Third race weekend. Saturday's race shown here. Top spot on the podium for the world's first thermoplastic suspended vehicle. Second place in the Sunday race as well.
Many technologies that are prevalent on today’s passenger cars were born and/or developed in the competitive arena of automobile racing. From something as innocuous as the rear-view mirror and disc brakes, to drive-by-wire systems, variable valve timing, and paddle shifters. Indeed, there are recent developments specifically pioneered in the motorsports field with the intention of proving their value to the passenger car industry – KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and Flex-fuel technology being two examples.
The racing environment is an excellent arena for the development of new technology, as it allows for components and systems to be exposed to extreme operating conditions in a controlled environment, and offers a competitive venue that rewards anything that improves performance. Enhanced acceleration, braking, handling, and fuel economy are all properties that are highly valued both on and off the racetrack. It is also a relatively low-cost method for initial testing and evaluation compared to OEM development of concept cars and pre-production testing programs. It allows a manufacturer to share a portion of the initial development cost with the racing enterprise, as well as reducing their liability exposure.