Don Garlits - You Can't Handle the Truth
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTgYgmR0PHo

I think he is right.... A true legend ..I had a posted on my wall of Big Daddy around 1970 I was 10yrs old

Yup, we will all be racing electric cars in the future.

Think the racing may be plain old running, artificial leg hop skip and jump stuff, and the super-nitro battery wheelie chairs

Younger drag racing fans and participants may indeed be racing electric dragsters in the future and nitro classes may be replaced by them. As Big Daddy says, who knows for sure? The electric drag racing proponents and companies who make batteries, controllers and motors couldn't have made a SMARTER move than get Big Daddy involved and convinced that this was for real. By bankrolling his operation, he gets to remain very active and in the forefront of development of a new and exciting era of drag racing. There will be strong resistance from a large number of fans who see quicker and quicker Et's as only a small part of the drag racing experience. Fire and flames from the pipes, incredible noise, ground pounding power, action in the pits between rounds, eye burning warm-ups, these are ALL important and essential parts of the nitro drag racing experience. With all of that gone, you have a decent burnout, a quiet, fast run, and a big battery charger attached to the car between rounds. Quite a bit of the experience will be missing. I think there couldn't be a better spokesman in the world than Don Garlits for the electric dragster push. There will still be a rabid but shrinking group of people who will never convinced, electric drag racing is the future. Look at this dragster in the link. He is convinced flathead Fords are the only way to go drag racing. Our traditional Pontiac engines may be thought of as a quaint relic 25 years from now. I won't be around then to comment most likely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YHs0CG8MA8

For the very reasons (experience) mentioned by Mike, I am not the least enthused by electric race cars. I’ve grown up a NASCAR fan and have grown into more of a drag racing fan, also love dirt track. Once they’re all running electric motors, I expect I will pretty much completely lose interest. At least as a spectator.

I’ll be 31 years old this month, and (lord willing) will likely live long enough to see it happen.

As all things in history repeat themselves, Indy Champ cars have been to a similar threshold years ago when Andy Granitelli perfected the turbine powered car and came within a few laps of winning the storied Indy 500 race. If a transmission bearing had not failed the car more than likely would have won. Turbine cars of course have just a whoosh from the exhaust and not the 12,000 RPM song that a piston engine has. The cars were run in 1967 and 1968 before USAC outlawed 4 wheel drive and turbine engines. The fans were not intrigued with the lack of noise and made USAC aware of their displeasure.

Soon thereafter USAC rules were changed to downsize the air intake size so that the turbine powered cars would be handicapped out of competition. I see the same possibilities that could happen with electric powered drag cars, it's pretty much in the hands of the sanctioning body whether the electric cars will be embraced or made obsolete with rules against it.

There are some electric car race teams around that have a competition for electric land speed records around the country. I knew a sprint car driver that was asked to pilot one of these cars and the interest wasn't even lukewarm as far as spectators attending the events. I guess we shall see if this type of racing can generate any spectator/fan revenue. Without the noise the spectacle seems somewhat handicapped, but thousands of people watch horse racing which has very little sound either. I don't think the average motorsports fan would find electric car racing to be their cup of tea.

For the sound effects they can easily place pic ups around the motor and through an amplifier connected to onboard speakers hehe

Its lame. "Quiet" drag cars will not sell. They have hybrid/electric days at our track. Hard to watch. No one cares.

Why do you think a lot of manufacturers have either real or fake engine noise "piped into" the passenger compartment? People enjoy the engine sound.

So, Garlits is right as usual.
Most here can't handle the TRUTH!

:)

1st, I do not have an electric vehicle.
I have driven a lot of electric powered forklifts.
The power is unbelievable in those.

Back to topic, though.
As a racer I always try to make things better and faster.
I usually don't care what the spectators think, since they aren't racing.
You line up with me and I'll kick your @ss no matter what you are in.

:)

I'm sure the horsemen were very violent about the mechanical contraptions coming at the turn of the 20th century.
The turn of this century is probably no different.

:)

When nitro is outlawed or racers can’t get or afforded it there are always alternatives...alcohol for one.....electric Dragsters....I don’t think so! LOL!!


GTO George

Anyone who is a baby-boomer like me will never accept electric dragster ,,but the new generation will ..IMO..

Lets take it to the next step. With electric motors, and electronic control, why not drag race them without a driver? Much greater safety. All you would need is an electric steering system, (already developed), and you could drag race them with a nerd behind each car in a lane with a remote control in hand. The millennial's might really like that. A giant video game, sort of. There won't be any fans in the stands to worry about. May be fun.

Well so much for the adrenaline rush we all crave...lol

Already did that back in the early 60's.
Slot car racing was the rage.


:D


Now it's using your thumbs to race with the Nintendo.


:confused:

Millennial culture sucks, so maybe it will be a thing. Like all the horrible music and staring at your phone all day long.

Exactly...

Boring unless you’re driving so...

Maybe they will rent electric remote control dragsters in the future and the fans will take turns controlling them with their iPhones,for say $50 per run.

Sort of like giant slot cars.

RIP Mr Lahaie