"The Metaphysics of Motorsports" – 100 Editorials
On the Human Element in Racing Technology

(Originally published as a series in Race Car Engineering Magazine)
Now all are available on One CD-ROM

Contents, by number / year

4/94  “Formula NONE” – A racing series where there would be no technical rules, except for safety.
5/94  The tandem ride-along racer – the original idea before they actually did it in F1 and sprint cars.
6-94 Making “F-NONE” work – how to have both a spec-car series and a separate free-tech car series.
1-95 Equalizing cylinder performance -- how to Find treasures in the fabulous lost-power mine.
2-95 Undone research – driver feedbacks, tire Cf Stagnation, and downforce measurement devices.
3/95  The coastdown tunnel – a way to measure aero without computerized fluid dynamics or a wind tunnel.
4-94 Protection of racing secrets – from competitors, without offending your friends in the media.
5-94 Two races without restrictions – the open-road Challenge and the skidpad challenge.
6-95 Personal horsepower in racing – the importance Of individual power and control, and who has it.
1-96  Computerized expert systems – analyzing a Racing expert and putting it all into a computer.
2-96 Driving race cars to the track – overcoming The stigma and the practicality problems.
3/95  How to make a winning racecar – engineer. The raw materials, training, traits, experience.
4-95 Lessons from crashes and junkyard hulks. Studying the catastrophic collapse of structures.
5-95 Outrageous vehicle stunts in movies –  and lessons for racing as entertainment.
6-96 A race engineer designs a getaway car.  And a movie script to use it in.
1-97 How to make a chassis dyno – Out of that semi-tractor in your parking lot.
2-97 The FBI’s own stealth getaway racecar -- And NASCAR’s own inertial chassis dynos.
3-95 Internet racing resources -- An always out-of-date story.
4-96 Electric and hybrid vehicle design -- What race car engineering can contribute.
5-96 The “secret of success” in racing – Foresight, logistics and teamwork.
6-97 Racing seat safety with foam-in-place – And a case of mistaken recognition.
7-97 The spectator appeal of motorsports – And Penske’s new Superspeedway.
8-97 One-minute expert answers – To common auto/racing questions.
1-98 More on: spectator appeal, Penske’s Speedway, racing films, and outrageous stunts.
2-98 The blind pursuit of racing innovation – In spite of endless logical opposition.
3-96 Dirt track racing impressions – Extreme asymmetry and the need for info.
4-97 Human G-limits in racing – And other stressful activities.  Fiddle-brakes.
5-97 Recovering wasted braking energy – Calculations and cost-effectiveness.
6-98 Real racers wear protection – From hearing loss and tinnitus.
7-98 Racing roll cage applications – Street survivability for your dependents..
8-98 Obsessive-compulsives in racing – Some engineers think of nothing else.
9-98 Getting kids started in racing – And retiring to avoid the agony of traveling.
10-98 When not to give up the race – Finishing on 3 wheels.  Airflow pulsation.
1-99 Data acquisition -- coaching drivers And spying with engine sound spectra.
2-99 How to test chassis torsional rigidity – A demo on an impressive Japanese hotrod.
3/97  Racing against your favorite driver – Electronically, real-time, at home.
4-98 The dragster driving experience – Spectacular and not as simple as it looks.
5-98 Driver-crewchief communication – Sometimes like learning a foreign language.
6-99 Learning real racing knowledge – With honesty, humility, validity, and wisdom.
7-99 Debunking popular racing myths – Toe, Ackerman, lines, Cf, nitrogen, radials.
8-99 Superstar driver characteristics – Extreme sensitivity, flexibility, and focus.
9-99 Going to data acquisition school – And an introduction to track simulations.
10-99 The market for race engineers – Brokers, qualifications, training, recruiting.
1-2/00  Drag chutes and arrestor cables – Why not use them on closed courses also?
3/00  The superspeedway driving experience -- Not in an Indycar, but more than close enough.
4/00  The ancient roots of racing technologies – Breakthroughs and revolution in the sixties.
5/00  Ten technical things I learned – By going to a Claude Rouelle seminar.
6/00  Autopsy – determining the cause of death – Of auto engines, con rods, and bearings.
