Any motorhead can think of a multitude of dominant racing programs. To Force, Penske, Hendrick, or Ferrari, these are the programs that not just set the bar, but move it up to the next notch. No matter the discipline or type of racing, it’s the mindset that is the same. And one idea remains, development never stops.
The idea for success is very simple, question every part. You first must come to understand every function of every part on the car. Once you have the full picture, then its time to ask the questions. Can this part be made with lighter materials? If the part broke, how can I make it stronger? How can I make it more get more airflow, more power, more mileage? Does the improvement outweigh the costs? Does it really need the modification?
Now professional race teams have a narrower focus than a performance enthusiast with a street car. If it doesn’t make the car faster, it’s not there (exceptions for driver safety). The teams do have limitations. Their two things are costs and organizer rules. F1 teams have the biggest budgets of the major race series. As you would expect, they have the highest budgets. They run transmissions with titanium or magnesium housings. Superlight valvetrains in the engines. 5 million dollar all carbon fiber chassis. If it can possibly make the car faster, its probably been tried. But Bernie and his tech officials have the final say if it is legal. If a single constructor has a decidedly large advantage over the competition, or compromises the safety of the driver, the tech inspectors can call the changes illegal.
Now us performance junkies don’t have the billion dollar budgets of the race teams. But we can take the method to our daily drivers and toys. Keep in mind the budget consideration, is it the modification worth the expense. Its not worth it to go and get someone to make extruded aluminum control arms for your 70 Maverick. But a newer suspension kit designed for modern radial tires would be worth it in ride and handling. Now you do have to keep in mind that if it’s a daily driver you want to keep your comfort in mind. Another thing is whether the modifications are going to legal for public roads.
Also worth noting, especially if it is a purpose built toy, make sure you aren’t going to cross lines if your autocross car is class specific. It wouldn’t be good to go a get a double wishbone front suspension on your 92 Sentra if your planning to autocross it. The next event will be spent chasing heavily modified Corvette’s times. In this, vein you want to keep in mind that a 700 HP cam in a 300 HP engine is not going to do your car any good. Keep the end goal in mind. Your mods should move in a linear progression.
Hopefully this has given you a sneak peek inside the world of the high end race teams. The development of the race cars are constantly ongoing. Just the same as our cars. When you apply this mindset to your modifications, hopefully you keep moving faster instead of wrecking your ride.