Gurney flap

Do you like playing with toy cars and racing them around? Imagine that you have a special button on your toy car that can make it go faster. That's what a gurney flap does for real race cars!

A gurney flap is a small piece of metal or plastic that sticks up from the back of a race car's spoiler, which is the flat part at the very back of the car that helps keep it on the ground when it's going really fast. The flap helps the air flow over the spoiler in a special way that creates more downforce.

Downforce is what keeps the car on the ground when it's going really fast, almost like a superhero's powers help them stay on their feet when they're flying through the air. More downforce means more grip on the track, which means the car can go through corners faster without sliding off the track.

So, the gurney flap is like a secret weapon for race cars to go faster and handle better on the track. Pretty cool, right?