COCA COLA PIT STOP

[Music] these are vehicles they are controlled by drivers and to make things clear let's find terms vehicle it comes from the Latin vehicular meaning to carry and clearly stated in the dictionary it is that in which a person or thing is or may be carried from one place to another a vehicle is controlled by a driver a word that comes from the anglo-saxon old high german and old norse it is defined as impelling or urging forward in a direction the way or along before [Music] this is a vehicle being impelled by a driver in safety defined for our purpose as the art of staying alive [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is 4,000 pounds of convenience to tons of fun a couple of thousand parts a few miles of wire it needs care and attention [Music] it's a machine built for only one purpose to get you from one place to another in safety and comfort no matter what else you think it is simply that for other purposes there are other machines they all have one thing in common they do the job they were built for and to do that job they must be free from mechanical problems there are enough troubles in driving without those all cars have certain safety features in common signalling devices just so the driver behind doesn't have to be a mind reader [Music] the seatbelt and shoulder harness are fairly recent in pleasure cars but have been standard in racing cars for many years the rearview mirror not to see where you've been but to see who was behind first used as a safety device in fighter planes of World War one so draw your own conclusions the form of any machine depends on its purpose the engine housing the suspension the transmission the electrical system all are present in every car routine maintenance is important it's a guide to trouble spots but there are times when a more thorough examination is called for a qualified mechanic ought to do this and that's a point that shouldn't need saying it's worth the money this particular car is called a pleasure car the term is not open for individual interpretation it simply means that you should enjoy driving at safe legal speeds and on public roads this attitude is not confined to just the pleasure driver professionals those who earn their money driving must take chances but their chances are always calculated risks and they control them as much as possible tire inspection is primary in safety and yet it is done with the knowledge that a properly inflated tire will add to their speed [Music] there are tricks in every trade the glamour of one may override the everyday quality of another there's no argument with that as long as the two don't become confused this is controlled civilian driving this can be pretty wild [Music] so can this if you decide you're after the world's championship obviously you're in the wrong car and on the wrong track your car can't handle like a Formula One [Music] this is not this but this kind of driving has its built-in the hazards and to stay out of trouble you have to in general what we all do when we drive is closely related to what the professional drivers do they as we are bound by regulations designed for a specific type of car on a specific sort of road they specialized we generalize these are group 7 sports cars traditionally high powered machines built to show off a manufacturer's talent for designing a precision car that can take the beating of high speeds on all sorts of roads and tracks [Music] [Music] this track has been laid out to present problems to test the driver who must race it better than a hundred miles an hour in each lemon to hold that speed drivers must have split-second reactions and must know the capabilities of their cars so that any risks they take may be minimized one mile an hour slower around a turn could lose a race but one mile an hour faster will spin the car off the track this is called judgment the fists in the air is the racing drivers signal for others to pass this is not a courtesy it's a safeguard [Music] our signals for turns for passing come from the same manner of thinking signals are signs of intent and sometimes signals of warning [Music] even the best meet the unexpected and I off the road is risking suicide the warning flag informs the rest of the cars that there's trouble here what might have been a disaster is flagged into an incident a signal mutually agreed-upon has been seen and has been obeyed [Music] the drivers progress is logged in the pitch he signaled the slow down or speed up his mechanics know exactly when he needs gas and exactly how many miles he can go safely on a set of tires the driver is now under the control of an official who guides him off the track and into his pit the crews work as fast as they can and yet with the care that comes from long experience no driver will override his mechanics if they tell him the cars unfit [Music] the same safety procedures are followed when re-entering the track and into the flow of traffic [Music] signs are conventions they indicate situations they warn and control you and other drivers obeying them is a responsibility they have been designed for a reason and not to annoy no racing driver will hit a curve at speeds he cannot manage it is a guide that allows him to adjust in time to meet a problem observing all this has its rewards the combination of knowledge skill and attitude adds up now knowledge skill and attitude are not only for the races a car can be many things it wasn't built to be it can be a lethal weapon or a way to get things out of your system its kicks it's hairy or it's a way of showing people who you are you heard this before you'll probably hear it again if that's what a car is to you get out of it if you want a race if you feel the need for speed or if you have to beat someone or try to win something get off the road and get onto a controlled track where there are rules and regulations to control the urge where the machines and the roadway are designed for those purposes all you need is a couple of hundred bucks and a lot of mechanical skill for a couple of hundred thousand you can hit the Grand Prix circuit and get your name in the paper but while we're using the public highways we're responsible to others in more ways than the obvious the machine we use has to be in shape to be used and that includes checks and adjustments to every system in the car we've been given the privilege to drive we're all in this together and there's no sense in driving as though we're not it takes a lot less time than you'd think and in the long run the proper maintenance is cheaper than court costs and doctor's bills here is the place for individuals the high speed Grand Prix track and the Formula One car races like this a unique the most skillful the most careful the best plan and possibly the most dangerous [Music] [Music] speed is made on the straightaways up to 170 miles per hour turns are taken as fast as possible the skill is in allowing the car to drift around the turn rather than in fighting it's a graceful thing a sort of combined side slip and controlled skid any other