List of motorsport terminology
Encyclopedia
The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings.
for changing wheels and or giving mechanics access to the underside of the car for repairs.
Apex: The part of a corner where the racing line is nearest the inside of the bend.
Armchair enthusiast: Alternatively armchair racer, an individual who follow motorsport primarily on television and internet and read books and magazines about the subject. Can also refer to somebody who play racing video games
Awful Awful: North American rodder
slang for a AA/FA ("double A" Fuel Altered) drag racer
B-team: A racing team that exists to develop the careers of upcoming drivers, such as Scuderia Toro Rosso
and unofficially, Super Aguri F1
. Sometimes also referred to as a satellite team
Back half: (drag racing) referring to distance from the 1/8 mile mark to the 1/4 mark of the track.
Backmarker: A slower car, usually in the process of being lapped by the leaders. It is sometimes a derogatory term.
Backup car: See Spare car.
Beam: (drag racing) starting line electric eye controlling prestaged and staged lights.
Banking: A.) The angle at which a track inclines towards the outside of a corner or from the lower to the higher side of a straight, also referred to as camber, more so when modest or negative, B.) a corner that inclines towards the outside or C.) an earth bank where spectators sit or stand
The Big One
: A large pileup during a stock car race involving up to 30 cars. The term is largely reserved for restrictor plate
racing at Daytona
and Talladega
.
Blend line: The painted line defining the exit from pit lane where it rejoins the race track. It prevents emerging race cars from driving into race traffic travelling past the pits. Competitors are penalised for crossing the blend line, ensuring cars have attained full racing speed before rejoining the race.
Bleach box: (drag racing) Area where bleach
is deposited for cars to perform burnouts (q.v). Gasoline (since discontinued for safety reasons), water, and TrackBite are also used.
Blow: See Blown.
Blower: supercharger
(occasionally turbocharger
); in '90s, generally grouped as "power adder" with turbocharger and nitrous
.
Blown: A.) An engine that is supercharged (i.e. a "blown" V8 is a supercharged V8); or B.)An engine that has suffered serious failure, usually no longer running and/or having sustained irreparable damage (i.e. "Looks like #21 has a blown engine...his race is over").
Blowover: flipping of a car or boat, due to air under car lifting front wheels. Commonly suffered by dragsters and powerboats.
Bottle: (drag racing) refers to the nitrous system, also the jug.
Bottoming, Bottoming out: When the bottom of the chassis
hits the track.
Breakout: (drag racing) running quicker than dial-in; also "breaking out." Grounds for disqualification if opponent does not commit a foul start or cross boundary lines; also known as Bustout.
Bridesmaid: A driver who finishes the race or racing season as runner up
Bump and run
: A move in stock car racing, where a trailing car intentionally bumps the car in front in an attempt to pass.
Burnout: performed to heat the tires up for better traction.
Buschwhacker or Claim Jumper: (NASCAR
) A term for drivers who regularly race in the first tier NASCAR series, the Sprint Cup Series, who make guest or semi-regular appearances racing in the second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series. The term was named originally for then sponsor of the second-tier series Anheuser-Busch
brewery. The newer term references insurance abuse (from the current sponsor).
Bye
: Allows a driver to advance to the next stage or heat of an event, without competing, when there are uneven numbers entered. Commonly used in speedway
, drag racing
and drifting
etc.
Camber
: A.)The angle at which wheels are set up to tilt in or out, measured in degrees in or out from 90 degrees (i.e. "2.5 degrees negative camber" means each wheel is tilted 2.5 degrees inwards from vertical) "Positive camber" means the top of the tyre is angled outwards from the car; "negative camber" means that the top tilts inwards. Negative camber assists cornering performance as the outside tyres lean into the corner (like a motorcycle) which keeps the lateral forces on the tire lower and causes less flex in the sidewall, although it does also have the effect of increasing tyre wear. Or B.) Banking, the angle at which a corner inclines towards the outside or a straight from its lower side to its higher side. Sometimes specified as positive camber and negative camber, the latter indicating a decline from the inside of a corner.
: A series of chain-link fencing
used to slow out of control cars down. It is common on American short tracks and it was common on road course racing prior to the advent of gravel traps.
Caution / Caution period: See Full course yellow.
Chase vehicle: In off-road racing, a non-competitive vehicle that follows a competing vehicle to assist with repairs.
Chicane
: An artificial feature added to the natural course of a track to slow cars or create a passing zone.
Chopping Down the Christmas Tree: See Wired to the tree.
Christmas tree (or tree): The series of lights (in drag racing) that signal the approach and start of a race in addition to showing starting violations.
Clean air: Air that has not been affected by turbulence from other cars. The opposite of dirty air.
Clerk of Course: Responsible for all on-track activities including demonstrations and parades. The supervision of the track and all emergency services should at all times be under the ultimate control of the Clerk of the Course.
Closing/shutting the door: A driver takes an early defensive racing line into a corner to block the car behind from overtaking along the preferred line.
Co-driver
: In rally racing
, a co-driver directs the driver through the course by reading pacenotes
which describe the turns and obstacles ahead. Also called a navigator historically when the reading of maps played a larger part in rallies prior to the widespread adoption of pacenoting. The term is also used in long-distance sports car and touring car racing where more than one driver is sharing the same vehicle.
Competition caution: A preplanned full course yellow, mandated by the sanctioning body, where drivers bring their vehicles into the pits. Frequently done to change tires because of excessive tire wear.
Continuously variable transmission
(CVT): A Formula One
development created by WilliamsF1
, it removed the gearbox entirely by creating cogs which could expand and contract as necessary to provide optimum drive during acceleration and or braking, instead of using a collection of cogs and shifting from one size to another to approximate optimum performance. The technology was banned from Formula One
in the mid 1990s as it was very expensive. The technology has found application in road cars built by Honda
and Nissan
, amongst others.
Control: Where the series organisers specify that all competitors in the race must use an identical part; as in control tyre or control engine.
Crate motor: An engine that is ready-built and sealed by an independent company. Crate motors are sometimes mandated and sometimes optional. They are commonly used in regional touring series down to local tracks in divisions from late model
s on down. Crate motors are implemented to limit costs and it ensures that the entire field has the same equipment.
Customer car: When a racing team uses a car built for them, either by another team, or by a specialist racing chassis manufacturer. Primarily a Formula One term where the majority of teams build their own cars, and practice that is now banned from F1.
Deep braking: Applying the brakes later than normal when entering a turn.
Delta Time (also Pit-Stop Delta)
Density Altitude (often DA)
Dial-in: (drag racing) when bracket racing, drivers must estimate or "dial in" the time in which they expect to run. Therefore two unmatched cars in weight and power can compete, by a handicap system. If one runs a faster time than dialed in, it is a breakout.
Did Not Attend (often DNA)
Did Not Finish (often DNF)
Did Not Qualify / Did Not Pre-qualify (often DNQ / DNPQ)
Did Not Start (often DNS)
Digger: dragster (as distinct from a bodied car or flopper).
Dirty air: The air disrupted by a car when it moves at speed, which can cause aerodynamic difficulties for a car following closely behind. The opposite of clean air.
Disqualify (often DQ or DSQ)
Dogleg: A gentle turn or kink on a racing circuit, usually associated with road courses, but also present on oval tracks. On road courses, a dogleg may be present on a long straightaway (e.g. Mid-Ohio
), curving the straight slightly, but usually not enough to require drivers to slow down much for the turn. On an oval, a dogleg can be located on the frontstrech (e.g. Charlotte
) or backstrech (e.g. Phoenix
) creating an oblong shape, adding a challenge, increasing sightlines for fans, and again, usually not requiring drivers to slow down for the extra curve. A quad-oval is also referred to as a "double dogleg."
Doped (or Dope): (drag racing) commonly used word in the southern states if the car is using nitrous or propane injection on diesels.
Door-slammer: Drag racing term used to group vehicles, usually sedan bodied, that still have functional doors for driver access to the vehicle, as opposed to Funny cars which have a single lightwight outer body draped over the racing chassis.
Downforce
: Increased force holding the car onto the track. This is created by the aerodynamics or aerodynamic aids (F1 wings, etc.) of a vehicle which causes a "reverse lift" effect. That is, creating an area of low pressure (suction) under the car and/or under the wing(s) or other aids fixed to the car, the higher pressure above forcing the tires harder to the ground, effectively increasing the static friction. This allows it to travel faster through a corner, at the cost of having a reduced overall top speed, since drag is proportionate to lift and downforce is caused by lift.
Drafting: A technique where multiple vehicles align in a close group reducing the overall effect of drag
due to exploiting the lead object's slipstream
. Same as slipstreaming.
Drifting
: Driftng is a form of motorsport in which drivers intentionally provoke constant oversteering slides while preserving vehicle control and a high exit speed. In motor racing, drifting is a cornering technique (also called a four-wheel drift) where a car takes a high-speed corner held at an angle on the track without major steering inputs, balancing natural understeer with power oversteer.
Drive-through penalty: A penalty applied by race officials while the race is underway. A competitor is directed to drive into the pit lane and travel its length at much reduced speed (pit lanes are mostly speed-limited to protect the pitcrew and marshals) losing significant track position in the process. When the driver is serving his drive through penalty he is not allowed to stop anywhere in the pits. See also Stop-go penalty.
Drivers' meeting: A meeting where drivers and officials meet before a race to discuss the upcoming event. Also referred to as Drivers' briefing or Driver and Crew Chief meeting, as in some series, the driver and his crew chief must attend.
Dry line: On a drying circuit, the racing line that becomes dry first as the cars displace water from it.
E.T.: Elapsed Time. A term used in drag racing about the total time the run took, from start, to finish.
E.T. Slip: (drag racing) Slip of paper turned in by the race timer which denotes elapsed time for both drivers, and who won the race; it may also include reaction time and "60 foot" time. This is an official document, used for timekeeping. Also known as a timeslip.
Excluded: Removed from competition before the race has started, generally due to an infringement during practice or qualifying.
: A racing team/driver that competes with official sanction and financial support from a manufacturer. In Europe, known as a works team.
Fan car: Usually refers specifically to the Brabham BT46
Formula One car, although the concept was actually pioneered by sports car manufacturer Chaparral Cars on the Chaparral 2J. The placement of a large fan at the rear of the chassis driven either independently or by the engine with the purpose of creating negative air-pressure underneath the car to create additional downforce
for increased cornering speed.
Fastest lap
: fastest time in which a lap was completed by a driver during a race. Sometimes rewarded with bonus championship points.
Field: The competing cars in an event.
First or Worse: In drag racing, if both drivers commit a foul, the driver who commits the foul first loses, unless it is two separate fouls, where the loser is the driver who committed the worse foul; (lane violation is worse than foul start, and failure to participate in a post-run inspection is worst).
Flag-to-flag coverage: Television or radio coverage that consists of the entire race start-to-finish rather than highlights, tape delayed
, "packaged" coverage, or highlights of the first portion of the race before broadcasting the final quarter of the race live. Derives from green flag (start) to checkered flag (finish). Instituted largely in the late 1970s, with the 1979 Daytona 500
being the first major 500-mile race with live, flag-to-flag coverage.
Flat spot: When a wheel locks under braking, the car skids and leaves a flat spot on the section of the tyre that was touching the ground at the time.
Flopper: (drag racing) Funny Car
, short for "fender flopper." Coined by dragster crews in the late 1960s to separate Funny Cars, which had fiberglass bodies with fenders, from dragsters. Erroneously attributed to flip-top bodies of Funny Cars.
Flying lap: A lap started by a competitor at optimum speed, as opposed to a lap from a standing start, usually in qualifying.
Formation lap: The lap cars make before forming up on the grid for the start.
Formula racing
: A type of racing, generally open wheeled, where the conditions of technical entry comply with strict rules or formulae.
Free practice: When drivers or riders learn the circuit and/or teams experiment with race settings for the track.
Fuel: (drag racing) mix of methanol
and nitromethane
("pop," nitro); race class using it.
Fueler: (drag racing) any car running fuel or in Fuel class (most often, TFD or TF/FC).
Full course yellow: When yellow flags are deployed at every flag point around a race circuit and a Safety Car leads the field until a hazard is cleared.
Funny Car
: (drag racing) a vehicle with a single-piece body draped over the chassis which is lifted off or rear-hinged to allow the driver access to the cabin; a race class for such a car
: bodied drag racer
running on gasoline (before Pro Stock
was introduced)
Graining: When small grains of rubber start coming off a tyre. See also marbles.
