Many folks might view auto and truck racing as nothing more than a copious waste of fuel, tires, and steel – and an expensive one at that. Take for example the cost breakdown for a NASCAR race team: engines can cost close to $100,000; each tire close to $500; and the car chassis itself clocking in close to $100,000.
Yet there’s an understated – and very pragmatic – benefit to car and truck racing, as well; one primarily centered on the extreme engineering insight such sports provide makers of everyday components for both types of vehicles.
With fewer regulations and cost-considerations than the real-world, motorsports is an open test-ground for pushing industry boundaries and generating ideas or solutions that could have far-reaching impact on the future of mobility. For engine oils, the lower the viscosity of the oil, the less fuel you need to power your engine. The challenge is to determine the lowest viscosity that still provides the right level of engine protection, durability and performance.
And car racing provides just such a “test bed” for Shell and other lubricant makers to test out their latest concoctions in some of the most extreme vehicular conditions found anywhere on the planet.
On another front, lightweight plastics, composites and other materials are replacing heavy steel components used in exteriors and interior applications like; dashboards to help improve the race car’s fuel economy footprint – another engineering trend making its way into the “regular” car and light truck world.
Finally, start/stop ignition systems to conserve fuel, along with clutchless transmissions with computerized-gear-shifting to minimize inefficient errors, all have their developmental start out on the race track and again are making their way into consumer-grade vehicles – technology thoroughly tested in the ultimate of harsh conditions so engineers know it may hold up.
That same dynamic holds true as the reason why Europe’s heavy truck OEMs are deeply involved in the truck racing world.
