Hey Good Lookin'

2013 NASCAR Ford Fusion...

When the COT was introduced I liked the idea. I liked the "non twisted" bodywork. I liked the square, upright stance that was a million miles away from the squashed bullet shape of the old cars. Most NASCAR fans hated the "styling" of the rear wing and the splitter though.

Bit by bit NASCAR have developed the COT. The rear wing has been replaced by an old fashioned spoiler and the unsubtle front has been replaced by a smoother look.

Then came COT mark 2, the Nationwide car. More manufacturer identity, better balanced, good looking.

Now comes the first look at COT mark 3... the 2013 Cup car.

With a Ford Fusion body we can now get an idea of what NASCAR is doing with the Cup car for next season. Looking lower and wider than the current car, with a very swoopy roof line and more shape to the sides, it is another racey, good looking car.

If NASCAR can allow the manufacturers this much freedom, this much identity... and keep the aerodynamic balance between the different body styles... they are on to a winner!

I like the overall look and the amount of Fusion detail work in the body. They might be stickers but it looks like the road car. I even like the hole for the rear licence plate!

We all know NASCAR cars have not been "stock" for quite some time but with this car they just got a whole lot closer!

FIA On The Defensive

Back in 1993 Nigel Mansell crossed the pond to race in the CART Series.

I seem to remember an incident at Long Beach between the British "rookie" and Al Unser Jr. The long and short of the incident; they were side by side going into the first set of corners with Mansell on the inside for the first and Unser on the outside, but the American was on the inside for the second. Little Al, the Indycar driver, stayed round the outside of the reigning F1 Champion waiting for the second corner. Mansell, the former F1 driver, drifted wide coming out of the first corner and put Unser into the one of the road corses unforgiving walls. Unser did not get to the second corner. 

Mansell, with the European mentality, took the racing line thinking it was his to take. Al Unser Jr, with the American oval racing mentality, thought he was entitled to his car width. CART and America agreed, Mansell learnt the lesson. Mansell won races on ovals and the Championship that year, Unser the next.

Now, all these years on, Formula 1 is catching up.

The FIA have clarified the rules on defensive driving in F1. The FIA wording is comically long winded but they amount to this...

Drivers can move to a defensive position, but if they want to move back before turning into the corner they must give the other driver room on the outside, and not just move over to the white line potentially forcing the following driver off the track, or causing the two to make contact.  

Let me try this again...

Give each other room!

The FIA have also stated that under a safety car all lapped cars can un-lap themselves... lucky dogs!

Following on from KERS and DRS, this is the latest step in Formula One's "racing" revolution, accepting "racing" and imposing "racing standards" into the Championship.

Back in the mid 90's with Schumacher weaving and blocking anybody who came close and getting away with it, I would never have thought this would happen.

I guess that's what they call progress.