h a l f b a k e r y"Put it on a plate, son. You'll enjoy it more."
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Motor racing is usually done on a circuit.
As the motor-car turns the corners, so the driver (whose seat is fixed onto the motor-car) also turns.
However, racing without turning is widely known to exist, in the form of remote-control car racing, where the driver stays in the same place as the car
turns.
Vehicles whose seats and controls can rotate to arbitrary angles with respect to the wheels are also widely known to exist, in the form of tracked diggers and cranes.
Vehicles which contain a component which stays pointing in the same direction relative to the world even as the vehicle turns are also widely known to exist in the form of Chinese South-Pointing Chariots, and gyrocompasses and indeed magnetic compasses.
Proposed is a motor-racing class which combines all of these features. The driver sits in a seat; the seat and the controls (and rear-view mirrors) are mounted in a sub-frame which can rotate 360° around a verticle axis relative to the vehicle. The sub-frame is mechanised or controlled so that it always points in the same direction no matter what direction the vehicle is pointing in.
[link]
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Couldn't similar benefits be achieved at lower cost just by
making them drive the entire circuit in reverse? |
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I don't know? Maybe it pleases your inner sense of wonder at
looking at the world from a different perspective? |
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It's the sideways bit staring at the race wall that I think I'll
pass on. Or get passed on. Or something... |
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If all drivers face the same direction, it might be
interesting.
If each driver (at the start) was given a randomly-assigned
direction, THAT could be more interesting. |
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//racing without turning is widely known to exist, in the
form of remote-control car racing,// |
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This is not the only form. There's also drag racing. So, how
would you tell the difference between conventional drag
racing and your version of drag racing? Does this mean drag
races are already baked versions of this? Where does this
leave RC drag racing, which is very much a thing? |
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For "racing" read "circuit racing" |
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If the drivers always face the same compass point, then
after a few laps the race will become if not easy then at
least broadly cope-with-able. Would it work if the track
itself were raised on a gigantic lazy susan (or scaled down
Kiritimaticentrifugomobile), so that each lap offers a
different perspective? |
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Actually, non-rotating drag racing on the
Kiritimaticentrifugomobile would be thrilling in its own way,
too. |
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Could mount the seat like a waltzer |
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Co-driver hanging off the side of the car, fag tucked
between ear and skip hat, bellowing "the left sides the best
side scream if you wanna go faster", his voice left behind
down the Kottenborn straight, lips and cheeks a-wobble in
the turbulence |
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