3 ms·

I get racing on a twisty track. They are legitimate tests of human skill and vehicle endurance engineering. Drag racing has none of that. There's little skill b

I get racing on a twisty track. They are legitimate tests of human skill and vehicle endurance engineering. Drag racing has none of that. There's little skill beyond reaction time and drag vehicles have almost no relation to normal vehicles.

SAI_Peregrinus 2y ago
Think of drag racing like the CO2 cartridge race car competitions you see in lots of high-school science classes. It's an engineering challenge, not a skill-based race.
jcgrillo 2y ago
Have you ever tried it?
- mperham 2y ago
  I participated in motorcycle track days on race tracks for 15 years. I've dragged knee at 90pmh. _That_ takes skill and balls. Drag racing seems dumb by comparison.
  - mikestew 2y ago
    That's a long-winded way to say, "no, I've never tried it". If one has never tried a pursuit, I can understand how it might "seem dumb". What seems dumb to me, though, is doing track days for years on end, and never once trying to see how fast you could launch a bike down a drag strip, and then going on about how dumb drag racing is.
    - mperham 2y ago
      I've owned two Porsches, an Audi R8 V10, half dozen sport bikes. I've done laps at Laguna Seca. I've floored them all to see what they'll do. The V10 sounded amazing. But I've never felt any interest in drag racing at all, it's a pointless waste of fuel. Press accelerator, press brake, done, little to no skill required. And in something like the R8, would require a $20,000 dealer visit after a weekend of runs.
  - potato3732842 1y ago
    If you actually achieved a high level of proficiency you'd be able to respect what goes on at an equally high level in a different niche.
oslem 2y ago
I disagree. Drag racing involves incredible honed vehicle endurance, just on a much shorter timescale. It’s an engineering problem with the goal of outputting as much power as possible within a short timespan (often only a few seconds) without detrimentally destroying the engine. As far as the drivers are concerned, the reaction time is obviously important, but they have to be extraordinarily consistent. At that, they have to drive the car at 5 g’s- not an easy task.
- barnas2 2y ago
  The engines still get destroyed. It's basically a complete rebuild between runs. Most of the spark plugs burn up, clutch disks get welded together, etc. The goal is basically to just not have the engine outright detonate so they can reuse the block.
  - oslem 2y ago
    You are absolutely correct. Perhaps I should’ve worded “detrimentally destroyed” as “catastrophic failure.” The rebuild process between runs is fascinating to watch. I’ve never seen an engine torn apart so quickly!
    - WalterBright 1y ago
      > I’ve never seen an engine torn apart so quickly! The first time I took my 286 intake manifold off, it took 4 hours. The 4th time I took it off, it took 20 minutes. Once you know exactly what to do, it really cuts the time down. I'm sure every member of the team knows exactly what to do and it's down to a dance. For fun, look how fast they change the tires on a Formula 1 pit stop.
badlibrarian 2y ago
Try it! Costs far less than you think and more than half the class sat wide eyed, refusing a second run.
mikestew 2y ago
Drag racing has none of that. What is it the kids say? "Tell me you know nothing about drag racing without saying you know nothing about drag racing"? Drag racing has all of that, squeezed into 1/4 of a mile. That's why top fuelers get an engine rebuild after every trip down the track. It's like saying, "I get ultramarathons, but 400m foot races involved little skill or training." Look, if you don't get it, fine. Probably best to just leave it at that.
dizhn 2y ago
You're thinking about this in only a professional way. There are a lot of amateur events where people race with their own cars that they have modified. It's really fun to see something like a vw rabbit beat a modern sports car etc. It's a fun event too but the tire burning shows do get old very quickly.

SAI_Peregrinus 2y ago

Think of drag racing like the CO2 cartridge race car competitions you see in lots of high-school science classes. It's an engineering challenge, not a skill-based race.

jcgrillo 2y ago

Have you ever tried it?

mperham 2y ago
I participated in motorcycle track days on race tracks for 15 years. I've dragged knee at 90pmh. _That_ takes skill and balls. Drag racing seems dumb by comparison.
- mikestew 2y ago
  That's a long-winded way to say, "no, I've never tried it". If one has never tried a pursuit, I can understand how it might "seem dumb". What seems dumb to me, though, is doing track days for years on end, and never once trying to see how fast you could launch a bike down a drag strip, and then going on about how dumb drag racing is.
  - mperham 2y ago
    I've owned two Porsches, an Audi R8 V10, half dozen sport bikes. I've done laps at Laguna Seca. I've floored them all to see what they'll do. The V10 sounded amazing. But I've never felt any interest in drag racing at all, it's a pointless waste of fuel. Press accelerator, press brake, done, little to no skill required. And in something like the R8, would require a $20,000 dealer visit after a weekend of runs.
- potato3732842 1y ago
  If you actually achieved a high level of proficiency you'd be able to respect what goes on at an equally high level in a different niche.

oslem 2y ago

I disagree. Drag racing involves incredible honed vehicle endurance, just on a much shorter timescale. It’s an engineering problem with the goal of outputting as much power as possible within a short timespan (often only a few seconds) without detrimentally destroying the engine. As far as the drivers are concerned, the reaction time is obviously important, but they have to be extraordinarily consistent. At that, they have to drive the car at 5 g’s- not an easy task.

barnas2 2y ago
The engines still get destroyed. It's basically a complete rebuild between runs. Most of the spark plugs burn up, clutch disks get welded together, etc. The goal is basically to just not have the engine outright detonate so they can reuse the block.
- oslem 2y ago
  You are absolutely correct. Perhaps I should’ve worded “detrimentally destroyed” as “catastrophic failure.” The rebuild process between runs is fascinating to watch. I’ve never seen an engine torn apart so quickly!
  - WalterBright 1y ago
    > I’ve never seen an engine torn apart so quickly! The first time I took my 286 intake manifold off, it took 4 hours. The 4th time I took it off, it took 20 minutes. Once you know exactly what to do, it really cuts the time down. I'm sure every member of the team knows exactly what to do and it's down to a dance. For fun, look how fast they change the tires on a Formula 1 pit stop.

badlibrarian 2y ago

Try it! Costs far less than you think and more than half the class sat wide eyed, refusing a second run.

mikestew 2y ago

Drag racing has none of that. What is it the kids say? "Tell me you know nothing about drag racing without saying you know nothing about drag racing"? Drag racing has all of that, squeezed into 1/4 of a mile. That's why top fuelers get an engine rebuild after every trip down the track. It's like saying, "I get ultramarathons, but 400m foot races involved little skill or training." Look, if you don't get it, fine. Probably best to just leave it at that.

dizhn 2y ago

You're thinking about this in only a professional way. There are a lot of amateur events where people race with their own cars that they have modified. It's really fun to see something like a vw rabbit beat a modern sports car etc. It's a fun event too but the tire burning shows do get old very quickly.