Drag Race Technology Magazine

Behind the astonishing spectacle of professional drag racing is extreme engineering that is ultra tightly focused but compared to other forms of motorsport no less complex for that. If anything, the puzzle gets harder, the fewer are the variables that make the difference between winning and losing. The challenge of engineering and controlling the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world is thus a fascinating one that is revealed annually by Drag Race Technology. This publication uniquely gets to the nuts and bolts of a range of drag race cars, bikes and boats from around the world representing the state of the art in straight line engineering and reveals the technologies that provide the winning edge. Intro THE EDITOR Innovation remains rife and refinements are constant in this, one of the world's great sporting spectacles Grid IN THE NEWS The quiet revolution in the past few years in clutch systems for dragsters, details of new high fuel rate electric pumps, and more State of the Nation PRO STOCK The introduction of new rules in Pro Stock caught all but one of the teams on the hop but, as Anne Proffit reports, that soon changed In Detail ANTI SQUAT IN DRAG RACING Luke Robinson discusses how to calculate a dragster's instant center as a route to deciding on suspension geometry Dossier JOHN FORCE CAMARO Mike Magda takes an in depth look at the development of this record setting Camaro based Funny Car Insight TORQUE CONVERTERS Lawrence Butcher explains how torque converters are selected for drag racing applications, and how racers can tailor their behavior Special Investigation TRIUMPH ROCKET LSR BIKE Lawrence Butcher charts the unique challenges and freedoms involved in creating a potential 400 plus mph land speed record motorcycle Insight PARACHUTES The technology behind making and deploying parachutes for drag racing is surprisingly complex, as Lawrence Butcher explains Insight BRAKES How do the brake systems in drag racing overcome the challenges of the quarter mile Lawrence Butcher reports Appendix We explain who the drag racing sanctioning bodies are and what the different classes consist of DRAG RACING SUPPLIERS Our listing of the companies providing products and service for the drag racing community PS THE BIRTH OF NOS Tracing the use of nitrous oxide to boost performance back its origins in World War II aircraft