Category: Motorsports & Gear

The Best Navigation Apps for Cyclists

Cycling used to be an interesting sport back in the day when smartphones weren’t a thing. You had to carry maps with you. Imagine having to stop, dropping your cadence to a zero, getting off your bicycle and opening up a huge map to find where you need to go. Oh wait, can you even find where you are on the map?

Today, with smartphones, you don’t even have to get off your bicycle. There are inventions that strap the phone to your bike’s frame and allow you to use it without complications. You can even browse through interesting betting info on Betminded without stopping for even a second.

If you want to navigate properly, you still need the right software and not all the software is the same. Here are the best navigation apps for cyclists.

Google Maps

Why Google Maps, of all things? Because it’s free and you can use it all over the world. That is one of the best reasons, not to mention that it is accurate. While you will not have all the greatest routes unless you upload them yourself, you will still have maps of every location in the world.

Strava

This is the go-to cyclist app for many cyclists. You can post your own routes and see others’ routes. You can compete with them and post the results of your ride, to see whether you can beat their records. This app is a great navigation app and a kind of a social media app, where you still get to interact with others. You can follow your friends and see their riding history, maybe getting a few tips on what your next destination should be.

Maps.me

We all love open source technology and Maps.me uses open source maps to provide you with offline maps of any country. This means that if you are outside your country and do not want to spend a ton of money by accessing the internet, you can use this app to navigate your way. Since the maps are open source, more and more routes can be added to them, which is essential because many apps lack trail routes.

Viewranger

Do you want detailed topographic maps? Check. This app has a free and premium version, much like every other app which is not Google Maps or Maps.me, and it offers topographic maps of various countries.

It also allows you to find the routes posted by other people in the area. You can search locally or globally, it’s your choice.

These are some of the best navigation maps you need as a cyclist. You don’t need all of them as only one or two will suffice, depending on your needs and preferences. There are other apps, but these ones offer the most, and it is the best to stick to the essentials.

 

High-Tech Motorsports Gear – The Gear that Made it Into Our Cars

We once dreamed about having flying cars and not having to drive them. While our cars might not yet be flying, there are plenty of companies testing out artificial intelligence in order to create a working, flawless, self-driving car. Technology has had so many advancements – there are cars with monitors on which you can watch your favorite game, check out the Super Bowl odds or even watch a movie! There have already been cars on the road which managed to travel around 200 kilometers without human input. 

Some pretty neat inventions made it into the cars we drive on an everyday basis, which came from motorsports.

Here are some other interesting newer technologies that made it into our everyday vehicles, originating from motorsports.

Small Engine Capacity – High Horsepower

Small engines have been a trend in the car industry for the last two decades. They have been refined to the point where a 1.2 liter engine has around 180 horsepower while previously having 75. That is a lot of improvement and the list goes on. Hot hatches, or hatchbacks with lots of horsepowers, dropped the 2.0 liter engines and had them replaced with either 1.4 or 1.2 liter ones. That saves weight and allows the already light and quick car to be even quicker.

This change came to be with the advancement of turbochargers and the necessary software which accompanies all modern cars which controls the valves and fuel injection, not to mention the turbo itself. All that work culminates in lighter but still quicker vehicles. These engines were first introduced in Formula 1 cars, as a necessity, as they need to be lighter.

Traction Control – Hated and Loved at the Same Time

People are really bipolar when it comes to traction control. Some will never ever consider buying a car without it, yet when met with their friends, they will spit on it and call it names, cursing it because it doesn’t allow them to do oversteers and similar dangerous things.

Traction control also came from Formula 1, and it was met with disappointment there. Racers wanted nothing to do with it. While it might not help racers perform better, it certainly saves lives on the motorway or rainy and slippery days.

Paddle Shifters – Formula 1 In a Family Estate 

Paddle shifters are also something which came from Formula 1. They were invented so that drivers would never have to take both hands off the steering wheels. Paddle shifters either sit in place behind the steering wheel or move with the steering wheel as you turn it. In regular vehicles, it can be either of those things. There are plenty of semi-automatic cars now, where you press the paddle shifters to feel like a racer in your hatchback.

Buttons on the Steering Wheel – A Nightmare

This became quite a trend for a while, having as many buttons as possible on the steering wheel. While this is necessary for racers in Formula 1, again, it is really a nightmare to people who dislike reading manuals.

These are some of the most interesting technologies that made it into everyday vehicles.

 

Best Motorcycle Brands to Consider for Racing

Are you addicted to speed, adrenaline, and the smell of burnt tires? Race motorcycles offer all of that, so it is very easy to fall in love with them. If you have a local racing track in your town that allows ordinary people to enter and you love reading about the racing news on sites such as naszesudety.pl/tomasz-gollob-%E2%80%93-walka-tym-razem-poza-torem.html, that is a perfect opportunity to experience the excitement of racing for yourself. However, the question is, which motorcycle brand is the best for racing?

There isn’t a straightforward answer to this question but we can narrow your choice and help you choose the best one by presenting you with a list of the best motorcycle brands to consider for racing purposes.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki is a Japanese motorcycle brand that was established in 1949. At first, they built airplanes and other vehicles but decided to start making motorcycles as well in 1963. And we can’t be happier that they did!

Today, the company makes some of the best racing motorcycles in the world, with a slogan, “Let the good times roll!” The most popular bikes by Kawasaki are KLR and Ninja. Kawasaki is mostly preferred by beginner riders because of its reliability and image.

