Stunts Forum

Life beside Stunts => Motor sports, Racing => Topic started by: dreadnaut on November 11, 2019, 10:56:54 PM

Title: Reverse racing
Post by: dreadnaut on November 11, 2019, 10:56:54 PM
Yes, it was a thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLgPTJWAysY
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: JTK on November 12, 2019, 03:40:32 PM
 ;D ;D ;D Waaaaahahahahaaaa, this is hilarious!!!
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Cas on November 13, 2019, 01:00:21 AM
Wow!  Ha, ha!  I imagine these guys' necks and backs after the race, poor them! XD
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Overdrijf on November 13, 2019, 05:42:30 PM
The reason this was ever a thing was the variomatic transmission in these cars. One side effect of the technology is that the car can reach all the same gear ratio's in reverse that it can going forward, and is thus just as fast going backwards. Well, just as slow anyway...

Basically it's anti-Stunts.
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: dreadnaut on November 13, 2019, 11:38:37 PM
Oh, that's very interesting. It's the same system that evolved to become the transmission used in small scooters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: afullo on November 14, 2019, 10:20:34 AM
My 50cc moped had continuous variable transmission, but not reverse gear... :-\
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: GTAManRCR on November 14, 2019, 03:56:37 PM
Think positive, afullo
While going reverse, you can watch the road only forward, so it's better not to drive in reverse, because you can occur damage in your car, in your health, you can endanger other's car/health, which counts as crime
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: afullo on November 15, 2019, 06:13:12 PM
You don't count the fact that I want to do some crime, because I aspire to start a career in rap as a bad boy.  ;D
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Shoegazing Leo on December 20, 2023, 11:58:43 PM
In Argentina, Reverse Racing is called Independiente.
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Overdrijf on February 19, 2024, 10:15:37 PM
In Dutch we call it "roeien".
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Duplode on February 20, 2024, 02:34:53 AM
Quote from: Overdrijf on November 13, 2019, 05:42:30 PMThe reason this was ever a thing was the variomatic transmission in these cars. One side effect of the technology is that the car can reach all the same gear ratio's in reverse that it can going forward, and is thus just as fast going backwards. Well, just as slow anyway...

Wait, so the cars in the video at the beginning of the thread are all DAFs? Wonderful!  ;D
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Overdrijf on February 20, 2024, 09:12:30 AM
Quote from: Duplode on February 20, 2024, 02:34:53 AM
Quote from: Overdrijf on November 13, 2019, 05:42:30 PMThe reason this was ever a thing was the variomatic transmission in these cars. One side effect of the technology is that the car can reach all the same gear ratio's in reverse that it can going forward, and is thus just as fast going backwards. Well, just as slow anyway...

Wait, so the cars in the video at the beginning of the thread are all DAFs? Wonderful!  ;D

Yup. This race was organized as part of a show called "Te land, ter zee en in de lucht", which means something like "Over land, through the sea and into the skies". By the time I was watching television it was a pretty wholesome television show where candidates would bring a homemade contraption to tackle some sort of short obstscle course, with them cycling through a bunch of different courses, one per episode. The contenders are often people who also build carnaval floats and such, so they will show up in beautiful creations with no chance of being the fastest to the bell, which is usually the official objective. Note the present tense there, they still occasionally make episodes today, the show is a cultural landmark at this point. But the program started out pretty hardcore. One of the courses they no longer use is a big tower you're supposed to jump off with your contraption, and the winner is the one with the most flight time. The tower is in a lake, but still. The DAF reverse racing is also not scheduled anymore. Back then they were cheap little cars, and while I personally can't imagine ever having enough money that I'll voluntarily crash my car like that, at least they were pretty replacable at the time. Now they're all oldtimers and nobody would do this. Also the race would be an insurance and court case nightmare today, even with signed waivers.

When I get to the computer I'm going to edit in some pictures and some video links. It might be better to see these things than to read about them.

The flying event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJIh2ueC7uk

Another early event: caravan racing. Unlike on Top Gear, these are not professionals:
https://youtu.be/S7ipFApsFec?si=nvBUQeLke3cGYg5L&t=205

Tobbedansen, one of the events that did stand the test of time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OyAovxJQ0g

And of course the ancient Dutch sport of riding your bike into a canal:
https://youtu.be/3PclbivYZ6c?si=i06067vNGMYv4Jrv&t=42

And finally some Dutch carnaval floats to give an idea what those are like. It's not South American style, but in our defense: it can get pretty cold here in February:
https://youtu.be/46O10Oq4djA?si=2HpathzippKt1vdq&t=2675
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Chulk on February 20, 2024, 02:03:23 PM
This
Quote from: Shoegazing Leo on December 20, 2023, 11:58:43 PMIn Argentina, Reverse Racing is called Independiente.
;D  ;D  ;D  ;D
Alan probably hates it
Title: Re: Reverse racing
Post by: Duplode on February 21, 2024, 12:35:36 AM
Quote from: Overdrijf on February 20, 2024, 09:12:30 AMAnother early event: caravan racing. Unlike on Top Gear, these are not professionals:
https://youtu.be/S7ipFApsFec?si=nvBUQeLke3cGYg5L&t=205

Sensational action!  :D

Quote from: Overdrijf on February 20, 2024, 09:12:30 AMThe flying event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJIh2ueC7uk

That's a bold magic carpet over water at 2:28; too bad the landing angle was a little too acute.