Today being Friday I thought to send you off into the weekend with something different. Our home is this tiny little island in the Caribbean with a small population of around 150,000 which is no where near enough to support much motor sports. Luckily for us, we had some visionaries in the 1980's that truly loved the sport of drag racing who decided to build a state-of-the-art drag racing facility in Curaçao.
To many of us, drag racing is the only form of motor sport we know. And though we do not have the nitro-methane burning Top Fuel or Funny Cars competing at the Curaçao International Raceway, nor is our stage anywhere are big as the NHRA drag racing series, we do share a great deal in common with those professional racers. Our passion, determination, and love for the sport is equal on many levels. To illustrate this watch the short video below.
Source: NHRA
Showing posts with label Curacao International Raceway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curacao International Raceway. Show all posts
January 23, 2015
April 27, 2012
Crashes in Pro Stock drag racing
Accidents, however regrettable they may be, are a common in drag racing, especially at higher speeds.
Some two years ago I had an unfortunate mishap by slightly touching the right containment wall at the Curacao International Raceway. Even though this accident was but a minor one, it made me think about what else could go wrong, and boy was I in for a wake-up call. The more research I did, the more I realized that accidents are more common in the top flights of drag racing than I had thought.
These accidents happen for various reasons, ranging from mechanical failure being the least frequent, to getting outside the groove and the car snapping out of control. This happened to newcomer Lizzy Musi two weeks ago. Then you have those strange situations where the run appears to be going great when, all of the sudden, a freak gust of wind pushes the back-end and you find yourself going sideways at 200+ mph.
Almost every pro driver has put the car on its roof at least once in his/her career. Jason Line, the previous driver of my old car, recounted his first mishap to me when I looked him up at the Winternationals last year in Pomona.
"It was my first race in pro stock and we were competing at our main sponsors event, when on my very first elimination run the car got away from me and my race ended in a spectacular accident," said Line. "I thought for sure that then and there I had lost my ride [would not be allowed to drive again]. Instead, I was told that these things happen and that you will do much better at the next race."
To watch the video of Jason's crash, click here.
Naturally nobody wants to see someone crash, especially not at the amateur level. However, every time we go out there we run the risk of some mishap. The fact that each pass we make takes only 6.5 seconds, means that everything happens quite fast and that reacting just a millisecond late can have disastrous consequences.
The video below is a compilation made by ADRL and it is shown here not as a celebration, but as a normal part of racing.
See you at the races, and if you are behind the steering wheel, always think "safety first".
The pictures on the right side are just an example of what can go wrong during a pass.
Thanks for reading.
Some two years ago I had an unfortunate mishap by slightly touching the right containment wall at the Curacao International Raceway. Even though this accident was but a minor one, it made me think about what else could go wrong, and boy was I in for a wake-up call. The more research I did, the more I realized that accidents are more common in the top flights of drag racing than I had thought.
 |
| Doing a 180 at about 180 mph. |
Almost every pro driver has put the car on its roof at least once in his/her career. Jason Line, the previous driver of my old car, recounted his first mishap to me when I looked him up at the Winternationals last year in Pomona.
"It was my first race in pro stock and we were competing at our main sponsors event, when on my very first elimination run the car got away from me and my race ended in a spectacular accident," said Line. "I thought for sure that then and there I had lost my ride [would not be allowed to drive again]. Instead, I was told that these things happen and that you will do much better at the next race."
 |
| Deploying the chute doesn't always help |
Naturally nobody wants to see someone crash, especially not at the amateur level. However, every time we go out there we run the risk of some mishap. The fact that each pass we make takes only 6.5 seconds, means that everything happens quite fast and that reacting just a millisecond late can have disastrous consequences.
The video below is a compilation made by ADRL and it is shown here not as a celebration, but as a normal part of racing.
See you at the races, and if you are behind the steering wheel, always think "safety first".
The pictures on the right side are just an example of what can go wrong during a pass.
Thanks for reading.
April 24, 2012
A long weekend of Drag Racing on Curacao
Traditionally, we have here in Curacao drag racing competition during the "Dia di La Reina" long weekend holiday. And this year there will be no exception. Mainly due to the efforts of a group race activists and enthusiasts, we will have no less than six days of activities, all taking place at the Curacao International Raceway, but brought to you by two organizers.
The main event is the International Drag Fest races, which will run for three days, starting on April 29 and running through May 1. On Friday, April 27, there will be a car and bike show held at the track.
Race participants will come from Aruba and Venezuela, to battle against the locals at this wonderful race facility. Besides drag racing, other activities will include fever, drift, and Pinks All Out races.
The International Drag Fest, and Car & Bike Show, are organized by Still Balling Productions.
The promotional video below, even though in Papiamentu, illustrates just a tad of what can be expected.
The other drag racing event, as important as the previous one, is the Operation Street Legal races, which will take place on Saturday, April 28.
This class is very popular with the fans and is always quite entertaining.
The street legal categories are: Street Bracket, Heavy Bracket Box-and No Box, and Street Bike. There will be testing between 17.00 and 19.00 hours, continued by elimination races.
This event is organized by Operation Street Legal.
Thanks for reading and see you at the track.
Source: Curacao Int'l Raceway.
Video by: Take One Media
The main event is the International Drag Fest races, which will run for three days, starting on April 29 and running through May 1. On Friday, April 27, there will be a car and bike show held at the track.Race participants will come from Aruba and Venezuela, to battle against the locals at this wonderful race facility. Besides drag racing, other activities will include fever, drift, and Pinks All Out races.
The International Drag Fest, and Car & Bike Show, are organized by Still Balling Productions.
The promotional video below, even though in Papiamentu, illustrates just a tad of what can be expected.
This class is very popular with the fans and is always quite entertaining.
The street legal categories are: Street Bracket, Heavy Bracket Box-and No Box, and Street Bike. There will be testing between 17.00 and 19.00 hours, continued by elimination races.
This event is organized by Operation Street Legal.
Thanks for reading and see you at the track.
Source: Curacao Int'l Raceway.
Video by: Take One Media
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