During a gala dinner we attended courtesy of GM at the F1 Yas Marina circuit in March. It was announced that the Chevrolet Camaro SS would serve as the official training car for the Drag Racing Academy. Six Camaro SS were recruited in which future drag racers will hone their skills in preparation for racing in the regional big leagues.The next day, we were briefed before getting into the sizzling battle of dragging the 400hp 6.2L V8 Chevy Camaro down the Yas Island quarter mile. We were also given the oportunity to ride with Rod Fuller in his 1200hp 3-seat dragster that can hit 100 kph in about 1 second.
Before having that unforgettable experience, I had only a small idea about drag racing. The drag racing burnout is all about your rear tires spinning and creating large clouds of smoke at the starting gate - not done just for show as I thought before. The burnout is a very significant part of the preparation before a drag race can begin, since it makes the tires heat up and grip the road better, while also removing dirt and debris from the rubber. It also leaves a layer of rubber that will deliver better grip off the line in the actual star
I came close to the starting line where I applied water on my rear tires. I did a burnout for just 3 seconds by shifting my Camaro SS into high gear and stepping on the brake and gas at the same time, although after many attempts I was able to do this without stepping on the brake at all. The idea is to heat up the tires and to remove excess dirt and debris from the rubber.
I stopped the burnout as soon as I felt the tires hit or begin to gain traction. Then I allowed my car to roll up to the drag racing staging lights until the first light came on to indicate that I was in the right starting position. The instructor warned me to not roll in too quickly, since my brakes may be a little hot after the burnout, and I might roll right past the starting line and disqualify myself. The best part of it was that we calculated our drag each time to try to improve it for the upcoming attempts. I was able to improve and control my reaction times per the instructor’s guidance.
An even more stunning experience was the shoot in the 3-seater dragster. I had all the safety gear on me including helmet, shoes, gloves, etc… I truly felt like I was walking into a race.
When you first settle in the car, it feels tight, hot and confined, and the view out of your helmet visor is focused on the quarter mile ahead of you. As a driver my eyes would be glued on the Christmas tree (traffic light which signals the go). The light turns green and the sensation is almost too quick, too violent and too aggressive to really asses it while it is taking place. I still find it hard to imagine that we hit 100kph in one second, the top speed crested over 290kph all in less than 6 seconds. The experience left me in shock for a good time, and all I could utter was the word “incredible” as I shouted in my helmet. I was laughing hysterically from euphoria and in fact acknowledged that it would take a lot of practice in those stock Camaros and some more powerful cars before I could be able to handle the sheer violence drag racers have to deal with every time they drop the hammer at the green light. 
No comments:
Post a Comment