A guide to building a race car — continuation
THE last drag event of the year came and went. Many petrol-heads graced the event and battled it out it out with many improving their times. Many difficulties were encountered but the event was a success with the Toyota MR2 still showing that it’s the King of drags. Local competitors showed us that Bulawayo is no longer an underdog; we also have fast cars built for the drag. Eleven seconds for the quarter mile is no joke and our Bulawayo guys have broken into the eleven seconds bracket. It was pomp and fanfare with fans cheering on as they battled to keep their roaring lions in control. Following last week’s issue we will have a continuation of the best ways to build a racecar.
We looked at weight reduction in the previous article and it is good to note that race car designers usually choose to have rear-wheel drive than frontwheel drive. Why is that so, you may ask? While it is good to have your car weighing less, it is also good to have a balanced car. Front-wheel drive cars are usually front heavy because the engine and drive train are confined to the front of the vehicle. With rear-wheel drive the weight is distributed evenly across the car and therefore a better and more balanced car. It doesn’t make a front-wheel drive car any less of a race as loss of mass in the back can always be compensated.
Traction is everything. You can have all the power in the world but if you cannot put that power down, you will not improve your times and you may keep losing. Passenger tyres are no good when it comes to racing. Passenger tyres are made with tread wear to counter hydroplaning in wet weather. They are also made with harder rubber so that they last longer. Race tyres are the very opposite. They are high performance tyres made of softer rubber without tread wear for maximum grip. Your race car project will need to consider the perfect tyres for the track, you need all the seconds to win and a good set of racing tyres can just make the difference. After all, according to popular mechanics, a good set of racing tyres is good for 10 or even more horsepower.
The business of making cars is like any other business, it’s all about profit and that means car manufacturers always take the cheapest route to create a car and make the maximum profit. This is the reason why cars come with stupid audio systems. Head units and speakers likely to be found in toy cars. They want to make a car the cheapest way and make maximum profit. The same goes for performance, cars are made with a lot of room for improvement. Exhaust system can make or break a car. Performance exhaust system can give you a little more power if done the right way. It will allow the exhaust to breathe better by allowing for a quick exit of all the gases from the engine.
The diameter of the exhaust matters a lot when it comes to performance. You’d notice that race cars are often louder than normal cars and that is because they use larger piping and less mufflers for a free flow of air. While catalytic converters are good for the environment and our health, they may not exactly be good for the engine. A catalytic converter is a device found in the exhaust system that uses a catalyst to turn harmful exhaust gases into harmless gases. These devices kind of like limit the flow of exhaust gases and suffocate the engine. Overtime they get clogged and can cause serious performance issues. That is the reason why race cars should always have an unrestricted exhaust. Due to climate change issues in the first world it is now a requirement to have catalytic convertors on race cars. With modern cars that make use of computers to control the engine, it may not just be as easy as removing the catalytic converter. There may be need to retune the ECU do that the oxygen sensors do not cause drivability issues as they send funny signals to the ECU.
Lastly suspension setup is of utmost importance when building a race-car. Some cars naturally come with good suspension but some come with the not so good ones. With weight reduction come many issues to do with handling. If you alter a car’s weight that means the suspension has to be changed as the car becomes lighter. Racing suspension is a bit more stiff, stiffer than stock suspension and it does not really work well on everyday cars. The car becomes stiffer and wont absorbs road imperfections that well. However, on the track they work quite well through the bends and the corners.
Before one embarks on a race car project, they need to know that it is an expensive hobby and chances are your wife will not approve of it but do not despair because there are big companies out there waiting to put their big name on your race car provided you are doing something right . . . Till Next time — Adios!
lovert10@ gmail. com/ www. facebook. com/ automartzimbabwe FOOTBALL is a sport where one expresses his artistic ability to score goals within the confines of its rules. Creativity, technique, tactics and goals stand at the centre of all endeavours for participants who may be coaches, fans, players and sponsors. For decades midfielders and strikers have stolen the show for their creativity and goals that have kept fans trickling to stadia.
Rarely do defenders get recognised for their finesse and intellect in the execution of their duties. It is as if they are there to win the ball for ball players and strikers to win. Imagine going to 10 matches as a paying fan to games that would end in goalless draws, what a bore would than turn to be.
Zimbabwe has had its own fair share of brilliant defenders who have captivated audiences across the continent. But which defence partnerships have been outstanding and would deservingly find their way to the corridors of football archivers?
Former Highlanders and AmaZulu defence stalwart Sikhumbuzo Ndebele has the pair of Thulani “Biya” Ncube and Dazzy Kapenya at the peak of the list. He said what was amazing about the two was that both were ball players whose creativity was visible, they never shied away to venture forward and aid their attackers. While they did so, they never slackened in their defensive roles.
“That was a unique pairing, naturally you need a technical partner to a man-marker, someone who will sweep and play make, but Dazzy and Biya were an outstanding skilful; pair that was very offensive yet so good defensively. They could not be intimidated or found wanting in their roles and one good aspect about their game is that they were both vocal so they kept their teammates on their toes when it came to needed numbers in defence,” said Ndebele.
He had praises for the Felix Ntuthu and Joseph Ndlovu partnership at Bulawayo Wanderers which also had Stoneshead Moyo on the left and Asani Karigeni on the right. The rubber technologist turned sports science student said it took the bravery of the legendary Madinda Ndlovu and Rahman Gumbo to keep the combination together which led to four straight league championships between 1999-2002.
“They were all different characters who worked for each other well.”
The Zimbabwe Saints duo of Ephraim Chawanda at the centre with Misheck “Road Block” Sibanda is another partnership. With Josphat Humbasha, Garikai Rwodzi and around,” said Gumede.
The late Titus Majola, hard working and talented Tito Paketh and Willard Khumalo gave good cover too in front of defence.
Gumede added: “We also had the defence partnership of the 1970s, Boet Van Ays, Edward Dzowa and James Nxumalo, they were watertight and of course we cannot leave out goalkeepers Peter Nkomo and Ananias Dube the last man in defence, they also had their part too. I liked the Dynamos defence which had Stephen ‘Faka Simbi’ Chimedza and Sherperd Murape, they were a gem, Chimedza was brilliant,” said Gumede.
The Arcadia defence of Dorman Moodley, Joey Antipas, Majid Dhana and Reg Payne provided good cover to Nat Bismark and the legendary Stewart Gilbert.