GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On-the-job-training takes on a whole new meaning when the job is trying to herd 10,000 straining horses into a straight line.
That’s the challenge confronting rookie Brittany Force this weekend when she sends one of the world’s most powerful race cars, a Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster powered by a supercharged Ford BOSS 500 engine, to the starting line for the 44th annual Amalie Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway.
Although she tested in a Top Fuel dragster for an entire season under the tutelage of her father, 15-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, the 26-year-old graduate of Cal State-Fullerton has acknowledged that some lessons can’t be learned in the classroom.
For instance, there’s the art of “backpedaling,” which essentially is feathering the throttle to regain traction if the rear tires unexpectedly begin to spin.
The schoolteacher-to-be got her first competitive opportunity to practice the technique three weeks ago at Phoenix, Ariz., and while she wasn’t able to rein in her 320 mile-an-hour hot rod in time to hold off veteran David Grubnic in the Arizona Nationals, it wasn’t a negative experience at all.
“That first round was the first time I stepped on (the throttle) and had to pedal it,” she said. “It was good experience for me since I had never done that before. That’s not something you can test. It just happens and you have to react.
“I stepped on the gas twice and it got a little close to the wall the second time, so I lifted (off the throttle).”
It wasn’t the first time Brittany had ever backpedaled, but it was the first time she had done so in one of the world’s fastest accelerating vehicles (zero-to-100 miles an hour in LESS than a second).
“It’s a lot more challenging to pedal than my A/Fuel dragster,” she said, referencing the car she drove for two years in the NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster class, one in which she twice started NHRA national events from the No. 1 qualifying position.
“It was easier to keep the A/Fuel car under control,” she admitted. “This one surprised me, but I was able to handle it. I just need a little more practice and I’ll be fine.”
She may get that practice this week when she again tries to become the first driver in 43 years to win a round in the NHRA series at the wheel of a Ford-powered Top Fuel dragster. The last driver to do so was the late “Sneaky Pete” Robinson when he beat Bob Murray in the second round of the 1970 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind.
Despite a pair of first round losses to start her rookie campaign, Brittany and her crew chiefs, Dean “Guido” Antonelli and Eric Lane, nevertheless are encouraged by the fact that she was competitive.
Ousted by Brandon Bernstein in the season opener at Pomona, Calif., 3.785-to-3.822 seconds, she then lost a “pedalfest” to Grubnic, 5.580 to 5.851, after being ahead early-on.
Although she really doesn’t know what to expect at Gainesville, a track on which her only previous competitive experience came in the entry level Super Comp class, she is anxious to get back into the cockpit.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Brittany said. “We’ve had a little bit of time off but it’ll be nice to be back on the track.”
From: Dave Densmore
More...
That’s the challenge confronting rookie Brittany Force this weekend when she sends one of the world’s most powerful race cars, a Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster powered by a supercharged Ford BOSS 500 engine, to the starting line for the 44th annual Amalie Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway.
Although she tested in a Top Fuel dragster for an entire season under the tutelage of her father, 15-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, the 26-year-old graduate of Cal State-Fullerton has acknowledged that some lessons can’t be learned in the classroom.
For instance, there’s the art of “backpedaling,” which essentially is feathering the throttle to regain traction if the rear tires unexpectedly begin to spin.
The schoolteacher-to-be got her first competitive opportunity to practice the technique three weeks ago at Phoenix, Ariz., and while she wasn’t able to rein in her 320 mile-an-hour hot rod in time to hold off veteran David Grubnic in the Arizona Nationals, it wasn’t a negative experience at all.
“That first round was the first time I stepped on (the throttle) and had to pedal it,” she said. “It was good experience for me since I had never done that before. That’s not something you can test. It just happens and you have to react.
“I stepped on the gas twice and it got a little close to the wall the second time, so I lifted (off the throttle).”
It wasn’t the first time Brittany had ever backpedaled, but it was the first time she had done so in one of the world’s fastest accelerating vehicles (zero-to-100 miles an hour in LESS than a second).
“It’s a lot more challenging to pedal than my A/Fuel dragster,” she said, referencing the car she drove for two years in the NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster class, one in which she twice started NHRA national events from the No. 1 qualifying position.
“It was easier to keep the A/Fuel car under control,” she admitted. “This one surprised me, but I was able to handle it. I just need a little more practice and I’ll be fine.”
She may get that practice this week when she again tries to become the first driver in 43 years to win a round in the NHRA series at the wheel of a Ford-powered Top Fuel dragster. The last driver to do so was the late “Sneaky Pete” Robinson when he beat Bob Murray in the second round of the 1970 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind.
Despite a pair of first round losses to start her rookie campaign, Brittany and her crew chiefs, Dean “Guido” Antonelli and Eric Lane, nevertheless are encouraged by the fact that she was competitive.
Ousted by Brandon Bernstein in the season opener at Pomona, Calif., 3.785-to-3.822 seconds, she then lost a “pedalfest” to Grubnic, 5.580 to 5.851, after being ahead early-on.
Although she really doesn’t know what to expect at Gainesville, a track on which her only previous competitive experience came in the entry level Super Comp class, she is anxious to get back into the cockpit.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Brittany said. “We’ve had a little bit of time off but it’ll be nice to be back on the track.”
From: Dave Densmore
More...
