Drag Racing

Please discuss here all your remarks and pose your questions about all racing series, except Formula One. Both technical and other questions about GP2, Touring cars, IRL, LMS, ...
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strad
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Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 01:57

Drag Racing

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Try this for a heck of a ride.. Matt Hagan and Robert Hight at Gainesville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HDxzrjTnok
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

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Location: Canada

Re: Drag Racing

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I'm going to New England Nationals again this year, they're unbelievable to see in person. Shakes your eyeballs in your skull! 22,000 horsepower each pass

johnny comelately
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Re: Drag Racing

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strad wrote:
19 Mar 2018, 04:41
Try this for a heck of a ride.. Matt Hagan and Robert Hight at Gainesville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HDxzrjTnok
I am geo'd out from seeing that in Oz Strad unfortunately.
Here is a 1WD run problem that is a result of MSD 44amp plug shorting, he ended up in intensive care with heart problems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipVhDBVd-XA

johnny comelately
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Re: Drag Racing

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strad wrote:
19 Mar 2018, 04:41
Try this for a heck of a ride.. Matt Hagan and Robert Hight at Gainesville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HDxzrjTnok
Got around the geo block - WOW, did they have a tripwire between them?
I still think its a big issue eating the shrapnel re front engines.
Not as bad as top bike though where you lay over the top of the engine, some of the 3 litre harley riders wear bullet proof vests, not sure why though ...... :wink:

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strad
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Re: Drag Racing

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Top Fuel Harleys run 1000hp and yeah they wear bullet proof vest because they can blow the plugs right out of the head and can actually lift the cylinder or heads off as well.
I thought about this and Funny cars and peoples obsession on safety. You don't climb back into a Funny Car less than an hour after a blow up like Hagen and Hight experienced if you're obsessed with safety. Not that I don't care about safety. It's just that you can't let it rule your life.
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

FightingHellPhish
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Joined: 10 May 2017, 10:47

Re: Drag Racing

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strad wrote:
19 Mar 2018, 20:09
Top Fuel Harleys run 1000hp and yeah they wear bullet proof vest because they can blow the plugs right out of the head and can actually lift the cylinder or heads off as well.
I thought about this and Funny cars and peoples obsession on safety. You don't climb back into a Funny Car less than an hour after a blow up like Hagen and Hight experienced if you're obsessed with safety. Not that I don't care about safety. It's just that you can't let it rule your life.
Eh, the blowers are setup to come apart a certain way when this stuff happens and they are tethered to the car. Its why a bunch of drivers havent been killed by shrapnel in the modern era. It really isnt the issue that its being made out to be.

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strad
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Re: Drag Racing

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I don't understand your point.
You think it's not dangerous?
You think in this safety obsessed world where kids are taught to be afraid to ride a bicycle that the average Joe wouldn't mess his pants and never climb back in.
I reiterate that it takes some courage to go through such an explosion and 40 minutes later do it again.
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

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strad
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Re: Drag Racing

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The Kings cockpit.
what it was like in the old days..
Image
If you think it's no longer dangerous take this from Ruth. One of the bravest from those old days
While he misses the competition, he refuses to take a dizzying drive down the strip in a modern race car.
“I want to live. I want to be able to drive home,” he said with a grin.
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

johnny comelately
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Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Drag Racing

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FightingHellPhish wrote:
26 Mar 2018, 21:31
strad wrote:
19 Mar 2018, 20:09
Top Fuel Harleys run 1000hp and yeah they wear bullet proof vest because they can blow the plugs right out of the head and can actually lift the cylinder or heads off as well.
I thought about this and Funny cars and peoples obsession on safety. You don't climb back into a Funny Car less than an hour after a blow up like Hagen and Hight experienced if you're obsessed with safety. Not that I don't care about safety. It's just that you can't let it rule your life.
Eh, the blowers are setup to come apart a certain way when this stuff happens and they are tethered to the car. Its why a bunch of drivers havent been killed by shrapnel in the modern era. It really isnt the issue that its being made out to be.
That is only partially right and the other part that has been left out nullifys the assertion.
These are serious matters and it is important to properly understand the scale of the issue.
Often that can only come from experience.
Blow ups like these are a bomb (hence the name) and the use of the word shrapnel is for a proper reason.
Just to lighten the mood a bit, it was funny to see a crankshaft rolling down a pit road after one of these non-issues. (top bike)

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strad
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Re: Drag Racing

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Like said earlier. Maybe I misunderstand FightingHellPhish ,but he seems to me to imply it is no longer something that requires a bit of courage to do.
If so I think he should re-watch the video in slo-motion.
As for the bikes they've had to readjust their driving style because they were carrying the front wheel the whole way. And I have to assume he realizes what steering there is, is done by shifting their weight/leaning.
At these levels drag racing takes a fair amount of intestinal fortitude. Especially after after a large blow up.
.
Performance T/F bike
▪ 1/8 mile:
- 3.835 secs, 204.91 mph (329.77 kmh)
▪ 1/4 mile:
- 5.817 secs, 242.77 mph (390.70 kmh)
▪ Estimated 1500 Horsepower :shock:
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

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Re: Drag Racing

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Having seen them in person you can't tell me running any nitro powered vehicle down the 1/4 or 1000ft is "not dangerous" in any sense.

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strad
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Re: Drag Racing

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To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

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strad
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Re: Drag Racing

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Love my Harleys but Spidermans Suzuki is awesome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrEyL8yk1s
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

johnny comelately
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Location: Australia

Re: Drag Racing

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Further to the armchair brigade:
when you try and contain an explosion it doesn't implode, stuff (shrapnel) has to go somewhere...look down.
one fellow I know had a nitro Triumph and in the pits on opening up the throttle it hydrauliced like they do and the crank parts departed through the bottom ricocheting up the road, it would have killed anyone unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The crankshaft rolling up the pit road was from detonation on a alcohol turbo bike, crank was welded pinned still broke. and that is what is slightly annoying when you see posters in here saying some detonation (in these engines, high cylinder pressures) is tolerable.....really....as i said ...armchair

johnny comelately
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Re: Drag Racing

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strad wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 04:17
Love my Harleys but Spidermans Suzuki is awesome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrEyL8yk1s
Could be a Kwaka base Strad, he usually runs 2 valve heads.
mcbride built a copy for corey hogan who did a 5.89 at 251mph
then matheson here in oz bought it and best might be 6.0 at 229mph