Gravel trap: Off-track run-off area
, usually positioned on the outside of corners, filled with gravel intended to slow down and stop cars that have left the track at speed. Generally there are tyre barriers between a gravel trap and the catch fencing, in order to protect the spectators. Sometimes nicknamed "kitty litter" for its visual resemblance.
Grand marshal: Ceremonial marshaling role at a race meeting. Largely held by celebrities or retired notable drivers with no actual duties or responsibilities beyond the waving of a flag to commence activity or to announce the traditional start your engines prior to some races.
Green-white-checker finish
: When a full-course caution comes out right before the end of a race, the race is extended beyond its scheduled distance. Depending on sanctioning body, there may be either one or multiple attempts at a restart, between one and five laps, before the race is declared officially over. NASCAR's national series will have a maximum of three attempts if the penultimate lap only under caution, while some short track races have unlimited attempts at a span between one and five consecutive green-flag laps. In British Superbike Championship motorcycle racing, if a caution is called in the final third of the race, three additional laps will be added on the ensuing restart in a green-white-checker style finish.
Grenade: wreck an engine (the engine "grenaded") due to internal failure. Distinct from "popping a blower". A hand-grenade engine is a usually derogatory engine of tuned to maximise engine power at the cost of low mechanical reliability.
Grid: The starting formation of a race, generally in rows of two for cars and four for bikes.
Groove: Also called The Groove. A term used in drag racing about the center portion of the lane, where the cars can gain traction quicker, and run faster times.
Ground effect
: A method of creating downforce
by the shape of the car's body, notably by shaping the underside of the car in combination with the car's lateral edges in order the trap and dramatically slow the airflow running underneath the car, effectively turning the entire car into a wing.
Gurney, Gurney flap
: A small lip placed at the trailing edge of a race car's aerodynamic wing. Despite its relative size, often only millimetres tall, it can double the downforce achieved by the wing, although at the premium of increasing drag, hence the small size. Named for the man commonly attributed to its proliferation, Formula One
driver and constructor, Dan Gurney
. Also known as a wickerbill.
Hairpin
: A tight 180 degree corner that twists back on itself.
Handicap: where cars start a race in the reverse order of qualifying, or perceived race pace, usually with timed gaps between cars starting a race. More common in racing's early days than today, the effect was the produce a race result in which all cars would arrive at the race finish together, regardless of the performance of the race vehicle.
Hang-out-to-dry: where, upon having gained track position after overtaking a rival car, the lead driver simply blocks, and slows their rival down slightly.
Heads-up Racing: where both drivers leave at the same time and is used in all professional ("pro") classes.
Heat: A shorter race which decides the participants of the main race and sometimes starting order as well, usually there are more heats in which only a part of the drivers from the entry list take part. Can also mean part of the main race, when it consists of two or more parts.
Holeshot
:
Homologation
: Process by which a new vehicle or part of a vehicle is approved by organisers for usage in racing.
Hook up: (drag racing) Good traction between tires and track resulting in increased acceleration and reduced slipping or smoking of tires.
Hot lap: flying lap.
: A tool specifically designed for rapidly winding off and on wheel nuts, allowing the changing of wheels and tyres to be performed faster during pit stop
s. Also known as an impactor, air wrench, air gun, rattle gun, torque gun.
Impound Rule: NASCAR's
version of Parc Fermè, used at certain tracks
In-lap: Any lap which concludes with a visit to the pits, especially a pre-arranged pit stop, either during a race or during practice or qualifying.
Incident officer (often IO or I/O): A motorsport marshal
who is in charge of other marshals on the track, allocating duties to them. Second in terms of ranking to observer. In hillclimbing, they are responsible of the radio communication.
Independent: A competitor (team or driver) taking part with no or very little backing from a manufacturer. They have their own championship within the World Touring Car Championship
, where there is a strong manufacturer presence.
Inspector: See Scrutineer.
Installation lap: A lap which can take place in practice or qualifying, which is intended simply to gain data and telemetry
for the driver or team, rather than any intention of setting a competitive time.
Intermediate: A wet weather tyre of lighter grooving than a wet weather tyre. Sometimes an intermediate is a slick tyre with grooves cut into it. It is used for conditions between dry and wet conditions, most often when the track is wet but it is not actually raining.
Invert: The portion of the field which is started by reverse qualifying speed. With an invert of five, the fifth-fastest qualifier starts first and the fastest qualifier starts fifth. The rest of the field starts by their qualifying speed (sixth fastest starts sixth). The invert is often not announced before qualifying or a dice
/die roll happens after qualifying.
/ James Bond Red: In drag racing, a driver's reaction time (when he leaves the start line) is seven thousands of a second after the green light (.007). A "James Bond Red" is a reaction time of -.007 seconds (red light), which is disqualification unless the opponent commits a more serious violation.
Jet dryer: An airplane engine mounted on a pickup truck or trailer. The exhaust from the engine is used to blow debris or evaporate moisture from the racing surface.
Jump start: In a standing start, when a vehicle moves from its grid slot before the start of a race is signaled. In a rolling start, when a car passes before they cross the start-finish line or the restart line. When this is done, a penalty is usually imposed. In drag racing, a jump start is signalled by a red light in the offending driver's lane, and he loses unless a more serious foul (boundary line or failure to report to post-race inspection after a round win) occurs.
KERS: Kinetic Energy Recovery System. A device which recovers energy created when brakes are applied and stores it until required to add power in the engine. In 2008 KERS systems started to appear in the World Rally Championship
and Formula One
followed soon after, where its application is limited to a push to pass system.
Kit: (drag racing) refers to a turbo kit or a nitrous kit. Using nitrous oxide in the professional categories in drag racing is illegal.
Kitty litter: Informal term with two possible meanings. It is either a nickname for a gravel trap, or for a material applied to the track surface to clean up a leaking fluid.
Ladder series: Generally refers to a category or series of lesser importance which in most cases will race at the same race meeting as a senior category. Cars will be generally similar in characteristic to drive but will be smaller, less powerful and/or slower. Competitors will generally be younger emerging drivers who are climbing an apprenticeship 'ladder' towards entry into the senior series.
Lambda reading: Fuel to air ratio readings, used to determine how much fuel is pushed through the fuel injectors into the cylinders for combustion.
Lap of honour: A non-competitive lap taken before or after the race by a driver in celebration. Also known as a lap of honor, or, if after the race, a victory lap.
Lap record: Fastest race lap recorded at a circuit for a category of race car. The circumstances allowed vary significantly, but practice laps are generally not considered official records. Laps recorded in qualifying may or may not contribute but are sometimes referred together with practice laps as Qualifying lap record. The outright lap record is the fastest race lap ever recorded at any particular circuit, regardless of category of vehicle being raced.
Lead trophy: See Success ballast.
Lid: Used to describe the top of something, either a crash helmet or the roof of a car.
Lit the tires: (drag racing) lost traction, producing smoke.
Livery
: The paint colors and decals applied to a vehicle to mark its sponsorship or team identity.
Lollipop: A sign on a stick used in pit stops, which is held in front of the car and raised when the pit stop is completed.
Loose: See oversteer.
Marbles: Pieces of rubber from tires that accumulate on the racing surface outside of the racing line that are slippery like toy marbles
.
Marshal
: A person responsible for signaling track conditions to drivers (through use of flags), extinguishing fires, removing damaged cars from the track and sometimes providing emergency first aid.
Meatball: A specific racing flag used in some countries to indicate to a competitor there is a defect with the car which has the potential to cause a safety risk to the competitor or to another competitor. Most usually applied to trailing smoke or loose bodywork. The flag is black with a large orange dot in the centre of the flag, looking vaguely like a meatball
.
Meth: (drag racing) refers to methanol
injection used in conjunction with racing gasoline
Missing man formation
: The vehicle on the pole position
drops back a row during a pace lap to salute a deceased motorsport personality.
Mobile chicane
: Disparaging slang. A competitor noticeably slower than the front running pace, so slow as to be a 'chicane that moves around the track'.
Monsoon wet: Increasingly common nickname for an extreme weather version of the wet weather tyre.
Motorsport Valley: A tag given to the mid-south of England by the Motorsport Industry Association where high concentration of activities within the motorsport industry on and off track occur.
Mountain motor: (mainly North American) term for large-displacement engines, often used in hot rod
s and drag racer
s. Named for their size (over 8,100 cubic centimetres, or 500 cubic inches, the limit in some sanctioning bodies), and for being constructed in the mountains of Tennessee
and North Carolina
.
Murrayism: A verbal gaffe made by motor racing sportscaster
, named in honour of veteran Formula One
broadcaster, Murray Walker
.
Nitro: (drag racing) nitromethane
(sometimes incorrectly used to refer to nitrous oxide).
Nitrous
: (drag racing) refers to Nitrous Oxide systems manufactured by a wide range of companies.
Not classified (often NC)
within the post; the main decision maker at the event of an incident, they relay information to the race control. Can be seen standing in the marshal post. Second to Chief Marshal.
Official: See Steward.
Oildown: (drag racing) When a car's engine or lubrication breaks during a run, leaving a streak of oil and other fluids on the track. This is punishable by fines, point penalties, and/or suspension.
Open wheel car
or Open wheeler
One-make racing: A term describing racing equipment that must be identical for all competitors, usually to cut down on costs or for business purposes by car manufacturers. Known in North America as spec, specific parts can be spec, as in the IndyCar Series
' spec engine, or the type of car can be spec, as in spec racing series such as Spec Miata
.
Out-brake: Gaining time or position by braking harder and deeper in a corner.
Out-lap: The first lap to be completed after exiting the pit lane, either during a race or during practice or qualifying. Also known as a reconnaissance lap if it is not taken at race speed, e.g. when a car leaves the pit lane to take up its position on the grid prior to the race start.
Outright lap record: Fastest lap recorded at a circuit of any category of race car. Most often this does not include qualifying and practice laps but confusingly some sources occasionally include laps not recorded during races.
Overdrive: (drag racing) The ratio between the revolutions of the supercharger to the revolutions of the engine, controlling amount of boost; see underdrive.
Overpowering the track: A drag racing term used when talking about a run when the driver loses traction. It is normally used to talk about the actions of the team crew chief.
Oversteer: Cornering behaviour where the rear wheels do not track behind the front wheels but instead move out toward the outside of the turn. Opposite of understeer.
Pace car: See safety car.
Pacenotes
: In rally racing
, notes that describe the course in great detail.
Paddock
: An enclosure at a track used by team support personnel and vehicles, and other officials and VIPs.
Paint scheme: see Livery.
Parade lap
: A lap before a motorsport race begins where the drivers go around the track at a slow speed, also known as a formation lap.
Parc fermé
or Impound: An area which cars enter after they have qualified for the race, where they are not allowed to be worked upon by mechanics unless on strict supervision by the stewards. Some motorsports series other than Formula One refer to this as the Impound.
Pay driver
: A driver who pays for his race seat rather than receiving a salary from the team. Generally has a negative connotation. Sometimes known as a Ride Buyer.
Pedalling: (drag racing) working the throttle to avoid lighting the tires, or as a way to sandbag; "pedalled" it, had to "pedal" it.
Photo finish: A finish in which two or more cars are so close that in times past a photograph of the finishers crossing the finish line would need to be studied to determine the finishing order. While the practice has been superseded by modern electronic timing systems, the expression remains in regular use by commentators and others.
Pit board: A board that is held up from the pit wall to the side of the finishing straight when a driver goes past, to confirm their position in the race and the amount of laps remaining. Before the introduction of radio communication, also used to instruct drivers to pit for fuel and/or tires, or to comply with rules violations.
Pit stop
: Stopping in the pit lane for repairs, refuelling, and/or new tires.
Pit wall: Where the team owners and managers sit to observe the race, opposite the garages in the pit lane.
Pole position
: The first grid position, placed closest to the starting line (in Formula One), nearest the inside of the first turn, or both. Usually reserved for the competitor who has recorded the fastest lap during qualifying. A competitor who starts a race there is said to be on the pole.
Pop-off valve: Device attached to turbocharger
s used to limit the additional horsepower they produce. Usually a mechanical device, activated when the pressure within the turbocharger reaches a certain point, opening a valve (popping off), thus reducing boost pressure. Used primarily for safety (speed reduction of the racing cars) or cost (reducing stress on both turbo and engine, lengthening the life of the parts prior to failure or rebuild).
Pre-qualifying: A preliminary qualifying session held prior to a regular qualifying session in order to reduce the number of competitors taking part in the regular session, usually for safety reasons. An example of pre-qualifying is in Formula One in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Privateer
: A competitor not directly supported by a sponsor or manufacturer. To be privately funded.
