[DeTomaso] THE SENSATION OF ACCELERATION

[Jeff Cobb]

Great story and thank you.


Jeff Cobb
Cell 225-907-4514
			
On Sep 19, 2012, at 8:30 PM, SG wrote:

> --- On Wed, 9/19/12, SG <sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> From: SG <sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: Re: THE SENSATION OF ACCELERATION
> To: ParaPantera at aol.com
> Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 8:13 PM
> 
> I concur about having the "air sucked out of you" it feels like pro heavyweight pounding on your chest, and your vision goes blurry while you're desparately trying to cup your hands over your ears.  It's a very intense and hellish 4 seconds that everyone needs to experience at least once.
>  
>                 Shaun Gibson
> 
> --- On Wed, 9/19/12, ParaPantera at aol.com <ParaPantera at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> From: ParaPantera at aol.com <ParaPantera at aol.com>
> Subject: THE SENSATION OF ACCELERATION
> To: sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net
> Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 7:18 PM
> 
> Just last month I had the pleasure of introducing both my girlfriend, who never understood the drags, and an very old friend to the world of "Nitro" the right way.
>  
> We live in Portland where Nitro cars have been banned (Noise ordinance) since the 70's so the only place you can see them is in Seattle at the national.  A friend of mine who is the import/export customs manager for a large U.S. outdoor clothing company calls me up to tell me he has four tickets, passes and swag for the Kalitta team pits in Seattle.........So my friend, girlfriend (I had to beg her to go) and I headed to Seattle.
>  
> We get to the races and check in at the Kalitta Chalet where we are given among other things ear plugs.  We had arrived at just the right time when all was silent as the fuel cars were being towed to the staging area.  I rushed us to our seats leading the way with a barely containable grin.  Our seats were front row about 200 feet down from the start line (the burn out stop/backup point was right in front of us) and the opening ceremonies were wrapping up.
>  
> Then the fun started, they fired up the first two cars and both friend and girlfriend reached for their ear plugs......I quickly motion to them and say "No, no, you won't need those" in a non-chalant those are for children only manor, and with no one seated in front of us for reference they went along.  Some of you may or may not know that the fuel cars run in two "modes", the first "mode" being the warm up/burnout mode where the engine is "de tuned" to make about one-third of the six-thousand horse power.  The other mode is the "Kill" mode, you know when after a burnout you see them lift the body on a funnycar, fiddle with a few things, then close it again?  It is that moment the engine is tuned somewhere between "explode now" and "explode is six second" depending on traction conditions.
>  
> So the cars do their respective burnouts....my companions now have that "ooooh...ahhhh...that is cool" look on there face while simultaneously giving me that "that was kinda loud" look......they had no idea.
>  
> The cars roll back to the line, the crews reach over and set everything in "kill" mode.  They stage, the tree goes pro-green, then "boom", sixteen cylinders and twelve thousand horsepower come to life.  The entire grandstand vibrates like a giant back massager, that brief moment the cars go by the acoustics (read noise) generated actually cause (for a brief moment) a drop in atmospheric pressure around you......you feel the air sucked out of you.  It's all over in four seconds, sensations that television cannot capture.  My companions were speechless, the "what-the-hell-just-happened" look on their faces was priceless.
>  
> The remainder of the event ear plugs were in place.  Afterwards, the girlfriend tells me that out of all the motor sports/boat races/air shows we have attended, that race was the one that gave her a sensation she had never experienced and has since told her friends they all must go sometime.
>  
> Since then every time she asks me a question and I reply "huh", I get the "if you would wear the ear plugs........" lecture.  It sure was fun.
>  
>  
>  
> 
> In a message dated 9/19/2012 1:28:01 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net writes:
> Of all the different kinds of motor sports there is one thing for sure-if you've never been to a drag strip and seen, heard, and felt a pair of nitro burning cars make a pass down the quarter mile......you don't know what you are missing.  It's almost unbelievable how much noise and fury can come out of those engines.  I've been to a number of the NHRA sanctioned meets and it never ceases to impress me.  After seeing them at the strip, it's almost a yawn to watch them on TV. 
>  
>                         Shaun Gibson
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