Open wheel car - Citizendia

Modern (2007) DP01 Champ Car

Modern (2005) Renault Formula 1 car

1993 Lola Indy Car

1994 Penske Indy Car

Sprint cars

Open-wheel car (Often single-seater car, in UK English) describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body. Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks In the majority of cases they have only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, stock cars, or touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders. Stock car racing is a form of Automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct Auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars Open-wheel cars are usually purpose-built for racing, frequently with a degree of sophistication unknown in other forms of motorsport. Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt

In the United States, it is common to refer to open wheel cars as Indy Cars because of their recognizable appearance at the annual Indy 500. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American However, these vehicles have also historically been called champ cars (short for 'championship car') due to their racing heritage at the highest levels of competition even prior to the Indy 500. Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis

Design

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 often located directly behind the driver, and drives the rear wheels. Depending on the rules of the class, many types of open-wheelers 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. A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion The term downforce describes the downward pressure created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a Car that allows it to travel faster through a corner by holding

Some major races, such as the Monaco Grand Prix (sanctioned by Formula One) and the Long Beach Grand Prix (sanctioned by the IRL), are held on temporary street circuits. The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an Open-wheel race held on a temporary road course in Long Beach California. The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based Open-wheel racing series. However, most open-wheel races are on dedicated road race circuits, such as Road America in the US, Nürburgring in Germany, and the Bahrain International Circuit in the Middle East. Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. The Nürburgring, known as simply " The Ring " by enthusiasts is a Motorsport Race track in Nürburg, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Bahrain International Circuit ( Arabic: حلبة البحرين الدولية) is a venue used for Drag racing, GP2, and an annual In the United States, some top-level open wheel events are held on ovals, both short tracks and superspeedways. The most famous and most well-attended oval race in the world is the Indianapolis 500 in Speedway, Indiana, sanctioned by the IRL. The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States.

Open-wheeled racing is among the fastest in the world. Speeds on ovals can range in constant excess of 210-220 mph (335-350 km/h), and at Indianapolis in excess of 230 mph (370 km/h). In 1996, Paul Tracy recorded a trap speed of 256. Paul Tracy (born December 17, 1968 in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a professional automobile racer who competed 948 mph (413. 52 km/h) at Michigan International Speedway. In 2000, Gil de Ferran set the one-lap qualifying record of 241. Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (322-km moderate-banked D-shaped Superspeedway located off U Gil de Ferran (born November 11, 1967 in Paris, France) to Brazilian parents is a racing driver 426 mph (388. 54 km/h) at California Speedway. The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (formerly California Speedway) is a two-mile low-banked D-shaped oval Superspeedway in Fontana California Even on tight non-oval street circuits such as the Grand Prix of Toronto, open-wheel Champ Cars attain speeds of 190 mph (305. The Grand Prix of Toronto was a Champ Car World Series race held annually from 1986 to 2007, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada 77 km/h).

Driving an open wheel car is substantially different from driving a car with fenders. Virtually all Formula One drivers spent some time in various open-wheel categories before joining the F1 ranks. Open-wheel vehicles, due to their light weight, aerodynamic capabilities, and powerful engines, are often considered the fastest racing vehicles available, and therefore, among the most challenging to master. Wheel-to-wheel contact is dangerous, particularly when the forward edge of one tire contacts the rear of another tire, resulting in the vehicle being suddenly and powerfully flung upwards. One standout example of this is the 2005 Chicagoland crash of Ryan Briscoe with Alex Barron. Ryan Briscoe (born September 24, 1981 in Sydney) is an Australian Auto racing driver who has raced open wheel and sports Alex Barron (born June 11, 1970) in San Diego California) is a race car driver

The lower weight of an open wheel racecar allows for better performance. While the exposure of the wheels to the airstream causes a very high aerodynamic drag at high speeds, it allows improved cooling of the brakes, which is important on road courses with their frequent changes of pace. In Fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a Solid object through a Fluid (a

History The nation-based A1GP concept was founded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, initially in 2004 Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis Formula 500 (F500 is a Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA) open wheel Road racing class Formula 1000 is a class of Formula car racing by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA where a 1000 cc motorcycle engine is used to power a single seat open wheel race car with Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an auto-racing formula that ran different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982 Origins BMW has prior experience of junior Formula racing, as a successful engine supplier in Formula Two and more briefly Formula Three in the Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world Formula Mazda is a class of relatively affordable Formula racing. Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, was a type of Formula racing. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. Formula Palmer Audi, commonly known as Palmer Audi or FPA, is a form of Open wheel racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver For the article about the Asian version of the GP2 series see GP2 Asia Series. The IndyCar Series is the premier series of the Indy Racing League. For other meanings see Kart (disambiguation Kart racing or karting is a variant of Open-wheel Motor sport with The word Superkart has traditionally been used to mean 250 cc engine karts the fastest category in Kart racing racing on full size car circuits Midget cars are very small Race cars with a very high Power-to-weight ratios and typically using Four-cylinder engines Despite their name they are fully Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks Renault_World_Series_Donington_2007jpg|left|thumb|World Series by Renault at Donington Park in 2007 Firestone Indy Lights is a developmental racing series sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. The Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda is a Formula racing series with races throughout North America Superleague Formula is a new motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park.

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Design

See also