THE VALUE OF RACING
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‘TIRE VALUE OF RACING
A friend of ours who feels pessimistic about the value of present-day racing to the ordinary car has had rather a interesting letter on this subject from Richard Seaman. Seaman says that he used to hold much the same view, but that the more intimate knowledge he has obtained during the last two years, while he has been with the Mercedes-Benz team, has convinced him that the suspension of Grand Prix
cars has, and will have, a very important influence on touring-car design. Seaman believes that the reason why nothing of great technical value resulted from racing between 1925 and 1984 was because it was not supported by big factories racing seriously, which he feels to be the only way that technical advance can be made. Since 1934 such support has definitely been in evidence and progress has been evident since 1934, notably
in the case of chassis and suspension design. Seaman remarks that in 1934 the most advanced type of racing chassis was a very whippy bedstead sort of affair and the suspension allowed a maximum spring travel of about 2″ or 3″ at the most, whereas the latest G.P. cars have surprisingly rigid tubular frames with extremely ingenious suspension embodying some quite new ideas.