One-design racing is aracing method which may be adopted in sports using complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models, avoiding the need for ahandicap system.
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One-make racing series[1] (also known asspec racing series)[citation needed] are racing series in which all competitors race with identical or very similar vehicles from the same manufacturer and suppliers. Typically, this means the same type of chassis,powertrain, tyres, brakes, and fuel are used by all drivers.
The idea behind one-make car racing is that success will be based more on driver skill andcar setup, instead of engineering skill and budget. One-make series are popular at an amateur level as they are affordable, due to the use of a common engine and chassis.[citation needed]
Examples of one-make racing series from around the world included theDodge Viper Challenge,[2]Ferrari Challenge,[3]Porsche Carrera Cup[4] andSupercup,Radical European Masters,Mini Challenge[5] andCommodore Cup. There are also various formula categories that use one-make racing, such asFormula 2 (which since 2011 exclusively uses a car design byDallara),Formula Renault,[6]Formula Mazda,[7]Formula Car Challenge, and theW Series.
TheFormula One race series are not one-design nor one-make racing series as they allow participation by different manufacturers, each designing their own chassis and powertrain (within limits set by 'the formula'). Some spec parts are mandated, such as tyres and sensors.NASCAR is much in the same boat, with three distinct bodies (Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota) and four distinct engines (Hendrick,ECR,Roush Yates,TRD) available in competition.
Additionally, whileIndyCar cars are all virtually identicalDallara DW12 models, the two distinct engine designs available fromChevrolet andHonda prevent IndyCar from being a “true” spec series.
The same applies to theSuper Formula series. All teams compete in nearly identicalDallara SF23 models, but use engines supplied fromHonda andToyota, preventing it from being a true spec series.
While the term is less commonly used inmotorcycle racing, there are a few series that meet this description, mainly for junior riders. The Oceania Junior Cup uses identicalYamaha YZF-R15 motorcycles for all competitors.[8]
There are two primary methods of competition insailboat racing: One-design andhandicap racing (e.g.Portsmouth Yardstick,[9]Performance Handicap Racing Fleet[10] andLeading Yard Stick). One design refers to aracing class that consists of just one model or design of asailboat. In one-design racing, the first boat to finish wins the race. This is contrasted with handicap racing,[11] where time is added or subtracted from the finishing times based on design factors and mathematical formulas to determine the winner.[9]
In between One-design and handicap racing, a number of other approaches exist. One-design classes can be contrasted with adevelopment class, the classic example beingAmerica's Cup12-metre class, or to thebox rule[12] used, for example, in theTP 52 class.[13]
A further category, theformula based class setup, is sometimes confused with one design. TheMini Transat 6.50, theVolvo Open 70 monohull, the largeORMA trimaran, and theFormula 18 racing beach catamaran are the exponents of the formula approach. Class-legal boats race each other without any handicap calculations in both setups. However, under one design the boats are virtually identical except in details. At the same time, the formula setup allows the boats to differ much more in design while keeping a few important specifications the same. As a result, the identifier "One design" has been used more and more exclusively to denote a class that races only identical boats.[citation needed]
Having a rigid one-design specification keeps design experimentation to a minimum and reducescost of ownership. The popularity of one-design increased in the 1970s with the introduction of laminate construction usingfibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) and mold building technology. This process allowed the mass production of identical hulls of virtually any size at a lower price.[citation needed]
The one-design design idea was created by Thomas Middleton of the Shankill Corinthian Club located 10 miles (16 km) south of Dublin, Ireland in 1887. He proposed a class of double ended open dinghies of simple clincher construction in pine with a lifting boiler plate capable of being lifted. The boat was called TheWater Wag. The idea was quickly adopted by sailors in Ireland, England, India and South America. The Water Wag Club still thrives in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.[14]
