Smith's laws of motor racing

[colleyb]

The oft-quoted one is the second law: "There is no such thing as material failure -- ALL FAILURES ARE HUMAN IN ORIGIN." One that I would frequently quote to the more annoying underclassmen on the team.

"Drive to Win" has another law, but he does not state which one this is. In so many words, adding grip does not have any effect if the driver doesn't feel comfortable using that extra grip.

I'm wondering if anyone has compiled a list, or if Carroll Smith was even consistent in his naming of Smith's Laws.

Thanks. -Ben

[colleyb]

The oft-quoted one is the second law: "There is no such thing as material failure -- ALL FAILURES ARE HUMAN IN ORIGIN." One that I would frequently quote to the more annoying underclassmen on the team.

"Drive to Win" has another law, but he does not state which one this is. In so many words, adding grip does not have any effect if the driver doesn't feel comfortable using that extra grip.

I'm wondering if anyone has compiled a list, or if Carroll Smith was even consistent in his naming of Smith's Laws.

Thanks. -Ben

[PatClarke]

Carroll had many aphorisms, some were his, some were not.

Three that I liked were.

"There is never time to do something right, but there is always time to do it again".

Regarding FSAE, he stated "The students can calculate all the forces in a threaded fastener but don't know which way to turn the wrench"

and my favourite..
"The first 50% of a project takes 90% of the time. The rest of the project takes the other 90% of the time"

Hard to believe it is over 6 years since he left us. I can still hear his voice when I write those quotes. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

Pat

[benny41]

" If you take a spare you dont need it , If you dont take a spare you need it"

[Trevor]

I don't think it is a law of motor racing, but I always enjoyed this:

"Sometimes I think that I would have enjoyed racing more in the days of the friction shock. Since you couldn't do anything much to them or with them I would have spent a lot less time being confused"

Also from tune to win:

"The racing car is simply a tool for the racing driver"

[Ash47]

Ferdinand Porsche: "The perfect race car falls apart right after crossing the finish line"

[kapps]

You sure that one wasn't Colin Chapman http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_confused.gif http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[Jersey Tom]

There are a lot of good ones. I always particularly liked the bit about the first 90% and second 90% of the work. Was very appropriate in FSAE.. with the new crew thinking most of the work was over when the rolling or driving car was together.

Not a Carroll Smith-ism, but...

Vehicle and tire dynamics.. are one of those things where the more you understand, the more you realize how little of the whole picture you've really got down.

It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle of an abstract painting you've never seen before, with a bottomless bucket of pieces. You can spend as much time as you like working on it, and while there's a very specific way it all fits together, figuring out what the picture means is up to your interpretation.

[Scalesy]

My personal favorite is from Tune to Win: "The swing axle is an abortion. It should never have been invented"

[Pennyman]

I seem to remember this one for some reason...

"If you're ready to go, the race is Sunday. If you're not ready to go, the race is Sunday."

Not sure if Smith said it though...

[Adambomb]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pennyman:
I seem to remember this one for some reason...

"If you're ready to go, the race is Sunday. If you're not ready to go, the race is Sunday."

Not sure if Smith said it though... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ha, yes! I'm pretty sure that was in Tune to Win. I've always wanted to quote it, but somehow usually forget exactly how it goes. Perhaps now I'll remember...

[Rotary Sprocket]

These aren't Smith quotes but I still enjoy them

"Friends don't let friends apex early." - unknown

"A part never breaks during a test session, only during a race. And the part you need will be the one you left at the shop." -unknown

"Simplify and add lightness" - Colin Chapman