Progressive grid: Where a category races multiple times at a meeting, the starting order for the grid is decided by the finishing order of the previous race.
Pro tree: (drag racing) timing lights which flash all three yellow lights simultaneously, and after four tenths of a second, turn green.
Prototype
: An endurance sports racing
car that does not noticeably look like a standard production model.
Puke can: (drag racing) radiator overflow tank, sometimes, used beer cans are used as puke cans, although, on some tracks, these types of modifications are considered illegal. A standard puke can is usually made of plastic, or some high strength polymer, and attached close to the radiator.
Pulling an Eckman: A term in drag racing, particularly in Pro Stock, when a driver is cited, and fined for racing with a nitrous oxide system, driver Jerry Eckman was the first driver in the NHRA to be indefinitely suspended for such an infraction.
Push: See understeer.
Push to pass: System in which engine power is increased for short periods to create a short burst of extra speed. This can be done by increasing the boost pressure in a turbocharged car, increasing the maximum rpm, or using a separate system to provide power. Also, see KERS.
Put on the trailer: When a driver has either lost (got "put on the trailer") or won (put the other driver on the trailer). Named because losing drivers pull their vehicle home on a trailer.
Quick 8 (often Q8)
division where a difference of one ten-thousandth (.0001) of a second can put a driver in the winners circle.
Race Director: A Race Director may be designated for the entire duration of a Championship or Series. If so, it is understood that, during the practices and races for that Championship or Series, the Clerk of the Course and safety operations are under the ultimate authority of the Race Director.
Racing line: The fastest path around a circuit.
Rainout: When a race is delayed or cancelled due to rain, or the threat of rain.
Rail (or rail job): dragster (as distinct from bodied car or flopper). From the exposed frame rails of early cars. Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars.
Rail (drag racing): guardrail
Ramp run: In a practice lap, to rev the engine as far as possible without changing gears to allow engine management systems to take Lambda readings of the fuel to air ratio across a smooth engine revolution range.
Rattle gun: See Impact Wrench.
Reactive suspension: A system by which the suspension is controlled by computer to maintain an optimum distance above the racing surface, regardless of forces acting upon the car and changes in the racing surface, thus maximising the aerodynamic assistance that can be gained by running the car close to the ground. Developed originally by Team Lotus
in Formula One
.
Redlight(ed): (drag racing) a.k.a. bulb(ed)—jump(ed) the start, left before tree turned green. This is a loss unless a more serious (opponent crossing the center boundary line) foul occurs.
Relief driver: A driver who fills in for another driver in case of injury, or during a race because of exhaustion or pain.
Restart
Retirement (often Ret)
Reverse grid racing: when the starting order of a race is reversed, so that the driver on pole position, starts last. Occasionally reverse grid is limited to only part of the grid, for example, just the top ten positions may be reversed. Often used to increase the entertainment value of a race, mainly used when a category races several times over the course of a meeting.
Riding mechanic: an early term for a co-driver.
Ripple strip: Concrete kerb, usually placed on the inside of a corner, painted in chunks of colour, usually red and white alternately, hence the 'ripple'.
Roll cage
: Network of metal bars that criss-cross the interior of production-based sedan-bodied racing cars. Originally created as a safety device in more recent times is has been used to connect suspension, chassis, engine to substantially increase the torsional rigidity of a race car.
Roll hoop
: Looped bar protruding above and behind the drivers helmets in open wheel and prototype sports racing cars. The hoop is placed that in the event of a car rolling over in a crash the car lands on the roll hoop rather than the drivers helmet. It also makes a handy hook for cranes for removing stopped cars from dangerous positions on the circuit.
Rolling start
: A starting method where moving cars start a race after the starter displays a green flag.
Roof flap
: an aerodynamic piece designed to keep a car on the ground when it is traveling in reverse.
Rumble strip: Variation of ripple strip with an upward-pointed, rounded saw-tooth edge. The saw-tooth effect is to discourage competitors from kerb-hopping. The saw-tooth creates a rumble sound and feel for the competitor when driven over.
Run-off area
: Areas off the track put aside for vehicles to leave the track in case of emergency without accident.
Safety car
: A safety car or pace car limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of an accident or caution periods caused by obstruction/s on the track.
Sandbag: To gain a competitive advantage by deliberately underperforming at an event.
Sandtrap: An area at the very end of a dragstrip to keep vehicles from going off the track, it is filled with, as the name implies, sand. The design of the sandtrap is intentional, and used as a safety device.
Satellite team
: A second racing team operated by a primary team but maintaining a separate identity.
Scattershield: (drag racing) metal sheet protecting driver in case of transmission failure.
Scratch race: A type of race which competitors start on an equal term.
Scrutineer: A qualified official who examines racing vehicles pre-race for compliance with the rules of competition, usually in a scrutineering bay adjacent to the pit lane.
Scuffs: Tires which have been used limitedly, but are not worn out. Scuffs may be put on a car during a pit stop to improve handling. At times, brand new tires may be 'scuffed in' before a race by practicing in them for a lap or two. (See "Sticker tires")
Sector: A section of one complete lap of the circuit used for timing purposes. For the purposes of Formula One
, each circuit is split into three sectors.
Semi-automatic gearbox: A motorsport application, created initially by Scuderia Ferrari
for Formula One
, in which the driver can change gears manually, but without having to manually activate the clutch. On open wheel race cars it is usually activated by paddles immediately behind the steering wheel, although touring cars and rally
usually place the gear shifter as a gear stick in the more conventional position on the centre console, but occasionally is mounted as a stalk off the steering column, when activated, automatically engages the clutch and changes the gear and releases the clutch without any further input from the driver.
Semi feature, B-main, Qualifier
Setup
: The set of adjustments made to the vehicle in order to optimize its behavior.
Shakedown: The first test of a new vehicle.
Shootout: See Superpole.
Short shifting
: A technique used, primarily in motorsport, to regain control of a car through a high speed corner. Involves the driver shifting up a gear earlier than usual.
Shunt: A crash.
Shutdown Area: In drag racing, it is the extra 440 yards from the finish line, to the sand trap, used to safely shut down the car, and turn it off the track, so the next racers can begin their race.
Sidepod: Aerodynamic device to improve airflow between front and rear wheels on open wheel racing car which also covers ancillary equipment within car, most often water radiators which are air cooled by ram scoops at the open front of the sidepods.
Skid plate: Metal plates, most commonly titanium, fixed to the bottom of flat bottomed racing cars on the undertray facing the racing surface, put there to protect the undertray from ground strikes tearing through the undertray. Today less common as racing cars usually are mandated to have a ground clearance that is less critical to hitting the track.
Slapper bar: see traction bar.
Sled: In truck and tractor pulling, an implement pulled behind the machine which uses friction to stop the machine.
Slick (clay oval): A phenomenon caused on short-circuit clay ovals that dry out too much. Clay circuits that do not maintain a certain amount of moisture as a race meeting progresses will start to wear the rubber off the soft specialised clay surface tyres of clay surface race car tyres much in the same way asphalt or concrete paved circuits do, giving the track surface a noticeably black shade.
Slick (tyre): A tyre with no tread pattern, maximising the amount of tyre rubber in contact with the racing surface. A specialist motor racing application as in wet weather conditions these tyres have little resistance to aquaplaning.
Slidejob pass: Especially in dirt
oval racing, a passing car dives low into a corner, deliberately oversteers in front of the vehicle being passed in an attempt to slow their momentum. The vehicle being passed often attempts to pass back by steering low coming out of the corner down the following straightaway.
Slingshot: front-engined dragster
, named for the driving position behind the rear wheels (erroneously attributed to launch speed).
Slingshot pass
: A pass using Slipstreaming (see below).
Slipstreaming: A car following close behind another uses the slipstream
created by the lead car to close the gap between them or pass it. Same as drafting.
Smoking the tires: Also called Lighting the hides, or Blowing the tires off. A term used mostly in drag racing when a loss of traction occurs, causing the rear tires to rise, and smoke profusely. This usually happens off the starting line. When this happens during a race, it usually results in a loss, unless the opponent also loses traction as well.
Spare car, Backup car: A car used by a driver if he has damaged his main car. It may or may not have the same setup as the primary car. Teams in most major racing series have a spare car available at the track. At Indianapolis
, it is traditionally called a "T Car" ("T" loosely short for "test" or "temporary")
Spec: see One-make racing
Special stage
: A section of road or track, closed off used for timed runs in rallying. A rally is made up of a number of special stages.
Splash and dash, Splash and go: A pit stop
which involves refueling the car only, often less than a full tank.
Splitter: Also referred to as the front Spoiler or Front Air Dam. Aerodynamic device placed on the nose of some touring car
s and GT
s to improve airflow around the nose of the car and sometimes create downforce for the front wheels to aid steering. It is prominent on NASCAR
's Car of Tomorrow
body style.
Spoiler
: Aerodynamic device attached to the trailing edge of a race car to increase its rear downforce. The difference between a spoiler and a wing is that wings are generally multi-element with air passing both above and below the aerodynamic surface, whereas a spoiler is flush fitted to the car's bodywork.
Spotter
: a person, positioned high above the circuit, who communicates what going on the track to the driver
Standard tree: (drag racing) timing lights which flash in sequence five tenths of a second between each yellow light before turning green. Traditional form, before introduction of pro tree.
Standing start
: A starting method where the race machines are stationary on the grid.
Start and park
: A team or driver who starts a race and only runs a small number of laps to avoid using up resources (tires, parts).
Steward: The adjudicator or referee at a race meeting who interprets incidents and decides whether penalties or fines should be issued.
Sticker tires: Brand new tires put on a race car. Nicknamed "sticker tires" because the manufacturer's labels are still visible. (Opposite of "Scuffs")
Stint: The period a driver is at the wheel in an event involving more than one driver in the vehicle. Sometimes refers to the period of driving between pit stops.
Stop-go penalty: Requires erring drivers to enter their pit and come to a complete stop before resuming, sometimes for a specified time. Sometimes called a Stop and go penalty, it penalises drivers more than a Drive-through penalty.
Stripe or Strip: The start/finish line.
Struck the tires: (drag racing) loss of traction, causing them to smoke.
Success ballast: A method used to level performance between competitors by adding weight to cars the win races or are successful. Somestimes referred to as Lead trophy as the usage of lead bars is most popular in applying the additional weight.
Superpole, or Shootout: A selection procedure in which the ten or 15 fastest qualifiers compete for grid positions in a single-lap effort without other vehicles on the track. While not specifically referenced, most NASCAR races will use this style of qualifying for all cars.
Support race: A race(s) that takes place before and after the title race, also during qualifying day.
Super rally: When a rally driver retires on any day, except the last, they can continue the next day incurring penalties for the stages they did not drive, including the one they retired on. Currently, in World Rally Championship, a driver will be given the time of the fastest driver of their class, plus a five-minute-penalty for each missed stage.
Super Special
: Timed special stage in a rally on a purpose-built track, often in a stadium. Usually two cars will set off at the same time in separate lanes, and at the halfway point of the stage they will swap lanes, usually due to a crossover involving a bridge. A similar format is used in the Race of Champions
.
Swinger: (from Sidecar racing) A passenger on a racing motorcycle sidecar who athletically moves from one side of the sidecar to the other, altering a sidecar's weight distribution to assist in cornering speed and in some corners to prevent the sidecar from tipping over.
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T-bone
: A collision in which the front of a car crashes into the side of another car, forming a "T" shape. This is one of the more dangerous types of crash due to the relative vulnerability of side impacts where there is much less deformable structure on the side of a car to protect the driver. Also, to crash into another car in such a fashion; the victim is "T-boned".
T-car: Alternative term for spare/backup car
Tank-slapper
: When the front wheel of a motorcycle oscillates rapidly, causing the handlebars to slap against the fuel tank. It is increasingly being used to describe a vehicle which loses traction at the rear, regains traction and loses it again, causing the rear to weave side to side independently of the front of the car. This is more often referred to as fish-tailing.
: (drifting) Japanese term for individual passes where drivers drive whilst being observed in front of judges in an attempt to vy for the top spot.
Team orders
: The practice of driver allowing another from the same team or manufacturer to gain a higher finish at the direction of the team management. The practice was briefly forbidden in Formula One
as a consequence of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix
controversy.
Ten-tenths: Refers to driving a car to its absolute potential.
Throttleman: In offshore powerboat racing
, the boat's second occupant who work alongside the driver, whose role is to steer the boat. The throttleman's position is to adjust the trim tab whilst observing water conditions and extract as much speed out of the boat by controlling the hand-throttle during a race whilst it hops over tides after tides to prevent the propellers from spinning wildly whilst the boat is airborne, which causes the engine to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Throw a belt: (drag racing) losing the drive belt connecting the engine's crankshaft to the supercharger.
