Life in the Hood is a Secret

[colinspooky]

Just remembered an incident last year when I went to Charlotte walking around the garages.

I tried to film under the bonnet/hood of a car and was told quite sternly by a crewman that wasn't allowed. In fact someone else on the crew tapped him on the shoulder to point me out. I had no idea there was a problem with what I was doing.

Now, it has just occurred to me that we never seen under the bonnet on TV either.

So, questions --- why the secrecy? Are they not all the same? Clearly not, but what major differences can there be?

:eek:

[nigelred5]

I don't kow, I see under the hood quite often on TV broadcasts. MAybe they didn't want you to see the Chevy engine under the Ford hood ;)

[Jag_Warrior]

You hadn't been seen with a NASCAR official before you walked over there, had you? :D

They know that the people walking around have cameras. Here's a radical thought: if they don't want anyone to see or photograph them, maybe they should keep the hoods closed! Woo! Who woulda thought of that?! :dozey:

If there was some sort of CIA type secret residing in the engine bay, all a person would need to do is snap pics with a cell phone camera or use one of those James Bond type cameras that are sold in magazines. Even 30 year old Big 3 auto manufacturing plants have enough sense to restrict those when outsiders enter.

[call_me_andrew]

I think they just wanted to keep people away just incase someone with money on another driver starts a "tactile inspection".

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Nascarphx23.jpg

[Lee Roy]

I remember having the same thing happen to me at a CART race in Cleveland in the days when they still had competing manufacturers.

[Osella]

So, questions --- why the secrecy? Are they not all the same? Clearly not, but what major differences can there be?

:eek:

If it's anything like most motorsport, what happens is (and I have photographer friends who have told me this happens and they have done this in F1!) certain photographers will willingly sell photos from certain teams to certain other teams , and receive a little 'tip' for their work. Some teams will approach certain photographers to let them know that there may be a reward if they can get a clear photo of a new rear wing element from a particular angle, for example.

After a while, it becomes known who is 'working for' who, and those photographers are specifically barred from coming anywhere near a rival team's cars. When that happens, the teams just approach another photographer..

If you were near a Roush car, for example, they probably assumed you were getting paid millions by Toyota to get a snap of their fuel pump or something! :laugh: But all teams will be vigilant for this sort of 'spyshot', and I'm not sure about the law in the US, but in Britain they could quite legally ask you to destroy/delete the images of their property or personnel, as a racetrack is not a 'public domain'.

[Jag_Warrior]

I remember having the same thing happen to me at a CART race in Cleveland in the days when they still had competing manufacturers.

In CART, they'd actually get kind of retarded in the pits & paddock when you tried to photograph their stuff. Especially Toyota. An engine that was eventually forced to wear a "diaper", and they're afraid that I'll see something???

In those days, I'd send the girlfriend in with the camera. #1) I didn't figure they'd rough up a girl. #2) Better her than me.

Odd, that relationship didn't last long either. :confused:


The coolest series, as far as being in the pits, is NHRA... bar none. In the pits, it beats all others (including ALMS) in the "For The Fans" award category, IMO. Only if you get in the way or someone is having an incredibly bad day will you see any kind of stress directed at the fans. Michael and Sandy Andretti would act like gold plated t*rds even if Michael had just won the race and you were 50 feet away.

I've heard that some of the NASCAR teams have become a little more Formula Oneish. I can understand why, but if true, that's too bad.

[Lee Roy]

I've heard that some of the NASCAR teams have become a little more Formula Oneish. I can understand why, but if true, that's too bad.

Hey, with $100,000 fines being handed out like lolly-pops at the bank window, they might be becoming a bit defensive.

[call_me_andrew]

Nah, you need three more zeros to touch F1 fines.

[nigelred5]

IIRC Toyota tried to be very sneaky when they were first playing around with the single sided turbo set up and didn't want anyone to see it. I remember being shooed away by the Ganassi boys at Nazareth.

[Lee Roy]

Nah, you need three more zeros to touch F1 fines.

That's for sure. That fine on McLaren was unbelievable.

[blakebeatty]

There is no huge secrecy. I walked around Ginn Racing and stood beside what was arguably 15 million dollars worth of hendrick engines (what the engine lease cost ginn) If i were desiring to be disrespectful, I could have touched one of them. I could have taken a photo of any part of that engine from inches away, or for that matter, any chassis mounted engine, CoT or otherwise.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

Ray Evernham was talking about teams spying on sirius after some american football team got caught spying or something and they asked him if teams in nascar spy on each other. Is answer was yes, teams have guys with huge zoom lenses trying to get shots of certain areas of other teams cars. i guess a few years back it would be aero parts like the fenders and rear quarter panels etc, trying to find out how other teams shaped them.

He said he had a go at a photographer once and asked "who are you here with, where did you get those credentials".

She replied "from you". he said he felt a bit stupid.

[call_me_andrew]

In the 2003 125's Steve Park's car overheated and all the teams begged Fox for a tape of the race so they could watch the steam from his engine flow over the car.

I think I saw Rusty Wallace on ESPN a few weeks ago talking about how teams that cheat should be punished severly. When he was still driving he did an interview with ESPN and said that in a race with 43 cars, 43 of them are trying to cheat in some way.