to finishing first. These events vividly reflecton our society, culture, values and history. Automobile racing can be traced back since the introduction of the initial petrol-fuelled vehicles. The activity gained root and spread all over the united states hosting the first race which was a distance of fifty-four miles and the winner took approximately ten hours to complete the race fully[dav97]. After a number of years, the sport evolved,and there were some modifications taking place including some vehicles being fitted with superchargers, others were made aerodynamic and even lighter. Motor racing nowadays is regarded as a very competitive sport. This is due to a number of reasons among them being a lot of money is at stake. Hence, there is the scramble for victory on successful techniques and designs, and also each participant wants to ensure that his presence is noticeable. This uncompromising selection is exhibited when the top drivers usually three in the race gush champagne to the gathered crowd below. The modern sport is mainly a show off rather than a battle, created to benefit the paying audience reducing the risk of a team leading for a prolonged period[lau11]. In this sport, competition is key since it provides the spectator with the excitement of being paid. As a result, the outcome of motor racing needs to become a display in which the competition is real and planned to minimize the boring dominance of the sport. In the 1930s, there was a transformation from costly road vehicles to pure race cars, with Auto Union, Alfa Romeo, Delage, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz and Delahaye assembling streamlined cars. The engines were powered up to 450 kW, with the assistance of multiple-stage superchargers.The prompt use of aluminum and its alloys was to reduce the heaviness, for Mercedes, the paint job wasforegone to satisfy the weight limit, hence generating the renowned Silver Arrows. The formation of NASCAR was seen through by Bill France in 1948, with the assistance of other drivers then[mar14]. Motorsports has various categories in which it could be represented. It has the formula racing in which the cars take the form of a single seater with wheels not covered. They usually have aerofoil wings to the front and rear producing a down force thus enhancing adhesion. The formula sport is designed in a manner that it follows an international, regional, country or domestic pattern. This sport offers a chance to university and college students to engage in this single seater racing mainly through the Formula SAE competition. It involves building and designing a single seater car in a collective team, and finally racing it in the competition. This not only develops other soft skills such as teamwork but also promotes engineering and motorsport.[Ric07] Touring car racing is another type of road racing which is conducted with production derived race cars. The race features contact racing mainly because of the large grids and small differential speed levels. The main championships conducted on tour cars usually incorporateseight-cylinder supercars known as the (GTs) grand tourers and compete on closed circuits. Sports prototypes are another type, but they have closed wheels, a closed cockpit and do not depend on road authorized cars as a base inorder to endure the race. The weight of this cars is lower making them much faster. They cover a distance of about a thousand kilometers with two drivers switching at intervals. A single race incorporates various racing classes where each competes for a different championship due to different performances by sports prototypes and production- based cars[lau11]. Productioncar racing is a restricted and economical version of touring racing usually to minimize costs. There is the one-make racing which usually engage cars from a single manufacturer or from a single model within manufacturer's range an example being the Porsche Super Cup championship.There is also the stock car racing which is governed by NASCAR,which hosts a premier series by the name sprint cup series. They facilitate famous races such as Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500 and runs another feeder series such as the camping world truck series and Nationwide series. The series facilitates races are conducts them across the entire American continent.Modified cars should be termed as open-wheel cars since they have no parts related to the stock car in which they are named after. They possess a vehicle name and a logo but use components manufactured by a different automobile producer. The other stock car regulating body is the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Oval Racing Council (ORC) in United Kingdom. Rallying involves cars competing on off roads or closed public roads on a point- point basis where the drivers and their co-driversrally to designated points at different intervals. It takes place in different stages in which participants are usually allowed to spy beforehand at minimum speeds gathering detailed shorthand explanations of the track. These detailed depictions are referred to as pace notes. During the rally, the co-driver reads the pace notes with the help of an in-helmet intercom system aloud to enable the driver complete a stage fast enough. Competition is usually based on the lowest total time elapsed over the course and the penalties.The main series contested in rallying is the World Rally Championship (WRC) but there are also a number of other championships such as the Dakar Rally, RallyArgentina, and Rally GB. Drag racing as a motorsport began thepopularity in the 1990s. The main objective is to clear a given straight-line distance ranging from 200m to 400m usually from a standing start, ahead of a car on a parallel road. According to the type of race, vehicles may or may not be given the indication to start at the same time. Vehicles selection is vast with even everyday car to the purpose-built dragster. Elapsed time and speeds vary between classes. Average street cars cover the 400m in 12-16 seconds, whereas a top fuel dragster could take4.5 seconds orless, where they end up reaching speeds of up to 530 km/h.Drag racing was a sport organized by Wally Parks in the early 1950s through the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) mainly to discourage street racing. Off-road racing encompasses different classes of specially enhanced vehicles which compete in off-road environments. These races usually take place in the desert, such as the famous Baja 1000. The