Martin Stamatis 4.577 329.10 mph (529.63 kmh) drag race
Western Australian Martin Stamatis became the fastest Australian drag racer at the recent Sydney Summernationals on Saturday February 16 when he blasted his Fastlane Software Jim Read Racing top fuel dragster to a top speed of 329.10 mph (529.63 kmh) down the WSID quarter mile.
The fastest speed recorded by an Australian on Aussie soil was previously held by his team mate, Phil Read who ran 329.02 mph (529.51 kmh) at the 2006 Boxing Day International Top Fuel Challenge.
Although the margin may be minimal to some, for Stamatis the speed was a great personal achievement for him and his hard working team, and the 4.577 second ET from the run is also now only just behind Phil Read's personal best of time 4.571 seconds, leaving the entire Read team really pumped.
Stamatis and his team then went on to win the meeting, and are now looking forward to the next top fuel round due to be held in Sydney on May 2 and 3.
Eyewitness-1971 Jet Car Crash Dallas International Motor Speedway
For full version of story go to my blog at:
http://tvnewsphotogoneeyeclosed.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-jet-car-crash.html
My memories of the day: There had been showers that morning and the sky was still a dull gray when I arrived at the Dallas International Motor Speedway. I was working part time for KTVT Channel 11 in Ft. Worth and had been assigned to shoot Art Arfons' 280-mph jet-powered dragster as he tried to better the world quarter mile land speed record. His new two seat "Super Cyclops" was scheduled to make 3 runs, the first, with a WFAA-TV news man.
As the car approached the line I pressed the shutter release. The ground was shaking and the sound was painful but even after hearing the incredible roar from the roll up I wasn't prepared when the Super Cyclops blasted into that quarter mile run. It parted my hair! The first thought in my mind was, there's no way I'd get in that car... My God, it could go straight up as easily as forward. I stayed with the shot, following the jet down the asphalt for the 6.01 seconds it took to reach the finish line and then beyond. The jet shut down and immediately there was the blue smoke of skidding rubber and wreckage flying. Then, farther down the strip, a column of smoke. I jumped through a break in the guardrail, and ran toward the crash.
As I got nearer I rolled film on a man who was crying and I asked if he was OK? He couldn't speak but gestured to a pile of debris down the track. As I ran closer I began to see it was a human torso scattered among several other body parts. After reaching a little over 183 MPH the dragster had blown a tire, spun 180 degrees and slammed through the guardrail on Thomas' side, striking a track worker with such force that it propelled him into another worker killing him as well. The carnage was overwhelming but I shot the scene as best as I could playing down the grim details I knew would never air anyway. I had shot all 100 feet of film but had another tin in my pocket as I and a young still photographer started to run the several hundred feet farther down the track to the burning jet car wreckage.
As we ran a car pulled in front of us, blocking our way, and several large security guys jumped out and backed us into a retaining wall. One of the men demanded we give him our cameras and to my surprise the young still photographer complied. The man immediately opened the back, pulled out the film and exposed it to the light. Although I was out of film I had pretended to shoot the man as soon as he got out of the car and was still doing so when he turned to me. The Bell and Howell's handy leather strap made it a pretty good club as I backed against the wall and raised the camera above my head. "I'm dropping the first guy that touches me", I warned. I wasn't the biggest guy in that group but I sure wasn't the littlest either. I was going to be a lot more trouble than that young guy with the still camera. They didn't come any closer and I agreed to stop taking pictures of them as more people arrived on the scene to see what was going on. A truce of sorts was worked out when the security man contacted the control tower about the situation. He talked in front of me on the radio to a supervisor who told them not to touch me or the camera and politely asked me to return to the tower with them. I agreed.
In the office I was met by Mike Landess who was working part time at WFAA and freelancing as PR for the track. There were several other people in the room who seemed to be speedway officials. They didn't demand the film but wanted to talk to my boss at Channel 11 and I gave them the number. I heard the conversation as they threatened to sue the station if we showed anything inappropriate. After several minutes they handed the phone to me and I was told to get shots of the wrecked car and then get back to the station with the film as quick as possible. The security people took me back to the crash site and I got my final shots. The story aired that night and the station never was sued.
Not long after the crash I was filming an interview with Harry Reasoner, then of ABC, at the Dallas Press Club when I ran into Travis Lynn, the news director at WFAA-TV. I'd been making the rounds of all the TV stations that summer trying to move up the news ladder, so Travis knew who I was. He complimented my work on the jet car crash and offered me a job at channel 8. This after telling me just a few weeks earlier that I needed more experience. I worked there for three years often with Mike Landess who I met at the track office and later worked with at KBTV. He's now an anchorman at KMGH in Denver.
So that's how it happened, my first TV news job in a major market. Although I took his picture, I never met, Ch 8's, Gene Thomas but his career ended the day mine really began. Life and death... My, how we blunder along. In the news business you're confronted with that over and over. After awhile you begin to see it's just part of the story.
Thrust SSC - Supersonic Land Speed Record Holder
On the 15th October 1997 Thrust SSC became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. Piloted by Wing Commander Andy Green of the RAF, an average speed of 763.035mph over the flying mile was achieved
The music is from the game GTR2 and is called Spa 24hrs.
