Hillary Will Crashes

I have to admit.........the picture of her with her crewchief looks like she is comforting him:eek: She shows something with that
 
Hillary is back at the track. She was checked out and released.

I especially like that you guys have figured out what caused the wreck.

Alan
 
Registered member said:
Hillary is back at the track. She was checked out and released.

I especially like that you guys have figured out what caused the wreck.

Alan
Click to expand...
Alan,
Of course it is all speculation as to what happened...
But it was reported that something hit the rear wing... (bird?) or tire pieces?? I hear what you are saying LOUD and CLEAR... But other teams are having tire issues... FACT!! I'm just happy that she walked away... And riding one of those out is easier then standing on the starting line, watching your car desintegrate into a thousand pieces, and wonder how your driver is... Jim-O looked freaked...
 
That engine really flew didnt it. lol I wonder if this will end up another bring back the old tire type thing.
 
I'm really glad to hear that Hillary is doing fine.
 
Seeing as everything from the intake manifold up is missing I would rather believe the blower exploded and the pieces took out the wing rather than blame the tires.
Time will tell.
 
From NitroMater TV - "Top Fuel Dragster hits Terodactyl"
Film at 11:00 !!!! I'm sorry, just couldn't resist - :D

I do think it is interesting that photo of the engine appears to show that the blower is gone, along with all the restraints. Thanks to Darr for providing amazing coverage so quickly. I don't think my 5.1 meg Fuji could have captured that shot!
 
The engine was most likely spinning through the air so probably hit something and ripped the blower off
 
The Mags and plug wires are missing as well...
I don't want to jump to anymore conclusions, but I would THINK that the motor tumbling on the ground and possibly hitting the wall would rip all of those parts off...
Then again, the motor could have just jumped right out of the framerails and went straight over the wall, minus said missing pieces, and taken the carcus of the left slick with it...;)
 
Yeah I looked at the pics and saw the dust cloud wich is why I said it probably hit something
 
Something that has always confused me in these situations that used to always bring up another subject. DRO said the motor exploded, and shrapnel took out the rear wing, followed by a series of events that tore the car apart. My question is: at what point (and why) would the monostrut configuration of wing been any different/ better in this kind of incident? I have seen many old threads that used to tout the benifits of the Mono in cases like this, but I don't understand why :confused: .. When the wing gets damaged, it unloads the rear of the car, dual or single strut..Can anyone give me some insight?

VERY happy to hear that Hillary is alright- what a crap-a$$ way to start the season tho...
 
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I was on the top end and it looked like the engine blew and and it broke the frame rail and it came apart right after the drivers compartment. Then the back half totally broke apart. I was right where it happened and the motor came out and either she pulled the chutes or the cables pulled them. but it ripped the rear end away from the engine and the engine rolled and broke off the blower and mags and what not like 400 more feet till it stopped right at the chain link fench. it looked way worse then it was. and while the back half came apart like it is supose to.. the drivers compartment was up against the left wall and she was steering it straight but not against the wall. and it coasted past the last return road. she go out fast and was stunned that she was ok. but she was fine getting out of the car.

Go Hillary good driving.
 
Thanks for the first hand account Bob...
I guess my tire theory can be discounted as the cause of the problem... I apoligize to the tire manufacturer...
There you have what happened, and thanks to attac chassis and the NHRA, another one walked away...
This time!!
 
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By Bob's description, sounds like the heat treatment behind the driver is doing what its supposed to (kinda..). Big, wildly dynamic spinning, flaming thing breaks the chassis away and gets it away from the driver- good thing.

Right?
 
DRO said the motor exploded, and shrapnel took out the rear wing, followed by a series of events that tore the car apart. My question is: at what point (and why) would the monostrut configuration of wing been any different/ better in this kind of incident? I have seen many old threads that used to tout the benifits of the Mono in cases like this, but I don't understand why When the wing gets damaged, it unloads the rear of the car, dual or single strut..Can anyone give me some insight?

Martin - 1. DRO quoted "eyewitnesses" - did the "shrapnel" destroy the wing (which may be in the right lane in one of the photos) or the left struts? I cannot believe that anyone's vision is good enough to definitively determine exactly what happened - or that their brain could process information that quickly. That being said . . .
2. I was not a believer in the monostrut until I got a really close look - no one here has gotten a closer look as far as I know. The tube structure that supports the wing looked very strong. Because it is centered, it appears unlikely that parts from an engine explosion or tire failure could cause it to fail. Also, I would think because the vertical airfoil is so large, it could act as a rudder to stabilize the car in the event that the wing is damaged.
3. What happens if the wing is damaged? I don't think anyone knows!
One thought would be to engineer the wing to break away (like the junction between the back half of the chassis and driver's compartment) if it is struck. Result? The downforce dissappears evenly and hopefully, the vertical element helps keep the car going straight.
4. It is painfully obvious that when debris strikes any part of the current setup, a catastrophic failure is almost a certainty, usually resulting in the chassis separating unevenly.

Probably more "insight" than you wanted, but I saw this go very smoothly down the track at 326 mph. I'm now a believer. As always - JMHO
 
Registered member said:
By Bob's description, sounds like the heat treatment behind the driver is doing what its supposed to (kinda..). Big, wildly dynamic spinning, flaming thing breaks the chassis away and gets it away from the driver- good thing.

Right?
Click to expand...
I should let this go, but the whole heat treating of the rear of the chassis is a whole other thread... not good... I could'nt figure out why the ambulance was at the end of the track and the crew-men were running to where the debris was... Look at the video a few times, and Hillary is riding the left gaurdwall in her capsule... Martin, they have always been made to come apart at the foot box and behind the cage... She is a very lucky girl... I hope we don't see more of this because of the HT issue... Or whatever caused this major malfunction...
 
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