Posts Tagged ‘driving’

What Are The Difference Between Formula D And Stock Car Racing?

Monday, July 12th, 2010

If you have any interest in motor sports at all, you will surely have heard of stock car racing. The term ‘stock car’ simply refers to the fact that the cars used to be stock items at local garages. Therefore, stock car racing includes NASCAR and dirt track racing. These are the most widespread forms of stock car racing, but there is another that is far less well-known. It is called Formula D or Formula Drifting

Many people imagine that because Formula D uses similar cars to the other stock car races, then Formula D is a form of racing cars as well. Although these sports do have certain items in common besides the types of cars they use, they are in fact quite different. however, they do all come under the heading of motor sports or auto sports.

In most motor sports, the car’s ability to go fast and the driver’s ability to encourage it to go fast are what are the most important factors in winning a race. However, in Formula D or Formula Drifting, it is the driver’s ability to control a skid or a drift which is the most important, although the cars can be really awesome beasts as well at between 200 and 600 bhp.

Drifting and stock car racing normally take place at different types of venues too. Stock car racing nearly always takes place in a stadium, racing around a track. Formula Drifting often takes place on asphalt, but sometimes on dirt as well, but it can also take place in a parking lot or a desolate street. If Drifters use a stadium they are unlikely to use the full length of the track.

The winning driver in conventional stock car races is the one who drives over the finishing line in the fastest time. This is not so in Formula D as there is no finishing line as such. Drifters are judged on their ability to drift or skid and their ability to manage that drift. They have to do it at speed and remain on the ‘track’ too.

This means that a drifter has to have a very high level of control over his vehicle, just like any other racing driver, but the set of skills is slightly different. All drivers have to be able to control the occasional skid, particularly the accidental ones, but drifters have to be able to do it with style and panache.

The only stumbling block from the spectators’ point of view is that Formula Drifting meetings are fairly infrequent when compared with stock car competitions. This is a pity because Formula Drifting is an exciting motor sport to watch and you can see world professional champions in action for a fraction of the cost of watching stock car racing.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few subjects, but is at present concerned with thinking about the Poconos International Raceway in Pennsylvania. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations.

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Formula D

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

A lot of people have never even heard of Formula D or Formula Drifting, which gives a far better clue of what this motor sport is really all about. In deed, like all competitive motor sports it takes a great deal of skill, because the cars concerned can be anything from 200 to 600 bhp.

The objective is to manage your car while it slides sideways through a pre-set course in style. The more style the better, speed is secondary.

In a way, Formula D takes all the spectacle out of other racing and packages them into one competition. The US drifting scene takes the excitement a stage further though. They play two vehicles off against each other at the same time.

This makes it a great deal easier to evaluate the abilities of the drivers and makes for some really exhilarating close driving – often the drivers’ vehicles are no more than inches apart.

This is electrifying stuff as the drivers control their cars through incredible skids that would leave many drivers shaking. The nearest most drivers come to anywhere near this level of sliding is once a year on ice.

The sport of drifting actually began in Japan in the mid Nineties, but the drivers are now household names and the sport is crossing continents. In fact, there are fans of drifting all over the world, in spite of the fact that Formula D still gets relatively small coverage. There are now recognized amateur drifting meetings in the US, Australia and Europe.

You could in fact say that Drifting was an alternative sport until about 2003, when top Japanese professional drivers were brought to the United States for the first time to contend with local drivers en masse.

If you know of Formula D or would like to, please look up their website, because it is one of the few means along with watching it on TV that you can demonstrate that you support this exciting and relatively new motor sport, so that it will be able to stay afloat amid the harsh competition from more entrenched motor sports such as Formula One, NASCAR and Indy.

You can show your support as stated above, but you could also talk to your friends about it. Unfortunately, as yet, there are not a lot of venues where you can see live Formula D events, but some of the few are in California, Washington, Illinois and Georgia. If you can get along to one of these live competitions, then you are certain not to be disappointed.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on many topics, but is at present involved with thinking about the Poconos International Raceway in Pennsylvania. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations.

