Hi to All,
first of all…sorry for my English. I am Italian!...Even if I write befor now, I am a big fan of landspeed/drag racing and I follow landracing.com from many years.
I write to this forum to discuss with You about my idea/concept to reach 500mph whell driven, for me the real LSR, and the Holy Graal of land racing.
In the last decade, salt conditions (not only in Bonneville…) have been always bad. Three years ago speed week was cancelled. Today a track so good as in 60s or 70s is a mirage: the situation seems not to become better….We could have the risk to postopone every high-speed attempt every year. There are a lot of good project around, like target550, turbinator2, Carbinite, Speed Damon, Burkland411: they all could hit 500mph easily if the conditions would be better, but all this teams try their goal from years with not good results.
So, if you aim to a FIA / SCTA certified record of a two way misured mile with average >500mph,my Concept could not be a good solution, but if the target is to top an exit speed higher than 500 mph in a shorter track it could be interesting. In the end….the important is to be the first man to top 500mph on wheel. Mickey Thompson didn’t make an official +400mph two way pass, but we all remember him: but we all recognize him like the first American who brake that barrier.
So, my idea is a sort of a unlimited top fuel Dragster.
The goal is to make a sort of drag race pass and top 500mph after ½ mile ca. So you can make run in many asphalt track…like Maxton/texas/ohio mile or some landing runway in airport.
The project consist in a “mega” dragster with a very powerful engine able to run only 10/15 seconds and not 1.30+ minutes like in todays high speed streamliners.
A modern TF engine could output 11000 hp with limited in % fuel, pump, supercharger, rpm and size (and only one engine).
A 100% nitro engine, maybe derived by 1000ci mountain motor without such limitations could make real big horsepower…maybe 20000+ hp.
Obviously no gear ratio limitations.
No transmission but a multy-clutch system like those in NHRA TF.
A run shorter than 1000mt minimize the size(and weight) of fuel thank and the durability of the engine is not so important.
You could have a good shut down area.
Problem 1: AERO.
Mathematically A top fuel shape car with 20k + hp, could top those kind of speed…but with wings, open wheels and open engine , I am sure that in some points air flow would increase over mach level with a big increment of drag coefficient. So even with those kind of horsepower could not reach the goal.
So its is necessary streamline the car. An interesting dragster was the Arivett brother funny car: A real streamliner dragster, with no wings but a ground effect under body to provide the downforce necessary for traction.
Could be an idea?
Problem2: Tires.
I have no idea if there is a possibility to find a tyre able to resist to this kind of performance.
Any Idea?
What is your opinion?
Thank you to all.
Mark