Auto racing is an extreme form of competition, especially when it comes to drag racing – sprint races and not heavy-duty cars. It would seem that this sport is created for young people, but pilot John Force proves the opposite. He has been called a drag racing legend and the most successful driver in NHRA history. During his career, he won 16 Funny Car titles and over 150 NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) racing victories. For example, at the age of 70, he once again became the national champion. However, the other day news about John Force spread around the world, unrelated to his victory – the 75-year-old racer, after being the first to cross the finish line at a speed of 485 km/h, had a terrible accident, but remained alive.
The 75-year-old racer was involved in an accident at a speed of almost 500 km/h. Photo source: www.nine.com.au
What is drag racing and dragsters
Drag racing, as mentioned above, is a sprint race at extreme speeds. As a rule, the distance is small — 402 meters, less often 804 meters. The longest distance is 1609 meters. Therefore, almost throughout the entire race, the cars are constantly accelerating.
This type of racing has gained great popularity in the United States since the early 50s. Competitions can be held on any type of transport, including boats or bicycles. However, most often races are held in cars with internal combustion engines, which are called dragsters.
The power of dragsters reaches 11-12 thousand horsepower. Photo source: motor.ru
The dragster is the most lightweight car possible. As a rule, the weight of the machine does not exceed one ton. Many may think that the car is not so light, but the engine power exceeds 8,000 horsepower, and sometimes reaches 10,000 — 12,000 horsepower.
The controls of these cars are usually quite primitive, as they do not need to perform complex maneuvers, such as overtaking, entering sharp turns, etc., unlike circuit racing like Formula 1. However, the races are performed at very high speeds.
John Force — drag racing legend. Photo source: www.azcentral.com
John Force — captain of a family drag racing team
Every sport has its legends. In drag racing, John Force has been that guy since the 90s. He began his career back in 1979, and achieved his first NHRA title in 1990. He is currently the most decorated driver in NHRA history. In addition, John Force is known as the founder of the family team John Force Racing, of which his three daughters, Brittany, Courtney and Ashley, are members.
John Force with his daughters. Photo source: rdrc.ru
Only John Force's eldest daughter, Adria, does not participate in racing, but she is the financial director of the John Force Racing team. By the way, the driver himself has repeatedly said that he always dreamed of a son, but in the end the team had to be created from his daughters. In narrow circles it is also called “the first family of drag racers.” It must be said that the Force family is not the first to be called “obsessed with speed.” Previously, we talked about the Campbell family, which set a number of world speed records, not only on land, but also on water.
Car crash at 500 km/h
This year has turned out to be frankly unsuccessful for John Force — he had the second serious accident in his life. Even before his car began to approach the finish line, there was an explosion in the rear and the car shook violently, and then began to skid from side to side. The car flew onto the adjacent track, where the opponent’s car was located, and crashed into a concrete barrier on the left side. After the impact, the car ricocheted to the right, where a second collision occurred with the wall.
John Force's car first exploded and then crashed into bumper Photo source: www.marca.com
According to the team, the pilot remained conscious after the accident and even communicated with safety crews, his wife and daughters. However, John Form suffered multiple serious injuries. Relatives were in the hospital with the racer, but in the evening of the same day, daughter Courtney was forced to return to the track to continue participating in races for the family team.
For almost a week, doctors and family remained silent about the racer’s condition, it was known only that he was in critical condition. However, on June 27, a statement from the team appeared, saying that John Force is on the mend.
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The racer was transferred from the trauma intensive care unit to the neuro intensive care unit. According to the team, the main concern of the hospital staff is related to head trauma. However, given how horrific the accident was, it is surprising that he survived at all.