Pork- Pie can probably add to this but I seem to remember that the old 1928
Auto- Union Grand Prix car was a big mid- engine (V-12?) car with the driver
sitting up front. Reportedly it was not easy to drive, as the usual driver's
visual cues were missing. One thing about that up- front driver
configuration, though-- you're the first to arrive at the scene of an
accident!
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
-----Original Message-----
From: Higginbotham Land Speed Racing [mailto:saltrat@pro-blend.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2001 8:42 AM
To: john backus; Tom Neimeyer; landspeedracer; land-speed
Subject: Re: Wheelbase & Driver Relationships yet again
John,
Just one more comment about "rear" engines.....if you have ever had an
engine explosion accompanied by fire in a "front" engined car, you know the
main advantage for having the engine behind you!
How long was the wheelbase on your friends car? And where was the cockpit?
I'm curious because while I don't recall having trouble sensing drift in
any of my "rear" engined, over 200" cars (including a 300" Alky car), your
friend may have been sitting right up front? Or didn't have enough body in
front of him to help with the alignment problem. Or....didn't have enough
seat time in the new ride?
My 180" front engined car didn't drift a lot due to not enough power but
did oil me down some.....
Skip
At 09:35 AM 12/29/01 +0000, john backus wrote:
>OK, my only comment is that a fellow racer and friend built one of those
>newfangled "rear engined" dragsters. This meant that only the driver was
moved
>to in front of the engine, the drivetrain stayed the same. He only made a
few
>passes in it and sold it. Said it scared the hell out of him, he"couldn't
tell
>which way it was going". I never drove one of those newfangled front driver
>types so I can't give any personal data. I can say that from the back I
could
>see and feel everything that was going on even though parts of the engine
were
>directly in front of me- I just watched the side/s of the track, 'got
>especially tricky at night with the flames from the headers. And Pork-Pie,
the
>frame was a real flexible 200"wb, this helped keep the front wheels on the
>ground some of the time and helped with weight transfer--help me here Joe.
It
>also helped when you pulled the chute, the frame would flex and make the
pan
>hit the track to help slow you down. :>)
>
>Just a few observations from an old dragster driver
>ps; the pan had a 1/2" skid plate on it
>John Backus
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Tom Neimeyer
>Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2001 11:11 PM
>To: john backus; landspeedracer; land-speed
>Subject: Re: Wheelbase & Driver Relationships
>
>Let's expound on this a little. Where should the driver be in relation to
>the wheelbase? I have been told as far back as possible. It allows
him/her
>to see the cars direction as it moves away from straight down the track.
>This then allows time to redirect (steer). Let the thread begin.
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