car would turn over and it's here that the man is more important than the machine a good driver can do wonders when something goes wrong with his car a bad driver can do little with the best car in the world it's the driver that makes the difference now all that's keeping the car from turning over is judgment and experience the other cars are worn the race continues around the trouble a few seconds lost but alive with the possibility of making up time on the next few laps [Music] the race is against time every second out has to be recovered in order to win waiting is a matter of necessity and no matter how much the desire to win the urge vows to patience caution and good sense this is simply common sense sometimes called experience [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] self-preservation is the better part of valor [Music] stock-car races maybe a little closer to home in many ways the cars are familiar from the outside at least these were regular production models the differences between these and the cars on the road are in engine modifications structural changes such as body braces and roll bars but the main difference is in the maintenance these cars are bread and butter for their drivers carelessness can mean injury or even death [Music] a lot of the glamour wears thin after a couple of laps the cars settle down to a routine the general strategy is to stay in position and wait for the openings the drivers have a couple of extra added opponents possible mechanical failure tire wear and personal fatigue periodic pit stops lessen the dangers that come from the [Music] [Music] pitstops serve a number of purposes the usual thought is that the car needs gas tires oil slight adjustments to satisfy the driver and his crew of mechanics very few people give a thought to the man behind the wheel the pitstop becomes a needed pause for refreshment a moment of rest a very short period of relative calm [Music] whether you think about it or not the same situations hold for the sort of everyday driving we all do servicing the car is a moment of rest and a change of routine it's necessary for the driver as well as the car [Music] no matter how much care is taken things happen that can't be predicted from experience who will be it is something that should be lived with and expected with always it's a form of defensive driving [Music] the world of competition racing is prepared for anything that happens the cement will cover the oil slick it will force drivers to slow down the warning lights have already told them that something has happened the comparisons are easy to make from what we see we know what must be ahead and knowing that we can prepare it really proves very little about what sort of drivers we are if we race through these signs and hazards the mark of a good driver is the constant awareness that he's putting his life and the lives of others on the line driving like a fool doesn't mark anyone as brave but simply marks him as a fool there's no legal definition for that kind of a driver only legal consequences that sort of game is hardly worth the prize that comes with it [Music] the place for speed and for testing your bravery quotient as in places like this what it all boils down to is what's right in one place is wrong in another 4 wheels and an engine on a race circuit do not equal 4 wheels and an engine on a highway that's why racetracks were invented [Music] ordinary driving may look tame after watching a race but considered for what it is above and beyond the pleasure of it we drive for a purpose to get from one place to another is safely do not mistake this for a simple thing no one has yet been able to devise a computer that can do all the things a driver must do when he drives the constant adjustments of speed and direction the judgments that must be made in passing in compensating for Sun and shadow in watching the instruments and the speedometer in holding the car steady against crosswinds or road bumps all this takes a great deal of skill and what seems easy enough is really a high-level set of split-second adjustments to a constantly changing set of circumstances experience is a great teacher [Music] [Music] the wildest of all performance competitions as far as looks are concerned other drag races the rules and regulations of the sponsoring hotrod associations make these races the most closely supervised in the world the hot rods are of many classes including jalopies with production bodies rails with every new device known to man and regulated by a book of specifications that only the most devoted driver and mechanic could look at without flinching the rules cover engine size exhaust collectors flywheel shields firewalls flash shields balanced brakes fuel systems ignition goggles parachutes and their certificates of inspection every registered drag strip must qualify for the name safety devices and safety procedures must be strictly enforced no I got it right here they're in linkage okay you operate the throttle please firewall see any holes in it in the front suspension it's okay our seatbelt okay in check and now right interesting tires and also can I see your driver's license lyndie where for fire shooters the suit's helmets and gloves are compulsory heat resistant and flame proof fire is always a possibility from these supercharged machines because of the way these cars have built because of the high speeds fire can start without a crash a leaking fuel line dropping fuel on the hot and open exhaust and for their protection the drivers are covered from head to foot [Music] drag-racing has a peculiar reputation the general public thinks of it as wild times and uncontrolled dangerous doings not true when under proper supervision and control the cars have been built by highly skilled mechanics planning and supervision has eliminated almost every possible dangerous situation speed naturally is always a danger but the object of any race is speed these contests are exactly that nothing more nothing less this is competition not revenge [Music] no brakes known to man will completely stop a car going over 225 miles an hour within the space allowed parachutes are the safest and shortest device they give the driver the control he needs and the assurance he wants you don't have a chute at your car there are lots of ways of doing things human ingenuity thrives on possibilities variety makes the world of wheels go around it becomes obvious that there is reason and purpose behind the rules some cars race some cars go to market one purpose cannot satisfy two reasons you can make a mess out of the car and the moral to all this is have fun be careful use your head those are three ideas that come from three simple considerations attitude knowledge and skill attitude is the way you approach the matter of driving [Music] knowledge is familiarity with the mechanics of the machine and its capabilities as well as the rules of driving [Music] skill is the way you handle the card and yourself nothing could be simpler nothing is harder than knowing you are in charge [Music]