Originally Posted By: used_0il
True enough, but could the less "well funded" teams afford the cost of an additional 600 RPM? It has never been a cheap sport. Additionally, the mandatory 3.20 axle ratio is one of those regulations I and many of my colleagues would like to see disappear.
Can any team afford the additional cost? Yes.
The TF vehicles are already exiting the traps at 330-340 MPH. In the 1000 ft era, 334.15 mph is the best trap speed I can recall off the top of my head.
Add another .5 second and you will see 360-380 MPH. Again, current regulations limit their acceleration. There are several regulations I'd like to see disappear. If that happened, I think a full 1320 pass could be run at close to 4.00 in the near future.
One solution would be to add $40.00 to the price of admission, which would cover the
additional cost of 1320'.
Half of that would go towards increased insurance, the other half to the teams.
The race would be delayed for additional clean-up which degrades the entertainment value. As I said, there are current regulations which make the cars more difficult to tune. Eliminate those regulations, and I think they would become less finicky.
Do the "racers/drivers want the 1320', the fix-it crew, the sponsors, the team owners, or the fans? Already answered in my previous post.
From which vantage point could a person tell the difference between 332 MPH and 350 MPH? Standing on the line, or at the top end of the track, you can tell whether a given run is good, average, or bad. I've never sat in the stands during a Fuel Car pass, or watched them on TV, so I can't say whether the spectators can tell the difference between an average and good run.
Anyway, this season is over. Time for a break over the Holidays, before testing resumes in January.