Race Car
A New Race Car Combines The Best Ideas With The Latest Technology
When the 2004 Taurus made its debut at Daytona, it represented Ford’s most synergistic effort in race car design to date. This synergy comes from all corners of the Ford empire and includes solid representation from not only the NASCAR ranks but also the real world production side.
The prior version of Taurus, originally presented to the public in the 1998 Daytona 500, has provided excellent results. But its humble beginnings came after public, and, at times, cantankerous battles between various team entities that wanted to leave their mark on that specific iteration.
"A lot of times you can build a car that just suits one team’s purpose," said Ford Racing’s NASCAR Field Manager Robin Pemberton, on a pitfall of this type of engineering exercise. Pemberton is in a position to know, as he was one of the principals of a three-team entity that worked on the ’98 Taurus while working at Penske South Racing.
"I think the last couple times we had Penske doing one version, Yates doing one and Roush doing one," recalled Pemberton shaking his head. "During that (’98) project, NASCAR would cut templates off of cars and they were different cars that were constructed in different ways and not all the templates fit all the cars at the same time.
"It was almost impossible."
With lessons learned from 1998, Ford Racing’s Greg Specht knew that he wanted to approach the car design issue differently. With a heftier engineering staff at his disposal, all he needed was word that the production staff wanted a new car developed for the NASCAR circuit.
The call for a new Taurus came approximately 20 months prior to its first on-track experience and included conversations between Ford Racing and Ford production. The result is a race car that is representative of what consumers see on the showroom floor.
"What we have in ’04 is a re-freshening of the Taurus, so that kicks off a process," recalled Specht. "After the decision was made, we say to the production guys, ‘OK, what are your thoughts? Show us your sketches and drawings,’ and so on and so forth.
"With their ideas and goals in place, we went back and started looking at the race car and say, ‘OK, now what do we need to do to the race car to have it look like the production car?’"
Having the production car designers more intimately involved from the start is also something new to the process, as the value of the NASCAR fan base becomes a key factor.
"In the recent past, racing considerations haven’t influenced their (production’s) thinking a lot anyway," explained Specht. "Even going back to the Thunderbird, what they did in the design studio was not affected that much by what was happening on the race track. However, it is starting to change in that they’re asking for [Ford Racing’s] input a lot earlier on in the process and some ideas that will actually improve the production car and truck.
"That happened with the new F-150, in fact, because since aero was such a big thing on the race track, we spent a lot more time in the wind tunnel with our race trucks than the production engineers do with the production truck," continued Specht. "So we know a lot more about balance and downforce and drag and the subtle little things that you can do to increase those characteristics."
Once the basic design concepts were developed, then the aero process began. This is the playground of Ford Racing’s lead aerodynamicist, Bernie Marcus, who spent a considerable amount of time working out the nuances of the new car by using hand sketches and computer modeling before any consideration was given to forming actual metal fenders, hoods and decklids.
Marcus didn’t have a wide-open field in which to draw from because of NASCAR’s "aero-matching" rules, but he closed in on the starting point for the new car by using electronic models and 40-percent clay models.
"I think the reason everything went so well is because we also included NASCAR early on and that was very different from the past," Specht offered. "The previous programs that I’ve been involved in, we’d go off in the corner and do our jobs. The day it was due, we handed it to NASCAR and said, ‘OK, here’s our car. Can we have your approval for this?’"
"We took a very different approach this time around, and before we started fabricating the car and after we went to the teams and had an idea of what we wanted to do. We brought NASCAR up to Dearborn to our design studio and met with our production car designers and walked NASCAR through. ‘Here’s the production car. Here’s what we’re thinking of doing with the race car to match the production car. What do you think?’
This approach resulted in success. The very first time the 2004 Taurus competed in a NASCAR race, Dale Jarrett drove one to victory in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in early February.
"The piece that we’re ending up with is a very good race car," said Specht, "and it goes to show that two heads are better than one."
