Now That's Acceleration...

[Steve Pyro]

Top Fuel drivers seem to be susceptible to detached retinas.

Here's a video clip of Barry Sheavill's TF dragster having a bad day as mentioned by Steve TTTD above.

http://www.feel-the-noise.com/gallery/picture.php?cat=1498&image_id=20700&expand=1450,1639,1641,1854,1856,1857,1859,1480,1495,1498

[Robbo SPS]

Steve, thats a very small picture ?

[Steve Pyro]

Robbo, try it now. I've just whipped out the soldering iron and there was a dry joint.  The link works now.

[BigH]

I remember seeing a clip of something similar Steve, taken from the finishing line end. I'm pretty sure it was from the US. Anyway, this dragster gets off line and completely disintegrates in front of your very eyes, and eventually this smoking cage rolls to a halt in the grass, looking like it had either just been shot from a canon or accidentally dropped off a passing Space Shuttle.
You would have bet your life savings that the driver must have been turned into something like the consistency of a puree, or a coarse haggis at best. But apparently the intrepid voyager survived. I suspect he had a bit of a buzz about him though.
H

[Steve Pyro]

As far as I know, Sheavills car had a rear wing strut fail at the top end.
The wing collapsed and, with no down force on the tyres, the whole rear end lifted and sheared the chassis.
Note the trap speed on the video!
After a check up, he walked away.

[jpchenet]

As far as I know, Sheavills car had a rear wing strut fail at the top end.
The wing collapsed and, with no down force on the tyres, the whole rear end lifted and sheared the chassis.
Note the trap speed on the video!
After a check up, he walked away.

Steve, is that the average speed for the run or the top speed as taken from a speed gun??

[Perdu]

Oh.... wow!


 


Bill

[Steve Pyro]

As far as I know, Sheavills car had a rear wing strut fail at the top end.
The wing collapsed and, with no down force on the tyres, the whole rear end lifted and sheared the chassis.
Note the trap speed on the video!
After a check up, he walked away.

Steve, is that the average speed for the run or the top speed as taken from a speed gun??

It's the terminal speed at the 1/4 mile line.  Times is elapsed time from GO to line.

[ian murat]

Wotcher Ian,
Fast jet pilots are expected to tolerate about 9g, and still communicate, operate systems etc. Mind you, 8g would just about pole-axe most people. They do have various aids though, like a g-suit and forced breathing equipment, as well as being trained for the job, physically fit and owning damn fine aviator glasses. When the aforementioned Tornado pilot mentioned he could pull 10G, his mate politely coughed into his hand. I'm not sure what the German for "bollocks" is, but it could have been a hint. Also, and I think this is the important bit when comparing drivers with pilots, these guys are geared up for negative G, the worst kind. Or at least so it seems, personally I rather like the idea of all my blood leaving my head and heading south, I can just picture my todger inflating like a party balloon and peeping out from the bottom of a trouser leg and giving me a wink. With the dragster pilots, I suppose most of their blood will drain from the ends of their noses and policemans helmets and head towards the arse area. If they hit 8g or maybe more (which would be right at the start I suppose) it's only going to be for a second or two.

I would imagine most people using this site have been in the odd quickish motor or two. A 0 to 60 time of 6 seconds is not that unusual, and that is exactly what 0.5G does (over about 80 metres).
H

H
i'm afraid i drive a diesel so the nearest i get to G's is Alton Towers
i'm not sure walking off any rides with an inflated todger is going to go down too well