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Author Topic: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.  (Read 598 times)

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3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« on: June 17, 2007, 11:24:44 AM »
Here's what happens when you don't have proper safety precautions in place.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19267840/?GT1=10056

The car in this incident is called a Pro Modified. They're the most powerfull doorslammers (cars with functioning doors) in drag racing. Powered by 3,000+ Hp Blown Alcohol engines, the cover the quarter mile in 6 seconds at 240 MPH.

Here's some pics

Offline Leto729

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2007, 11:37:14 AM »
That is bad to see seven to die.
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Offline El

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2007, 12:50:08 PM »
That's really awful.  It's kind of more horrible that a couple of underaged people died at what was supposed to be a charity event for (from what I can tell) kids who get injured.   :(
it is well known that PMS Elle is evil.
I think you'd fit in a 12" or at least a 16" firework mortar
You win this thread because that's most unsettling to even think about.

Offline Markie

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2007, 02:24:05 PM »
It doesn't take 3000 Horsepower to kill 3 or 7 people.

About 50 years ago a formula 1 race car with ugh... probably somewhere around 800 HP
got out of control, bounced up and the engine block flew into the main spectator stand.
At about 200 miles per hour. I think that was in Germany.
Over 80 people were killed.
The same year Switzerland declared car races on circle tracks illegal.
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Offline ASpHole

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2007, 05:17:10 PM »
It doesn't take 3000 Horsepower to kill 3 or 7 people.

About 50 years ago a formula 1 race car with ugh... probably somewhere around 800 HP
got out of control, bounced up and the engine block flew into the main spectator stand.
At about 200 miles per hour. I think that was in Germany.
Over 80 people were killed.
The same year Switzerland declared car races on circle tracks illegal.

If it was 50 years ago, then I think the engine was @ 400 HP. F1 racing engines were, ( and most likely still are) limited to a 1.6L displacement. This was pretty much before they were turbocharged as well. I remember seeing a photo of a mid 50's era Alfa engine that output about the same HP.

If the race that you're talking about is the race that I remember reading about years ago, The driver of the car most likely saw the accident coming, and crashed his car in the crowd to avoid killing any of the other drivers. :wanker:

Anyways I digress, It's racing, and accidents will happen. --At least no more people were killed.
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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2007, 06:23:56 PM »
It doesn't take 3000 Horsepower to kill 3 or 7 people.

About 50 years ago a formula 1 race car with ugh... probably somewhere around 800 HP
got out of control, bounced up and the engine block flew into the main spectator stand.
At about 200 miles per hour. I think that was in Germany.
Over 80 people were killed.
The same year Switzerland declared car races on circle tracks illegal.

If it was 50 years ago, then I think the engine was @ 400 HP. F1 racing engines were, ( and most likely still are) limited to a 1.6L displacement. This was pretty much before they were turbocharged as well. I remember seeing a photo of a mid 50's era Alfa engine that output about the same HP.

If the race that you're talking about is the race that I remember reading about years ago, The driver of the car most likely saw the accident coming, and crashed his car in the crowd to avoid killing any of the other drivers. :wanker:

Anyways I digress, It's racing, and accidents will happen. --At least no more people were killed.

You're right about the HP levels of vintage F1 engines. Modern F1 2.4L V-8's make about 650Hp

The accident Markie was refering too was when a car crashed, and the front clip with the engine and front suspension went into the crowd.

Offline Janicka

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2007, 10:19:17 PM »
I just said this in richard's dumbest sport ever thread, but I'll say it again.

What kind of idiot races his car towards a crowd and assumes that everything on the car will work as intended.  Brakes, tires, etc. fail.  Shit happens.  Race car drivers should keep that in mind when racing cars towards spectators. 
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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2007, 09:56:25 PM »
I just said this in richard's dumbest sport ever thread, but I'll say it again.

What kind of idiot races his car towards a crowd and assumes that everything on the car will work as intended.  Brakes, tires, etc. fail.  Shit happens.  Race car drivers should keep that in mind when racing cars towards spectators. 

