T Terms:[]
- T-bone
- A collision in which the front of a car crashes into the side of another car, forming a "T" shape. This is one of the more dangerous types of crash due to the relative vulnerability of side impacts where there is much less deformable structure on the side of a car to protect the driver. Also, to crash into another car in such a fashion; the victim is "T-boned".
- 2. T-car
- Alternative term for spare/backup car
- 3. Tank-slapper
- When the front wheel of a motorcycle oscillates rapidly, causing the handlebars to slap against the fuel tank. It is increasingly being used to refer to a vehicle that loses traction at the rear, regains traction and loses it again, causing the rear to weave side to side independently of the front of the car. This is more often referred to as fish-tailing.
- 4. Team orders
- The practice of one driver allowing another from the same team or manufacturer to gain a higher finish at the direction of the team management. Often employed to prevent the risk of an accident resulting in damage to both of a team's cars. The practice was briefly forbidden in Formula One as a consequence of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix controversy. U.S.-based series (NASCAR, IndyCar, etc.) rarely if ever have used team orders, and the practice is widely frowned upon due to sportsmanship issues and fan backlash.
- 5. Tear-off
- thin plastic sheets that drivers stack up over their visor or windshield for visibility. Drivers (or pit crews) tear one off after it becomes dirty.
- 6. Template
- a device used by sanctioning body officials to check the body shape and height of racing vehicles
- 7. Ten-tenths
- Refers to driving a car to its absolute potential.
- 8. Time attack
- A competition which involves cars running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap.
- 9. Timed race
- Instead of running a predetermined number of laps, a race runs for a predetermined amount of time (i.e. 24 Hours of Le Mans). This is common in endurance racing, although series such as Formula 1 have a limit on how long a race can be run (Usually two hours), which means that a race may be ended after the time limit expires but before the predetermined number of laps is run.
- 10. Tin-top
- Road car-derived vehicles with a roof, mainly in touring car racing.
- 11. Track
- The racing surface.
- 12. Track record
- A term referring either to the best performance of any athlete on a certain track, or to the history of a certain racer's past performance.
13. Track Blocker
A term referring to a wreck that blocks the entire track or a driver who intentionally blocks the entire width of the track.
- 14. Traction control
- This regulates the power supplied to the wheels of a vehicle to prevent wheelspin. It is banned in many forms of motor racing.
- 15. Trapezoid
- Another name for the front straightaway for the quad-oval tracks of Atlanta, Charlotte, and Texas.