6 fast they can possibly go The physical limits are constantly pushed and sometimes they can even be pushed too far In June 2013 the world-famous Le Mans event began with competitors ready for the high-speed endurance race This twenty-four-hour car race is a test of mechanical engineering driving ability and stamina But just ten minutes into the 2013 race tragedy struck In a spot on the race track where cars are speeding around at over 100 miles per hour 161 kilometers per hour Danish driver Allan Simonse lost control of his car His car began spinning and crashed into a barrier He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead Professional racer James Jakes was quoted as saying It’s tough but it’s the world we live in Setting world records for being the fastest or for doing the most stunts is not without risks But for those who love extreme motorsports it is a risk worth taking EXTREME MOTORSPORTS
one chapter EXTREME CAR RACING when when the automotive industry began in the late 1890s with the invention of the horseless carriage it would have been difficult to predict what drivers would be doing behind the wheel over a hundred years later As automobile technology advanced over the years cars could be pushed to new limits Slowly cruising down a roadway is no longer enough for some drivers Even the idea of keeping all four of the car’s wheels firmly on the ground is in the rearview mirror for extreme drivers THE BEGINNING OF CAR RACING Car racing had a long history in Europe before it came to America The first trophy for an American automobile race was the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup which took place on Long Island New York Stock car racing began as a competition between cars that had not been altered But once tweaks to make the cars faster were discovered they had unusual boosters just a few years later among bootleggers when Prohibition made having a fast car a necessity 7
8 Early cars like this Bluebird looked very different from the cars of today Even the equipment that race car drivers use has evolved In 1920 the Eighth Amendment made it illegal to manufacture sell or transport alcohol However that did not stop whiskey distillers in the American South They used cheap cars to transport their product and tweaked the cars so that they were faster than the law enforce ment cars that chased them down but still looked just like all the other cars on the road When a pair of illegal whiskey distillers challenged each other to see who had the faster transport car racing these tweaked stock cars soon followed Races were held on secluded dirt roads old horse tracks and beaches such as Daytona in Florida Spectators began demanding closed race tracks to let them view the entire race rather than just a EXTREME MOTORSPORTS
EXTREME CAR RACING 9 small part Businessmen soon came to their aid and capitalized on the new money-making opportunity After Prohibition ended in the 1930s selling making and transporting alcohol was no longer illegal but stock car racing continued People continued to make improvements to race cars which caused car racing to split off into different events some with vehicles that sometimes looked like cars on the road and some that bore little resemblance to the models found at a car dealership OFF-ROAD AND DESERT RACING Even with the introduction of race tracks that eventually led to orga nized racing off-road racing remained popular among drivers Any kind of racing that occurs off of paved roads and on surfaces such as dirt or sand is considered off-road Drivers must compete not only against one another but against the race course too TYPES OF CARS Normal street cars would not be great off-road vehicles In order for the car to survive the difficult conditions of an off-road or desert event cars must be heavily modified In addition to changes to the engines to make them more powerful mechanics may add or take away parts to improve the car’s performance This can even include removing windows doors and panels of the car’s body Many off-road cars are built to be more rugged and with less concern for aerodynamics The suspension system of a car helps reduce the bumpiness of the ride Off-road cars must have great suspension systems which are made up of shock absorbers springs and bars located on the underside of the car Tires are usually large in order to maneuver over uneven and rocky tracks Many cars have roll cages which a driver is strapped into as
