RACING PEDIGREE

HOW similar is your everyday car to a racing car? Not very similar, you would say, but you would be quite wrong.

Surprisingly, quite a few common items in your car are actually developed from racing.

Turning the ignition key to start your engine is now being replaced by a push start (and stop) button. Some cars require the key inserted why others have a keyless fob but the racing connection is the button.

In short, it takes much less time to push a button than to insert a key and turn it. Porsche takes it a step further by placing the button on the opposite side of the gear lever just so you can get going a tad faster than the other drivers.

The next similarity is in your car’s suspension. Racing cars require grip and to attain it, the suspension is designed to keep all four wheels in contact with the ground as much as possible.

The fully independent suspension on your car was derived from racing but unlike the race car, your car has safety instead of speed in mind. That’s why your car, despite having similar suspension, does not handle like a racing car (it would be extremely uncomfortable otherwise). Still, it is quite easy to modify your present car to mimic the race car and go for racing.

Most of us drive automatic or manual transmissions. But the new clutchless manual transmissions or dual-clutch transmissions are racing technology that allows drivers to shift gears quickly and make sure that they shift into the correct gear.

These were developed for racing and are now featured on production cars because they allow drivers the fun of a manual without the hassle of a clutch pedal.

The main difference between the production version and the racing version is usually the sequential mode that racing cars have. Whereas you can shift out of sequence (first to third, for instance), a racing driver has to go through each gear in sequence.

Tyres are the next thing that came from racing technology. All the tyre companies that have racing roots usually go racing even if it rains or have to go off-road. Groove design, tread patterns, carcass design and rubber compounds are all developed in the heat of competition.

The disc brakes on your car started appearing on race cars in the 1950s. The previous drum brakes were fade-prone and weak whereas the discs were powerful and easier to maintain. From solid discs to ventilated discs and better brake caliper design and materials, racing has now put disc brakes on all four wheels of your car. Except that carbon-carbon brakes are still too expensive to put in your car, unfortunately.

Then there’s the engine. A LOT of racing technology has filtered down to your car. From double overhead camshafts to supercharging, the racing world has always strove for maximum power (within the rules, of course).

The aforementioned stringent rules actually make manufacturers work harder to extract performance. Thus, variable camshaft timing and ram-air airbox technology as well as many other technological mumbo-jumbo were thought up to make full use of current racing regulations.

And now they feature on your everyday commuter car. Admittedly, federal regulations also have much to do with it.

The exterior of your car also has racing technology. The smooth shapes and low drag design all came from the requirement to go faster. The use of wind tunnels for Formula 1 cars have long filtered down to production cars to produce those wind-cheating shapes.

However, the intention is actually to produce better fuel mileage rather than going fast. Then, we add those air dams and spoilers which actually make the car slower and use more fuel.

One of the unseen technology that filtered down to our cars is the use of lightweight materials. One effect of “adding” lightness in racing cars is to make them faster but, you guessed it, its use in our common cars is to get better mileage.

Lightweight engine blocks of aluminium and the use of composites in the bodywork is all developed in racing. Carbon fibre is still too expensive for production cars and so only featured on high-end cars or sold by aftermarket parts manufacturers.

Finally, the most surprising racing hand-me-down is... safety.

Safety is paramount in racing. Every type of car racing requires the driver to be well-protected, from drag racing to Formula 1.

Lessons learned from racing filter down to road cars in the form of materials and chassis design. And the most surprising item on the long list of racing safety equipment? It’s your rear-view mirror.