Video: Driving an 11,000PS drag racer is an otherworldly experience
Good grief. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to pilot a slingshot dragster, you need to watch this video. We’re riding onboard one of the most powerful machines in the world. It’s called the Time Traveller II, and that’s about the most suitable name for a car we’ve ever heard.
If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, this car runs in the category drag racing calls Top Fuel. That means it’s powered by an adapted 8.0-litre supercharged Chrysler Hemi engine running on nitromethane fuel and producing as much as 11,000PS (8,090kW). Just wow.
The results are quite something. From the moment the engine fires up, the noise, even just watching the video, is immense. The engine’s rhythmic heartbeat serves to ramp up the tension an absolute treat.
As if the engine itself wasn’t mind-blowing enough. The view we have from this helmetcam is equally astounding. You can’t see much besides that enormous block with its huge air-intake and eight roaring pipes. The cockpit is snug to say the least, with less a steering wheel, more two handles to cling on to as this thing absolutely tears away from the start line. It got our hearts racing, so God knows what it must feel like in the cockpit.
And then, just like that, it’s over and that monster of an engine falls silent in an instant. After all of that built up and all of that adrenaline, it’s over just like that. The life of a drag racer must be quite something.
Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: Sit back and enjoy this Porsche 962 vs. Sauber C11 battle
Elevenses
Video
Onboard
POV
Helmetcam
Drag Racing
Time Traveller II
