Car Racing: Exciting but Dangerous
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- Category: Formula 1
- Published on Thursday, 28 April 2011 08:17
- Written by Administrator
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Car racing may be a very exciting sport but unfortunately it is also one that is prone to more mishaps and accidents. At the speeds with which car racers drive with such powerful vehicles, the chance of injuries to the driver is multifold. This has prompted everyone involved in the field from the racing officials to drivers and of course the safety personnel to look into ways of minimizing the chances of mishaps. The back and the neck of the driver are the most vulnerable to injuries and after continuous and dedicated research; several safety devices have been included in the racing cars.
The Head And Neck Support (HANS) device is a part of this safety measure. Several racing organizations have made this device mandatory in cars racing on their tracks and hope to minimize fatalities on the racing track. The HANS essentially is a semi hard collar made of Kevlar, carbon fibers and other elements. The harness that holds the upper body holds the HANS too. Flexible tethers on either side of the collar are attached to the helmet thus holding it in place and preventing it from coming forward due to the impact of a crash. The HANS device does cost a fortune but in its life saving perspective, it is just priceless.
Ever dreamt of crossing the 200 miles per hour sign on your speedometer, but never been able to do so? Well true it may not be possible on the busy streets and during rush hour but then that is what car racing tracks are made for. Participating in car racing is definitely a dream come true for all car enthusiasts.
However it is not the car racing tracks that you need to head for. In fact there is good news for the layman too to participate in legal car racing. Legal street open road races are held each year and if you are able to ready a vehicle for this purpose then you too can participate in it. But getting a car ready for such event may be one of the major hurdles that one faces. Car racing is definitely a costly hobby. Novices can use speed simulation programs like Bonneville to prepare the vehicle. The program has a mathematical formula into which you will need to enter drag coefficient, frontal area, gear ratios, horsepower; tire size etc and this will tell you exactly what type of vehicle you need to build for such car racing. What would be of interest to you is that when it comes to car racing, weight consciousness loses its shape – the heavier the vehicle more the stability at speed.