About the Author
A place to find 1000s of Useful Articles
A place to to Quickly and Easily Find Someone You Lost Track Of:
 |
 Race Car Magnet Craft Kit 4 Kids No Glue Party ABCraft  US $1.75
|
 ALUMINIUM RACING GRILLE MESH VENT CAR RACE TUNING GRILL US $17.23
|
 2011 Mattel TYCO CARS Italia 440 X2 Slot Car Race CARS US $44.99
|
 NASCAR The Game 2011 Xbox 360 Race Car NEW SEALED US $37.99
|
 Sprint CarRace CarNEW titanium 1 2 20x2 1 2 BOLT US $17.99
|
 LONG BEACH California INDY RACE CAR Souvenir PATCH US $4.95
|
 Cheerios Race Car Snack Container BPA Free New US $2.75
|
 demolition derby car demo car race car 5 gallon steel fuel cell gas tank US $60.00
|
 1999 SUNOCO CAR Transport CARRIER TRUCK Trailer WITH RACE CAR US $12.99
|
 KINDER RACE UN056 UN 56 VOITURE SPORT CAR BPZ US $1.91
|
 ORANGE RIBBON WINDOW NET RACE CAR 18 X 24 STREET STOCK US $9.95
|
 Race Car Cake Topper with Candles Birthday Decoration US $5.94
|
 2009 Hess Truck Race Car Racer MIB w Batteries Bag US $26.50
|
 HARD HAT HARRY RACE CARS MONSTER TRUCKS New DVD US $4.95
|
 1978 1981 FORD CAPRI ZAKSPEED TURBO Race Car SPEC CARD US $1.99
|
 4 Hartwell Aircraft Latch Helicopter Racecar FASTENERS US $29.95
|
 Kids Race Car bed Parts Wheels Steering Wheel lights US $15.00
|
 Classic CASTROL green text Race Rally Car Stickers US $6.31
|
 HRC race atv dirt bike car truck decals stickers US $6.75
|
 NEW Union 76 Decal Sticker 5 X 6 Racecar NASCAR RARE US $.99
|
 RACE CAR Parking Only Sign US $9.95
|
 Lego MiniFigures Series 3 Race Car Driver New US $3.49
|
 Stainless Steel Bonnet Pins pin Kit RALLY RACE Car omp US $17.37
|
 Race Car Kids Drinking Bottle Crocodile Creek NEW 2011 US $8.99
|
 WARNING INSANE STICKER DECAL 4 SHOW DRAG DRIFT RACE CAR US $5.92
|
 HOT WHEELS Race Car Racing Racecar 12 Birthday Cake Cupcake RINGS US $2.25
|
 1996 Classic Race Chase RC2 Rusty Wallaces Car US $1.99
|
 new OPTICAL SENSOR LINE CHASERZ CAR RACE TRACK MARS US $11.25
|
 1969 Pontiac Trans Am Sports Race Car Rubber Stamp US $9.99
|
 CAMS APPROVED RACE DRIFT RALLY CAR NUMBER STICKER SET US $39.46
|
|
|
Wilton Cars Cake Pan $9.66 Wilton molded novelty pan with instructions included. Instructions call for tips #3, 16, and 21. It also includes recipes for butter cream icing for decorating your special cake.... |
|
|
Wooden Race Car Flag Picks (Receive 144 Per Order) $5.00 These Wooden Checkered Flag Picks are great for any race fans party. Use them for snack platters or even cupcake toppers!... |
|
|
Wilton 3 Tier Cars Cupcake Stand $7.95 It's an instant party with a bright, 3-tier cupcake stand and fun decorative topper. 12 x 16.25 in. high. Holds up to 24 cupcakes. Baking cups not included.... |
|
|
Cars [Blu-ray] $15.89 Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/06/2007 Run time: 116 minutes Rating: G... |
|
|
Cars Gift Set (Combo Pack with DVD) [Blu-ray] $22.79 Features include: •MPAA Rating: G•Format: Blu-Ray•Runtime: 116 minutes... |
|
|
There Goes a Police Car [VHS] $6.98 "Officer Dave" Hood, the cocreator and host of the energetic There Goes a... series of videos, partners up with "Officer Becky" to look inside and outside the workings of a contemporary police car. Playing a policeman for the day, Hood shows us the many crime-fighting and safety features in a peace officer's vehicle, and--typical of the series--that includes an amusing goof factor in which Hood... |
|
|
Cars (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition) $14.12 From the acclaimed creators of TOY STORY, THE INCREDIBLES, and FINDING NEMO comes a high-octane adventure comedy that shows life is about the journey, not the finish line. Hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on the old Route 66... |
|
|
Secretariat $9.89 The "greatest racehorse of all time" mantle fits easily around the neck of Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner. So why not a movie version of this champion's life? Secretariat begins in the late '60s, with some good behind-the-scenes material on how thoroughbreds come to be (there's flavorful atmosphere inside the horsey world, including an account of Secretariat's ownership being decided by... |
|
|
The Crayon Prix $1.99 ... |
|
|
Headblade Sport Ultimate Head Shave, 1 razor $6.99 Head Shaver... |
