The record time for the passage of the 1/4 mile track in Russia belongs to him. What is the fastest “Russian” dragster?
It's about a Dodge Viper DT car under the control of Dmitry Samorukov. It was he who in 2016 set a record that has not been beaten so far. That day, more than two years ago, many spoke of an attempt to set a record. In the press box, colleagues even made bets. It is worth noting that motorsport is an unpredictable thing. There are many attempts to set this or that record, but, as a rule, they do not end with records at all. The technique is complex, the settings depend on many factors. It is necessary that hundreds of these same factors come together in a short stretch of 402 meters, where the pilot’s reaction and condition are added. In general, as they say, many stars should converge. Then, on the highway circuit in Grozny, these stars converged. The result was 6.325 seconds, which at the moment is the official Russian drag record. The other day, a result of 6.305 seconds was recorded. However do not worry. He was also achieved by the hero of our material.
What is the fastest car of the Russian drag racing championship SMP RDRC? This is the so-called car class Pro Mod (or Pro Modified), which acts in the class SU (Super Unlimited) along with, for example, classic dragsters (like Alexander Albin in the photo below). Pro Mod is different because it is at least somewhat similar to civilian cars. But this is only the appearance, fiberglass body kit, no more. The insides here are something from another dimension.
The car was built by Harper Motorsports racer Billy Harper in the USA. The motor dragster Dodge Viper DT is a V-shaped 8-cylinder 4-carburetor unit Buck Racing Engines 748 cid with a volume of 12.2 liters. Power without nitrous oxide - 1450 hp, with nitrous - up to 3500 hp The angle of the cylinders is 90 degrees. The engine was assembled from scratch by specialists from Charlie Buck, the guru of sports engine manufacturing in the United States.
Carburetors CFM DCOE Quattro with Jerry Haas Race Cars air intake work on the fuel mixture as if a hellish boiler with fuel is sucked into a black hole. The intake manifolds at the start of nitrous oxide feed direct fuel to the cylinders. Yes, there are two cylinders (four ports) with nitrous oxide from the NOS company of 20 kg each. The cooling system is liquid. The exhaust gases exit through two direct-flow titanium collectors from the head of the unit to the front wheels on both sides.
Due to the abrupt start, a dry sump system was used. This is done so that the oil does not nail to the rear wall of the motor during a sharp start. As a transmission, a two-speed Powerglide racing gearbox equipped with a pneumatic shifter is installed here. The braking system is Lamb Components disc brakes and two parachutes.
Jerry Bickel, a well-known US engineer, worked on the chassis. The body is a spatial frame based on the image of a sports car Dodge Viper. For precise control of the machine installed Koni racks, which are fully adjustable depending on the conditions of arrival. Electronics is controlled by the PowerGrid MSD system and the Racepack telemetry unit. The pilot is located in a sports seat (bucket) Jerry Haas. The mass of the car is 950 kg.
If you understand at least something from this short list, honor and praise be to you. If not, let's say this: this differs from a standard car approximately like “Formula 1” from karting, a modern sport bike from a moped “Riga-12” or a T-800 terminator from a Sverdlovsk electric guitar “Ural”.
What is a race on such a car?
Here the reader should clearly imagine the whole mechanics of the race and the procedure. Well, not all, but at least the basics. The first thing to understand is that the race lasts 6-7 seconds, and its main part is even smaller. That is, it is, in fact, a bullet in the form of a car fired towards the finish line.
After crossing this line, it must also be stopped so that it does not stick into the wall or fall out into the pit (as in Grozny, for example). In short, the order is approximately the following: warm-up, start, parachute, stop. The last three actions are approximately 7 seconds.
Now imagine the pilot. Acceleration from a place such that the body is already at the finish, and consciousness is still on the starting line. The speed of the car at the maximum point is about 350 km / h. Do not forget - this is on a segment of 402 meters in a time interval of 6-7 seconds.
Warming up takes place in approximately this way. The trans-break system is activated from the button on the steering wheel, that is, the front brakes turn on, the rear brakes turn off. The pilot includes the first, then the second speed. There is a slippage in the rear axle (the most spectacular sight when the smoke is a rocker). In the process of warming up, the pilot, in fact, draws a starting track for himself with his own rubber: about 50-60 meters. If at the start it will be possible to keep the car on this rubberized track with a good "grip" - the start was a success.
The start occurs at the signal of a special device. The pilot must respond as quickly as possible to the signal light. This is called "reaction time." Fractions of a second, which are very important for the final result. Further, the car should quickly start on a rut and keep on a straight path, but ... But, as Dmitry Samorukov notes, he constantly has to steer so as not to get off the path. This is mainly due to the quality of our tracks. By the way, everything is in order with the "derzhak" at the circuit in Grozny. It was here that not one record was set in the Russian drag.
The finish is one of the most difficult procedures in the race. Not only that, in those very 6-7 seconds, all life flashes before your eyes, so during this time you need to successfully release the brake parachutes. So that the result does not spoil and the car does not break. In Russia, there is a problem. The fact is that on European tracks the length of the brake section is about 800 meters, and in our country - no more than 450 meters. This greatly reduces the ability of the pilot to squeeze the maximum out of the car.
That is, for a high-quality race it is necessary to keep in mind a certain algorithm that needs to be completed in an extremely short period of time clearly and without delay, while being distracted by the stability of the car. But somewhere, during the check-in, nitrous oxide is also injected. This process is programmed, but the pilot must very, very well feel the car, grip and engine in order to react correctly. And if all this has grown together in one race - there is a new record, a victory or just satisfaction from the work of a considerable team led by Adam Flamholz, a Swedish engineer and professional racer.
Russian results Dodge Viper DT
- Record for 1/4 miles - 6.325 seconds *.
- The maximum speed is 362.9 km / h.
* - within the final stage of the Russian Championship in Grozny, on September 23, 2018, a result equal to 6.305 seconds was recorded.
All that was above was a conversation about the Russian achievements of the Dodge Viper DT. Our routes, unfortunately, cannot yet provide a sufficiently high hook in order for the car to show a maximum throughout the entire distance. But Adam Flamholtz said that once this Pro Mod was the fastest in the world and showed a result of 5.7 seconds for 1/4 miles. In 2014 and 2015, two European Championships in the absolute category were won at it. And the first owner and author of the car, Billy Harper, accelerated it to 365 km / h on a track in Ohio. Since 2014, the device, as we reported earlier, is under the control of Dmitry Samorukov.