The power of a dragster is really high. A dragster weighs only 2.100 pounds, or 1 ton and its engine has around 7.000 hp, which means that
the two dragster competing in a track have almost the same power as the entire F1 grid. A dragster goes from 0 to 100
mph in less than 0.8 seconds; compare that to 2.2 seconds for an F1 to go from 0 to 60 mph.
One piston of a dragster engine produces as much power as the entire Ferrari engine: 750 hp
The engines use 13 gallons per minute when idle, with fuel pumps that peak at 85 gallons per minute. The total life span of the engine is 8 seconds, 2 for the burning, 5 seconds for the racing and guzzles 75 gallons per minute while racing.
15 liters of oil to fill the sump
Track asphalt has to support extreme longitudinal forces. The tires develop an average coefficient of friction larger than 2, with peaks around 6.5 Gs. The tires have an inflation pressure of only 6 psi.
Larry Dixon wrinkling the tires
It's fascinating to observe the mechanics rebuild an entire engine in front of your eyes in 45 minutes (maximum 75), changing pistons, heads, belts and whatever is required. That's for me one of the most sublime expressions of mechanical prowess, even when you compare it with F1 teams of mechanics in cute boxers...
I really admire Shirley Muldowne, a woman that still races, 62 years old now. I admire here even if the new 5 stage clutches, pneumatically activated, have taken some of the fun away.
The slippage of these clutches is incredible: when you start, the engine is at 8,000 rpm but the axle is at 2,000, with a slippage of 6,000 rpm. The clutch doesn't engage fully until 3 seconds into the run. With runs under 5 seconds, this means that the clutch burning and the strain in the asphalt is really high. I've seen clutches smoking like a bar-b-q 30 minutes after the race has ended.
The track is built using a concrete slab under the asphalt. The slab has enough steel reinforcement to be built as one unit, without traverse joints for thermal expansion.
The surface of the concrete is aligned with laser beams to provide a flat surface.
After the concrete is cured, the average flatness factor of a modern track, like the one at Brainerd Int'l Raceway, is
98. In english, this means that
the difference in height among any two patches of the track is less than the thickness of a piece of paper.
The famous Pomona Raceway has a world record (I imagine) flatness factor of 104.
You actually need this kind of surface: if one of the wheels slips you "lose the load" on it, and the amount on nitromethane entering the engine is so high that the spark plug will be drowned by the fuel. This means that one of the cylinders will explode.
At Brainerd there is a transition from concrete to asphalt at half track. This transition uses taconite tailings instead of rock aggregate in the asphalt. "Taconite tailings are more durable and dense than rock aggregate, making the asphalt's density more similar to concrete. Tailings provide greater tire traction and allow the surface to better withstand the punishing weather extremes that central Minnesota experiences."
I dare to think that
the body of an F1 car has more tolerance in dimensions than the finished surface of a drag track.
The surface is sand-blasted, like in Bahrain's drag track to provide greater traction (they actually sand-blast it, I'm not talking about the sand from the desert).
So, in my humble opinion, drag tracks are a work of art. The puny asphalt you see at F1 tracks is... well, you can imagine,
not a work of art of the same dimensions. In heaven's name, they have puddles when it rains!
) force. I also like Ciro's picture where you can see the tire folding and crumpling during the launch. Anyway, the races were spectacular too. You never get used to how quickly these things just disappear down the strip! I think the quickest time at the race I went to was 3.25 seconds for the 1/4!