The Solent One Design Class was one of the earliest one-design classes formed after discussions took place in 1893 and subsequent years. It quickly became popular, and was patronised by some of the most energetic and best known yacht owners in the Solent, Portsmouth and Southampton waters including Sir Philip Hunloke, the King's yachtmaster. Formed under the auspices of the Solent Sailing Club, the class was adopted by the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Island Sailing Club in 1895. The dimensions of the boats were length overall, 33 ft 3 in; Waterline length, 25 ft; Beam, 7 ft 9 in; Draft, 5 ft; Sail area, 750 sq ft.; Displacement, 5 tons with 2 tons 13 cwt. of lead in the keel. Cutter rig with 6 ft bowsprit. Designed by H. W. White, ten were built in 1895/6 by Messrs. White Brothers of Itchen Ferry, Southampton and another twelve were built in the following year. The class enjoyed ten years of keen racing but the Metre Rule, which was introduced in 1907 effectively killed the class. The only boat still afloat is Rosenn, formally Eilun, sail number 6. Now, fully restored, she has been identified as meriting inclusion in the National Register of Historic Vessels of the United Kingdom. She is kept in Lymington where she is still racing and winning on the Solent.[15]
Conversely theHowth 17,[16] designed just four years later by Sir Walter H. Boyd ofHowth, Co. Dublin is still actively raced[17] and is the oldest one-design racing keelboat still sailing as designed. While fifteen of the current fleet were built from 1898 to 1914, new boats can still be added, most recently in 2017.[18]
As a general rule, the tolerances are strictest in smaller boats like dinghy classes and small keelboats. In some cases the tolerances are specified in a confidential Building Specification and often everything is designed and produced at the same factory or a very few factories. Examples are theLaser,Melges 24, and several small keelboats designed by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, such as the12½. In others the specification is published but the boats may only be produced by licensed manufacturers with usually only one builder in any country or region. Examples are the OlympicFinn and470 but in both these classes a single manufacturer has succeeded in building faster boats than all other manufacturers.
However, in theOptimist dinghy, one of the world's largest classes, a tighter specification introduced in 1995[19]/with ongoing scrutiny[20] has resulted in boats from the 20+ approved builders[21] on four continents being of identical speed, for example at the 2017 World Championship.[22]
In medium- to large-sized boat classes, One design would refer to conformance to a standardspecification, with the possibility of alterations being allowed as long as they remained within certain tolerances. Examples of this are theDragon,J/24,Etchells,H-boat and theFarr 40. After the hull length overall (LOA) exceeds 27 feet (8.2 m), people generally refer to the boat as an offshore one-design boat or yacht.[citation needed]
In other classes, the one-design class may have organized around an existing fleet of similar boats that traditionally existed together often for commercial purposes[citation needed] such as sailing canoes,dhows, andskipjacks, or boats that developed a common hull form over the years (such asA-Scows).[23]
In contrast to 'one-design', other sailboats race under a variety of handicapping rules and formulas developed to allow different type boats to compete against one another. Formula rules include theSquare Metre Rule, theTon class, theUniversal Rule, and theMetre Rule. Handicap rules includePortsmouth Yardstick,PHRF,IOR,IMS,IRC, Americap[24] andLYS.
There have been several attempts to bring the advantages of one-design to the sport ofcompetitive glider racing. The most successful of these has been theSchweizer 1–26 class with 700 aircraft completed and flown between 1954 and 1981.[25]
Schweizer Aircraft principalPaul A Schweizer was a proponent of the One-design concept. He intended the company's 1–26 to be the aircraft to establish a one-design class in the United States. He wrote:
"The true measure of pilot ability and experience is usually shown by his final standing in a contest. What could be more indicative of this when pilots are flying identical sailplanes with identical performance. One-design competition is the sure test of soaring skill."[26]
Other one-design gliders have included those made in Russia byAviastroitel, in Poland byWarsztaty Szybowcowe Orlik, and Germany, where for example theDFS Olympia Meise was planned for the 1940 Olympic championships.
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