Made For Formula One

Formula One; the highest flight of motorsports and the pinnacle of car manufacturers pitting their whit and grit to outdo one another. So much research and development has gone into the technology that now governs the Formula One car that we the road car users go �wow� when we watch it on television or read about it in a magazine. We fail to realize that a lot of technology that we have in our cars today was once used in Formula One. Let�s take a quick look at the road car technology that we drive with today�

The pedal shift gears. How many of you drive a Honda Civic 2.0? Or any of the new make/model with a pedal to shift gears behind your steering wheel? Did you know, that this is a technology that is being used in Formula One till today? It was in fact invented and developed for the sport in the early 90s�. That�s another surprise, isn�t it? A technology that was invented so long ago and only now we see it on our road cars. As to why, we�ll let the economist debate that.




Another famous evolution from Formula One is the all famous traction control that every car manufacturer seems to brag about. Well it was also introduced in the 90s when Formula One moved into the non-turbo age. So what exactly is this Traction Control? When your car accelerates from a stand still position, there will be a slight amount power loss due to tyres spinning inefficiently. Now the traction control device ensures that power is gradually transferred from your drive-train to the car tractions or otherwise known as your tyres. Now this system also works during maneuvering corners and such, when the car needs to modulate between power and traction. One of the most if not highest causes of cars losing control and crashing is because of drivers going in too strong into a turn and failing to keep it in line. The traction control system however helps and I stress; it only assists a driver in these circumstances. So remember, the driver�s judgment is still the most important add on accessory a car needs.

As of lately, if you�ve noticed on the roads, trucks and busses are equipped with this annoying LED blinking third brake light, or should I say fourth. And where do you ask this little piece of safety precaution came from? Yes, the answer is Formula One. It is used during a rain setup where visibility is clearly questionable and also during slow speed areas of the Formula One circuit, for example the pit-lanes.

So the next time you go test drive a brand new car and when the sales person starts telling you of some new age technology that ONLY they have, ask yourself; how�d they come up with that. I�m willing to take a bet, 9 times out of 10; it was made for Formula One�.

Drive Safe!