To better understand this, we need only to listen to the teams in the top three racing series today. In descending order (related to money spent for each type of race team), we quickly recognize the top three: Formula 1 is far and away No. 1, IndyCar/Cart racing is second, and NASCAR Winston Cup is third.
A casual observer would, based on the hype and subterfuge presented by the media, assume the technology existed that could accurately predict the handling characteristics of the vehicles, thereby resulting in perfectly handling race cars. When we listen to the drivers and crews, we hear a different story.
In my opinion after careful observation, the Ferrari cars dominated Formula 1 (F1) in the year 2002 because they outhandled the competition. There were many races where they were admittedly underpowered, but still turned faster lap times, which comes from a better handling package. Even Michael Schumacher will tell you that he can only drive the car as fast as it wants to go.
It is the same story for American-based formula cars and Winston Cup teams. How many times have we heard a Winston Cup driver complain of a tight, loose, or unpredictable car? It seems to be hit or miss, so whether you're Schumacher or Tony Stewart, at each race you hope the crew has guessed correctly.
Trial and Error common What has been refined in most top racing series is the hit-or-miss art of trial and error. Advanced measuring systems used today not only record movements, pressures, and temperatures, but also the forces exerted on components. These systems are useful and necessary tools for the modern-day chassis tuner and developer. As teams compile and study this information, the fact still remains that they tend to react to, and not necessarily predict, the handling nature of their cars.
Technology has evolved based on the ability to predict the handling characteristics of a car. This is a continuation of the work that early vehicle dynamics pioneers such as Olley started. Without their efforts, none of what comes next could possibly exist.
Developing and refining this advancement in technology was a fairly long process and involved many persons past and present, but the "who" is not nearly as important as the "how" and "why." The answers to those questions begin with a short study of the history of the development of the automobile.
Automobile development Long before the car, we had horses and wagons. Transportation technology took a quantum leap with the invention of the locomotive trains. The first steam-powered locomotive was built in 1804 in Wales and was used in mining operations. As the design of trains advanced toward the late 1800s, so did our understanding of powered vehicles. It was inevitable that the automobile would become a vital mode of transportation.
As the auto became more popular, its chassis design became more advanced. The 1903 Ford Model A, the first production automobile, was built much like wagons with leaf-spring suspensions, similar to the stagecoaches of the early days. Power was transferred to the rear wheels via a chain and sprockets. The 1909 Model T incorporated a transmission and driveshaft for the first time, a system still in use today.
The front suspension of this car used one-piece spindles attached to the ends of a transverse (sideways to the centerline) leaf spring and a drag-link steering system, similar to that used today in many American production and racing stock cars.
Engineers working for the automakers developed the double A-arm front suspension system using coil springs. That system is the primary system used in stock car racing today.
So, the vehicle for which we are trying to predict the handling characteristics has a stiff chassis (further strengthened by a rollcage and supports at the front and rear), with a double A-arm, coil spring, front suspension, and a solid-axle rear suspension with either coil or leaf springs.