OT: Car breaks speed record, 331 MPH

[saab2000]

The above comment about flying is valid. But getting a flying license is not quite as simple as getting a drivers license.

[benb]

Originally Posted by saab2000

The above comment about flying is valid. But getting a flying license is not quite as simple as getting a drivers license.

Getting enough disposable income to responsibly buy a $1 million+ car is not simple either though.

Of course we all know it can be totally ho-hum to go 500mph in an airplane too because it's routine and most people take it for granted. (It should blow our minds though, no matter how many times we do it.)

This car partly exists because it's way more dangerous than getting in a plane.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by benb

On the flipside these speeds are also not that ridiculous compared to dragsters. There are dragsters that hit 300mph in the quarter mile. But those don't usually do too well in accidents IIRC and the drag strips are stupid to let them run.. they usually don't have safe run off to prevent a fatal accident in the case of a parachute or brake failure.

Dragsters that can go that fast are no longer running quarter miles. Since 2008, NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars have been racing 1000 ft distances. Even at this shorter distance, they're still regularly exceeding 330 mph.

The reason for shortened distance is both to limit top speed, and to increase run-off length. Drag strips typically have another 1/2 mile of pavement in the shutdown area, followed by a sand or gravel run-off area with several catch nets. Cars are required to have double parachutes (which can deploy automatically) and very large brakes. There is certainly a lot of danger involved, but I don't think top fuel drag racing has any worse safety record than many other top motor racing sports such as Indy Car or F1.

[martl]

Originally Posted by benb

Getting enough disposable income to responsibly buy a $1 million+ car is not simple either though.

Of course we all know it can be totally ho-hum to go 500mph in an airplane too because it's routine and most people take it for granted. (It should blow our minds though, no matter how many times we do it.)

This car partly exists because it's way more dangerous than getting in a plane.

A flying license requires a health check. I second this for driving since i saw an 80 year old, barely able to walk, climb out of his Ferrari 612

[dzxc]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

I'm guessing if that car hits a cyclist at that speed, the poor cyclist would just vaporize.

What an honor to be vaporized by a car with the ability to go that fast though. That's definitely how I want to go.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by dzxc

What an honor to be vaporized by a car with the ability to go that fast though. That's definitely how I want to go.

Season 1 Episode 1 - "The Boys"

skip to 1:10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYXVpzW0n8

Warning: Not for faint of heart or those easily upset....it is a very inappropriate show.....

[rustychisel]

Originally Posted by srode1

Why in the world would someone name a car Tuat Ara? I'm I the only one that finds that odd?

Yes, the tuatara is a New Zealand lizard, often known as a living fossil because of its characteristics and antecedents. It has, for example, a 'covered' third eye.

Anyway; might be an appropriate name. It's fast, very few survive, it may well be on the way to extinction...

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Ozz

Season 1 Episode 1 - "The Boys"

skip to 1:10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYXVpzW0n8

Warning: Not for faint of heart or those easily upset....it is a very inappropriate show.....

Holy CGI..is there anything they can't do?

[benb]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Dragsters that can go that fast are no longer running quarter miles. Since 2008, NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars have been racing 1000 ft distances. Even at this shorter distance, they're still regularly exceeding 330 mph.

The reason for shortened distance is both to limit top speed, and to increase run-off length. Drag strips typically have another 1/2 mile of pavement in the shutdown area, followed by a sand or gravel run-off area with several catch nets. Cars are required to have double parachutes (which can deploy automatically) and very large brakes. There is certainly a lot of danger involved, but I don't think top fuel drag racing has any worse safety record than many other top motor racing sports such as Indy Car or F1.

When I just went and looked there have been more recent fatalities though.. parachute failure and/or brake failure and they can't stop in that 1/2 mile run off.

The videos didn't look like they have necessarily all put in the 1/2 mile run offs anyway. The Jet cars don't run in any competitive class IIRC, NHRA banned them a long time ago, so they get run as exhibitions and don't necessarily follow the same rules if the track owner/promoter wants them in to pull in more spectators.

One of the deaths was on a 1/8th run at a NASCAR oval IIRC.. parachute failure and then it couldn't slow down enough to turn and ran into the wall.

I've been to the drag strip 2-3x.. one time I did get to see a Jet Dragster and it is something to see at least once. Even compared to F1 it's an incredible amount of power and goes right through you even with as much hearing protection as you can bring. The coolest thing about the drag strips is it's easy to wander the pits and the crews are super friendly and would go way out of their way to show you stuff.. they have real passion.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by martl

A flying license requires a health check. I second this for driving since i saw an 80 year old, barely able to walk, climb out of his Ferrari 612

Just holding a license to fly doesn't require a 'medical'..only need a medical to be current to fly..small point..I have held a private, commercial and ATP for a long time but haven't had a medical cert since 2001...

[unterhausen]

cars should be limited in speed like a class 3 ebike. Try vaporizing a pedestrian with an ebike.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

cars should be limited in speed like a class 3 ebike. Try vaporizing a pedestrian with an ebike.

IIRC, Washington State used to grant motorcycle endorsement based on displacement of the motor....a friend borrowed another friends motorcycle because it was a higher displacement than his, so he could get a higher level endorsement. Not sure if they do that anymore.

Regardless, seems like a good idea that this should be in place for cars...basically make people pass a "skills" test before they are allowed to purchase/drive a 500+ hp vehicle

Youtube would suffer as a result of not having videos of idiots wrecking their supercars as they drive off the lot......

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by benb

When I just went and looked there have been more recent fatalities though.. parachute failure and/or brake failure and they can't stop in that 1/2 mile run off.

The original question was about 300 mph dragsters, which only the Top Fuel categories are capable of. In the last 20 years, there have been 5 fatalities in the NHRA Top Fuel categories, as compared to 5 fatalities in FIA Formula 1, and 4 fatalities in the IndyCar league in the same time period.

Competition rules are formulated to balance performance vs. safety. How the two are balanced is reflection less of the actual dangers of a sport, but more on the perticpant's and spectator's tolerance of danger.

[benb]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

The original question was about 300 mph dragsters, which only the Top Fuel categories are capable of. In the last 20 years, there have been 5 fatalities in the NHRA Top Fuel categories, as compared to 5 fatalities in FIA Formula 1, and 4 fatalities in the IndyCar league in the same time period.

Competition rules are formulated to balance performance vs. safety. How the two are balanced is reflection less of the actual dangers of a sport, but more on the perticpant's and spectator's tolerance of danger.

I was the original one who mentioned dragsters. I didn't actually mention the jets in that post, but that's what I was thinking of.

NHRA doesn't get to dictate any rules for non NHRA races. There are 300mph capable cars that get run as demonstrations and exhibitions. If those have a fatal crash it doesn't count in the #s you mentioned but someone still dies.

I wasn't trying to say NHRA is any more dangerous than F1 or Indy or anything. Just that no one appears to have figured out how to save the driver in a 300mph+ dragster accident and NHRA did the same thing F1 would do, they tried to slow the cars down to improve safety.

[jlwdm]

We are in an era of stupid fast cars. There are so many McLarens, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and so forth that are driven on a regular basis these days.

My daily driver sedan does over 190 mph, but I have never been over 100 mph. Probably go around 100 mph every week though in the right circumstances.

Jeff