Motorsports - Essay Example

Reflection Paper- Motorsports al Affiliation My Interest in Motorsports Personally, I am interested in motorsport, especially in competitive events where individuals use motorized vehicles headed to the same goals. My interest is mainly influenced by seeing how individuals riskily push to their limits, in a manner that no other human athlete would attempt to get involved. My passion for motorsport is so deep that, given an opportunity to rate the known true sports, I would rate motorsport at the first passion. Just like other major sports, motorsports involve competitors using motorcars in running against each other in accordance with the rules set for the race. In most motorsport races, the winner gets the reward. The kind of Motorsports that I find most Appealing There are many kinds of motorsports including drag racing, autocross, auto test, circuit racing, hill climb, and karting among others (Gifford & Kingfisher 2006). All the races are exciting and will involve individuals competing towards set goals. In most of the races, time is an important factor of consideration. However, some races will test additional elements such as speed, creativity, and efficiency among other elements. Circuit racing, rallying, and karting are the three motorsports that I find most appealing to me and are discussed in details here below. a. Circuit Racing This is one of the most common motorsport kinds in the world today. The sport is played by having a number of cars race wheel-to-wheel on a race track. There is usually a set chequered flag at the finishing line and the first person to get to the flag will be declared the winner. When the set number of races has been completed, the flag will fall off (Gifford, & Kingfisher, 2006). The race accommodates sessions of practice, where a competitor will be required to qualify for at least one race to proceed to the qualifying session. In the qualifying session, a decision is made on the position that every competitor will start from. The first position on the grid is usually awarded to the driver who gets the fastest lap in the qualification stage. I find this race to be appealing mainly because it involves some “contact” where a competitor must strive to get to the fastest lap, also known as the pole position. The fact that a competitor decides his fate is an appealing phenomenon in this race. The race is also easy to join and start and all one is required to do is to do is to join some race meetings and cha with some of the competitors. b. Rallying This sporting event usually takes place in the forest or deserts with sections of competitive loops. The one who wins the race will be one who goes through all the loops in the lowest aggregate time. In every car there will be a driver and a co-driver who work together in the navigation of the driving skill. I find this race appealing to me mainly because, with a pen and pencil, an OS map, and enthusiasm you can be on your way to enjoying every bit of the game (Gifford & Kingfisher, 2006). The rallying process also brings a creative adventure where drivers must be creative enough to maintain high at road full of loops and navigations. c. Karting Karting comes out as scaled down racing circuit operating using the same principle as that of circuit racing. In this race, the karts will go wheel-to-wheel and the one who reaches the chequered flag first will be declared the winner. As the same case with the circuit racing, the chequered flag will fall off when the set number of laps is completed. Karting has been categorized to four major groups including Gearbox, Senior, Junior, and Cadet (Gifford & Kingfisher, 2006). I personally find this race to be appealing because one is allowed to join at the level he/she is comfortable with, mainly starting with the low level and upgrading to a higher level as one gain some experience in engaging in the sport. The sporting event also comes with clear instructions on how to navigate through the event and actually win! How Drag Racing Compares with other Forms of Racing To start with, drag racing is among the most popular motorsports that has attracted people mainly from UK, Europe, U.S., and other countries across the globe. The cars used in this race are “super-cars” with the capability to accelerate up to 300mph in duration of five (5) seconds (Beck-Burridge & Walton, 2000). Only a few cars have been able to get to such high acceleration. The most recognized cars in this race include the Nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel. The race is usually played by two cars that line up side-by-side on an asphalt strip, usually very straight. Lights go out to mark the start of the race and the two cars accelerate to high levels to the finishing line, usually set a quarter of a mile away from the start point. The aim in most case is to reach to the finishing line first but, getting to as close as possible to the predicted time may also be used in determining the winner of the race. The unique feature with this race is that there is the use of a knock-out format where the winner of each round gets the chance to face the face the winner in the other squad. The process is repeated until the final winner is obtained (Beck-Burridge, & Walton, 2000). This is slightly difference in the case of other motorsports like Rallying where all competitors get into the field and the winner is the one who finished the race first. The fact that only two drivers can engage in the competition at the same time necessitates the knock-out system. Reasons I consider myself a Participant In the motorsport field, I consider myself a participant. This is basically because of two major reasons. First reason is based on my desire to learn and actually take part in my favorite motorsports and events. I was first introduced to the motorsport world by my father when I was like ten (10) years and from this day, my passion for motorsport races including rallying and circuit racing have grown over time. Today, rallying and circuit racing are my favorite sport events. In fact, my enthusiasm and interest have grown day in day out and this is why I consider myself a participant in the motorsport world. The second reason I consider myself a participant in the motorsport field is because I would so much want to contribute to the current and future development of the motorsport especially, rallying and circuit racing. The contributions needed in this field include improvements, financial resources, and participation in research and developments. My Experience with Watching 2015 O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA I have an awakening experience by watching 2015 O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA. By watching the videos I am able to see the drag racing from a completely different angle. The experience from watching the videos had so huge impact to me and found out that the sport event was exciting just like rallying and circuit racing. In fact, at some point, I could now rate the drag racing as my favorite motorsport. The very first thing that dragged me along to liking the drag racing is that the race completely in seconds with a quarter of a mile distance in coverage of the race. Typically, I realized that I could easily participate in this sport event with the drive, passion, and engagement I could be on my way to becoming a great drag racer. The motivation from Houston’s Erica Enders-Stevens puts me at a completely different platform where I feel accommodated in this sporting event. The least favorite experience with watching 2015 O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA is the learning that a small mistake will make a competitor lose the race. I also didn’t like the knock-out elimination idea since a mistake done in the early knock-out stages will mean that a competitor gets eliminated completely. The knock-out elimination didn’t come out as much pleasing idea since an experienced drag racer can make a mistake earlier and get eliminated. To me, the game didn’t offer a second chance, which is important in all sporting activities. References Beck-Burridge, M., & Walton, J. (2000). Britains winning formula: Achieving world leadership in motorsports. New York: St. Martins Press. Gifford, C., & Kingfisher (Firm). (2006). Racing: The ultimate motorsports encyclopedia. New York: Kingfisher/Houghton Mifflin Co. Read More