If you get two or more humans together, whether in cars, on mountain bikes, or even pushing carts through Costco, our innate competitive nature will devolve into racing. It’s baked into our DNA. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the homo sapiens brain realized you don’t have to be faster than the lion, you just have to be faster than the guy next to you.
The last couple hundred years has seen the development of different forms of racing to suit every taste. In the extremes, NHRA Funny Cars are covering the quarter-mile in just 3.5-seconds at nearly 340 mph while a 160-hp Dacia Logan (think Romanian rent-a-car) competed in the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. In between we have everything you find on network TV, from NASCAR to F1 and yes, we’re still racing horses.
But, since we have shown that we will race anything, what exists on the fringes? What’s out there for racing enthusiasts with tastes either more exotic or more relatable, depending on your point of view, to satisfy their primal need for competition? Whether you’re looking for a new way to watch, compete, or otherwise participate, there’s something for everyone.
Compete Or View Anywhere With Sim Racing
The transition from racing video games to simulations began in the early 1990s with rapidly increasing computing power for both graphics and performance physics. Of course, the racing was all done against computer-controlled competitors, or individually competing for lap times against friends.
In the mid-90s, arcade consoles could be networked together. By the early 2000s, internet connection speeds were finally fast enough for online racing. But it wasn’t until COVID that sim racing really exploded into the mainstream and even became a spectator sport.
In the absence of real-world events during the pandemic, everyone from weekend autocrossers to professional F1 drivers were building sim rigs at home to compete online – in some cases, for substantial sums of money. Now, with racing back in full-swing, sim racing is still going strong.
Streaming services through iRacing and Apex Racing TV allow you to watch live races, or stream previously recorded racing. There are even countless YouTube channels dedicated to online sim racing, providing analysis, commentary, and even instructional videos on how you can get started yourself. Sim rigs may seem expensive for the average Nintendo buyer, but racers will be shocked at the fun they can have for roughly the price of a set of tires.
Watching Anything and Everything Down Under
Come winter, when you’re missing racing action during the offseason here in America, it’s time to see how the other half live – “the other half” meaning the southern geometric half of the Earth. Australians are rabid race fans and easily match Americans in the love of big displacement, fender-to-fender action, and trackside BBQ. With different online streaming services, racing enthusiasts can find everything from go karts and sprint cars, to rallying and open wheel formula road racing.
But the one to watch is V8 Supercars.
The series has been around since the early ‘90s, first starting as a racing class for Ford and Holden – that’s how you say GM in Australian. These were front-engine, rear wheel drive sedans powered by 5.0-liter V8s racing on road courses. The class was so popular amongst fans and sponsors, that it became its own series in 1996. It’s expanded over the years to include endurance events and races outside of Australia and New Zealand.
Americans will see the cars as a mix of NASCAR Cup Series and IMSA GTD cars. These are purpose-built front engine, rear wheel drive, tube frame race cars. Fords use a 5.4-liter twin cam V8, while Chevy engines use a single cam 5.7-liter. Both engines make a little over 600 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, and cars weigh roughly 3,000 lb.
Although that power-to-weight ratio screams “race car,” competition is more exciting because the V8 Supercars use narrower tires and make less downforce than a Porsche 911 GT3RS road car. If that’s not enough, they have to drive on the wrong side of the car. If you’re a pro-driver in the Northern Hemisphere, maybe see if you can get a ride in the off-season. The rest of us can stream a race on 7plus.com.au to see what’s up.
Kickin’ Grass - Lawn Mower Racing
For young Americans, their first driving experience is often a riding lawn mower. Maybe more importantly, a lawn mower is probably their first experience wrenching on anything with an engine – with or more likely without parents knowing or approving. It’s no wonder those same kids grew up wanting to get mowers on the track.
Beginning as more of a novelty in the 1960s, lawn mower racing has become serious business. As serious as it can be while still being gardening equipment repurposed for the race track. There are racing organizations all over the world that run races, and championships for different age groups and levels of competition. Classes start with stock mowers with little more than the cutting mechanisms removed, and expand up to open classes powered by motorcycle engines and hitting over 100 mph.
Getting into the sport yourself is relatively simple and cheap compared to other forms of motorsports. Racing mowers can be built for a few hundred dollars and entry fees are equally affordable. But if competing isn’t for you, or you can’t find an organization near you, there are many ways of watching lawn mower racing online. The best choice is going to be YouTube, although a quick Google search can turn up some local races in your area. This is one of those things you’re going to want to see with your own eyes if you get the chance.
Secure The Future Of Racing With Formula Student
Most people, even racing enthusiasts, have never heard of the most important series in the world. Formula SAE is a life and career-changing experience for college engineering students. Yes, the window of opportunity to be a competitor is small, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play a role in securing the future of racing.
In 1980, a mechanical engineering professor and a handful of students started a competition amongst universities. The goal was to build small open-wheeled race cars based around a simple formula to keep performance and costs from quickly spiraling out of control. The cars could be powered by any 4-stroke engine, but the intake was restricted to 1-inch diameter.
Originally, the cars competed in acceleration, maneuverability, efficiency, and an endurance race. After 40 years of evolution, the performance testing has expanded while design competitions judge everything from innovation to cost control.
The students involved in SAE, The Society of Automotive Engineers, graduate from universities and go on to work for race teams, car companies, or even become entrepreneurs in the car world. The hands-on experience gained from the ground-up design, fabrication, and racing of formula cars is just as valuable as classroom learning while also feeding or sometimes even sparking a lifelong love of cars.
Even if you aren’t competing, you can get involved. Volunteers are always needed at the multiple events that have expanded all over the world. On top of that, if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re involved in the automotive or racing world. Teams in your area are always looking for sponsors and mentorship. If you can’t do that, get out to an event and see tomorrow’s engineers in action today. Go to fsaeonline.com to learn more, and be sure to watch some videos at https://www.youtube.com/saecollegiatedesignseries to see all the things SAE is up to.