Tight: See Understeer.
Time attack
: A competition which involve cars running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap.
Timeslip: (drag racing) E.T. slip.
Tin-top: Road car-derived vehicles with a roof, mainly in touring car racing
.
Tire shake: A term in drag racing, when the engine is putting out more horespower than the drive axle can handle, causing the rear tires to shake violently. This results in a loss of speed, and can also result in loss of steering, and occasionally, lead to on track accidents. Refer to in other disciplines sometimes as axle tramp.
Top end: (drag racing) finish line of strip; high part of engine's rev band.
Track
: The racing surface.
Traction bars: (drag racing) rear struts fixed to rear axle to keep rear axle from twisting, causing wheel hop and loss of traction; also called slapper bars. In FWD cars, commonly import drag racing, used to keep front wheels in the ground.
Traction control
: This regulates the power supplied to the wheels of a vehicle to prevent wheelspin. It is banned in many forms of motor racing.
Trap(s): (drag racing) the 20 meter (66 ft) timing lights at top end of race track to measure speed & E.T.
Trap speed: (drag racing) Speed as measured by the speed trap near the finish line, indicative of the maximum speed reached on a pass.
: (drifting) Japanese term for tandem passes where two cars are paired off against each other over two passes within a heat, with each driver taking a turn to lead.
or push: Cornering behaviour where the front wheels do not follow the steered course but instead push out toward the outside of the turn. Known as push in NASCAR and other stock car racing. Opposite of oversteer. See also cross-channel ferry
.
Undertray: Flat or stepped flat surface on the bottom of open wheel and sports prototype racing cars. Theory has varied along with aerodynamic developments and regulations, from the sidepod tunnels of ground effect to the flat undertrays of the 1980s in various attempts to use aerodynamics to suck the cars closer to the bitumen, minimising the air underneath the car that could slow its progress. Today most such categories feature a stepped undertray with sidepods siting higher in the air than the centre of the car, usually mandated by series organisers in an attempt to limit vehicle performance. Also refers to flat surfaces extending behind splitters in sedan and GT based racing cars.
Victory lap
: A lap, after the conclusion of the race, where the winning racer drives at reduced speed to celebrate his or her victory.
Wear the shiny off: A term used, mostly within drag racing, when a brand new car either hits the wall, or, in the Pro Stock class, when a new car flips over into its top and continues down the track for a considerable length, peeling the paint off.
Weight shifting: A technique used to reduce understeer. This involves the driver decelerating through a corner to shift the weight of the car from the back to the front, increasing grip of the front tyres and decreasing understeer.
Wet (or wet-weather) tyre: A racing tyre with deep grooves designed to displace standing water, allowing the tyre to obtain grip in conditions where dry weather tyres (slicks) would aquaplane. Monsoon wet has become a term used for extremely wet conditions.
Wheel banging: When the wheels of two different race cars slightly collide during an overtaking manoeuvre.
Wheel hop: (drag racing) violent shaking of the car as the tires lose and regain traction in quick succession.
Wheelie
: In a rear wheel drive vehicle, when the front wheel(s) rise up in the air under acceleration.
Wheelie bars: (drag racing) rear struts fixed to rear axle, which protrude out to rear of car to help prevent car's front from raising too high or flipping over on launch.
Wheelspin: When the rear tyres (or front tyres in the case of a front wheel drive vehicle) break traction with the racing surface under acceleration, spinning the wheels faster than they move across the surface. On higher traction surfaces like bitumen the tyre will begin to shred and melt from the friction, producing white smoke.
Wheelstand: wheelie. In drag racing, an extreme case, with front wheels very near vertical.
Wheelstander: In drag racing, an exhibition car designed to complete a pass in a wheelstand (wheels near vertical)
Wickerbill: See Gurney flap.
Wing: Aerodynamic device on many racing cars. The principle is the same as an aircraft
wing except in motor racing applications the wing is inverted to create downforce instead of lift, pressing the car onto the road surface to increase traction
.
Wired to the tree: A drag racing term used to describe a racer that consistently beats his opponent off the starting line. Also called Chopping down the Christmas Tree.
Wishbone: Suspension control arm with three points, shaped roughly like a chicken wishbone.
Works team: A motor racing team supported by a vehicle manufacturer, usually run in-house at the manufacturer's premises. A works driver is a driver who drives for the works team.
Zero Light: Also known as "cutting a zero," and a "zero R.T." Used in drag racing when someone leaves the starting line at the exact moment when the light turns green (.000). Very difficult to achieve, due to the quick flashing of the lights on a Pro tree.
0–9
200 MPH Club: (Also known as the "2 Club" or "Dirty Two Club" for records taking place at El Mirage Lake) A lifetime "membership" awarded by the SCTA or another sanctioning body / circuit to any driver who drives over a specified distance at a minimum speed of 200 miles per hour (89.4 m/s), regardless of whether or not a speed record is broken. Membership can stretch over from the more exclusive 300 to the elite 400.A
Air jacks: Four compressed air activated pistons mounted near the wheels of a racing car which project downwards to lifting the car off the ground during a pit stopPit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
for changing wheels and or giving mechanics access to the underside of the car for repairs.
Apex: The part of a corner where the racing line is nearest the inside of the bend.
Armchair enthusiast: Alternatively armchair racer, an individual who follow motorsport primarily on television and internet and read books and magazines about the subject. Can also refer to somebody who play racing video games
Awful Awful: North American rodder
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
slang for a AA/FA ("double A" Fuel Altered) drag racer
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
B
B main: See Semi-feature.B-team: A racing team that exists to develop the careers of upcoming drivers, such as Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso , also known simply as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, is an Italian Formula One racing team...
and unofficially, Super Aguri F1
Super Aguri F1
Super Aguri F1 was a Formula One team that competed from to . The team, founded by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, was based in Tokyo, Japan but operated from the former Arrows factory at the Leafield Technical Centre, Oxfordshire. The cars were referred to as Super Aguri Hondas, with the team...
. Sometimes also referred to as a satellite team
Back half: (drag racing) referring to distance from the 1/8 mile mark to the 1/4 mark of the track.
Backmarker: A slower car, usually in the process of being lapped by the leaders. It is sometimes a derogatory term.
Backup car: See Spare car.
Beam: (drag racing) starting line electric eye controlling prestaged and staged lights.
Banking: A.) The angle at which a track inclines towards the outside of a corner or from the lower to the higher side of a straight, also referred to as camber, more so when modest or negative, B.) a corner that inclines towards the outside or C.) an earth bank where spectators sit or stand
The Big One
The Big One (NASCAR)
The phrase The Big One refers to an accident involving roughly eight or more cars in NASCAR stock car racing.Though multi-car pileups have occurred at nearly every NASCAR track, the term is largely reserved for large Sprint Cup accidents at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway...
: A large pileup during a stock car race involving up to 30 cars. The term is largely reserved for restrictor plate
Restrictor plate
A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to limit top speed and thus increase safety, to provide equal level of...
racing at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
and Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
.
Blend line: The painted line defining the exit from pit lane where it rejoins the race track. It prevents emerging race cars from driving into race traffic travelling past the pits. Competitors are penalised for crossing the blend line, ensuring cars have attained full racing speed before rejoining the race.
Bleach box: (drag racing) Area where bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
is deposited for cars to perform burnouts (q.v). Gasoline (since discontinued for safety reasons), water, and TrackBite are also used.
Blow: See Blown.
Blower: supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
(occasionally turbocharger
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
); in '90s, generally grouped as "power adder" with turbocharger and nitrous
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
.
Blown: A.) An engine that is supercharged (i.e. a "blown" V8 is a supercharged V8); or B.)An engine that has suffered serious failure, usually no longer running and/or having sustained irreparable damage (i.e. "Looks like #21 has a blown engine...his race is over").
Blowover: flipping of a car or boat, due to air under car lifting front wheels. Commonly suffered by dragsters and powerboats.
Bottle: (drag racing) refers to the nitrous system, also the jug.
Bottoming, Bottoming out: When the bottom of the chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
hits the track.
Breakout: (drag racing) running quicker than dial-in; also "breaking out." Grounds for disqualification if opponent does not commit a foul start or cross boundary lines; also known as Bustout.
Bridesmaid: A driver who finishes the race or racing season as runner up
Bump and run
Bump and run (auto racing)
Bump and run is a technique for passing used in stock car racing, related to the police PIT maneuver. Bump and run is never intentionally used in open-wheel racing due to the extremely high speeds and relative fragility of open-wheel race cars....
: A move in stock car racing, where a trailing car intentionally bumps the car in front in an attempt to pass.
Burnout: performed to heat the tires up for better traction.
Buschwhacker or Claim Jumper: (NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
) A term for drivers who regularly race in the first tier NASCAR series, the Sprint Cup Series, who make guest or semi-regular appearances racing in the second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series. The term was named originally for then sponsor of the second-tier series Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
brewery. The newer term references insurance abuse (from the current sponsor).
Bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
: Allows a driver to advance to the next stage or heat of an event, without competing, when there are uneven numbers entered. Commonly used in speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
, drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
and drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
etc.
C
Camber angle
thumb|100px|From the front of the car, a right wheel with a negative camber angleCamber angle is the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or...
: A.)The angle at which wheels are set up to tilt in or out, measured in degrees in or out from 90 degrees (i.e. "2.5 degrees negative camber" means each wheel is tilted 2.5 degrees inwards from vertical) "Positive camber" means the top of the tyre is angled outwards from the car; "negative camber" means that the top tilts inwards. Negative camber assists cornering performance as the outside tyres lean into the corner (like a motorcycle) which keeps the lateral forces on the tire lower and causes less flex in the sidewall, although it does also have the effect of increasing tyre wear. Or B.) Banking, the angle at which a corner inclines towards the outside or a straight from its lower side to its higher side. Sometimes specified as positive camber and negative camber, the latter indicating a decline from the inside of a corner.
: A series of chain-link fencing
Chain-link fencing
A chain-link fence is a type of woven fence usually made from galvanized or LLDPE-coated steel wire...
used to slow out of control cars down. It is common on American short tracks and it was common on road course racing prior to the advent of gravel traps.
Caution / Caution period: See Full course yellow.
Chase vehicle: In off-road racing, a non-competitive vehicle that follows a competing vehicle to assist with repairs.
Chicane
Chicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
: An artificial feature added to the natural course of a track to slow cars or create a passing zone.
Christmas tree (or tree): The series of lights (in drag racing) that signal the approach and start of a race in addition to showing starting violations.
Clean air: Air that has not been affected by turbulence from other cars. The opposite of dirty air.
Clerk of Course: Responsible for all on-track activities including demonstrations and parades. The supervision of the track and all emergency services should at all times be under the ultimate control of the Clerk of the Course.
Closing/shutting the door: A driver takes an early defensive racing line into a corner to block the car behind from overtaking along the preferred line.
Co-driver
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
: In rally racing
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
, a co-driver directs the driver through the course by reading pacenotes
Pacenotes
In rallying, pacenotes are a commonly used method of accurately describing the route to be driven in extreme detail. As well as dictating the general route to be taken, in terms of turnings, junctions, etc, all notable features of the route which might affect the way it is driven at speed are...
which describe the turns and obstacles ahead. Also called a navigator historically when the reading of maps played a larger part in rallies prior to the widespread adoption of pacenoting. The term is also used in long-distance sports car and touring car racing where more than one driver is sharing the same vehicle.
Competition caution: A preplanned full course yellow, mandated by the sanctioning body, where drivers bring their vehicles into the pits. Frequently done to change tires because of excessive tire wear.
Continuously variable transmission
Continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
(CVT): A Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
development created by WilliamsF1
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
, it removed the gearbox entirely by creating cogs which could expand and contract as necessary to provide optimum drive during acceleration and or braking, instead of using a collection of cogs and shifting from one size to another to approximate optimum performance. The technology was banned from Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in the mid 1990s as it was very expensive. The technology has found application in road cars built by Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
and Nissan
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
, amongst others.
Control: Where the series organisers specify that all competitors in the race must use an identical part; as in control tyre or control engine.
Crate motor: An engine that is ready-built and sealed by an independent company. Crate motors are sometimes mandated and sometimes optional. They are commonly used in regional touring series down to local tracks in divisions from late model
Late model
A "late model car" is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. The term is broadly used in car racing, and often appears in common use, as in "The officer was driving an unmarked, late model sedan."There is no precise...
s on down. Crate motors are implemented to limit costs and it ensures that the entire field has the same equipment.
