Quote:
Originally Posted by bduddy
F1 buffs will get this one.
EDIT: Hmm, where did the picture go? Err, anyway...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brabham_BT46B |
Actually, the first to use the fan concept was Jim Hall with his Chaparral 2J in 1970. Jim was a great innovator and most of the aerodynamic ideas used in racing today originate with him. His most successful from a winning standpoint was the 2E which used a moveable wing to provide downforce in corners but which could be leveled on the straights to provide minimal drag.
As usually happens, his ideas were proved so effective that they were outlawed after 1 or 2 seasons.
One of the things that happens in racing is that if you come up with a really brilliant idea, someone will try to ban it in the name of "level competition". As you write the rules tighter and tighter, there becomes less and less possibility for really great leaps of creativity...just think of NASCAR.
I worry that FIRST is going in that direction.