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Big air equals big thrills in this new extreme water sport.
Kiteboarding or kitesurfing, if you don't already know, is like snowboarding on water. This, behind a boat, is called wakeboarding. OK, now forget the boat and add a giant kite for the power source. The kite is controlled or steered using a...
Positive Aikido - Part One
Positive Aikido Interview with Henry Ellis by Arthur Lockyear - Fighting Arts International - Issue 93 Where and when were you born, Henry? I was born in Yorkshire, in May 1936 in a little coal mining village called Brampton, near Rotherham. A...
Pressure in Youth Sports
Pressure is part of all sports and its impact in youth sports is something we need to carefully evaluate. The spotlight is brightest in baseball; there is simply no place to hide. For the pitcher, batter, catcher and anybody the ball is hit to, all...
The Latest Filipino Genius?
A year ago many people in the industry would have asked who?, when faced with the name Marlon Manalo. The Filipino based former snooker player realised he couldn't earn a living in Asia from snooker so turned his hand to 9-ball. What a decision that...
Why my Lactate Threshold Training is better than any other Strength Training System.
It's a very simple training system. Consisting of using your body in space with simple counts. Music is optional. With every position and exercise your concentration is focused on alignment, form, breathing, pacing, contracting or relaxing. You...
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A1 Grand Prix - The Car Specs And Interesting Facts
A technical look at the cars taking part in the A1 Grand Prix Of Nations - keeping in mind that they are all kept to the exact same standards in engines and aerodynamics to level the playing field.
For some pictures of the A1 GP cars and for the latest race reviews click here.
The look of the car itself was inspired by what Sheikh Maktoum regards as a good looking race car. Hey, if you're the boss then they have to listen to you, right?
Also very much at the front of developer's minds was the need for excitement in the sport in the form of overtaking; a problem with cars at high speeds with high downforce. What happens, generally speaking, is a very high volume of dirty air (by dirty air I mean unstable and not unclean) is flung out behind the car generating the high downforce. This means the car immediately behind loses downforce and this in turn makes it very difficult for passing as the vehicle following becomes difficult to handle. What the developers of the A1 GP cars have created is a car that creates a very small pocket of dirty air and at the same time engineered the front wing in a way that would allow close
following and therefore a lot of passing to happen throughout a race.
The chassis is made and designed by Lola International and is made up of a core of aluminium honeycomb surrounded by a carbon fibre skin. This results in a one-piece safety cell tub which has proven to be incredibly resistant to twisting (a good thing).
The Vital Statistics:
Weight: About 600kg
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential with paddle-shift
Engine Size: litre V8
Valve-Train:H Cams and 4 valves per cylinder
Max Power:
Fuel Tank: 135 litres
Another addition to the cars to create exciting racing is the Powerboost: This is a driver-activated system which boosts the car to it's maximum of 550bhp at the touch of a button. Each driver has a limited number of times he can use this option (about 8 times in a feature race) and once he has activated it it will stay at the boosted power until he lifts his foot off the accelerator. This has to make for some exciting passes and surely some great defensive manoeuvres as well!
About the Author
Article by the webmaster of All About All Sport
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