WOW....can you imagine the rush!!!!!

[Wolf1]

crosspost from 914club..




Why NASCAR Is For Wussies

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 1-1/2 gallons 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 (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by which
quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are determined)
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 Â― way,
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 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.

* Top Fuel Engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!

* 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
$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

[JH924S]

when you put it like that , it does sound fakin awesome

[emwporsche]

this was posted elsewhere and is much debated

[MikeCT]

That is pretty sweet. But Daytona is a restrictor plate race so the cars aren't running with their total horsepower.

[fty]

NAscar is plain gay...

[MikeCT]

Originally posted by fty
NAscar is plain gay...

What's "gay" about it? Driving 3 wide at 180mph through a turn?

[Dark Skies]

Pah! Any fool can power it on in a straight line for a mere 1/4 of a mile. Try throwing a bike around the Isle of Man TT at full chat on *****ty, uneven roads with houses either side of your elbows. That's when you know you're packing a pair of love spuds the size of asteroids.

[Manute]

bah bah bah...FORMULA ONE! have technic,power,money,girls....

[Dark Skies]

Originally posted by Manute
bah bah bah...FORMULA ONE! have technic,power,money,girls....

Pah! Pampered Ponces! Formula One is for male models who are too scared of real racing. Roundy roundy they go.

[serge944]

Originally posted by Dark Skies
Pah! Pampered Ponces! Formula One is for male models who are too scared of real racing. Roundy roundy they go.

then what is 'real' racing?

[Manute]

Originally posted by serge944
then what is 'real' racing?

I suppose he meant with the police behind,as he usually does.

[MrPants]

nothings cooler than dissing nascar. even if theyre only turning left you have to admit its more exciting than watching schumacher lead by 20 minutes
although i love formula. those cars make me scorch my shorts. shame theyre going broke.

[Manute]

I donīt see the interest in cars running in an oval circuit....there is no techniq.
Donīt worry,Schumacher is not leading 20 minutes any more with our fernando alonso

[ronin]

Mr. Alonso will be shott!

[Dark Skies]

Originally posted by serge944
then what is 'real' racing?

Real racing is where the outcome depends on how much skill a competitor has rather than how much money is backing them. Real racing is illustrated by the amount of privateers that enter an event. Exciting racing occurs when spectators ascertain no certainty as to who the front runners are going to be. Real racing involves thrills and spills with a very real possiblity of serious injury or death waiting in the wings.

The Isle of Man TT (motorcycle racing) is the epitomy of such racing. All the racing occurs on the public highway (sectioned off for a few days) on regular bumpy roads through twisting countryside and tight village lanes. There is a very real danger of hitting a lampost at 180 mph if you get it wrong. Similarly you could just as easily lose it on a bend and slam into a building. Every conceivable natural element and obstacle (save for cars and trucks etc) that you encounter in regular driving is met at warp speed on two wheels. It is the most exciting and possibly most dangerous race going. Regular Grand Prix 500 racers often shy away from it because of the danger and skill involved. Privateers have just as much chance of winning as factory teams. Riders frequently suffer horrendous injuries, often fatal. THAT'S real racing.

In between racing spectators are free to ride the track themselves - there are no speed limits outside of residential areas.
If you're a biker (or even if you're not) it's an event more akin to visiting Mecca.

[ronin]

Originally posted by Dark Skies
THAT'S real racing.

THAT'S your opinion.

[1.2gees]

Ofcourse some would argue that motorsports should be just as much about man as it is about machine. I do buy into this as well. I don't find the top fuel dragsters all that interesting to watch, but the machines are certainly amusing. The whole "anyone can hold a car straight down 1/4mile" thing is getting old, that "anyone" doesn't get to 300+mph, mind you. Same deal with NASCAR, not my cup of tea but there's both tech and skill involved.

When I'm done playing devil's advocate, some points made above by "Dark Skies" does ring home, so to speak.
Ahmet

[ronin]

Originally posted by Dark Skies
Exciting racing occurs when spectators ascertain no certainty as to who the front runners are going to be

you call that real racing, I call that inconsistency

[Dark Skies]

Originally posted by Manute
I suppose he meant with the police behind,as he usually does.

Hey! That incident was a one-off and was a totally righteous call.

[ronin]

suuuure it was. GET 'IM BOYS!!!