Front engine dragster
Encyclopedia
The front engine dragster is a race car purpose built for drag racing
.
Now considered obsolete, the "rail", "digger", or "slingshot" dragster
is now used mainly in nostalgia
drag racing. Models range in length from 160–225 in (4,064–5,715 mm) in wheelbase
. They were originally used in the highest class of drag racing, Top Fuel
. The front engine dragster naturally came about due to engines for the most part, being in front of the driver. However they used and still do not use any form of suspension, so the top fuel and alcohol cars became very unstable. This due in part to their making 2000 hp, plus having poor tire technology, short wheelbases, and very light weight. (This was demonstrated to extremes in the Fuel Altereds.) The driver sits angled backward, over the top of the differential
in a cockpit
that is situated between the two rear tires, a design originating with Mickey Thompson
in 1954, as a way of improving traction. This position led to many drivers being maimed when catastrophic clutch failures occurred.
Introduced with the start of organized drag racing, they were limited by the availability of traction from their rear slicks. A number of with four rear drive wheels were attempted, as well, including cars by Art Chrisman (along with his brother, Lloyd, and partner Frank Cannon), Bill Coburn, and Eddie Hill
. (Coburn and the Chrisman brothers used twin engines, also.)
The rail was supplanted by the rear-engined car now standard when Don Garlits
introduced Swamp Rat XIV in 1971. He designed the car while in hospital, himself suffering from severe injuries caused by an exploding clutch.
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
.
Now considered obsolete, the "rail", "digger", or "slingshot" dragster
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
is now used mainly in nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
drag racing. Models range in length from 160–225 in (4,064–5,715 mm) in wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
. They were originally used in the highest class of drag racing, Top Fuel
Top Fuel
Top Fuel racing is a class of drag racing in which the cars are run on a mix of approximately 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol rather than gasoline or simply methanol. The cars are purpose-built for drag racing, with an exaggerated layout that in some ways resembles open-wheel circuit racing...
. The front engine dragster naturally came about due to engines for the most part, being in front of the driver. However they used and still do not use any form of suspension, so the top fuel and alcohol cars became very unstable. This due in part to their making 2000 hp, plus having poor tire technology, short wheelbases, and very light weight. (This was demonstrated to extremes in the Fuel Altereds.) The driver sits angled backward, over the top of the differential
Differential (mechanics)
A differential is a device, usually, but not necessarily, employing gears, capable of transmitting torque and rotation through three shafts, almost always used in one of two ways: in one way, it receives one input and provides two outputs—this is found in most automobiles—and in the other way, it...
in a cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
that is situated between the two rear tires, a design originating with Mickey Thompson
Mickey Thompson
Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson was an American off-road racing legend. He won many championships as a racer, and later formed sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group . He also raced in dragsters and land speed record automobiles.Thompson was born in Alhambra,...
in 1954, as a way of improving traction. This position led to many drivers being maimed when catastrophic clutch failures occurred.
Introduced with the start of organized drag racing, they were limited by the availability of traction from their rear slicks. A number of with four rear drive wheels were attempted, as well, including cars by Art Chrisman (along with his brother, Lloyd, and partner Frank Cannon), Bill Coburn, and Eddie Hill
Eddie Hill
Eddie Hill is a retired American drag racer who won numerous drag racing championships on land and water. Hill had the first run in the four second range , which earned him the nickname "Four Father of Drag Racing." His other nicknames include "The Thrill", "Holeshot Hill", and "Fast Eddie"...
. (Coburn and the Chrisman brothers used twin engines, also.)
The rail was supplanted by the rear-engined car now standard when Don Garlits
Don Garlits
Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits is considered the father of drag racing. He is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. Always a pioneer in the field of drag-racing, he, with the help of T.C...
introduced Swamp Rat XIV in 1971. He designed the car while in hospital, himself suffering from severe injuries caused by an exploding clutch.