Top Fuel
Top Fuel dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing vehicles in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racers, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of 335 miles per hour (539 km/h) and finishing the 1,000 foot (305 m) runs in 3.7 seconds.
Because of the speeds, this class almost exclusively races to only a 1,000 foot (305 m) distance, and not the traditional 1⁄4 mile (400 m). The rule was changed in 2008 by the National Hot Rod Association following the fatal crash of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta during a qualifying session at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, USA. The shortening of the distance was used in the FIA at some tracks, and as of 2012 is now the standard Top Fuel distance. The Australian National Drag Racing Association is the only internationally recognized sanctioning body that still races Top Fuel dragsters at the earlier 1,320 feet (402 m) standard distance for the majority of races for such events.
A top fuel dragster accelerates from a standstill to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) in as little as 0.8 seconds (less than one third the time required by a production Porsche 911 Turbo to reach 60 mph (97 km/h)) and can exceed 450 km/h (280 mph) in just 200 metres (660 ft). This subjects the driver to an average acceleration of about 39 m/s2 (4.0 g0) over the duration of the race and with a peak of over 5.6 g.
Before their run, racers often perform a burnout in order to clean and heat tires. Additionally, the burnout applies a layer of fresh rubber to the track surface, which greatly improves traction during launch.
At maximum throttle and RPM, the exhaust gases escaping from a dragster's open headers produce about 4.0–4.9 kilonewtons (900–1,100 lbf) of downforce. The massive airfoil over and behind the rear wheels produces much more, peaking at around 53 kilonewtons (12,000 lbf) when the car reaches a speed of about 530 km/h (330 mph).
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