This might only be of limited appeal to those who read the articles I post, but I thought this was cool and worth writing about.  As the more perceptive of you may know, one of my current passions is cars, despite having absolutely no luck with them in the past 12 months.  But when I have a car that will move under its own power, I like drag racing.

One of the most vital points of the drag race is the launch, and it’s easy for people who haven’t done it to underestimate how much there is to think about.  Staging, getting the rpms held just right, keeping the clutch and gas at the right points so you don’t wheelspin or bog… it really is a hell of a lot, and the quicker the car the more you have to think about.  But the launch itself lasts a fraction of a second and then it’s onto flying through the gears and heading for the finish line.

This video that I came across on one of the forums I frequent shows those fractions of a second, but slowed down so you can really see what happens to the car.  Even if you’re not into racing, it’s still a pretty cool video to watch.  If you are into racing, it’s fascinating to analyse the launches and what is or is not going right.

Tags: drag racing, Japan, motorsports, youtube

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