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Drunk Driving Info From The NHTSA

Friday, May 14th, 2010

According to the recent figures from the NHTSA, driving while intoxicated mishaps, automobile or motor vehicle collisions, and car crashes due to drunk driving are a principal cause of death for persons from two to 33 years old.

30 % of all fatal drunk driving accidents or crashes throughout the year were alcohol-linked, in contrast to 53% on weekends. For all accidents, the alcohol participation amount was five percent during the week and 12 percent during the end of the week. The effect of alcohol involvement will increase with injury severeness. Alcohol-involved or driving while intoxicated accidents and wrecks made up 10 percent of property damage only crash costs, 21% of nonfatal injury incidents; and about 40% of fatal injury collision costs; more than three times as high at night as during the day.

For all crashes, the alcohol is more than 4 times as high at night.

Youthful individuals 21 to 24 years old were most likely to be drunk (BAC of 0.08 g/dl or greater) in drunk driving mishaps and fatal collisions in the year 2003. Thirty-two percent of people 21 to 24 years of age involved in dui and fatal crashes were intoxicated, then ages 25 to 34 and 35 to 44.

The intoxication rate (those over .08 BAC) for men engaged in fatal crashes was 25 percent, compared with 12 percent for female drivers.

For drunk driving accidents and fatal wrecks occurring from midnight to 3:00 AM, 77 percent involved alcohol in the year 2003. The next most dangerous time period for alcohol-related crash deaths were 9 PM to midnight, followed by 3 AM to 6 AM.

Those individuals over the age of 70 were least likely to be intoxicated (BAC of 0.08 g/dl or greater) in driving while intoxicated accidents and fatal crashes in 2003 – only five percent were intoxicated.

Based on these findings, there can be no doubt that dui is still very prevalent throughout our culture and certainly requires our attention.

If you are facing drunk driving charges, your best option is usually to consult with a local drunk driving lawyer near you. Discuss you situation with a local Collin County DWI lawyer today.

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When Can I Deduct Rental Car Costs On My Income Tax?

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Can I deduct rental car costs on my income tax is a question that is often asked by people who rent cars and trucks from car rental outlets. There are so many reasons that these taxes are being imposed and these will be revealed in the article below.

The Coalition against Discriminatory Car Rental Excise Tax has been formed to try if possible regulate the impost ion of these taxes. In more than forty of the states in America there one hundred and fourteen different kinds of taxes that are associated with truck and car rentals. Back in the 90′s there were less than 11 of these taxes.

There was for a while a hold on tax imposition of twelve and a half percent in Maine. The coalition, the car rental companies and the drivers of the rented cars were kept happy for a time.

Taxes on rented cars reach limits of 20% and large corporate companies are paying the government as much as $5 million each and every year in the way of taxes imposed on car and truck rentals.

Cities are unable to fulfill budgetary requirements on the money that they have at their disposal. This is the reason for the drive to increase taxes on car rental companies. This whilst not the fault of the car rental companies has infuriated the car rental companies. They are perceived by the public to be in the business of tax collection and sales have plummeted due to rising costs as a result of the taxes imposed by the legislation. Less than four years ago the Coalition against Discriminatory Car Rental Excise taxes was formed. At the time it comprised of 8 of the leading car rental companies and also included the National Business Travel Association. The main function of this coalition is to control the impost ion of taxes and to keep consumers informed and knowledgeable about matters pertaining to taxation on truck and car rentals.If you are looking for car rental Canada or car rental Halifax, be sure to check out our links.

When you hire a car in New Jersey the tax levied is five percent of the rental price of the car. This is in addition to the $5 they are already charged every day.

Avoid Wisconsin at all costs if you wish to rent a car there. They will charge you close to $20 when you wish to rent there. They claim they must fund a transit project.

