Over the course of the past century and then some, sports have been evolving and we have been enjoying the evolution of the said sports. However, as sports evolve, so do the competitors, and some competitors do not want to play fair. 

Whether by match fixing or through other more creative means, people have found ways to cheat and try and beat the system. It might have worked for a tournament or two, or seven, but once found out, the said people would be strippedof their winnings and their effort and name would be smeared. 

Are motorsports different? Do people find ways to cheat in motorsports, as well? Of course they do, and frequently so. Anything for a win, right? Here is how people cheat in motorsports.

A Wooden Roll Cage

While not the most outrageous of cheats, it was a dangerous one.

A 1952 stock car race saw Tim Flock attempt to cheat in a rather strange way. He added a wooden roll cage to his car and painted it to look like a steel cage.

While this wouldn’t offer any protection in case of an accident, he was saving weight, that is until he was caught. It doesn’t pay out to cheat and in this case, it was luck and a bit of thorough inspection that saved Flock.

Smokey Yunick – Cheater Extraordinaire

Smokey Yunick was a famous NASCAR racers who loved to bend the rules, or rather, do what wasn’t stated in the rules. Regulation fuel tanks weren’t always a thing. What Smokey did at one point, was put a basketball in his fuel tank. The fuel tank was oversized. When the car would be filled with fuel, the tank appeared to be regulation weight. After the inspection was done, the ball would be pulled and the tank filled with more fuel.

Once weight and size were regulated, Yunick went on to make an 11 foot fuel line. The line, while twisting and turning around the car, added another extra five gallons to the fuel count, which meant more fuel and fewer pit stops.

Honda’s Magic Tank

At the 1980 Isle of Man race, there were clear rules that the tank had to hold 24 liters. The tank of Mick Grant’s Honda RS1000 enabled him to stop only once for what was supposed to be a two stop refuel race. 

By adding ping pong balls to the fuel tank and making it out of a lightweight and expandable material, the 24 liter tank was able to hold 28 liters of fuel.

Grant made a single stop and saved considerable time. This was engineering magic at its finest.

Adjustable F1 Height?!

Gordon Murray had an F1 car with adjustable height. He designed it for the 1981 F1 season and it was driven by Brabham. The car’s height can’t be measured when in motion. The cars have a set height. When driving, the absorbers would drop the car below the 6 centimeter limit. Once it gets to the pit stop, it would rise to its “standard” height. While not the most effective of cheats, it made people talk.

There are many ways to cheat in motorsports and most of these ways involve swimming in the gray area of rules and modding the vehicle to appear normal but do more. 

All that’s left is to beat the others, where cheating will definitely not help without skill.