Grand Prix. There are two major kinds of car racing: Formula One or Grand Prix racing, and sports car racing. Other kinds of racing include stock car racing, drag racing, karting, rallying and trials. Indy cars get their name from the Indianapolis 500 in the United States. Formula One racing features the most expensive racing cars. Each Formula One car is designed and built separately. The cars are built according to a formula (set of specifications) drawn up by the FIA. The French term Grand Prix means large prize and is the name o the series of races in which the cars compete. Formula One cars are designed on some of the same principles as airplanes. The cars central structure is a tube shaped shell made of aluminum, carbon fibre, or other durable, lightweight material.

Grand Prix 1998 Regulation Changes

There has been some new changes to the current Grand Prix regulations. This season Formula One incorporates the most major changes to its regulations for many years. Some are related to safety, while others are aimed at enhancing the entertainment value for all spectators. Amongst the changes there is a longer braking distance and reduced cornering speeds by lowering tyre adhesion through use of grooved tyres.

Other Changes includes:

The Wheel widths are now 30.5cm for the front and 36.5cm for the back. The nose of the car has been reduced by 180cm. The roll hoop height is now 95cm above the lowest part of the bod ywork. The front wings are no more than 90cm forward off the front wheels. The rear wing is to be no more than 50cm behind the rear wheel. The mirrors have been now enlarged to 5 X 12cm. All of the cars must have at least two onboard cameras, on of thse cameras must be on the main roll loop. A team can only have three wet weather varieties of tyres per race and a maximum of 40 dry weather tyres per event. The drivers will be charged US$250 per Km/h exceeding the pit lane speed limit. There is new treads on the dry weather tyres which have three or four circumferential grooves in the treads.