He was doing a burnout down the middle of a street when the car fishtailed into the audience. It was assumed that since he was only doing a burnout, that he wouldn't get going fast enough to cause a safety concern.

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2007, 07:24:28 AM »
They showed this on the news over here.

The drag was down an uneven street, and it was lined with spectators right up to the bitumen, with no barriers.

Dumb.

An Aussie was behind the wheel.

Dumber.
This brain could do with some more dimethyltryptamine.

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2007, 04:50:18 PM »
Quote
A drag-racing vehicle lost control during a parade and spun into a crowd of bystanders

I'm sorry to hear about the victims, but why in the fuck does someone do a burnout with spectators unprotected, in a fucking parade, even in fucking Tennessee?

Stupidset shit I've heard of in a while! Don't get me wrong - I love drag racing, but this is beyond belief. Anyone who has ever driven a car capable of a burnout should know what the least little rise and fall or shift from level in the surface of the road will do to your control. Idiots!
« Last Edit: June 19, 2007, 04:54:02 PM by MarkingDawg »
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Offline Janicka

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2007, 04:59:59 PM »
Now I don't think I totally understand what a burnout is.  I get that you spin your tires fast enough to burn them off and I think that ASpHole was trying to correct me on that point - fine.  But is the idea not to get the car going too fast?  If you're spinning your tires that fast, isn't the car eventually going to start going pretty quickly? 

Now I've studied those drag racers in physics - if they're going fast enough, their aerodynamics would allow them to drive on the ceiling because they're being pushed into the surface so hard by the air.  So I'll say it again - what the fuck was he doing with a stunt like that near an unprotected crowd?  Please explain? 
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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2007, 05:37:08 PM »
Now I don't think I totally understand what a burnout is.  I get that you spin your tires fast enough to burn them off and I think that ASpHole was trying to correct me on that point - fine.  But is the idea not to get the car going too fast?  If you're spinning your tires that fast, isn't the car eventually going to start going pretty quickly? 

Now I've studied those drag racers in physics - if they're going fast enough, their aerodynamics would allow them to drive on the ceiling because they're being pushed into the surface so hard by the air.  So I'll say it again - what the fuck was he doing with a stunt like that near an unprotected crowd?  Please explain? 

The essence of my post, in general. The drag cars use the burnout to heat up the tires, which are specifically formulated to increase traction after they are hot. When they start the burn out, usuallly they are applying the brake to the front tires, allowing the rear tires to spin like crazy and heat up.

As far as aerodynamics and downforce holding the car onto the track, that only happens at higher speeds. I don't know what the pressures are like in a Pro Stocker, but an Indy car has enough aerodynamic force to travel upside down at just over one hundred miles per hour. I would imagine that the car that crashed into the crowd would have to get well above that speed to become really stuck to the road, but, again it's done with air pressure and many things affects that to some degree.

I just can't imagine the reason for a burnout in a parade on a regular street, with spectators standing within a few feet of the road, which is how the article read.
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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2007, 09:23:26 PM »
Thanks Dawg.  That is pretty much what I was picturing then.  And I stand by my earlier statement that it is stupid as shit to get tires spinning that fast on a street crowded with spectators, whether or not you intend said tires to propel you forward (well, this is more succinct than what I said before - maybe that first post I made caused confusion by being too long winded). 
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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2007, 09:39:08 PM »
Quote
Anyone who has ever driven a car capable of a burnout should know what the least little rise and fall or shift from level in the surface of the road will do to your control. Idiots!

QFT 

That was the problem with the dragstrip that they installed in the southern parking lot of Fontana Speedway. The strip faced due west and had a slight grade to the south. Everytime you did a burnout, your car fishtailed to the left.

They eventually moved the Dragstrip to the north parking lot that didn't have a grade.

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Re: 3,000 Horsepower goes wrong.
« Reply #14 on: June 21, 2007, 04:27:51 AM »
Mother, "I want answers!"
God, "Shit happens."
And as always, these are simply my worthless opinions.
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We're all fucked, it helps to remember that.