NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Open wheel car

Open wheel car is a term for cars, usually purpose built racecars, with the wheels located outside the car's main body, as distinct from cars which have their wheels below the body or fenders, in the manner of most street cars, stock cars, or touring cars. Open-wheel racing includes many types and levels of motor racing including Formula One, American Championship Car Racing (Champcar, IRL), sprint car, midget car, and others. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1162x514, 439 KB) Fernando Alonso (of the Renault team) qualifying at the 2005 US Grand Prix Photo by Dan Smith. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1162x514, 439 KB) Fernando Alonso (of the Renault team) qualifying at the 2005 US Grand Prix Photo by Dan Smith. ... Nigel Mansell, CART, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 1993, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Nigel Mansell, CART, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 1993, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... This article is about the sport of stock car racing. ... -1... Main Article: History of Formula One See List of Formula One Grands Prix for results from past seasons and individual races. ... This article provides a general outline of the major American Open-Wheel motor racing championship, for specific information on the current Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League see Champcar and IRL. 1994 Indianapolis 500, a National Championship race Since 1916 there has been a United States national... Champcar has been the name for the class of cars used in the United States premier open wheel auto racing series for decades. ... The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the promoter of a predominantly oval based open-wheel racing series in the United States and, more recently, Japan. ... Sprint cars are small, high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running in short races (generally, five to fifty miles) on short tracks, which are often not paved (dirt tracks). The high power-to-weight ratio makes sprint car racing exciting; it often also makes it very... Midget cars are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio. ...

A typical open-wheeler has a minimal cockpit sufficient only to enclose the driver's body, with the head exposed to the air. In modern cars, the engine is located directly behind the driver, and drives the rear wheels. Depending on the rules of the class, many types of open-wheeler have wings at the front and rear of the vehicle, as well as a very low and virtually flat undertray that helps achieve additional aerodynamic downforce pushing the car on to the road. Cockpit of a light aircraft, showing instrumentation dials and dual control yokes. ... The term downforce describes the downward pressure created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a racing car that allow it to travel faster through a corner by holding the car to the track. ...

Most open-wheeler races are on dedicated road race circuits. Some major races are held on temporary street circuits, and in the US many are held on oval "superspeedways" - most notably the famous Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis. Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss racing at Monza in 1955 Low-res picture uploaded by User:Rdsmith4 This work is copyrighted. ... Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss racing at Monza in 1955 Low-res picture uploaded by User:Rdsmith4 This work is copyrighted. ... Indianapolis 500, 1994 The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, frequently shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, is an American race for open-wheel automobiles held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. ...

Open-wheeler vehicles, due to their light weight, aerodynamic capabilities, and powerful engines, are often considered the fastest and most exciting to drive racing vehicles available, and the best way for aspiring racers to learn their craft. Virtually all Formula One drivers spent some time in various open-wheeler categories before joining the F1 ranks. However, because the cars do not particularly resemble road cars, and the aerodynamics favour leading drivers over tailing ones thus making overtaking difficult - not to mention the fragility of the cars making the bumping and jostling common in touring and stock car racing impossible - only a few open-wheeler categories draw significant crowds. World of Outlaws drivers honor the fans with a Four Abreast lap during the Spring Clasic at Knoxville Raceway. ... World of Outlaws drivers honor the fans with a Four Abreast lap during the Spring Clasic at Knoxville Raceway. ... Main Article: History of Formula One See List of Formula One Grands Prix for results from past seasons and individual races. ... Aerodynamics is a branch of fluid dynamics concerned with the study of gas flows, first analysed by George Cayley in the 1800s. ...

Driving an open wheel car is substantially different from driving a car with fenders. Although the lower weight of an open wheel racecar allows for better performance, the exposure of the wheels to the airstream causes a very high aerodynamic drag at high speeds (the top of the tire is moving at double the speed of the car, and aerodynamic drag force varies with the square of the speed). The visibility of the wheels to the driver makes a high degree of precision possible in their placement; on the other hand, wheel to wheel contact is dangerous, particularly when the forward edge of one tire contacts the rear of another tire, and is suddenly and powerfully flung upwards. Download high resolution version (951x565, 131 KB) Penske PC-23 Mercedes, 1994 Indianapolis 500 winning car. ... Download high resolution version (951x565, 131 KB) Penske PC-23 Mercedes, 1994 Indianapolis 500 winning car. ...

Notable categories of open-wheeler racing include: This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

Categories: Open wheel racing Main Article: History of Formula One See List of Formula One Grands Prix for results from past seasons and individual races. ... While Formula One has generally been regarded as the pinnacle of open-wheeled auto racing, the high performance nature of the cars and the expense involved in the series has always meant that there has needed to be a path to reach this peak. ... The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the promoter of a predominantly oval based open-wheel racing series in the United States and, more recently, Japan. ... Nigel Mansell racing in a Champcar in 1993 Terminology Champcar, a shortened form of Championship Car, has been the name for a class of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades. ... Formula 3000 is a type of formula racing. ... Formula Three is a type of formula racing and a class of auto racing. ... Formula Ford is a single seater motor sport which exists in some form in most countries around the world. ... Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an auto-racing series that ran in the United Kingdom from 1968 to 1976. ...