Customer car: When a racing team uses a car built for them, either by another team, or by a specialist racing chassis manufacturer. Primarily a Formula One term where the majority of teams build their own cars, and practice that is now banned from F1.
D
Delta Time (also Pit-Stop Delta)
- The entire time it generally takes a driver to enter the pit lane, make a full pit stop, and exit the pit area back to the track to resume racing at optimum pace. For example, a Delta Time of 25 seconds means the entire pitting process (entering, stopping and exiting) cost the driver 25 seconds not driving at full race speed even though the car may have been stationary in the pit box for only 5 seconds.
Density Altitude (often DA)
- (drag racing) which often refers to the quality of air. Technically "quality of air" refers to the pressure drop as altitude above sea level increases. Atmospheric air pressure is lower at a race track higher above sea level. All non-turbocharged internal combustion engines produce less power as air pressure drops, as each intake stroke draws in less air per volume than normally. This may require the engine to be "tuned" to optimize the power, as it may still "think" it's at a lower altitude. Because a supercharged engine pressurizes intake air at a fixed mechanical ratio to the engines RPM's, it suffers a proportionate loss in power, but not as severe as a naturally aspirated engine will. A turbocharged engine is largely unaffected, as the lower density of the intake air is offset by the lower backpressure resisting the exhaust flow through the turbo.
Dial-in: (drag racing) when bracket racing, drivers must estimate or "dial in" the time in which they expect to run. Therefore two unmatched cars in weight and power can compete, by a handicap system. If one runs a faster time than dialed in, it is a breakout.
Did Not Attend (often DNA)
- Denotes a driver who was entered for a race but did not attend the circuit. Sometimes referred to as Did Not Arrive or simply a "no show."
Did Not Finish (often DNF)
- A driver who did not finish the race. Some sanctioning bodies do not classify a driver in the final results if he did not finish completed a certain number of laps.
Did Not Qualify / Did Not Pre-qualify (often DNQ / DNPQ)
- A failure to qualify or pre-qualify for a race.
Did Not Start (often DNS)
- A driver did not attempt to compete in a race, even though he may have competed in practice sessions and / or qualifying. Not the same as the DNA already mentioned.
Digger: dragster (as distinct from a bodied car or flopper).
Dirty air: The air disrupted by a car when it moves at speed, which can cause aerodynamic difficulties for a car following closely behind. The opposite of clean air.
Disqualify (often DQ or DSQ)
- Where a competitor is removed from the results, usually in penalty for a technical infringement. Sometimes, but not always, interchangeable with Excluded.
Dogleg: A gentle turn or kink on a racing circuit, usually associated with road courses, but also present on oval tracks. On road courses, a dogleg may be present on a long straightaway (e.g. Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington...
), curving the straight slightly, but usually not enough to require drivers to slow down much for the turn. On an oval, a dogleg can be located on the frontstrech (e.g. Charlotte
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
) or backstrech (e.g. Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
) creating an oblong shape, adding a challenge, increasing sightlines for fans, and again, usually not requiring drivers to slow down for the extra curve. A quad-oval is also referred to as a "double dogleg."
Doped (or Dope): (drag racing) commonly used word in the southern states if the car is using nitrous or propane injection on diesels.
Door-slammer: Drag racing term used to group vehicles, usually sedan bodied, that still have functional doors for driver access to the vehicle, as opposed to Funny cars which have a single lightwight outer body draped over the racing chassis.
Downforce
Downforce
Downforce is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of downforce is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip....
: Increased force holding the car onto the track. This is created by the aerodynamics or aerodynamic aids (F1 wings, etc.) of a vehicle which causes a "reverse lift" effect. That is, creating an area of low pressure (suction) under the car and/or under the wing(s) or other aids fixed to the car, the higher pressure above forcing the tires harder to the ground, effectively increasing the static friction. This allows it to travel faster through a corner, at the cost of having a reduced overall top speed, since drag is proportionate to lift and downforce is caused by lift.
Drafting: A technique where multiple vehicles align in a close group reducing the overall effect of drag
Drag (physics)
In fluid dynamics, drag refers to forces which act on a solid object in the direction of the relative fluid flow velocity...
due to exploiting the lead object's slipstream
Slipstream
A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid is moving at velocities comparable to the moving object . The term slipstream also applies to the similar region adjacent to an object with a fluid moving around it...
. Same as slipstreaming.
Drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
: Driftng is a form of motorsport in which drivers intentionally provoke constant oversteering slides while preserving vehicle control and a high exit speed. In motor racing, drifting is a cornering technique (also called a four-wheel drift) where a car takes a high-speed corner held at an angle on the track without major steering inputs, balancing natural understeer with power oversteer.
Drive-through penalty: A penalty applied by race officials while the race is underway. A competitor is directed to drive into the pit lane and travel its length at much reduced speed (pit lanes are mostly speed-limited to protect the pitcrew and marshals) losing significant track position in the process. When the driver is serving his drive through penalty he is not allowed to stop anywhere in the pits. See also Stop-go penalty.
Dry line: On a drying circuit, the racing line that becomes dry first as the cars displace water from it.
E
Early Doors: A popular term used by competitors when referring to the early stages of the series' season.E.T.: Elapsed Time. A term used in drag racing about the total time the run took, from start, to finish.
E.T. Slip: (drag racing) Slip of paper turned in by the race timer which denotes elapsed time for both drivers, and who won the race; it may also include reaction time and "60 foot" time. This is an official document, used for timekeeping. Also known as a timeslip.
Excluded: Removed from competition before the race has started, generally due to an infringement during practice or qualifying.
F
Factory-backedFactory-backed
Factory-backed is a term commonly used in motorsports to describe a sponsored racing team, car, motorcycle or driver that competes with official sanction and financial support, or "backing" from a manufacturer. As motorsports competition is an expensive endeavor, some degree of factory support is...
: A racing team/driver that competes with official sanction and financial support from a manufacturer. In Europe, known as a works team.
Fan car: Usually refers specifically to the Brabham BT46
Brabham BT46
The Brabham BT46 was a Formula One racing car, designed by Gordon Murray for the Brabham team, owned by Bernie Ecclestone, for the 1978 Formula One season. The car featured several radical design elements, the most obvious of which was the use of flat panel heat exchangers on the bodywork of the...
Formula One car, although the concept was actually pioneered by sports car manufacturer Chaparral Cars on the Chaparral 2J. The placement of a large fan at the rear of the chassis driven either independently or by the engine with the purpose of creating negative air-pressure underneath the car to create additional downforce
Downforce
Downforce is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of downforce is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip....
for increased cornering speed.
Fastest lap
Fastest lap
In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. Some series, like A1 Grand Prix and the GP2 series, award bonus points to the driver/team with the fastest lap...
: fastest time in which a lap was completed by a driver during a race. Sometimes rewarded with bonus championship points.
Field: The competing cars in an event.
First or Worse: In drag racing, if both drivers commit a foul, the driver who commits the foul first loses, unless it is two separate fouls, where the loser is the driver who committed the worse foul; (lane violation is worse than foul start, and failure to participate in a post-run inspection is worst).
Flag-to-flag coverage: Television or radio coverage that consists of the entire race start-to-finish rather than highlights, tape delayed
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
, "packaged" coverage, or highlights of the first portion of the race before broadcasting the final quarter of the race live. Derives from green flag (start) to checkered flag (finish). Instituted largely in the late 1970s, with the 1979 Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
being the first major 500-mile race with live, flag-to-flag coverage.
Flat spot: When a wheel locks under braking, the car skids and leaves a flat spot on the section of the tyre that was touching the ground at the time.
Flopper: (drag racing) Funny Car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
, short for "fender flopper." Coined by dragster crews in the late 1960s to separate Funny Cars, which had fiberglass bodies with fenders, from dragsters. Erroneously attributed to flip-top bodies of Funny Cars.
Flying lap: A lap started by a competitor at optimum speed, as opposed to a lap from a standing start, usually in qualifying.
Formation lap: The lap cars make before forming up on the grid for the start.
Formula racing
Formula racing
Formula racing is a term that refers to various forms of open wheeled single seater motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulæ are Formula One, Formula Two, and...
: A type of racing, generally open wheeled, where the conditions of technical entry comply with strict rules or formulae.
Free practice: When drivers or riders learn the circuit and/or teams experiment with race settings for the track.
Fuel: (drag racing) mix of methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
and nitromethane
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
("pop," nitro); race class using it.
Fueler: (drag racing) any car running fuel or in Fuel class (most often, TFD or TF/FC).
Full course yellow: When yellow flags are deployed at every flag point around a race circuit and a Safety Car leads the field until a hazard is cleared.
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
: (drag racing) a vehicle with a single-piece body draped over the chassis which is lifted off or rear-hinged to allow the driver access to the cabin; a race class for such a car
G
GasserGasser (car)
A gasser is a type of hot rod originating on the dragstrips of the United States in the late 1950s and continued until the early 1970s. Gassers are based on production models from the 1930s to mid 1950s, which have been stripped of extraneous weight and jacked up using a truck beam axle to provide...
: bodied drag racer
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
running on gasoline (before Pro Stock
Pro Stock
Pro Stock Drag Racing is a class of drag racing featuring 'Factory Hot-Rods'. The class can be known as "all motor," as the cars cannot use artificial induction such as turbocharging, supercharging, or nitrous oxide, and there are very strict rules governing the modifications allowed to the...
was introduced)
Graining: When small grains of rubber start coming off a tyre. See also marbles.
Gravel trap: Off-track run-off area
Run-off area
A run-off area is an area on a racetrack for racer safety. Run-off areas are usually located along a race course where racers are most likely to unintentionally depart from the prescribed course. It is also known as a gravel trap or, informally, kitty litter – see glossary of motorsport terms...
, usually positioned on the outside of corners, filled with gravel intended to slow down and stop cars that have left the track at speed. Generally there are tyre barriers between a gravel trap and the catch fencing, in order to protect the spectators. Sometimes nicknamed "kitty litter" for its visual resemblance.
Grand marshal: Ceremonial marshaling role at a race meeting. Largely held by celebrities or retired notable drivers with no actual duties or responsibilities beyond the waving of a flag to commence activity or to announce the traditional start your engines prior to some races.
Green-white-checker finish
Green-white-checker finish
The green-white-checker finish is a rule implemented into many levels of automobile racing in the United States. When the race would otherwise end during a yellow-flag caution condition , this rule gives the field an attempt to finish the race under a green-flag, racing condition...
: When a full-course caution comes out right before the end of a race, the race is extended beyond its scheduled distance. Depending on sanctioning body, there may be either one or multiple attempts at a restart, between one and five laps, before the race is declared officially over. NASCAR's national series will have a maximum of three attempts if the penultimate lap only under caution, while some short track races have unlimited attempts at a span between one and five consecutive green-flag laps. In British Superbike Championship motorcycle racing, if a caution is called in the final third of the race, three additional laps will be added on the ensuing restart in a green-white-checker style finish.
Grenade: wreck an engine (the engine "grenaded") due to internal failure. Distinct from "popping a blower". A hand-grenade engine is a usually derogatory engine of tuned to maximise engine power at the cost of low mechanical reliability.
Grid: The starting formation of a race, generally in rows of two for cars and four for bikes.
Groove: Also called The Groove. A term used in drag racing about the center portion of the lane, where the cars can gain traction quicker, and run faster times.
Ground effect
Ground effect in cars
Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...
: A method of creating downforce
Downforce
Downforce is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of downforce is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip....
by the shape of the car's body, notably by shaping the underside of the car in combination with the car's lateral edges in order the trap and dramatically slow the airflow running underneath the car, effectively turning the entire car into a wing.
Gurney, Gurney flap
Gurney flap
The Gurney Flap is a small flat tab projecting from the trailing edge of a wing. Typically it is set at a right angle to the pressure side surface of the airfoil,and projects 1% to 2% of the wing chord....
: A small lip placed at the trailing edge of a race car's aerodynamic wing. Despite its relative size, often only millimetres tall, it can double the downforce achieved by the wing, although at the premium of increasing drag, hence the small size. Named for the man commonly attributed to its proliferation, Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver and constructor, Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
. Also known as a wickerbill.
H
Hairpin turn
A hairpin turn , named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180° to continue on the road. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy...
: A tight 180 degree corner that twists back on itself.
Handicap: where cars start a race in the reverse order of qualifying, or perceived race pace, usually with timed gaps between cars starting a race. More common in racing's early days than today, the effect was the produce a race result in which all cars would arrive at the race finish together, regardless of the performance of the race vehicle.
