..... Any Nascar guys, in the group ??

[Dan Filetti]

bikers are wusses?  It all depends on the length of the race, now doesn't it?  From a standing stop, nearly every bike in the world will rip any of those planes a new ass in say, the quarter mile. 

Nor could you pop down to the local store to pickup sundry items in one of those.

[tqmx1]

bikers are wusses?  It all depends on the length of the race, now doesn't it?  From a standing stop, nearly every bike in the world will rip any of those planes a new ass in say, the quarter mile. 

Nor could you pop down to the local store to pickup sundry items in one of those.

Dan, it was meant more towards NASCAR. Also you might be surprised change the distance to lets say 5280Ft the story just might be reversed.

And you have never herd of going out for the $100 hamburger (well that is a bit cheep at the price of Av gas today $5.00 a gallon)

[Dan Filetti]

Yeah,  I know, was only funin'

Love this vid:

car vs bike vs plane

Dan

[Brook]

........ Apples and oranges,.... Nascar, NHRA, motorcycles and airplanes..... That's like comparing Big Foot the monster truck with a fraught train.
.. Nascar has Ford's, Chevy's, Dodge and Toyota's. and their is a very good chances that everyone here has one of them in their driveway. and the MotoGp and AMA motocross has Yamaha's, Honda's, Suzuki's and Kawasaki's and that's another good chances that one of them are also in the your driveways. the cars and motorcycles are something we can relate to. 
.. How many people do you know that has a airplane setting in front of thier house??
Nascar has up to 150.000 fans in the stands on race day, every race day. that's alot of Wusses. how many people are in the stands at the Reno air races??          speaking of wusses !!

[Lotsokids]

........ Apples and oranges,.... Nascar, NHRA, motorcycles and airplanes.....

You're right.

[tqmx1]

NASCAR NHRA Moto GP, I want to see you go over to your friendly dealer and ask for a carb to fit any of the cars let alone body work or anything else there is nothing in any way stock (when was the last time when you have seen anyone climb through the window and put the steering wheel on in a family sedan).

As per NHRA stick with pro stock cars+cycles (forget about top fuel) At least the Pro Stock cars have doors that work (one step better than NASCAR) but the same way go down to the dealer and try to get parts. As for the bikes take the Hardley Vwad the engine is made by Vance&Hines not one part you could go down to the dealer and get. Suzuki the main engine case has a P/N but I am not sure about  anything else.

Moto GP same game but a little bit better at least there is a bit of trickle down to things we see on the street (better than NASCAR & NHRA) there is about a 5 year lag from track to street.

Now if you want to talk stock cars you better start going to SCCA events most of the classes are built around production based cars that you can buy on the showroom floor.

As for airplanes, I have quite a few Friends that have airplanes in there back yards. Some use them for pleasure and other to commute to work (usefull piece of equipment when your job is 100miles or more away)

For a race that takes place one week end a year the stands are packed as for the racers there is little or no sponsorship (the winning purse for the most part does not cover the housing for the crew) They do it for the love of racing.

Good luck with cousin Carl (at least he was the first looser)

What you go through when you blow a engine on course.

Air Race Deadstick Landing

[RichBaker]

MotoGP is a Prototype class..... rules do NOT allow ANY production parts.   

[Bill_Rockoff]

Air racing is moar b3ttar than NASCAR because Bobby Labonte's Camry isn't like a production Camry?  How similar do you think the Unlimited Mustangs and Corsairs at Reno are to the planes that flew in 1945?

I do agree that Showroom Stock racing is some of the best racing you'll see.

Years ago, I used to date a gal whose grandfather was the reason the Reno Air Races aren't the Cleveland Air Races.

- Bill

[craigo]

The best racing I have seen in recent memory is the the Daytona Sportbike in the AMA.  Always 5 or 6 bikes going for lead.  Real exciting stuff.

CraigO
90FJ1200

[tqmx1]

Air racing is moar b3ttar than NASCAR because Bobby Labonte's Camry isn't like a production Camry?  How similar do you think the Unlimited Mustangs and Corsairs at Reno are to the planes that flew in 1945?

I do agree that Showroom Stock racing is some of the best racing you'll see.

Years ago, I used to date a gal whose grandfather was the reason the Reno Air Races aren't the Cleveland Air Races.

- Bill

Bill, Except for the real hotshots(Strega, Rare Bear , Voodo, and a few others the gold racers) most are bone stock even with stars&bars (the silver & bronze racers) there is no doubt at what you are looking at. Under the cowling's the Mustangs are still running Merlins and thanks to people like Jack Roush (Yes of NASCAR) the engines are still being improved.

As for Bill Odom I met his brother a few times at Lodi Airport. I'm not sure if you know he set a distance record Honolulu to Teterboro NJ. Solo,nonstop,unrefueled in March 1949.

[Pat Conlon]

It's all good...
I do enjoy NASCAR but only when they come to a road course, like Sears Point, uh Infineon.
I do enjoy the unlimited gold, silver and bronze air races at Reno-Stead. The super sport class is the class to watch. Those little skip and flips are turning speeds (400+) that would put them right in the middle of the big silver cup planes.
Garth is absolutely correct, those pilots, racing 3 abreast, banking around pylons at 500+mph while being 20 feet off the deck.... have big balls.
I do enjoy the Moto GP races at Laguna Seca (Mazda) but I've always wanted to see a bike race at Sears Point...uh, shit Infineon..

But, that said....Being a kid that was raised in Southern Calif, and on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, going to Lyons, Irwindale, Fontana, Orange County and Pomona, Drag racing is my #1 spectator sport. I can't help it. It somehow damaged my DNA when I huffed that nitro when I was 12. It sure has evolved since I started going in the mid sixties.

Here's some cool stuff... Top Fuel Dragster Trivia

One Top Fuel dragster's 500 cubic inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows at the Daytona 500.

Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.

A stock hemi will not produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.

Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.

Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F. Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flames seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression - plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.

If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force then can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.

If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.

Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence. Top fuel engines turn ONLY 540 revolutions from light to light! The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm.

The current TF dragster elapsed time record is 4.477 seconds for the quarter mile (06.02.01 Kenny Bernstein). Putting all of this in perspective: You are driving an average Lingenfelter powered "twin-Turbo" Corvette. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start, but you still run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. At this moment, the dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot hard down, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you passed him. That, folks, is acceleration. Think about it, from a standing start, this phenomenal machine has spotted you 200mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 feet.

Cheers!

[tqmx1]

Yea Pat I guess your right, some times they have to land them along with unlimited hydroplanes. Also at Sears NASCAR neuters the track it's damm near a oval. Enjoy

Top 10 Most Spectacular Hydroplane Crashes

And Pat one more for you.


U-2 Dragon Lady: Landings

[Brook]

........ Another great race in Las Vegas,......[Carl Edwards, the winner]...........John Force was on Race Day. And at 61, he is still full of energy.............  Tony Stewart [second], is looking to drive a F1 and a Top Fueler. [bucket List]

[rktmanfj]

........ Another great race in Las Vegas,......[Carl Edwards, the winner]...........John Force was on Race Day. And at 61, he is still full of energy.............  Tony Stewart [second], is looking to drive a F1 and a Top Fueler. [bucket List]

I got to meet and hang out with John Force for a while a couple of years ago... great guy.

Randy T
Indy

[Brook]

...... Hi Randy, I know you are a Tony Stewart fan........ and if he could have taken two instead of four tires at the end, he had a good chance of winning the race. .... he is leading the points now.   
anyone but the 48.