From many years back, to the present,
(hu)man has shown an interest in
racing on land whether it be endurance
type races, romping 4 wheel drives
or quick shots of 1/4 mile stretches.
It is actually boggling to my mind
how much petro has been (and is)
consumed for this entertainment
that so many enjoy with a passion.
Some even, yet, dream of breaking
the land speed record set by a team
of Brits in the Black Rock Desert.
This is the Thrust SSC that broke the
land speed record (and sound barrier)
in October of '97. Setting the record
at 763 mph was a feat unmatched since.
Awesome and almost unreal speed that
will, most likely, hold no relevance to
the demands of our energy conservative
goals and aspirations. At .04 miles per
gallon, this "car" would use 12 1/2
gallons of fuel to drive to our closest
grocery store in LA (about 1/2 mile away)
but get there in couple of seconds -
provided there are no corners.
The same British team has a dream.
Planning on testing in 2011, the
"Bloodhound SSC", which will pack
the EJ200 jet engine, will see 1,000 mph!
(Or, 1466 fps (feet per second)
This is faster than a .38 Special bullet
at just over 400 mph (600 fps)!
I have no idea what 23 g/kNs of fuel
consumption is, but this engine uses
it. Probably less than .04 mpg for
mileage on our "precious" fossil fuel.
One would think that enviro-conservatives
would have this (as well as other projects)
shut down when they realize it would
consume enough fuel in a few minutes
to power my previously owned 1984
Corolla - getting 42 mpg - for an
estimated 1050 miles of driving potential.
Although great technology in science at
work that will "inspire technical advances
in our youth", it shows us the thrill
of adrenaline is more important to
the human race than conservation.
What are we teaching the next generation?
Have lots of power and GO FAST!
Maybe the new electric models
brought to attention by Prattle
will "offset" this use of fossil fuel
so we can power our need for speed.
would have this (as well as other projects)
shut down when they realize it would
consume enough fuel in a few minutes
to power my previously owned 1984
Corolla - getting 42 mpg - for an
estimated 1050 miles of driving potential.
Although great technology in science at
work that will "inspire technical advances
in our youth", it shows us the thrill
of adrenaline is more important to
the human race than conservation.
What are we teaching the next generation?
Have lots of power and GO FAST!
Maybe the new electric models
brought to attention by Prattle
will "offset" this use of fossil fuel
so we can power our need for speed.
6 opinionated prattle:
A very appropriate posting on the biggest day of the year for racing fans,the Daytona 500. A mega computer would be needed to figure out the fuel consumption for this race. Despite it being competition between Ford, Chevy, Toyota and other manufacturers, I can guarantee you that they are not concerned about fuel economy cars at this point. That barrier is always out there, tempting someone to beat the previous mark. It is kinda like two male dogs "high marking" the snow berm or some fisherman trying to catch a 17 pound Silver Salmon out of the Anchor River.
well put
Where's the Blue Flame? That sucker soared.
And FYI Have you ever heard the exhaust crap on the iron dog race? It's something like this. The standard snow machine as built for the race emits as much pollution in that race alone as does a standard modern car for like 3 or 4 east/west traverses across the lower 48.
But then of course they don't run 24/7 by the millions either.
.
I haven't looked into the specific figures of those machines. I understand that Hatcher's Pass will get around 2000 machines traveling it, per day, on a busy weekend.
This has come up on the news pushed by environmentalists as a reason to not allow riding there.
oh, well then RIDE HARD!
:)
and remember, there is a huge difference between environmentalism and the RADICAL environmentalist.
But anyway, The BLUE FLAME was one of my big childhood interests.
http://www.bluebird-electric.net/blue_flame.htm
Thanks for the info. Therte was a few attempts, records, and people left out of the British chart. Jealousy, maybe?
Post a Comment
If you feel the incessant urge,
and your tongue is sharp and quick,
leave a worthless thought for me
whether cool, or fun, or sick.