Hang-out-to-dry: where, upon having gained track position after overtaking a rival car, the lead driver simply blocks, and slows their rival down slightly.
Heads-up Racing: where both drivers leave at the same time and is used in all professional ("pro") classes.
Heat: A shorter race which decides the participants of the main race and sometimes starting order as well, usually there are more heats in which only a part of the drivers from the entry list take part. Can also mean part of the main race, when it consists of two or more parts.
Holeshot
Holeshot
The holeshot is a term used primarily in motorcycle racing for the rider who is the first one through the first turn. In some cases a holeshot award will be given, which is a prize separate from winning the race...
:
- (dirt road course motorcycle racing), the rider who is the first one through the first turn at the start of a race
- (drag racing) getting a substantial starting line advantage due to a quicker reaction time. The other driver gets "holeshotted" "welded to the line" or "left at the tree." A "holeshot win" is any win in a heads-up class where a slower car beats a faster car because of better reaction time, despite having a slower elapsed time (e.t.).
Homologation
Homologation (motorsport)
In motorsports, homologation is the approval process a vehicle, race track or standardised part must go through to race in a given league or series. The regulations and rules that must be met are generally set by the series' sanctioning body...
: Process by which a new vehicle or part of a vehicle is approved by organisers for usage in racing.
Hook up: (drag racing) Good traction between tires and track resulting in increased acceleration and reduced slipping or smoking of tires.
Hot lap: flying lap.
I
Impact wrenchImpact wrench
An impact wrench is a socket wrench power tool designed to deliver high torque output with minimal exertion by the user, by storing energy in a rotating mass, then delivering it suddenly to the output shaft.Compressed air is the most common power source, although electric or hydraulic...
: A tool specifically designed for rapidly winding off and on wheel nuts, allowing the changing of wheels and tyres to be performed faster during pit stop
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
s. Also known as an impactor, air wrench, air gun, rattle gun, torque gun.
Impound Rule: NASCAR's
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
version of Parc Fermè, used at certain tracks
In-lap: Any lap which concludes with a visit to the pits, especially a pre-arranged pit stop, either during a race or during practice or qualifying.
Incident officer (often IO or I/O): A motorsport marshal
Motorsport marshal
Motorsport marshals contribute to more enjoyable, more efficient, and safer motor racing. They are responsible for the safety of competitors and are stationed at various points of danger around race tracks to assist them in case of any collisions, accidents or track problems...
who is in charge of other marshals on the track, allocating duties to them. Second in terms of ranking to observer. In hillclimbing, they are responsible of the radio communication.
Independent: A competitor (team or driver) taking part with no or very little backing from a manufacturer. They have their own championship within the World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
, where there is a strong manufacturer presence.
Inspector: See Scrutineer.
Installation lap: A lap which can take place in practice or qualifying, which is intended simply to gain data and telemetry
Telemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
for the driver or team, rather than any intention of setting a competitive time.
Intermediate: A wet weather tyre of lighter grooving than a wet weather tyre. Sometimes an intermediate is a slick tyre with grooves cut into it. It is used for conditions between dry and wet conditions, most often when the track is wet but it is not actually raining.
Invert: The portion of the field which is started by reverse qualifying speed. With an invert of five, the fifth-fastest qualifier starts first and the fastest qualifier starts fifth. The rest of the field starts by their qualifying speed (sixth fastest starts sixth). The invert is often not announced before qualifying or a dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
/die roll happens after qualifying.
J
James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
/ James Bond Red: In drag racing, a driver's reaction time (when he leaves the start line) is seven thousands of a second after the green light (.007). A "James Bond Red" is a reaction time of -.007 seconds (red light), which is disqualification unless the opponent commits a more serious violation.
Jet dryer: An airplane engine mounted on a pickup truck or trailer. The exhaust from the engine is used to blow debris or evaporate moisture from the racing surface.
Jump start: In a standing start, when a vehicle moves from its grid slot before the start of a race is signaled. In a rolling start, when a car passes before they cross the start-finish line or the restart line. When this is done, a penalty is usually imposed. In drag racing, a jump start is signalled by a red light in the offending driver's lane, and he loses unless a more serious foul (boundary line or failure to report to post-race inspection after a round win) occurs.
K
Kerb-hopping: To clip, or drive over completely, the concrete kerbs (curbs) on the inside of a corner. While often the fastest method of negotiating chicanes in particular, the practice is usually frowned upon by race officials for the damage it can do to the kerbs, tyres and vehicles. The practice also can drag debris or water from behind the kerb onto the racing line.KERS: Kinetic Energy Recovery System. A device which recovers energy created when brakes are applied and stores it until required to add power in the engine. In 2008 KERS systems started to appear in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
followed soon after, where its application is limited to a push to pass system.
Kit: (drag racing) refers to a turbo kit or a nitrous kit. Using nitrous oxide in the professional categories in drag racing is illegal.
Kitty litter: Informal term with two possible meanings. It is either a nickname for a gravel trap, or for a material applied to the track surface to clean up a leaking fluid.
L
Lambda reading: Fuel to air ratio readings, used to determine how much fuel is pushed through the fuel injectors into the cylinders for combustion.
Lap of honour: A non-competitive lap taken before or after the race by a driver in celebration. Also known as a lap of honor, or, if after the race, a victory lap.
Lap record: Fastest race lap recorded at a circuit for a category of race car. The circumstances allowed vary significantly, but practice laps are generally not considered official records. Laps recorded in qualifying may or may not contribute but are sometimes referred together with practice laps as Qualifying lap record. The outright lap record is the fastest race lap ever recorded at any particular circuit, regardless of category of vehicle being raced.
Lead trophy: See Success ballast.
Lid: Used to describe the top of something, either a crash helmet or the roof of a car.
Lit the tires: (drag racing) lost traction, producing smoke.
Livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
: The paint colors and decals applied to a vehicle to mark its sponsorship or team identity.
Lollipop: A sign on a stick used in pit stops, which is held in front of the car and raised when the pit stop is completed.
Loose: See oversteer.
M
Marble (toy)
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
.
Marshal
Motorsport marshal
Motorsport marshals contribute to more enjoyable, more efficient, and safer motor racing. They are responsible for the safety of competitors and are stationed at various points of danger around race tracks to assist them in case of any collisions, accidents or track problems...
: A person responsible for signaling track conditions to drivers (through use of flags), extinguishing fires, removing damaged cars from the track and sometimes providing emergency first aid.
Meatball: A specific racing flag used in some countries to indicate to a competitor there is a defect with the car which has the potential to cause a safety risk to the competitor or to another competitor. Most usually applied to trailing smoke or loose bodywork. The flag is black with a large orange dot in the centre of the flag, looking vaguely like a meatball
Meatball
A meatball is made from an amount of ground meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, minced onion, spices, and possibly eggs...
.
Meth: (drag racing) refers to methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
injection used in conjunction with racing gasoline
Missing man formation
Missing man formation
The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flyover of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot. The missing man formation is often called "the missing man flyby"...
: The vehicle on the pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
drops back a row during a pace lap to salute a deceased motorsport personality.
Mobile chicane
Chicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
: Disparaging slang. A competitor noticeably slower than the front running pace, so slow as to be a 'chicane that moves around the track'.
Monsoon wet: Increasingly common nickname for an extreme weather version of the wet weather tyre.
Motorsport Valley: A tag given to the mid-south of England by the Motorsport Industry Association where high concentration of activities within the motorsport industry on and off track occur.
Mountain motor: (mainly North American) term for large-displacement engines, often used in hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
s and drag racer
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
s. Named for their size (over 8,100 cubic centimetres, or 500 cubic inches, the limit in some sanctioning bodies), and for being constructed in the mountains of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Murrayism: A verbal gaffe made by motor racing sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, named in honour of veteran Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
broadcaster, Murray Walker
Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
.
N
Navigator: See co-driver.Nitro: (drag racing) nitromethane
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
(sometimes incorrectly used to refer to nitrous oxide).
Nitrous
Nitrous
Nitrous oxide is a chemical compound used as an oxidizing agent to increase an internal combustion engine's power output by allowing more fuel to be burned than would normally be the case.-Nitrous and NOS:...
: (drag racing) refers to Nitrous Oxide systems manufactured by a wide range of companies.
Not classified (often NC)
- A driver was racing at the end of the race, but did not complete the required distance to be classified.
O
Observer: The highest ranking trackside marshalMotorsport marshal
Motorsport marshals contribute to more enjoyable, more efficient, and safer motor racing. They are responsible for the safety of competitors and are stationed at various points of danger around race tracks to assist them in case of any collisions, accidents or track problems...
within the post; the main decision maker at the event of an incident, they relay information to the race control. Can be seen standing in the marshal post. Second to Chief Marshal.
Official: See Steward.
Oildown: (drag racing) When a car's engine or lubrication breaks during a run, leaving a streak of oil and other fluids on the track. This is punishable by fines, point penalties, and/or suspension.
Open wheel car
Open wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
or Open wheeler
- A specific type of racing car in which the wheels are not enclosed by bodywork of the car, eg: Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
.
One-make racing: A term describing racing equipment that must be identical for all competitors, usually to cut down on costs or for business purposes by car manufacturers. Known in North America as spec, specific parts can be spec, as in the IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
' spec engine, or the type of car can be spec, as in spec racing series such as Spec Miata
Spec Miata
Spec Miata is a class of racing car used in Sports Car Club of America , National Auto Sport Association , and Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs road racing events....
.
Out-brake: Gaining time or position by braking harder and deeper in a corner.
Out-lap: The first lap to be completed after exiting the pit lane, either during a race or during practice or qualifying. Also known as a reconnaissance lap if it is not taken at race speed, e.g. when a car leaves the pit lane to take up its position on the grid prior to the race start.
Outright lap record: Fastest lap recorded at a circuit of any category of race car. Most often this does not include qualifying and practice laps but confusingly some sources occasionally include laps not recorded during races.
Overdrive: (drag racing) The ratio between the revolutions of the supercharger to the revolutions of the engine, controlling amount of boost; see underdrive.
Overpowering the track: A drag racing term used when talking about a run when the driver loses traction. It is normally used to talk about the actions of the team crew chief.
Oversteer: Cornering behaviour where the rear wheels do not track behind the front wheels but instead move out toward the outside of the turn. Opposite of understeer.
P
Pacenotes
Pacenotes
In rallying, pacenotes are a commonly used method of accurately describing the route to be driven in extreme detail. As well as dictating the general route to be taken, in terms of turnings, junctions, etc, all notable features of the route which might affect the way it is driven at speed are...
: In rally racing
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
, notes that describe the course in great detail.
Paddock
Paddock
A Paddock is an enclosure for horses. It may also refer to: People*Algernon Paddock , American politician*Charlie Paddock , American athlete and actor*Del Paddock , American baseball player...
: An enclosure at a track used by team support personnel and vehicles, and other officials and VIPs.
Paint scheme: see Livery.
Parade lap
Parade lap
A parade lap, also known as a formation lap or warm-up lap, is a lap before a motorsport race begins, in which the drivers go around the track at a slow speed , and, in some cases, behind the safety car...
: A lap before a motorsport race begins where the drivers go around the track at a slow speed, also known as a formation lap.
Parc fermé
Parc fermé
Parc fermé, literally meaning "closed park" in French, is a term used to describe a secure area at a Grand Prix circuit wherein the cars are driven back to the pits post-race. According to the FIA Formula One regulations, the area must be sufficiently large and secure so as to prevent unauthorised...
or Impound: An area which cars enter after they have qualified for the race, where they are not allowed to be worked upon by mechanics unless on strict supervision by the stewards. Some motorsports series other than Formula One refer to this as the Impound.
Pay driver
Pay driver
A pay driver is a driver for a professional auto racing team who, instead of being paid by their car owner, drives for free and brings with him either personal sponsorship or personal or family funding to finance the team's operations...
: A driver who pays for his race seat rather than receiving a salary from the team. Generally has a negative connotation. Sometimes known as a Ride Buyer.
Pedalling: (drag racing) working the throttle to avoid lighting the tires, or as a way to sandbag; "pedalled" it, had to "pedal" it.
Photo finish: A finish in which two or more cars are so close that in times past a photograph of the finishers crossing the finish line would need to be studied to determine the finishing order. While the practice has been superseded by modern electronic timing systems, the expression remains in regular use by commentators and others.
Pit board: A board that is held up from the pit wall to the side of the finishing straight when a driver goes past, to confirm their position in the race and the amount of laps remaining. Before the introduction of radio communication, also used to instruct drivers to pit for fuel and/or tires, or to comply with rules violations.
