Drag racing track

The straight route with two parallel lanes used in acceleration races is referred to as a drag racing track , drag strip , quarter mile or acceleration racing track. The usual distances from start to finish are 402.34 m (quarter mile), 201.17 m (eighth mile) for all Sportsman classes and Pro classes (except Top Fuel). For safety reasons, a shortened distance of 304.80 m (1,000 feet ) has been stipulated for the Top Fuel Dragster and TF- Funny Car class since 2012 . The minimum width of the track and the run-off zone should not be less than 15.2 m (50 feet).

route

division

Start area of the drag strip, the Christmas tree clearly visible in the middle

Dragstrip of the NitrOlympX on the Hockenheimring

In addition to the actual race track, sufficient areas are required in the start and end areas to brake the dragsters . A professional dragster racing track that is approved for the professional classes, especially for top fuel and top methanol , must have a sufficiently long run-off zone without a curve, on which the dragsters can safely be braked from over 500 km / h to zero. A drag racing track is divided into six areas:

Line-Up: This is where the vehicles are collected according to class and put together in their pairings that are prescribed for the next run. During the qualification rounds it is ensured here that the vehicles (of the PRO classes) drive at least once on each track.

Pre-start: In this area, the dragster engines are started and the final technical adjustments are made.

Burnout zone: The burnout area is used to warm up the tires and applies from the so-called "tub" (at the very beginning of the route) to the start line for small classes. In the classes that cover the quarter mile in under 8.9 s, the entire race track can be used for burnout up to the finish line.

Start area: The start area is marked by the start line and the start light, called “Christmas tree” in jargon. After the vehicles are in the light barriers (pre-stage & stage), they are no longer allowed to be touched by the team and the starter initiates the starting process.

Strip: The actual race track . The distances covered in competitions are:
- ¹ / ₄ mile or 402.34 m: classic distance for the professional classes
- ¹ / ₈ mile or 201.17 m: sometimes for less powerful cars, rare for professional classes
- 1,000 feet or 304.80 m: the distance for the top fuel classes shortened by the NHRA in the USA since 2008 for safety reasons, was adopted by the FIA in 2012 for the racetracks in Europe.

Run-out zone: The area behind the finish line in which the dragsters are slowed down and can roll out. A guide value of 650 meters applies to FIA-certified routes. The distance stipulated for the respective racetrack is defined in the FIA regulations under point 7.2.2 - "Braking areas " as follows: "These areas and in particular the final run-off zones are determined by the FIA inspector during the course inspection, and their design features are recorded on the Track license noted " .

Topping

Dragster races take place on a wide variety of suitable routes. The runways of active or former airfields are very often used for this purpose . A problem with the use of active runways (mostly sports aviation sites such as Mühldorf or Ganderkesee in the past ) is the impossibility of route preparation, as this would seriously endanger regular air traffic (even afterwards). In Germany, after the fall of the Wall, the opportunity arose to use several former air bases of the NVA or the Soviet armed forces (e.g. Alteno, Groß Dölln, Wittstock). With their massive concrete subsoil, these tracks offered good conditions for sensible track preparation, but were not financially sustainable for the organizers in the long run. Professional routes (with NHRA or FIA certification) require extensive preparation with rubber and glue, which must be approved by inspectors. Some of the objects on the surface are reflected on a well-groomed track. This often leads to the (incorrect) assumption that "glossy" means "smooth / slippery".

Start light

Start lights in detail

The start light ("Christmas tree / Christmastree / X-mastree / lamp shop") is of existential importance for Drag Racing: The "Pre-Stage" and "Stage" lamps at the top of each side serve to precisely align the racing vehicles in the light barriers the starting line. The three yellow lights light up either simultaneously (for the PRO classes) or one after the other (for the SPORTSMAN classes). Green signals the start release. Red indicates leaving the light barrier before the start is released and means immediate disqualification.

liability

So that the distance sufficient adhesion (hereinafter referred to as drag racing "traction" or "grip") for the drive wheels of the dragster offers and acceleration from 0 km to 300 / h in less than three seconds are possible, the routes before the race events are prepared very complex : After a thorough cleaning of the "basic asphalt" with sweepers and steam jets , cut, old racing slicks are pulled over the track by tractors on a "press sledge " in order to fill the originally coarse structure, and a "smooth" one (offering as much contact surface as possible ) To create surface. In the last stage, each track is prepared using a special adhesive , of which up to 800 liters are distributed on the strip.

Clearly recognizable: the difference between the original asphalt and the prepared surface of the dragster track.

Preparation of the route. In the background, a tractor pulls old racing slicks over the track at high pressure; in the foreground, smaller amounts of liquids (e.g. cooling water, etc.) are first chemically dissolved and then sucked off.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 7.2.1 . FIA rules, p. 3 .
↑ FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 7.1. . FIA, S. 3 .
↑ FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 7.2.2 . FIA regulations, p. 4 .
↑ FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 3.3 . FIA rules, p. 2 .

[:0-1] FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 7.2.1 . FIA rules, p. 3 .

[2] FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 7.1. . FIA, S. 3 .

[3] FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 7.2.2 . FIA regulations, p. 4 .

[4] FIA: circuit _-_ fia_procedures_for_the_recognition_of_drag_strips _-_ 2016.pdf . Ed .: FIA. No. 3.3 . FIA rules, p. 2 .