Comments open for business again!
Drag Racing 0-100km/h in 0.9sec!!!
Die schnellsten Autos der Welt, die in 0.9sec von 0-100 km/h sind und eine Viertelmeile in 4.59sec zurücklegen. Sie werden mit einem 8000ps starken Motor angetrieben.
2009 MCAS Miramar Airshow - Shockwave Jet Truck
http://www.zingeraviation.com
Shockwave Jet Truck
2009 MCAS Miramar Airshow
MCAS Miramar
Miramar, California
Friday October 2, 2009
IN THIS VIDEO, Kent Shockley fires up the newly rebuilt Shockwave Jet Truck and takes it down Runway 24R at Miramar for a dry run. This newly rebuilt Shockwave features many more and much-improved safety features than the original. It is those safety features that were on the original Shockwave that Kent is able to bring to you this "second-generation" Shockwave.
I apologize for any bad color and/or vertical lines or American flag intrusion that may or may not be in this video. Unfortunately there were American flags that got in the way of the video during some critical parts of the videos and I have had some camera trouble throughout the weekend.
For more aviation and airshow videos please check out ZINGER AVIATION MEDIA at http://www.zingeraviation.com .
Nitro methane Mustang runs 6.14
Mission 2009, I just couldn't help myself.... I abandoned Tim and Sharon at the pits and ran to catch this 'stang during this exhibition run. It was the second time it ran and my nose and eyes were crying both times... sorry 'bout the shake... the track guys told me the tripod had to go "in case something bad happens...." "I love the smell of nitro at the track in the afternoon..."
Top Fuel Nitro Motorcycle Import vs Harley - Larry "Spiderman" Mcbride 5.83et @ 232mph
Dragbike Live was on location at the Manufacturers Cup Finals held November 12-14 2010 at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Georgia when Top Fuel Nitro motorcycle legendary drag racer Larry "Spiderman" Mcbride against V-Twin Top Fuel Harley rider Tommy Grimes aboard the Ray Price Top Fuel Nitro entry met in the final round. Mcbride ran an incredible 5.830 elapsed time at 232.75 miles per hour for the win! This was a historic final round,marking the first time a V-Twin Top Fuel Nitro burner would face off against an import Top Fuel Nitro Methane injected drag bike.
NHRA Drag Racing Pro Mods & Doorslammers - Mission, BC - June 27/09 part 1 of 4
CanadaMotorSports - Drag racing at Mission Raceway Park, Mission BC, part 1 of 4. June 27, 2009. Check out parts 2, 3 and 4 for more amazing drag racing including top end 200+ mph passes! Pure Sound! No music, just cars!
NHRA Drag Racing, featuring 8 second door-slammers, pro-mods, pro streets. Look for Rick DiStefano's beautiful Pro-mod 1953 Chevrolet Corvette.
copyright 2010 AVS Inc
Tony Schumacher 4.428 @ 327 MPH
Tony Schumacher beats Melanie Troxel in the final round of Top Fuel at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at
Pomona, running 4.428 @ 327.98 mph, he resets the national record for E.T., and wins the 2006 Top Fuel Championship over Doug Kalitta. This is remembered as "The Run" a final round, national record-setting run at the last race on the final pass that gave the U.S. Army team the championship title. The memorable 4.428 second pass is being regarded as the greatest single run in NHRA history by many drag racing historians.
Top Fuel Drag Racing with on board camera.
Everyone swoons at the Bugatti Veyron's paltry performance !?However, this is how it is done. 0-110
in 1 second ! 0-330 in 4.5 seconds ! The nitro-methane super-charged V8 engine's 8000 horse-power nearly rips the tubular frame apart, and sometimes does, at full speed !
Fastest 1/4 mile ever on dragstrip 3.58 secs @ 386 mph (621.61 km/h)
Fastest 1/4 mile ever 3.58 secs @ 386 mph (621.61 km/h)
Santa Pod dragstrip is the venue in which the current world drag racing record, a time of 3.58 seconds at 386.26 mph (621.61 km/h) was set by Sammy Miller in his Vanishing Point funny car in July 1984
The car is powered by a fuel called hydrogen peroxide which is stored in the large tank at the front of the car.
To pump the fuel to the rocket the tank is pressurised by two tanks of air - one either side of the car.
Both tanks are connected together with a pair of pipes and fed into a regulator.
The regulator keeps the pressure inside the fuel tank at a constant pressure (between 300-700 psi depending on the thrust required).
There is also a safety valve which will open if anything should over pressurise.
The fuel is then fed to the throttle valve at the back of the car, this controls the flow of fuel.
The fuel is then fed into the rocket engine
Inside the engine, the fuel is sprayed onto a silver mesh, a reaction takes place and the fuel breaks down giving off heat and water.
This produces a blast of high pressure steam & oxygen.
The engine produces about 14,000 lbs of thrust and sends the car forward at a very high speed.
(a quicker 1/4 mile time of 3.225 seconds was set by Kitty O'Neil, but not on a drag racing surface).