Michigan are adding to drivers of rented cars woes by imposing additional taxes of $2.50. It seems as if your money is not safe no matter where you wish to rent a car.

In order to allow commuters better railway facilities the state of Florida want to increase taxes by half the current amount.

The feeling amongst the legislators is that this tax is justified and necessary. People on the ground tend to differ with these sentiments.

The recession has done major financial damage to America and they are currently unable to fund important and necessary projects.

The answer to the question “can I deduct car rental costs on my income tax” places more strain on the government as now this rebate now has to be sourced from other areas.

A wide selection of reliable auto vehicles is provided to satisfy your needs for a rental truck. Choose from economy, standard and intermediate sizes, including pickup trucks, for your next rental car Canada.

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Auto Club Membership Rewarding And Life Saving

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

There is nothing like a northern winter to make people enjoy their vehicles just a bit more. Canadian winters are known to be some of the harshest, though the northern states of the U. S. Aren’t far off. With blowing snow and cutting cold temperatures, thinking of getting an auto club membership makes more sense. A single membership can save a driver so much trouble and offer protection in those situations everyone wants to avoid.

There are many benefits to having a membership in a popular auto club. Some auto clubs are all about providing necessary services to drivers and car lovers. Others seem to be an off-shoot of popular brand names such as gasoline or car dealerships or popular car repair shops. Choosing one only means going over the list of benefits, and is something that shouldn’t be left until one’s car breaks down.

Typical benefits of a car club involve things such as towing and winching or extrication services. There are any number of reasons for a tow to be necessary. If a car breaks down and can’t be moved of its own accord, having a number to call for a free local towing company is very helpful. In other cases, mud, sand at the beach or a poorly cared for road can all disable a car’s tires. This may mean it needs to be towed or winched and pulled out of that area.

Most Canadians have experienced trying to start a car and finding the engine simply won’t turn over because of the cold weather. Surprisingly many people in some provinces don’t yet know to plug their car in at night on the coldest nights of the winter. So, the leading auto club membership offers a battery boosting service. A tow truck will come to the member’s home or even to the side of a deserted road to help get a battery going with a boost.

Even cars that are plugged in during the cold winter night might not start at the office or at a friend’s house. Some will just stall and not start again, which is ever so dangerous on a highway. Thankfully many memberships include battery boosting services where a tow truck will come and test a battery’s charge. If it can’t be boosted, they might provide a cheaper battery at little to no cost, depending on the membership. Many will go out of their way to get a member’s car going again.

It’s important to plan for situations in advance. When it comes to young or elderly drivers, or any family member really, it’s good to have a membership in a popular auto club. If a young driver needs roadside help, it’s nicer to think of them having a reputable towing company come to their aid. And family members would appreciate knowing that they’re taken care of if anything goes wrong, that someone will come and help them get home to their loved ones.

Sometimes people hear about things like flat tires or running out of gas, and think that might never happen to them. The point of any kind of insurance as well as a membership in a car club is for the eventuality of such things happening. Running out of gas isn’t just embarrassing, in the winter in Canada it can be downright deadly. Having a flat tire can also be dangerous. Knowing that a tow truck is going to come to one’s aid in situations like this makes a driver lost in the middle of nowhere less frustrated and panicked. And that’s important when it comes to surviving a cold Canadian winter.

It’s common that even in Canada, during the winter seasons, people climb into their warm and toasty vehicles without jackets on, thinking they’ll be just fine. In most cases they are, but in some rare instances on the commute to work in the big city or while going to visit someone, something goes wrong with the car. Having an auto club membership means that if things get bad, someone will be there to keep them from getting worse. And when the snow is blowing, the roads are icy and the weather terrible, that can happen very quickly.

This reputable auto club is dedicated to make your travelling experience as enjoyable as possible. Plan your perfect travel getaway with little hassle through these fun Las Vegas vacation packages.

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