Project CARS 2: Indianapolis science

The oval course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is starting to come alive right now but before getting excited about the high-speed oval racing event of the summer, time to do some Project CARS 2 experiment on this famed oval course of the legendary American racetrack.



Before doing the experiment, let's get to know about oval racing because most drivers believe that oval racing is all about turning left, go flat out, and it's easy to win because it's oval but the reality of this oval racing scenario is whether if you're with the pack of cars bearing the same amount of power, real skill is needed to master oval racing.



Oval racing, especially in this segment of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is different than road racing because it involves racing side by side and taking advantage of the cars' aerodynamics to do some slipstreaming, making it a close-quarters combat between one driver to another. The cars used in such format are modified for oval racing use and it involves stiffening the right side of the car because left turns shift the weight to the right of the car, making it very challenging to master even when you got overtaken by the next person or trying to avoid the inevitable "big one". Even if you're in the lead, concentration is a must in oval racing because it's hard to predict the outcome when your rivals are closing in fast on you.



Oval racing has become America's pasttime next to MMA, American football, and Baseball, and whether if you're a fan of such sport, there's a clear difference between the cars I've lined up for this experiment. Here, I have a Ford Fusion stock car that was used on America's popular oval racing series and a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar that was modified for, you guessed it, oval racing, especially the prestigious INDY 500. Yes, both these machines are made for this kind of format but the question is, how different are these machines? To find out, I did a little experiment on these two oval-focused machines, just to get a glimpse on their differences.



Driving on what is known to be the venue for the legendary INDY 500 race event, the stock car I'm driving is all fast on straights but struggling to keep up on corners and as I went to the bottom half of the track, I did some braking to make sure it goes through or risk getting stuck in the walls like a fly in a flypaper. The IndyCar, made for this track on the other hand, is surprisingly fast and lighter than the stock car and with that, no braking is necessary on the bottom half of the oval track, although there are some parts of the corners that requires slowing down. Mastering these oval-focused cars can be downright rough, especially if you're in a pack of other cars, but in the process of this experiments, there are differences between these machines and by such demonstration, the difference between a stockcar and an oval-focused IndyCar is almost five seconds apart. A five-second gap is a clear difference between the two on an oval track like this.

With that little experiment taken care off, time for me to get some rest because I got some two oval race events to catch up while in a middle of a certain Grand Prix race happening somewhere.

Second generation Ford Fusion

Now, as you may know, I am trying to figure out what is the best midsize sedan from the 20th century and for me, I think, is the Ford Taurus because it's still the best family saloon car through the ages and undergo several changes to keep it fresh. However, there is no such Ford, I think, that captures the same essence as the classic Taurus from the past until now...

2013 Ford Fusion

Now...I know what you're thinking. This car here is not a Taurus. If you think this is just a baby Aston sedan in the making but no. The face does have an Aston-like grille, which Ford says that this is their new signature face for now. What it is is a family saloon car from Ford, the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion.

2013 Ford Fusion

Now on its second incarnation, the all new Ford Focus is now the brand's first global midsize sedan that will provide customers from Americas, Asia, Europe, Australia and the rest of the world, much like the Chevrolet Malibu, which is now heralded as the bowtie's first global midsize sedan. Unlike the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford Fusion is much more better looking in terms of design view and yes, the war between the bowties and blue ovals are getting through the..."exceeding the Magat dam height limit" point.

2013 Ford Fusion interior

Sadly, it's all typical Ford interior to the new model and huh? Where's the hand brake? Oh wait! The new model ditched the traditional hand brake in favor to this highly complicating Electronic Parking Brake that doesn't make any sense at all. Anyway, am I BOVVERED? I ain't bovvered. I mean, look at the new Malibu...it doesn't have a hand brake because it was replaced by some...different kind of parking brake that was placed in an unknown position so why waste time finding the e-brake while I can use this Electronic Parking Brake on the Fusion? DING! Simple as that. Am I BOVVERED?

Sadly though, the available SYNC on the new Fusion is nowhere near as good as the Malibu's MyLink. Sure, most critics disagree about Ford's SYNC because...well I was gonna say as complicating as an Android phone, which for me that Androids are rubbish and hard to use. Despite technology overload problems, I do find one bit of the inside that is somewhat very amusing. While the Malibu has speedos that look like the Camaro's, the new Fusion still has the same speedo from the previous model that was straight from the pages of science-fiction. This is somewhat Star Trek meets Starship Troopers meets Halo meets Doctor Who meets whatever sci-fi you can fit in. Also, the front legroom's better than the Malibu's because while the Malibu's front legroom is 42.1 in., which is bad, the new Fusion's front legroom is 44.3 in., a best-in-class for this new model here.

So, what do we got in the new Fusion? Well, we'd expect three engine types for the normal, petrol-powered Fusion starting with the 2.5L Duratec 16V I-4 Engine, 1.6L Ti-VCT GTDI I-4 EcoBoost, and the 2.0L Ti-VCT GTDI I-4 EcoBoost. Sadly, there's a chink behind the 2.0L turbo engine on the new Fusion and when you compare it to a turbocharged Malibu with the 2.0L turbo DOHC 4-cylinder SIDI engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT), this is a total disaster because while the Fusion 2.0L EcoBoost is 240HP (when you fill her up with Premium fuel), the Malibu with the 2.0L Turbo is about 259HP. That sounds a bit lousy but in terms of suspension get this...

Both the Malibu and the new Fusion do have Euro-tuned suspension because both of them are made to tackle various corners of the world. However, the Malibu doesn't have an available 4WD because GM forgot that memo. The new Fusion does and with the 4WD, traction is getting better even when its wet out there. This Intelligent All Wheel Drive system balances torque between the front and rear wheels to enhance handling and maximize traction, typically before wheel slip can even occur. That is very simple and very clever.

Oh wait hang on...I've heard that the Fusion does have idling stop system available on the 1.6L EcoBoost equipped with automatic transmission. Does the Malibu have that feature? Ha ha ha ha....No. This gets it and you already know how it works but for some noobs around here reading and asking how it works, this feature shuts the engine off when you stopped and then start again when you set off, saving petrol. Oh, for something eco, there's a hybrid variant.

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Same exterior looks of the new Fusion but because it is a hybrid, it comes with the 2.0L Atkinson-Cycle I-4 Hybrid Engine mated with the Electronic Continuously Variable (e-CVT). System total power output is 188HP and fuel economy is a record-breaking 47MPG, the highest of its class. Enough said.

And there we are. That sums it up most about the new Ford Fusion, which like the the Chevrolet Malibu, is the first global midsize sedan that will be offered not just the Americas but also in Europe, Asia, and Australia as well. This car may look better than the worthless Chevrolet Malibu because as we know, Ford wins and Chevy fails, but sadly though, this new model never captured the same essence of a classic Taurus and absolutely, doesn't win my heart.

Photo: Ford Motor Company.

2013 Ford Fusion looks good in Stock Car Racing

2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR

When the 2013 Ford Fusion premiered at the 2012 NAIAS and it will go on sale at the end of the year, we were wondering what if the 2013 Ford Fusion will be if it participates NASCAR in the near future. This 2013 Ford Fusion Race Car looks perfect in the Daytona 500 race or at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We can hardly imagine if this new racer is best fitted with Best Buy and Aflac livery like the ones AJ Allmendinger and Carl Edwards have.

This Ford Fusion stock car will join NASCAR this 2013.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/01/this-is-new-2013-ford-fusion-nascar.html