Mercedes, Porsche, BMW: Racing improves the breed

By Barry Lake

An old saying in the horse racing industry states that "racing improves the breed" and the same has often been said of motor racing.

One of the most often quoted examples is the invention of the rearview mirror.

Ray Harroun, chief engineer for the Marmon car company, and winner of the 1910 U.S. driving championship, won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 1911 with a self-designed car. The Marmon Meteor was narrower and lighter than its opponents because it was a single-seater.

Instead of carrying a riding mechanic to look behind and warn if another car was gaining on him, Harroun mounted a rearview mirror -- his own invention -- above the car's racing windscreen.

Single-seater cars were banned following that race and, surprisingly, it took road-car manufacturers something like a decade and a half to recognize the value of such a device for everyday use.

But, once the idea took on, mirrors became standard wear on all road cars and eventually became compulsory.

Racing had improved the breed in a less-publicized but even more significant fashion some 13 years before Harroun's brain wave.

From Karl Benz' three-wheeler in 1886, until motor racing began in earnest in 1895, cars were steered with "tillers".

These were not unlike those used to steer the rudders on small boats, except they controlled the front wheels, or axles.

As motor racing speeds became higher in the late 1890s, it was discovered that tiller steering was no longer effective nor safe. Once the steering wheel was invented and applied to racing cars, the concept spread rapidly within the sport, but it took a few years more before it had filtered right through to all road-going cars.

It can fairly be said, also, that motor racing accelerated the development of pneumatic tires in the early part of this century -- as it continues to do today.

As soon as it was realized how much extra speed could be gained from these devices -- over the previous solid rubber tires -- all racing drivers wanted them. Punctures were frequent, but changing tires lost less time than was gained from the added speed. So, tire companies were pressed to improve reliability as the next step towards gaining an advantage over one's opponents. Higher quality, better ride, improved fuel consumption and, ultimately, tires that were puncture resistant and long-wearing came far more quickly to motorists thanks to the pressures of motor sport.

To this day, gains in outright engine power and constantly improving engine reliability have always been direct rub-offs to everyday motorists from the high-level competition of motor racing. And the same can be said for aerodynamics, brakes, clutches, suspension systems, shock absorbers and even headlights and many other components.

It has been argued that modern racing cars are now so different from their road-going kin that the benefits are no longer present. Critics will point to antilock braking systems (ABS) as having been used on road cars before race cars as an example. But once ABS was used on the track, its development gained momentum and systems have improved in leaps and bounds.

Take a look at the high levels of engineering innovation in Honda cars from Japan. Honda has, for many years now, used its Formula One and Indycar race programs as training grounds for young engineers. These engineers then go back and create road cars which are technically far in advance of those from rival companies.

Ask yourself, also, why three of the most respected and technologically superior makes in the world -- Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW -- have always been closely linked to motor sport.

The answer is -- and they certainly know it -- that racing improves the breed.