Aerodynamics are one of the most important components of modern race car engineering. Ensuring that the airflow over their team’s car will provide traction during a race is a key discipline for designers, and both open-wheel and stock car racing revolve around focus application of techniques like these. Spoilers, fins, wings, and scoops are among the most common ways to use the air to one’s advantage, but when automotive aerodynamics were first born, they used a much stranger application of air’...

Formula One is a sport where cars undergo constant microadjustments as engineering advances. When new research about aerodynamics, tires, engines, or other core components of F1 cars come forward, manufacturers are quick to modify their cars so that they are the best they can be for the upcoming season. This process is so constant that huge leaps and bounds in F1 technology are harder to come by these days; many of the larger advancements that revolutionized the discipline happened years or deca...

In the early 1960s, the U.S. was lagging behind European auto producers when it came to making competition-winning GT cars. Aston Martin and Jaguar were consistently successful with their DB4 GT and their E-type, respectively, but the king of the ring during this time was Ferrari, who had an overabundant series of GT class wins at Sebring, Le Mans, and the overall GT-class Manufacturers’ Championship. When there was a Ferrari problem during this time, though, Carroll Shelby had the answer. His A...

Everybody knows the Model T, and most know it as the car that earned Henry Ford his fortune. Its manufacture marked the beginning of the assembly line’s widespread use and the availability of motorcars to the general public; it was so widely purchased that the next car to take the title of most-produced–the Volkswagen Beetle–didn’t surpass it until 1972, 64 years after the Model T began production. However, people who think that the Model T was successful on its own merit have missed a key detai...

Fraction Motors has previously covered some of the most famous race tracks in the world. We’ve discussed some NASCAR favorites and the historic highlights from the F1 world, but none of those tracks have as much longevity as today’s star. We’re of course talking about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the oldest purpose-built car racing track still in operation–and if you’ve ever been to Indy, you know it does more than just operate. It has long hosted one of the world’s most prestigious races, h...

Rally driving is a motor racing discipline that requires a combination of multiple skillsets. Drivers need to have the typical racing instincts for straight-line speed, cornering, and avoiding danger while also having a knack for retaining control on dirt, gravel, snow, sand, and more. It’s a Venn diagram that all drivers who aspire to succeed in the sport need to master, as demonstrated by those few who have truly mastered it. In the more than 50 years since the World Rally Championships (WRC) ...

Fuel, spare tires, new parts, pit staff, safety officers, coaches, and permission from a governing body. These are all of the components that need to be present when a professional racing car is practicing on a track, and it’s no small amount. Racing teams need resources, energy, and lots of funding to remain operational, and although practice is important, doing it too often can make all of the above components disappear in a flash. That’s one of the biggest reasons why using racing simulators ...

Many racing drivers strive to have their name remembered for years down the line. They chase victories, records, and titles so that they can prove their skill to their fellow competitors and to the world. However, it’s rare that these individuals continue to give the energy they don’t expend on the racetrack back into the sport; to work consistently and passionately to better racing for all drivers and to ensure their wellbeing when one could be resting or enjoying the spoils of their victories ...