Honda

Honda is another very famous Japanese motorcycle brand that you should definitely consider. Similar to Kawasaki, they did not start by making motorcycles. They were founded in 1946 but only started producing motorcycles in 1955. It’s a pity that they waited for 9 years because they are really good at it!

In 1982, Honda ended up manufacturing more than 3 million motorcycles, which made it the most popular brand of the year. Today, the most popular Honda bike is the CB500, which is loved and preferred by many experienced riders.

BMW

This brand is almost self-explanatory but let’s say a couple of words. BMW is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in Germany and possibly the most popular one. They started producing vehicles in 1901 and their first motorcycle rolled off the production line in 1923.

They kept producing bikes even during the WW1 and WW2. Today, their most well-known motorcycle is the S1000RR. This is a true sports, racing bike, which you should definitely shortlist.

Yamaha

We’re going overseas once again to Japan, to visit Yamaha. No list of racing motorcycle brands cannot be complete without Yamaha. The company was founded in 1955, on the basis of Japanese established motorcycle craftsmanship.

Today, Yamaha is part of Moto GP and is one of the most popular racing brands in the world. They even have the name of Valentino Rossi, the famous Doctor associated with them since he raced on their bikes. Their most popular model is definitely the YZF-R6.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, if you are on the lookout to buy your first racing motorcycle or to buy a brand-new motorcycle to be faster on the racetrack, you must consider one of these brands. Whichever you end up buying, you won’t end up being wrong.

Insurance and money management techniques in motorsports

Before you enter the racetrack, when you decide to take your street car racing, you should first make sure that it is insured! We cannot emphasize the importance of it. Your regular car insurance does not cover racing. It is not clear what racing really is but as a rule of thumb, whenever you drive and you are timed – you are racing. Even with horse racing, each horse needs to be well prepared and insured if it’s at the top of its game – just ask any horse racing lover who regularly follows the news and even places a bet here and there thanks to William Hill Grand National 2019.

So, even if you believe that you are a great driver (we are not saying you’re not), accidents often happen. Sometimes, it’s not even your mistake but another driver will slam into you.

Insurance as a Way of Money Management

Whether you’re testing your new car, have a race meeting, or you’re just enjoying a track day, you should ensure your car. You can hear drivers often debating about whether it’s worth it paying for insurance. It definitely is.

By insuring your car, you will avoid having to pay exuberant amounts of money on repairs if something happens and you will have more money to spend on upgrades or a new race car. See insurance as an investment for the future and not as an unnecessary expense.

Read the Fine Print

Reading the fine print is quite boring and nobody like doing it. However, when you’re about to enter the race, you read the fine print of the rule book. Well, you should definitely take the 20 minutes necessary to read the fine print of your insurance policy. This will help you understand much better what you’re paying for and what you can expect in an adverse situation. Most importantly, make sure that you understand the conditions and the exclusions that are included in the policy.

The Universal Conditions of Race Car Insurance Policies

When buying a race car insurance policy, there are some conditions that you might find strange. However, many of them are pretty standard and always included in the fine print. If you see anything that is wildly different from the ones listed below, you should ask questions about it.

  •         Notifying the insurer about any changes made to the car or changes relevant to you.
  •         Letting the insurer know about changes in the contact information for yourself or any other member of the team.
  •         Adding a second driver or a coach. Even changing a coach or a driver.
  •         Getting a motoring conviction or an endorsement related to road/competition license.
  •         Having an accident or being diagnosed with a health condition.
  •         Changing or modifying the specification of the insured vehicle.
  •         Telling the insurer about any accidents that the insured vehicle was in on or off track, regardless of whether you plan to claim or not.

Best Inexpensive Race Cars

When we were kids, most of us wanted to be race drivers. They are cool, they look good, ride expensive and fast cars, and girls love them. We collected posters of racing cars and put them up on the walls, growing up with them.

Now that we are older and can possibly afford one, the question is which one to choose? While some stay out of this purchase business – as they enjoy watching all the races and bet on them with a smarkets promotion code or similar offers – many people actually want to know which race car to buy. There are many brands and many models to choose from, some being more or less popular and more or less expensive.

Check out our list below to get some fresh ideas!

Mustang

Mustang is possibly the most popular race car manufacturer in the world. It is definitely one of the most popular race cars in the USA. Mustangs are really powerful and really expensive cars that are a dream come true for most men.

If you wish to own one, you should check out a used Mustang, for starters. You can buy a model that is 20-30 years old, invest a little bit in it you’ll end up with a good-quality car that looks good and goes really fast, for cheap.

BMW 3-Series

BMW is the most successful and the most popular car manufacturer in Germany and in the rest of the world as well. There isn’t an ordinary person who hasn’t heard about BMW, let alone a motorhead.

The BMW 3-Series is a range of legendary racing cars that you can buy very inexpensively today. The newest models are amazing and very expensive. However, you can buy a model made from the 80’s until the 2000’s, take everything that is not necessary out, and head straight for the racetrack!

Camaro/Firebird

Camaros are possibly the best race car that you can buy if you are buying your first racer. They are quite inexpensive and pack a lot of horsepower under the hood. They are great to get started because they are easy to find in good condition if you live in the USA and they are easy to maintain. If you are into the old-school American muscle cars, this is definitely a brand to consider.

Honda CRX

We admit, the Honda CRX is an old car and it might not be the prettiest one. However, it is a splendid machine and also the lightest one on this list. Make it even lighter by taking everything redundant out of it and you will get yourself a race car that eats corners for breakfast!

Moreover, it is a car that is very cheap to buy today and there are many of them around, so it is easy to make a good choice and easy to scrap for parts if you need any replacements.