Fastest Race Cars?

You wrote> Would open wheel cars dominate? Full bodied cars?< Almost surely, Chrysler big-block hemis would power some of them? s

It would be interesting, for sure. In a sport where speed is the goal, the authorities periodically make new rules to slow them down.

I would like to see the turbocars return to some venue of racing, and maybe more emphasis on Wankels too. Maybe instead of limiting displacement (which can be controversial in the cases of turbines and Wankels) just limit the amount of fuel available for a race..

I am against the F1 rules on tire changes. I think it makes the sport more dangerous, people push deteriorating rubber (and the wrong rubber) further than is advisable.

well, if you're just looking for top speed, it's going to be hard to top a 4000+ hp Top Fuel dragster doing 330+ mph. Your average F1 car needs to pick up another 100mph to be close. The NHRA has already made rule changes to keep the speeds down in TF, otherwise they'd probably be over

The fastest series would be racing on the biggest tracks with the best aerodynamics, the most horsepower, and the lowest downforce (drag.)

Ray

But the F1 car would win if the track was a mile long, or included a curve, as the TF dragster would either blow its engine or attempt to vault the barrier.

Different cars for different events. The F1 car would win the 500 mile event on a road course.

However the rules are not necessarily to keep the speed down, but to give the slimmest hope that the race will not go to the richest team.

It seems that the F1 races seldom go to the poorboy teams, although some spend a lot of money and dont get much in return.

I dont believe you can get the competitive reliability and speed that Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, and even Williams have achieved without spending a lot of money.

Indeed, the track would be a dominating factor. Aside from drag racing, where the track is specified, all other forms of racing require cornering power. The higher the banking angle, the less cornering power required for any given speed. So a large oval with enough banking allows cars to run basically flat out.

If we have long races, where pit stops are required (fuel tank size regulated) then fuel milage becomes an issue too.

So does mechanical reliability. A Top Fuel "bomb" probably wouldn't last much longer than a mile or so were it installed in, say, a Can-Am car and run for that long (which it never is.) My understanding is that those things run on the verge of hydrolock at WOT and are generally rebuilt after every meet.

nate

the OP asked for the FASTEST race car. and the F1 car would be forked if there was a section of gravel and potholes. The WRC car would fly by as the nosecone of the F1 car smashed itself into tiny carbonfibre bits. ;)

I like all kinds of racing for different reasons. If it has 4 wheels I pretty much like it. Although I think NASCAR Truck racing is silly - truck racing is offroad.

Ray

ray wrote:.

I am not a pickup truck fan, but I do like the NASCAR trucks. I never had the bucks to travel to the big speedways, nor the money for high priced tickets. I attended the local short tracks. The trucks started with most events on shorter tracks. I like short track racing, and see no problem with a little paint- trading aggressive racing. Even when they go to the super speedways the trucks seem more like short track Saturday nite guys. I just kinda ignore the pickup truck shaped bodies, and realize that like all NASCAR stuff these days, these are real race cars, not modified stock cars.

I know. I watched the sprints here last night for the first time in a few years. Man, those things motor compared to my Pure Stock Camaro. And yeah, the Super Trucks here aren't trucks. They're a Camaro front clip with a tube chassis and a truck body. I like the frammin' and bammin'... although after tearing the bumper off my car twice last year I've started to be a lot more cautious about sticking the nose where it doesn't fit.

I guess if I'm going to watch truck racing I think of Baja 1000 type racing. Or Monster Trucks. :)

And just because it's silly doesn't mean it's not entertaining. Monster Truck freestyle is pretty silly. :)

Ray

I thought the British had a car that exceeded the speed of sound on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Yeah, I think for top speed the tops would be the LSR (Land Speed Record) cars.

ahh... but are jet engines internal combustion? No matter, Al Teague still has it at over 400mph with a piston engine.

Top fuel dragsters go damn fast in a very short period of time.

----------------- Alex