-
Race cars need to be fast or how else will they blast across the finish line ahead of the rest of them. But while racing related deaths aren't unheard of, we don't want our racers to risk their lives each time to hop into one. There have been several examples of race cars that were banned from motorsports for being too extreme or for having a tactical advantage. Here are some of them and why they got banned.
-
Sneaky Pete Robinson's Jumping Jack Dragster: This car, the racing officials said had crossed the line. The Jumping Jack, as the name suggests, two jack stands at the back on which the car could be lifted, and the driver could build up revs before setting off the line. The jacks were controlled by a lever. When the light went green, Sneaky Pete would drop the rear end and the car would hit the drag strip with its wheels already spinning, while the other drivers would only be beginning to rev. After one race, the jack device was banned by the National Hot Rod Association, the governing body of drag racing. (source: Philpot) (Image source: Insomnia Cured Here)
-
1977 Brabham BT46B: Spoilers are installed at the back of cars to produce downforce. This Brabham had one too, but along with that it had a giant fan, which was not just meant to cool the engien but also provide massive downforce. It went on to be called the 'fan car'. According to F1 rules, any equipment used for downforce has to be fixed, but a fan certainly isn't. Hence, the BT46B was gone as soon as the era of fan for spoilers ended. (Image: Howstuffworks)
-
Chaparral 2E: Another case of ban because of immense downforce. On a race track, you need downforce on corners and not so much on straights as that is where you need speed. Spoilers split these benefits so you compromise some and gain some in both situations. The Chaparral 2E, however, had a spoiler that could be manipulated by the driver to best suit the requirement. Hence it was banned after a spoiler that moved. (Image: Howstuffworks)
-
Group B Rally Cars: While we've spoken of some of the cars that have been banned from motorsports, here is an entire class of racing cars that was banned. However, the reason here differs from the others – it was not prowess in terms of power, but safety. Group B rally cars were raced on public roads, dirt roads and other trails, testing speed, control and communication between driver and co-driver. Spectators didn't sit in stands, they lined up by the roadsides with little or no protection. (Image: Howstuffworks)
-
Hendrick Motorsports' 1997 T-Rex: This car was designed by Rex Stump, a former Corvette engineer. He designed the T-Rex to be as fast as possible. While, the car gets its name after Stump, it also had a Jurassic Park-themed paint scheme to promote the movie release. It was a very fast car, outperforming others at NASCAR. After it had run a race, NASCAR officials said the car can not be used in the races again, though it complied with all rules. (source: Hendrick Motorsports) (Image: Brian Snelson)
-
Williams FW14B: As mentioned above, a moveable spoiler was is not allowed in races as requirement for downforce can be manipulated through it. Comes in Williams FW14B, which had an active suspension. It used hydraulics to adjust the suspension depending upon the load on all four tyres. (Image: Howstuffworks)
6 Photos
