Video: When your race car breaks–and goes even faster

Don't you hate it when you accidentally make more performance. 

Looks like he was on the ragged edge, and I can imagine an unexpected extra 200hp likely caused a few "WTF?!?" moments.  

What a pro.  Kids, don't try that at home with your Nissan R90CK.

I wonder how long it took for that engine to scatter itself across the track.

I used to race radio-controlled boats. I was running Italian-made OPS .67 ci engines burning 60% nitromethane, 25% methanol, and the balance oil. We were turning them 20k-25k RPMs and making around 5 hp. They would push a 3-point hydro to about 80 mph or a mono hull to 45-50. The engines always seemed to run the best right before they exploded. 

An engine would turn into a screamer. It would turn another 5k rpms, pick up 5-10 mph, and you would be thinking you had finally found the magic numbers. Then, in the middle of a heat, there would be sudden silence. You knew the bottom of the hull was going to be full of shrapnel. I've had engines stop so suddenly they ripped the engine mounts out of the bottom of the hull. 

In reply to Toyman! :

From what I understand, it was a pure miracle that the engine didn't detonate during the qualifying lap.

I'm surprised it did. The stars must have aligned to keep it together. 

I bet it was a big letdown when they repaired it and he had to race it with only 800 hp instead of 1000+.

In reply to Toyman! : Wow, that's a screamer! I never broke a nitro motor. I've had a few unmodified O.S. engines on planes, then cars, but no boats (the only R/C racing I did was electric oval pan cars). Sounds like you were running too lean; was it your fuel mix or just running out of fuel, or ?? 

I remember some folks in nascar running a design where they passed tech at the start, then they'd have a team mate or someone rear end them, and knock off the rear bumper that was designed to break away resulting in lower drag.

johndej said:

I remember some folks in nascar running a design where they passed tech at the start, then they'd have a team mate or someone rear end them, and knock off the rear bumper that was designed to break away resulting in lower drag.

In the words of Bob Ross, "Happy Accidents!" 

Bland_Aid2 said:

In reply to Toyman! : Wow, that's a screamer! I never broke a nitro motor. I've had a few unmodified O.S. engines on planes, then cars, but no boats (the only R/C racing I did was electric oval pan cars). Sounds like you were running too lean; was it your fuel mix or just running out of fuel, or ?? 

 

The engines were very modified. Retimed rotary valve intake and exhaust ports, ported passages, oversized carburetors, cut-down pistons, and ceramic bearings. Whatever it took to get the most air and fuel into the engine and make power. My airplane and car engines ran 15% nitromethane compared to 60% nitromethane in the boats. Using water cooling to dump heat meant we could dump a lot of nitromethane in them and they wouldn't overheat. Lean runs could chew up a piston. but power and RPMs would break the end off the crankshaft or worse, split the crankcase right down the middle. Pushing the machinery as hard as we were, something is going to come apart. The OPS engines were some of the best on the market at the time but even they would only take so much. Fun times. 

I've had brakes go to almost nothing while racing.  It made me a faster driver because I learned how to REALLY carry speed through some corners.  So, broken things have made ME faster!