7/00  Miscellaneous observations in the pits – Celebrities, marketing, jobs, and rule books.
8/00  Formula SAE judging considerations –     Unwritten rules on being competitive.
9/00  GPS applications in racing – Track mapping, and optimizing driver lines.
10/00  Automatic data “self-analysis” – Using “fuzzy logic” for handling data.
11-0 Think fast, during pitstops – Using “Junkyard Wars Challenge” for practice.
12-0 A compulsive innovation addiction -- Inventors Anonymous – they become writers.
1-01 Lessons from Battlebots -- Applied to the decline of racing audiences.
2/01  SAE Motorsports Proceedings review – Reviewing 38 technical papers in 38 sentences.
3/01  Race Car Engineering and Mechanics – Summarizing the 2002 edition updates.
4/01  Success in two words: “read” and “test.” The “test one change” rule is no longer valid.
5/01  Comparison of movies and motorsports – A perfect parallel in production processes.
6/01  Racing, status, and arrogance – The rise and fall of pretty much everyone.
7/01  Five new technologies – Tire dynamics, pressure sensing and control, PDA’s, a free sim.
8/01  Competence over complexity – “Nothing works, and nobody can fix it.”
9/01  Formula SAE 2001 – flashy innovation -- or the strictly logical rational approach.
10/01  Three affordable new electronic tools – Lambda sensor, tire transmitter, GPS receiver.
11/01  The good old days – I remember when – we analyzed data with sticks and rocks.
12/01  The driving-engineering tradeoff – And “angel” investment in racing products.
10/02  Race car engineering education – decisions based on your needs and goals.
2/02  Single-cylinder racing for youth – realistic beginnings with simple hardware.
3/02  PRI-SAE race engineering conferences –  Ideas for technical paper presentations.
4/02  Why and how to write technical articles – Pitch, dream, research, germinate, design.
5/02  Race engineering schools near Charlotte – Clemson, Rowan-Cabarrus, UNCC, UTI.
6/02  Crate engines – the coming thing – Another way to level the playing field.
7/02  Wild ideas to equalize competition – Or otherwise increase spectator appeal.
8/02  Saving racing – what would you do?  And avoidance of FSAE design stagnation.
9/02  Offering a hand – held computer.  Having your own expert track setup advisor.
10/02  Formula SAE – what does it take?  Dedication, specialists, timing, development.
11/02  Race-preparation time-management – second only to knowledge in importance.
12/02  Things I want to remember – from the “good old days” of racing.
1/03  Twenty tire-temperature taking tips – a critical skill in chassis setup.
2/03  Driving an asphalt-oval midget – How many parts are there to a corner?
3/03  PRI and SAE Motorsports 2002 – For recognition: talk, for knowledge: listen.
4/03  Engineers in NASCAR – history – and their present and future value.
5/03  Re-thinking conventional wisdom – Especially when the paradigm shifts.
6/03  DARPA racing self-guided vehicles – off-road, for a million dollars.
7/03  The ultimate in pit-lane PDA’s – a sampler of plug-in modules for racing.
8/03  Comparing old and new Formula 1.  Trouble-shooting, and pricing parts.
9/03  Racing sims – unrealistic feedbacks – but increasingly seductive and addictive.
10/03  Life and death of drivers and series – but technical knowledge always survives.
11/03  My opinions -- Ban aero downforce, eliminate the driver, tech writer arguments.
12/03  Stunt driving and donut school – for learning high-speed parallel parking.
1/04  Aero coastdown test techniques -- How to do it yourself with simple tools.
2/04  Drifting, or powersliding for points – The odd chassis setups required.
3/04  DARPA self-guided vehicle setup – At Carnegie-Mellon, Rockwell, CalTech.
4/04  PRI 2003 – one disagreement – Six sexy new technologies, a few insights.
5/04  A Japanese-American NASCAR engine – Design considerations and technical analysis.
6/04  Racing’s most innovative transmissions – from offshore boats to Formula 1 automatics.
7/04  DARPA self-guided race -- analysis – Lessons to be learned from the failures.
8/04  A few of the next 100 topics -- Self-guided racecars, how to drift, CD-ROMs.
9/04  Confessions of a racing rulesbender -- My own secret tricks never before exposed.
10/04 This summary of the first 100 --