With the cost of fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses on everyone’s mind, the Isle of Man TT organizers take the initiative and offer race fans zero emission racing.

The IOM TT has been around for more than 100 years. The races have seen many changes over the years, changes that were not just to the bikes, but to the course and the regulations too. But in 2009 what could be the biggest change ever is coming to the island.
(more…)

The original concept of a NASCAR race car was that is was supposed to be composed of stock parts—parts you would buy in an auto parts store. In some respects that is true but not totally. The race car is a high performance racing machine designed to withstand high G-forces when banking on turns. Let’s look at what makes up this vehicle.

The first component most are interested in is the engine of a NASCAR racing vehicle. This engine actually is very close to that which you have in your car (provided you have a big engine) but it is customized so that it can withstand high temperature and torque. All parts in the engine of a are machined to within very tight specifications so that there is a minimum of friction. The carburetor is designed to let in the volume of air and fuel mixture required to sustain high speeds for lengthy spans of time. There are no fuel injectors in the race cars engine.
(more…)

Suzuki has used Intermot Cologne to reveal its first new bikes for 2011 – the revamped GSX-R600 and 750 supersports. But similarly to the 2009 makeover the Gixxer 1000 received, the new middleweights are more evolution than revolution despite the fact that the designers essentially went back to the drawing board. All-new engines and drivetrains produce the same peak horsepower as this year’s model (that’s 123hp for the 600 and 148 for the 750) but significant efforts have been made to improve fuel efficiency and reduce power losses between the crank and the rear wheel. The chassis and wheelbase of both bikes have been shortened, both bikes sport Showa’s fashionable and fully adjustable Big Piston forks and there’s a new and improved, radial Brembo monobloc braking system. The big news is that the Gixxer6 and 750 have gone on a pretty impressive diet, shedding 8 and 9 kilos respectively. It looks like a solid upgrade, if perhaps a little unexciting.
(more…)

The drivers from Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One teams are taking their first laps on the great unknown that is the new Korea International Circuit today, at least their first laps in the real world. Previously all four of them got to try out the virtual version in the simulator.

That can prove invaluable when it comes to learning a new track like Yeongam it’s the only chance they’ll have to ‘see’ the track before driving it flat-out at the wheel of a multi-million dollar racing car.
Andy Damerum is Red Bull Technology’s VR guru. As the driver development manager for the F1 Simulator at Milton Keynes, Andy puts everyone through their paces and ensures the simulation is as close to the real thing as science can make it. A toy it isn’t.
(more…)

There was a time when dragstrips and road courses across America were bustling with the sounds of screeching bias-ply burnouts and solid-lifter crackling, and lead-infused fuels burned under high compression. The muscle car era was in full swing, and the manufacturers waged war in battles of horsepower and cubic inches.

At some point though, it seems like those with the vintage cars threw in the towel and stopped showing up, leaving the late-model crew to have all of the fun. Now we’re not saying that you should be hanging out at the track all the time, but you should be able to enjoy all of that high-horsepower hardware that you’ve installed under the hood, and taking your car to your local racetrack offers that opportunity in a very safe environment.
(more…)