Dragster

Course of the tests

Two competitors of the same category present sides by side, each one in a corridor, and proceed to a " burn out". This one consists in making heat gum of the back tires by making them patinate with the stop, that deposits Gomme on the track and increases the adherence of the rear wheel-axle unit for the departure.

The departure is given by means of an electronic device commonly called " Tree of Noël". This one presents a vertical system of fires (from where its name), posting a visual countdown for each pilot. White fires for the call and the pre-departure, it passes to a succession of yellow fires which ignite in cascade to the green light which is the starting signal. A red light ignites in the event of false start.

The cars stop with the assistance of a Parachute, this one is obligatory. The motor bikes on the other hand are not equipped with it.

With each race, the loser is eliminated while gaining it progresses to the wire of the successive stages of the competition. This series of races continues until there remains only one pilot, who is then declared victorious.

Sometimes the competitors take part in runs qualifiers or only times are taken into account. A grid is then applied according to times (the first against sixteenth, the second against fifteenth, etc…), one passes then to an eliminatory system where the loser of each run is eliminated.

There are several categories of candidates, who are defined by time put to traverse the 402 meters: a pilot faster than the time of reference of his category will have to go to run of higher category (shorter time of reference). He is indeed interdict of " to break the index" , i.e. of going more quickly than its time of reference, or time of reference of the category chosen, under penalty of elimination. The pilot approaching as much as possible the time of reference (the index) without beating it will be declared victorious: often, it is necessary to go to decide between the competitors with the thousandths of second. It is not rare to see pilots aguerris " gérer" their race, by slackening a little gases not to break the index, while supervising their competitor not to let itself double on the finishing line, and finish to 1 or 2 milliseconds only of the index.

Discipline not very expensive at the beginning, since it is enough to have a car registered with a valid technical control, a helmet and the authorization of its doctor. The dragster gets extraordinary feelings quickly, and good number of the participants amateurs rock quickly in the preparation of a specific car: prepared, even inflated engines with the protoxide of nitrogen (Our), cars reduced by emptying the interior, work on the suspensions to gain in motricity, tires specific " slicks" , etc

There has existed for several years in France a Trophée organized by an Association of pilots, the Association Trophy Dragster (DTA): discipline in constant evolution, the dragster in France attracts the every day more participants, who go from the slightly modified mass-production car (GTI, sporting, or American traditional) to the rails super comp and super gas of more than 1 500 horses. The trophy DTA attracts since the departure on average more than 200 vehicles per race, the participants not hesitating to come by far (Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium), to benefit from the well ground infrastructure of the races organized over the tracks from Lanas, Vichy, Loudes, Millau, Lurcy-Lévis, inter alia. It is the occasion also to see there rolling of the Jet Bus (cars rocket), of Funny Cars and other prototypes with reaction (quad with turbine of helicopter).

External bonds

Site of TRUSTED
Dragster 45
Francedrag

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