motorsport industry has had some economic implications which have led to increased opportunity for growth and success. Taking the UK as an example, hosting the 2011 GrandPrix,which occurred at Silverstone was an economy boost accruing from the benefits that motorsports brings. The championship hosted twelve teams of the formula one of which eight were UK based. It led to the employment of more than 2500 engineers with the service industry employing thousands of people. The sport also contributed more than two billion euros in terms of exports. This was the case since many companies in UK are well established in the motorsport technology. The companies located in this motorsport collection usually provide performance and engineering solutions. They act as the global position for the production of engines, brakes, telemetry components, performance vehicle chassis, suspension, and transmission. There has also been the adoption of a service industry offering and supporting specialized legal, insurance and financial capabilities. This has assisted in the building of manufacturing businesses and even coming up with world-class designs (Motorsport Industry Association). In the event of the sports, jobs are created in public relations. This is because it attracts fans from different states thus there may be a problem of language barrier hence there should be people to receive and welcome guests to ensure they enjoy their stay. There is also events by the management team;here people are employed to ensure the motorsport event is a success. They also facilitate the inspection of racing tracks, ensuring security systems are beefed up and making sure the site selected can accommodate all the spectators.The tourism sector is also given a major boost since spectators come from different nationalities and wish to tour the hosting country. The tours and travel agents afford to put a smile on their faces since they create the jobs for them by showing them around at a fee. The local retailing sector also picks up during the season since it is in people's nature to buy things. This sector could receive a boost from people purchasing items such as oil, engines, groceries, toys, clothes and even snacks. The sponsorship businesseshave also been in existence for sponsors wanting to place their money on teams they see as being competent in order to gain huge returns. Taking China as an example, it has invested huge sums of money in developing capacity technology and engineering in order to come up with a motorsport owned by the country. Since motorsport is a sport like any other, it has various sanctioning bodies regulating its activities. With approximately thirteen tracks and multiple configurations, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) has a mutual relationship with the top sanctioning bodies of motorsports. NASCAR is the sanctioning body for the premier sport in North America. The races hosted are broadcasted in 20 languages, in about 150 countries and more than 500 companies are involved in NASCAR. It consists of various national series such as the nationwide series, sprint cup and camping world truck series, the regional series, and an international series. NASCAR sanctions about 1200 races in 100 tracks mainly in Mexico, Canada, and Europe and other thirty American states. There is also; The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) which develops, supports and organize auto racing at any level giving anyone an opportunity to engage in the sport. The U.S Legend Cars International (INEX) is another international sanctioning body of thunder roadster, bandolero, legends and other modified cars. It was formed in 1995 to sanction, organize and promote legend cars.The races occur across Europe, Canada, and the United States.The International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) is the oldestactive sanctioning body in automobile racing created in 1915 by Alex Sloan. It enforces just and reliable rules in order to promote affordability in the racing Foundation of America. There has been various technology advancements since the beginning of automobiles such as design optimization of mechanical structures, temperature distribution in the engine, chassis test and flex and the reducing the fuel consumption.This is because a racing car is a collection of interrelated engineering problems and not a one engineering problem. Thus, for this reason, there is aneed for modern instruments and tools to enhance the performance. For instance, formula one is trying to reduce weight and optimize thedesign of its cars and boost the suspensions to make it stable through turns in order to generate more force.This has resulted in the use of high-tech equipment in order to improve performance and also increase thelongevity. Car racing teams have come up with high performance tailored tires to match different races. In the case of off roads, the grooves have been made deep and the rubber bumpy but for production sports cars the grooves have been made shallow. This makes the rubber maintain contact with the road making the car handle better. There has been a technology advancement also in the braking system since the racing began. Disc brakes are a new technology in which they remain cool even though braking produces a lot of heat from friction since it allows heat to be dissipated. There has been the use of sensors which are cost-effective made from optical fiber as they offer a useful testing platform. It has been a harsh process of various tests which incur huge losses in order to come up with a complete operational advancement in this technology. The success in this sport is gauged by winning thus means obtaining any possible lead to keep up with the competition[lau11]. The car thateventually wins the race is the one that is backed by the team using the best and latest technology but not the most expensive car. There has been the emerging of technology innovation companies such as the Luna Innovations Company. It has incorporated business professionals, engineers and scientists who develop and manufacture new generation products and technologies. The innovative technologies are applied in enhancing automotive and racing equipment. In conclusion, motorsports has undergone a major transformation since its inception to date. It has brought about a major benefits accruing from the sport and various technological advancements. REFERENCES. dav97: , (phillips, 1997), lau11: , (durman, 2011), mar14: , (howell, 2014), Ric07: , (Meaden, 2007), Read More