Post by Henrik on Aug 21, 2002 6:44:28 GMT -5
Thought I would write about a different type of racing since I just read an article about NHRA legend John Force in Autosport (by Nigel Roebuck), and I was truly impressed.
First of, it was a refreshing read in the sense that John Force is a completely different character to the race car drivers we usually discuss here. I loved his comment about that English driver who had been to Indy “His name was Nigel, like you, ……Monzell right?”
What really impressed me though is the performance of those Funny Cars today. I remember as a kid, I used to follow drag racing, partly because it was a popular sport in Sweden. I even went to a drag race once in Malmö, and still remember the roar of those V8’s. Anyway, it is incredible how the performance has increased. They now cover the quarter mile in less than 5 secs, with a top speed at that point well over 300 mph (500 kmh!!). My motorcycle accelerates from 0 to 100 kmh in a bit over 3 secs, which is faster than any road car around. It is impressive, and fun. These Funny Cars will be around 400 kmh after 3 secs!! I have trouble even imagining it. In case you are wondering, when the Funny Car passes the quarter mile, an F1 car has hardly begun to move in comparison!
Oh, another nice comment. It appears when they take off, they register something like 2.3 (or was that 3.2) on the Richter scale! I just found it amusing measuring a race car on the Richter scale..LOL!
First of, it was a refreshing read in the sense that John Force is a completely different character to the race car drivers we usually discuss here. I loved his comment about that English driver who had been to Indy “His name was Nigel, like you, ……Monzell right?”
What really impressed me though is the performance of those Funny Cars today. I remember as a kid, I used to follow drag racing, partly because it was a popular sport in Sweden. I even went to a drag race once in Malmö, and still remember the roar of those V8’s. Anyway, it is incredible how the performance has increased. They now cover the quarter mile in less than 5 secs, with a top speed at that point well over 300 mph (500 kmh!!). My motorcycle accelerates from 0 to 100 kmh in a bit over 3 secs, which is faster than any road car around. It is impressive, and fun. These Funny Cars will be around 400 kmh after 3 secs!! I have trouble even imagining it. In case you are wondering, when the Funny Car passes the quarter mile, an F1 car has hardly begun to move in comparison!
Oh, another nice comment. It appears when they take off, they register something like 2.3 (or was that 3.2) on the Richter scale! I just found it amusing measuring a race car on the Richter scale..LOL!