Pit stop
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
: Stopping in the pit lane for repairs, refuelling, and/or new tires.
Pit wall: Where the team owners and managers sit to observe the race, opposite the garages in the pit lane.
Pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
: The first grid position, placed closest to the starting line (in Formula One), nearest the inside of the first turn, or both. Usually reserved for the competitor who has recorded the fastest lap during qualifying. A competitor who starts a race there is said to be on the pole.
Pop-off valve: Device attached to turbocharger
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
s used to limit the additional horsepower they produce. Usually a mechanical device, activated when the pressure within the turbocharger reaches a certain point, opening a valve (popping off), thus reducing boost pressure. Used primarily for safety (speed reduction of the racing cars) or cost (reducing stress on both turbo and engine, lengthening the life of the parts prior to failure or rebuild).
Pre-qualifying: A preliminary qualifying session held prior to a regular qualifying session in order to reduce the number of competitors taking part in the regular session, usually for safety reasons. An example of pre-qualifying is in Formula One in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Privateer
Privateer (motorsport)
In motor sport, a privateer is usually an entrant into a racing event that is not directly supported by an automobile manufacturer. Privateers teams are often found competing in rally and circuit racing events, and often include competitors who build and maintain their own vehicles...
: A competitor not directly supported by a sponsor or manufacturer. To be privately funded.
Progressive grid: Where a category races multiple times at a meeting, the starting order for the grid is decided by the finishing order of the previous race.
Pro tree: (drag racing) timing lights which flash all three yellow lights simultaneously, and after four tenths of a second, turn green.
Prototype
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
: An endurance sports racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
car that does not noticeably look like a standard production model.
Pulling an Eckman: A term in drag racing, particularly in Pro Stock, when a driver is cited, and fined for racing with a nitrous oxide system, driver Jerry Eckman was the first driver in the NHRA to be indefinitely suspended for such an infraction.
Push: See understeer.
Push to pass: System in which engine power is increased for short periods to create a short burst of extra speed. This can be done by increasing the boost pressure in a turbocharged car, increasing the maximum rpm, or using a separate system to provide power. Also, see KERS.
Put on the trailer: When a driver has either lost (got "put on the trailer") or won (put the other driver on the trailer). Named because losing drivers pull their vehicle home on a trailer.
Q
Qualifying: The process of deciding the starting order of a race. See also pre-qualifying.Quick 8 (often Q8)
- (drag racing) Quickest eight cars in a defined race. Rules appear to can differ per location/race.
R
R.T.: Acronym for "Reaction Time." In drag racing, it is a term used to discuss the time it took for the driver to leave the starting line after the green light. This time usually means the difference between a win, or a loss, especially in the highly contested Pro StockPro Stock
Pro Stock Drag Racing is a class of drag racing featuring 'Factory Hot-Rods'. The class can be known as "all motor," as the cars cannot use artificial induction such as turbocharging, supercharging, or nitrous oxide, and there are very strict rules governing the modifications allowed to the...
division where a difference of one ten-thousandth (.0001) of a second can put a driver in the winners circle.
Race Director: A Race Director may be designated for the entire duration of a Championship or Series. If so, it is understood that, during the practices and races for that Championship or Series, the Clerk of the Course and safety operations are under the ultimate authority of the Race Director.
Racing line: The fastest path around a circuit.
Rainout: When a race is delayed or cancelled due to rain, or the threat of rain.
Rail (or rail job): dragster (as distinct from bodied car or flopper). From the exposed frame rails of early cars. Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars.
Rail (drag racing): guardrail
Ramp run: In a practice lap, to rev the engine as far as possible without changing gears to allow engine management systems to take Lambda readings of the fuel to air ratio across a smooth engine revolution range.
Rattle gun: See Impact Wrench.
Reactive suspension: A system by which the suspension is controlled by computer to maintain an optimum distance above the racing surface, regardless of forces acting upon the car and changes in the racing surface, thus maximising the aerodynamic assistance that can be gained by running the car close to the ground. Developed originally by Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
.
Redlight(ed): (drag racing) a.k.a. bulb(ed)—jump(ed) the start, left before tree turned green. This is a loss unless a more serious (opponent crossing the center boundary line) foul occurs.
Relief driver: A driver who fills in for another driver in case of injury, or during a race because of exhaustion or pain.
Restart
- The race is started again after a caution or other condition that stopped the race
Retirement (often Ret)
- see Did Not Finish.
Reverse grid racing: when the starting order of a race is reversed, so that the driver on pole position, starts last. Occasionally reverse grid is limited to only part of the grid, for example, just the top ten positions may be reversed. Often used to increase the entertainment value of a race, mainly used when a category races several times over the course of a meeting.
Riding mechanic: an early term for a co-driver.
Ripple strip: Concrete kerb, usually placed on the inside of a corner, painted in chunks of colour, usually red and white alternately, hence the 'ripple'.
Roll cage
A roll cage is a specially constructed frame built in the cab of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over. Roll cages are used in nearly all purpose-built racecars, and in most cars modified for racing...
: Network of metal bars that criss-cross the interior of production-based sedan-bodied racing cars. Originally created as a safety device in more recent times is has been used to connect suspension, chassis, engine to substantially increase the torsional rigidity of a race car.
Roll hoop
Roll cage
A roll cage is a specially constructed frame built in the cab of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over. Roll cages are used in nearly all purpose-built racecars, and in most cars modified for racing...
: Looped bar protruding above and behind the drivers helmets in open wheel and prototype sports racing cars. The hoop is placed that in the event of a car rolling over in a crash the car lands on the roll hoop rather than the drivers helmet. It also makes a handy hook for cranes for removing stopped cars from dangerous positions on the circuit.
Rolling start
Rolling start
A rolling start is one of two modes of initiating or restarting an auto race; the other mode is the standing start. In a rolling start, the cars are ordered on the track and are led on a certain number of laps at a pre-determined safe speed by the safety car or pace car...
: A starting method where moving cars start a race after the starter displays a green flag.
Roof flap
Roof flap
A roof flap is an aerodynamic feature on race cars, mainly stock cars, which functions as an emergency spoiler to prevent the vehicle from lifting off the ground...
: an aerodynamic piece designed to keep a car on the ground when it is traveling in reverse.
Rumble strip: Variation of ripple strip with an upward-pointed, rounded saw-tooth edge. The saw-tooth effect is to discourage competitors from kerb-hopping. The saw-tooth creates a rumble sound and feel for the competitor when driven over.
Run-off area
Run-off area
A run-off area is an area on a racetrack for racer safety. Run-off areas are usually located along a race course where racers are most likely to unintentionally depart from the prescribed course. It is also known as a gravel trap or, informally, kitty litter – see glossary of motorsport terms...
: Areas off the track put aside for vehicles to leave the track in case of emergency without accident.
S
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
: A safety car or pace car limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of an accident or caution periods caused by obstruction/s on the track.
Sandbag: To gain a competitive advantage by deliberately underperforming at an event.
Sandtrap: An area at the very end of a dragstrip to keep vehicles from going off the track, it is filled with, as the name implies, sand. The design of the sandtrap is intentional, and used as a safety device.
Satellite team
Satellite team
In motorsport, a satellite team is a team related to a larger, better-funded team. This relation may involve ownership, technical support and staff sharing, including drivers...
: A second racing team operated by a primary team but maintaining a separate identity.
Scattershield: (drag racing) metal sheet protecting driver in case of transmission failure.
Scratch race: A type of race which competitors start on an equal term.
Scrutineer: A qualified official who examines racing vehicles pre-race for compliance with the rules of competition, usually in a scrutineering bay adjacent to the pit lane.
Scuffs: Tires which have been used limitedly, but are not worn out. Scuffs may be put on a car during a pit stop to improve handling. At times, brand new tires may be 'scuffed in' before a race by practicing in them for a lap or two. (See "Sticker tires")
Sector: A section of one complete lap of the circuit used for timing purposes. For the purposes of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, each circuit is split into three sectors.
Semi-automatic gearbox: A motorsport application, created initially by Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
for Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, in which the driver can change gears manually, but without having to manually activate the clutch. On open wheel race cars it is usually activated by paddles immediately behind the steering wheel, although touring cars and rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
usually place the gear shifter as a gear stick in the more conventional position on the centre console, but occasionally is mounted as a stalk off the steering column, when activated, automatically engages the clutch and changes the gear and releases the clutch without any further input from the driver.
Semi feature, B-main, Qualifier
- A qualifying race before the main event, where non-qualified cars compete for a predetermined number of spots in the main event. Some races have a C-main where the top finisher(s) qualify for the B-main. At those events, the main event is known as the "A-main".
Setup
Racing setup
In auto racing, the racing setup or car setup is the set of adjustments made to the vehicle in order to optimize its behaviour...
: The set of adjustments made to the vehicle in order to optimize its behavior.
Shakedown: The first test of a new vehicle.
Shootout: See Superpole.
Short shifting
Short shifting
Short shifting is a driving technique in which the gear is changed up before necessary. By short shifting, not all of the engine's power from the previous gear is being used, therefore power and torque are lost....
: A technique used, primarily in motorsport, to regain control of a car through a high speed corner. Involves the driver shifting up a gear earlier than usual.
Shunt: A crash.
Shutdown Area: In drag racing, it is the extra 440 yards from the finish line, to the sand trap, used to safely shut down the car, and turn it off the track, so the next racers can begin their race.
Sidepod: Aerodynamic device to improve airflow between front and rear wheels on open wheel racing car which also covers ancillary equipment within car, most often water radiators which are air cooled by ram scoops at the open front of the sidepods.
Skid plate: Metal plates, most commonly titanium, fixed to the bottom of flat bottomed racing cars on the undertray facing the racing surface, put there to protect the undertray from ground strikes tearing through the undertray. Today less common as racing cars usually are mandated to have a ground clearance that is less critical to hitting the track.
Slapper bar: see traction bar.
Sled: In truck and tractor pulling, an implement pulled behind the machine which uses friction to stop the machine.
Slick (clay oval): A phenomenon caused on short-circuit clay ovals that dry out too much. Clay circuits that do not maintain a certain amount of moisture as a race meeting progresses will start to wear the rubber off the soft specialised clay surface tyres of clay surface race car tyres much in the same way asphalt or concrete paved circuits do, giving the track surface a noticeably black shade.
Slidejob pass: Especially in dirt
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
oval racing, a passing car dives low into a corner, deliberately oversteers in front of the vehicle being passed in an attempt to slow their momentum. The vehicle being passed often attempts to pass back by steering low coming out of the corner down the following straightaway.
Slingshot: front-engined dragster
Front engine dragster
The front engine dragster is a race car purpose built for drag racing.Now considered obsolete, the "rail", "digger", or "slingshot" dragster is now used mainly in nostalgia drag racing. Models range in length from in wheelbase. They were originally used in the highest class of drag racing, Top Fuel...
, named for the driving position behind the rear wheels (erroneously attributed to launch speed).
Slingshot pass
Slingshot pass
A slingshot pass is a motor racing manoeuvre popular in various genres of motorsport, from open wheel Formula One to NASCAR stock cars.The preparation for a slingshot pass occurs when the soon-to-be-passing driver is directly behind another car...
: A pass using Slipstreaming (see below).
Slipstreaming: A car following close behind another uses the slipstream
Slipstream
A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid is moving at velocities comparable to the moving object . The term slipstream also applies to the similar region adjacent to an object with a fluid moving around it...
created by the lead car to close the gap between them or pass it. Same as drafting.
Smoking the tires: Also called Lighting the hides, or Blowing the tires off. A term used mostly in drag racing when a loss of traction occurs, causing the rear tires to rise, and smoke profusely. This usually happens off the starting line. When this happens during a race, it usually results in a loss, unless the opponent also loses traction as well.
Spare car, Backup car: A car used by a driver if he has damaged his main car. It may or may not have the same setup as the primary car. Teams in most major racing series have a spare car available at the track. At Indianapolis
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, it is traditionally called a "T Car" ("T" loosely short for "test" or "temporary")
Spec: see One-make racing
Special stage
Special stage (rallying)
Special stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
: A section of road or track, closed off used for timed runs in rallying. A rally is made up of a number of special stages.
Splash and dash, Splash and go: A pit stop
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
which involves refueling the car only, often less than a full tank.
