Ferrari and NASCAR.. match made in heaven.. hehe

[RC45]

I checked around and didn't see this posted... delete if old news...

This is beautiful.. ;) -- looks like y'all will have to start enjoying NASCAR.. :P ;)

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns14060.html


JANUARY 7, 2005
Ferrari to enter NASCAR!
The latest word from Italy is that the NASCAR teams are sitting up and taking notice of some of the engine technology which is available now in Modena, Italy, and that High Performance Engineering, a company run by Piero Ferrari (Enzo's son) is to be developing engines for one of the NASCAR teams in 2005. It is not clear which teams is involved but with engine development largely in the hands of the automobile manufacturers Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford it is likely that the work will be done for one of them. The most likely connection is with Chevrolet as there are links between General Motors and Fiat. HPE is independent of FIAT but works for both Ferrari and Maserati, doing high-performance engine development work. HPE is owned by Piero Ferrari but the Ducati company has a 40% share of the business. HPE, which is headquartered in the same building where Enzo Ferrari started the car company, has been responsible for some of the more interesting developments Ducati engine developments in recent years. In 2003 the company joined forces with a company called Iniziative Tecnologiche Applicate, run by Dario Calzavara (a man who was once head of the Pirelli F1 programme) to build a motorcycle called the Terra Modena SX2 which featured a 450cc HPE engine, which was designed for racing and to attract customers for roadgoing versions of the bike.

NASCAR is big business in the United States but few European companies have been able to make money from the series as the US championship has an impressive infrastructure of its own, clustered around Charlotte, North Carolina.

[jakaracman]

Maybe tey're trying to attract new kind of fans...

[TT]

No matter what kind of engines you would put in NASCAR cars, it will still be the most boring motorsport ever conceived :D

[23790554]

i only watch the NASCAR for a big crash

[mindgam3]

so its not actually ferrari but HPE?

[numerouno]

The problem with NASCAR isn't the engines, it's the boring ovals, IMO

[T-Bird]

The problem with NASCAR isn't the engines, it's the boring ovals, IMO

Exactly they run some bad ass engines in NASCAR and I doubt anyone would really argue that. And the cars are fast as fuck but the tracks make the whole sport boring.

[twboy1999]

i am still really surprise how popular nascar really is in usa
just look at how many sub leagues in nascar.. and everh race.. is full of crowds.. fuckign nuts..

borest racing ever

[sentra_dude]

LOL...I checked the date just to make sure, no its not April 1st. ;)

That is weird...but they do make some kickass engines in NASCAR...

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=8538&page_number=1

Then there are the engines, which are probably the most secretive part of a stock-car operation. As a result, our visiting test crew was not exactly in tell-all mode. We do know the basics about the Intrepid's V-8: It has an iron block, aluminum cylinder heads, and pushrods to operate the two-valve cylinders. The maximum allowed displacement is 358 cubic inches, or 5.9 liters. Mixing the intake air with the fuel is a single four-barrel 830-cfm Holley carburetor. The engine has nothing in common with Dodge's streetgoing Hemi V-8. Evernham's team juggles the bore and stoke, the valve lift and timing, and adjusts the carburetor to tailor the power curves to different tracks.

No one would reveal precise horsepower, but it's somewhere between 750 and 825. We estimate Mayfield's car makes 800. Torque is about 525 pound-feet. What's interesting is that despite the large displacement and pushrod configuration—both traits typical of low-revving, torquey motors—a NASCAR V-8 spins to 9500 rpm, gobs higher than the Honda S2000's 8000, which comes from a modest 240-hp, 2.2-liter four. On some ovals, drivers will hold the revs in the 9500-rpm range for 500 miles. And the higher an engine revs, the greater the forces that the internals must withstand. You can reduce the forces by either lightening the components or reducing the engine speed. Twenty-five years ago, a NASCAR engine revved to about 8000 rpm, but advances in materials, manufacturing, and inspection processes have yielded lighter, stronger parts with fewer flaws.

[findleybeast]

9500rpm for 500 miles is mighty impressive, especially for a big displacement V8...

[SPEEDCORE]

No not really. It would be impressive if it was its 1st year, but NASCAR has been around how many years? The engines are built to last just enough. V8 Supercar racing is similar in power but the advantage they have corners :D

[ikon2003]

That's very interesting information. Lots of stuff in there i didn't know - it'll b interesting to see how much of it pans out. It might b a stretch to say "ferrari" is making engines, but i see the connection.

NASCAR (as boring of a sport as it is) seems to be going in the right direction business wise lately - they've really revamped their image, and they've changed a lot of the rules to make the racing more competitive (every driver who finishes gets points, is one eg). They're really pushing for new frontiers for their viewership too - these are some lessons F1 could take note of.

[noliebro]

I think this is very interesting, I would like to see NASCAR have more improvements in techknology, it is about time. Oh and as for the popularity, maybe it is just an American thing but if you could really hear the noise of all those V-8 engines roaring at 9500rpm, it's pretty incredible. Don't get me wrong it is still boring as anything.

[szumszer]

how about race stripes and big wing spoilers and lets call them the Super Nascars instead (I think they had those before), don't get me wrong big V8s can be exciting, just look at Australian V8s, but the word is "corner" as in right corner, I think nascar needs that more than a ferrari engine ...

[pharzo]

I once heard NASCAR described as "taxi's turning left", I tend to agree lol. They can have engines from a spitfire for all it matters, it's just boring

[ZfrkS62]

how about race stripes and big wing spoilers


Refer to the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird of the '69 and '70 race seasons :wink:


As for this...in a stretch, Schumi could drive NASCAR (since his contract stipulates he con only drive a Ferrari or Fiat vehicle, powereing a car with a Ferrari engine and putting the horse on it might work :P ) too and destroy the field :D though i don't think he'd be very pleased about the "bump to pass" tactics employed by the mid-field runners that he would enounter after his pit stop :P If only that happened, i might feel compelled to watch a race :roll:

NASCAR sucks bigger nuts than IRL does. Go fast, turn left. A monkey could do it with enough bananas as incentive :roll:

[666fast]

If you guys think Nascar is boring, you should try catching a Grand-Am race! Hoo boy, they put you right to sleep! Nascar overall, is far more entertaining than Grand Am. On occasion, I'll watch a Nascar race at a road course, otherwise I just don't bother. I don't find it interesting.

As for this whole Ferrari business, all I got to say, is I can't believe companies will invest so damn much into something as redundant as Nascar. Seriously, what is Ford, Pontiac, Chevy etc.. getting out of the hundreds of millions of dollars they invest into Nascar? All they get is a car that is nothing like the actual product on the road. Hell, the only distinguishable feature is the grill and headlight stickers on the front. I could go on about other manufacturers, but I'll go way off topic. Maybe I should start a new thread in the motorsports section! LOL

[Pimp Racer]

LMAO! HAHAHAHA! :lol: This is by far the most funniest thing I have heard in about a long ass time! No matter what they do to Nascar going in circles or "drafting" for like 3 hours in ovals will ALWAYS be boring! No matter what they put! But this is just my opinion so it really doesnt matter. :D LMAO I once again would like to thank you because this is the funniest thing I have heard in a long ass freaking time!