Drag racing information

[DTOXX 0]

While I am NOT a drag racing fan (just never saw the point) I did find this facinating.
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Subject: Acceleration

One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 gallon of nitromethane
per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with
25% less energy being produced. A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot
produce enough power to drive the dragster supercharger. With 3000 CFM
of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive,the fuel mixture
is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on
the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle. At the stoichiometric
1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane the flame front temperature
measures 7050 degrees F. Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular
white flame seen above the
stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric
water vapor by the searing exhaust gases. Dual magnetos supply 44 amps
to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each
cylinder. Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass.
After, the engine is dieseling from compression, plus the glow of
exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by
cutting the fuel flow. If spark momentarily fails early in the run,
unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes
with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or
split the block in half. In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds
dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. In order to reach
200 mph well before half-track,the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.
Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
Reading this sentence. Including the burnout the engine must only
survive 900 revolutions under load. The redline is actually quite high
at 9500rpm. The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the
crew worked
for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated US
$1,000.00 per second. The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record
is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The
Top speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66'
of the run (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
Putting all of this into perspective: You are driving the average
$140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up
the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a
quarter
mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You
run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting
line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green
for
both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you.
You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine
that sears your eardrums and within 3 seconds the dragster catches and
passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from
where you just passed him. Think about it,
from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only
caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a
mere 1320 foot long race course.

That, folks, is acceleration

-------
D.T. Holder
SIMstudy

[KrisFlyZ 0]

I used to race my car a few years ago.

These cars need Parachutes(usually 2) to slow them down at the end.

What happens if a parachute fails?? Usually death. No reserves here.

[TribalTalon 0]

actually no, not death, they have roll cages and all kinds of safety devices. Of course, there is always the risk of injury or death, but it really doesnt happen that often. I used to be BIG into the drag racing/street racing thing before i got into skydiving.

[BoostedXT 0]

The family I am currently staying with for the winter is huge into drag racing. The father is NHRA's World Champ for 1980-82. They get together with racing friends and talk about "the good ol days"... How their friends are Mr. Shelby, John Force, and a whole bunch of drag racing legends...

Its interesting to talk to them about when they were younger and on the road. His name in racing was "The Possum" and he raced prostock drags.

Joe

For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

[FLYBERT71 0]

Most tracks that will allow a Top Fuel car to make a pass have long shutdown areas(the part after the 1/4 mile) that then have sandtraps, hay bales, nets, tires, or a combination of them at the end. It is very rare to have a death due to parachute failure or for that matter even in a crash.

"If you have time to panic, you have time to do something more productive."
Josh Whipple 7/15/70-2/10/05