2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

[supercub]

With the Ghost, Strega, Vodoo, and the Bear not able to go at in the Gold this year......do you think we might see a 500 plus speed during qualifications next year, or will they hold back for a heat race or the gold? What do you think?
Brian

[ChadK]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

What was the fastest speeds this year in qualifying? How close to the 500mph? Has anybody ever done it?

[Race5]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

Unless the conditions are perfect to support that kind of speed at a relatively conservative power setting then I doubt it. There is absolutely no reason to go out and run that kind of number.

[ChadK]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

What is the current speed record for the unlimiteds? Who owns it?

[Race5]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

"Dago Red" 497.787 2002

[bflynt]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

I would be very surprised to see it, especially since the pilots are not going to push it without the aircraft owners permission. The 3-4 planes that are capable of that type of speed are just trying to make it to the Sunday Gold.

Bryan

[Mluvara]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

If someone started throwing money at air racing, you would see high qualification speeds. Right now, going for records is is not justified as one is simply trying to finish the race on Sunday. This year was certainly an exception to the statement that says "the only lap that counts is the last 100 ft on Sunday". Building of his comment, Kerch was talking this year that if someone threw down $100k for qualifying, then you would see some serious qual speeds.

Michael

[WVRACEFAN]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

"Dago Red" 497.787 2002

So was it a perfect conditions + perfectly running Dago = 497.787 that year?

[f1-69]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

This is why I love f1 no mind games just wide open racin. As far as qual records I think the f1 record will be broke next year two or three times. A few new planes and some new engine rules

[Whiteside]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

Actually, we enjoy the strategic planning as part of the racing. There were 4 unlimited aircraft up there this year that could have gone out and layed down a qualifying lap of 500 plus MPH. Its a pretty gutsy move to push the engine that hard prior to Sunday no matter how many spares one has in the trailer. My opinion is that the teams are getting smarter in how they use up their reserve once the fuse is lit! It would have been great to see what kind of speed Voodoo and Strega could have made. As far as the the other two, we knew they were speedy but for how long? The Boil-off systems are un-perfected and untested. Hopefully, all the teams will run with the ball since we didn't damage our equipment on Sunday. This could spur an advance in speed since the time in repair shouldn't be there and we should be trying new things to add speed. I wish a successful off-season to all of the teams. The faster they push us, the faster we will go.
Lets race!
Will Whiteside

https://www.teamsteadfast.com

[ChadK]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

At first glance I don't see the big deal between 497.787 that Dago raced and 500...BUT! Was that a race speed or a speed record attempt? What are typical race speeds? Does the sport differentiate between race speed records and regular speed record (non race)?
Please forgive the questions...I am new at this sport!

Chad

[WVRACEFAN]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

At first glance I don't see the big deal between 497.787 that Dago raced and 500...BUT! Was that a race speed or a speed record attempt? What are typical race speeds? Does the sport differentiate between race speed records and regular speed record (non race)?
Please forgive the questions...I am new at this sport!

Chad

The 497 speed is the standing qualifying record in the unlimited class which was set by Dago Red in 2000, IIRC. Dago also holds the race record speed of 507+ set in a Gold heat race in 2003.

The monkey in the wrench when comparing historical speeds at Reno is that the course used to be longer and laid out a bit different plus, the way the speed is computed was changed in 2003. This effectively changed the length of the course without actually changing the length of the course.

[ChadK]

Re: 2011, will we see a 500mph plus qualiying run?

Kind of like changing the composition of baseballs and bats through the years...yeah that makes it difficult!