Splitter: Also referred to as the front Spoiler or Front Air Dam. Aerodynamic device placed on the nose of some touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
s and GT
GT
-Science, technology, engineering, measurement:* Gas turbine, a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas* Geometry & Topology, a mathematical journal* Giant trevally, a species of fish from the Carangidae family...
s to improve airflow around the nose of the car and sometimes create downforce for the front wheels to aid steering. It is prominent on NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
's Car of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
body style.
Spoiler
Spoiler (automotive)
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...
: Aerodynamic device attached to the trailing edge of a race car to increase its rear downforce. The difference between a spoiler and a wing is that wings are generally multi-element with air passing both above and below the aerodynamic surface, whereas a spoiler is flush fitted to the car's bodywork.
Spotter
Spotter (auto racing)
A spotter in auto racing is a trained team member whose job is to relay information to their driver, keeping him/her alert of what is occurring on the track. They are typically positioned high above the track, atop one of the grandstands, or other support buildings, with a bird's eye view of the...
: a person, positioned high above the circuit, who communicates what going on the track to the driver
Standard tree: (drag racing) timing lights which flash in sequence five tenths of a second between each yellow light before turning green. Traditional form, before introduction of pro tree.
Standing start
Standing start
A standing start is a type of start in auto racing events, in which cars are stationary when the race begins. In a standing start, cars are completely still when a green signal is given to start the race, often preceded by a set of lights...
: A starting method where the race machines are stationary on the grid.
Start and park
Start and park
Start and park is a term used in NASCAR-sanctioned and other auto racing sanctioning bodies to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear...
: A team or driver who starts a race and only runs a small number of laps to avoid using up resources (tires, parts).
Steward: The adjudicator or referee at a race meeting who interprets incidents and decides whether penalties or fines should be issued.
Sticker tires: Brand new tires put on a race car. Nicknamed "sticker tires" because the manufacturer's labels are still visible. (Opposite of "Scuffs")
Stint: The period a driver is at the wheel in an event involving more than one driver in the vehicle. Sometimes refers to the period of driving between pit stops.
Stop-go penalty: Requires erring drivers to enter their pit and come to a complete stop before resuming, sometimes for a specified time. Sometimes called a Stop and go penalty, it penalises drivers more than a Drive-through penalty.
Stripe or Strip: The start/finish line.
Struck the tires: (drag racing) loss of traction, causing them to smoke.
Success ballast: A method used to level performance between competitors by adding weight to cars the win races or are successful. Somestimes referred to as Lead trophy as the usage of lead bars is most popular in applying the additional weight.
Superpole, or Shootout: A selection procedure in which the ten or 15 fastest qualifiers compete for grid positions in a single-lap effort without other vehicles on the track. While not specifically referenced, most NASCAR races will use this style of qualifying for all cars.
Support race: A race(s) that takes place before and after the title race, also during qualifying day.
Super rally: When a rally driver retires on any day, except the last, they can continue the next day incurring penalties for the stages they did not drive, including the one they retired on. Currently, in World Rally Championship, a driver will be given the time of the fastest driver of their class, plus a five-minute-penalty for each missed stage.
Super Special
Special stage (rallying)
Special stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
: Timed special stage in a rally on a purpose-built track, often in a stadium. Usually two cars will set off at the same time in separate lanes, and at the halfway point of the stage they will swap lanes, usually due to a crossover involving a bridge. A similar format is used in the Race of Champions
Race of Champions
The Race of Champions is an international motorsport event held at the end of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers...
.
Swinger: (from Sidecar racing) A passenger on a racing motorcycle sidecar who athletically moves from one side of the sidecar to the other, altering a sidecar's weight distribution to assist in cornering speed and in some corners to prevent the sidecar from tipping over.
T
Side collision
Side collisions are vehicle crashes where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes often occur at intersections, in parking lots, when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway, or when a vehicle hits a fixed object....
: A collision in which the front of a car crashes into the side of another car, forming a "T" shape. This is one of the more dangerous types of crash due to the relative vulnerability of side impacts where there is much less deformable structure on the side of a car to protect the driver. Also, to crash into another car in such a fashion; the victim is "T-boned".
T-car: Alternative term for spare/backup car
Tank-slapper
Speed wobble
Wobble, shimmy, tank-slapper, speed wobble, and even death wobble are all words and phrases used to describe a quick oscillation of primarily just the steerable wheel of a vehicle. Initially, the rest of the vehicle remains mostly unaffected, until translated into a vehicle yaw oscillation of...
: When the front wheel of a motorcycle oscillates rapidly, causing the handlebars to slap against the fuel tank. It is increasingly being used to describe a vehicle which loses traction at the rear, regains traction and loses it again, causing the rear to weave side to side independently of the front of the car. This is more often referred to as fish-tailing.
: (drifting) Japanese term for individual passes where drivers drive whilst being observed in front of judges in an attempt to vy for the top spot.
Team orders
Team orders
In motor racing, team orders is a motorsport term for the practice of teams issuing instructions to drivers to deviate from the normal practice of racing against each other as they would against other teams' drivers. Prime examples of this were the team orders issued by Formula One teams to their...
: The practice of driver allowing another from the same team or manufacturer to gain a higher finish at the direction of the team management. The practice was briefly forbidden in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
as a consequence of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix
2002 Austrian Grand Prix
The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 12, 2002 at the A1-Ring. It was infamous for the "staged finish", where race leader Rubens Barrichello, who was running first, was ordered to allow Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher to overtake him under "team orders" and win the...
controversy.
Ten-tenths: Refers to driving a car to its absolute potential.
Throttleman: In offshore powerboat racing
Offshore powerboat racing
Offshore powerboat racing is racing by large, specially designed ocean-going powerboats, typically point-to-point racing.Probably one of the largest, most dangerous, and most powerful racing machines of all, the extreme expense of the boats and the fuel required to participate make it an expensive...
, the boat's second occupant who work alongside the driver, whose role is to steer the boat. The throttleman's position is to adjust the trim tab whilst observing water conditions and extract as much speed out of the boat by controlling the hand-throttle during a race whilst it hops over tides after tides to prevent the propellers from spinning wildly whilst the boat is airborne, which causes the engine to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Throw a belt: (drag racing) losing the drive belt connecting the engine's crankshaft to the supercharger.
Tight: See Understeer.
Time attack
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...
: A competition which involve cars running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap.
Timeslip: (drag racing) E.T. slip.
Tin-top: Road car-derived vehicles with a roof, mainly in touring car racing
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
.
Tire shake: A term in drag racing, when the engine is putting out more horespower than the drive axle can handle, causing the rear tires to shake violently. This results in a loss of speed, and can also result in loss of steering, and occasionally, lead to on track accidents. Refer to in other disciplines sometimes as axle tramp.
Top end: (drag racing) finish line of strip; high part of engine's rev band.
Track
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
: The racing surface.
Traction bars: (drag racing) rear struts fixed to rear axle to keep rear axle from twisting, causing wheel hop and loss of traction; also called slapper bars. In FWD cars, commonly import drag racing, used to keep front wheels in the ground.
Traction control
Traction control system
A traction control system , also known as anti-slip regulation , is typically a secondary function of the anti-lock braking system on production motor vehicles, designed to prevent loss of traction of driven road wheels...
: This regulates the power supplied to the wheels of a vehicle to prevent wheelspin. It is banned in many forms of motor racing.
Trap(s): (drag racing) the 20 meter (66 ft) timing lights at top end of race track to measure speed & E.T.
Trap speed: (drag racing) Speed as measured by the speed trap near the finish line, indicative of the maximum speed reached on a pass.
: (drifting) Japanese term for tandem passes where two cars are paired off against each other over two passes within a heat, with each driver taking a turn to lead.
U
UndersteerUndersteer
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Simply put, oversteer is what occurs when a car turns by more than the amount commanded by the driver...
or push: Cornering behaviour where the front wheels do not follow the steered course but instead push out toward the outside of the turn. Known as push in NASCAR and other stock car racing. Opposite of oversteer. See also cross-channel ferry
HSC Condor Express
The HSC Condor Express is a 86m fast catamaran ferry that runs between the UK and the Channel Islands. It is operated by Condor Ferries.-History:...
.
Undertray: Flat or stepped flat surface on the bottom of open wheel and sports prototype racing cars. Theory has varied along with aerodynamic developments and regulations, from the sidepod tunnels of ground effect to the flat undertrays of the 1980s in various attempts to use aerodynamics to suck the cars closer to the bitumen, minimising the air underneath the car that could slow its progress. Today most such categories feature a stepped undertray with sidepods siting higher in the air than the centre of the car, usually mandated by series organisers in an attempt to limit vehicle performance. Also refers to flat surfaces extending behind splitters in sedan and GT based racing cars.
V
Victory lane: The place where the winner of a race goes to celebrate victory after winning an event.Victory lap
Victory lap
A victory lap is a term used in motorsports to describe an extra lap of the race track after the conclusion of a race. This lap, driven at reduced speed, allows the winning driver to celebrate his or her victory and gives the spectators an opportunity to congratulate and honor the competitors...
: A lap, after the conclusion of the race, where the winning racer drives at reduced speed to celebrate his or her victory.
W
Wallies: A slower car, usually found at the rear of the grid. It is sometimes a derogatory term.Wear the shiny off: A term used, mostly within drag racing, when a brand new car either hits the wall, or, in the Pro Stock class, when a new car flips over into its top and continues down the track for a considerable length, peeling the paint off.
Weight shifting: A technique used to reduce understeer. This involves the driver decelerating through a corner to shift the weight of the car from the back to the front, increasing grip of the front tyres and decreasing understeer.
Wet (or wet-weather) tyre: A racing tyre with deep grooves designed to displace standing water, allowing the tyre to obtain grip in conditions where dry weather tyres (slicks) would aquaplane. Monsoon wet has become a term used for extremely wet conditions.
Wheel banging: When the wheels of two different race cars slightly collide during an overtaking manoeuvre.
Wheel hop: (drag racing) violent shaking of the car as the tires lose and regain traction in quick succession.
Wheelie
In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to extreme torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels. Wheelies are usually associated with bicycles and motorcycles, but can be done with other vehicles such as cars, especially...
: In a rear wheel drive vehicle, when the front wheel(s) rise up in the air under acceleration.
Wheelie bars: (drag racing) rear struts fixed to rear axle, which protrude out to rear of car to help prevent car's front from raising too high or flipping over on launch.
Wheelstand: wheelie. In drag racing, an extreme case, with front wheels very near vertical.
Wheelstander: In drag racing, an exhibition car designed to complete a pass in a wheelstand (wheels near vertical)
Wickerbill: See Gurney flap.
Wing: Aerodynamic device on many racing cars. The principle is the same as an aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
wing except in motor racing applications the wing is inverted to create downforce instead of lift, pressing the car onto the road surface to increase traction
Traction (engineering)
Traction refers to the maximum frictional force that can be produced between surfaces without slipping.The units of traction are those of force, or if expressed as a coefficient of traction a ratio.-Traction:...
.
Wired to the tree: A drag racing term used to describe a racer that consistently beats his opponent off the starting line. Also called Chopping down the Christmas Tree.
Wishbone: Suspension control arm with three points, shaped roughly like a chicken wishbone.
Works team: A motor racing team supported by a vehicle manufacturer, usually run in-house at the manufacturer's premises. A works driver is a driver who drives for the works team.
Y
Yellow chequer: A term derived when the final lap(s) in a race is completed during a full course yellow while the field is under the control of the Safety Car. In this instance the yellow and chequered flags are waved together and the race is declared finished with the order the same as when the full course yellow began. Unpopular with spectators because of the anti-climactic nature of the finish, the possibility does make some senior race official hesitate to use it late in the race, or direct to slow the safety car in order that the hazard may be cleared in time for a competitive race finish. The Indy Racing League has a Yellow chequer rule, and NASCAR allows it (1) if a race is shortened because of curfew or darkness, (2) if the race is already on its final lap when the yellow must be waved, or (3) if there is a yellow implemented during the third attempt at the green-white-checkered finish once the leader has taken the green flag. In Formula One, when there is a yellow chequer, the safety car will not lead the leader to the finish line, unlike the IRL and NASCAR.Z
Zero car: Used in rallying. Prior to the rally cars running over a special stage several official vehicles run through the course to check for safety, conditions of the road, to see if spectators or animals may be a hazard or for obstructions. Sometimes there are a triple zero (000) and double zero (00) as well as the zero. Zero cars travel the course immediately ahead of the competitors and are usually rally cars themselves.Zero Light: Also known as "cutting a zero," and a "zero R.T." Used in drag racing when someone leaves the starting line at the exact moment when the light turns green (.000). Very difficult to achieve, due to the quick flashing of the lights on a Pro tree.