Thread: Looks like the deal is off...........

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I remember in my first attempt at engineering back in the very early 60's approaching the mechanical engineering professor with the clipping of someone going over 150 mph. He promptly dismissed it as bad timing equipment. shortly after that I hit him with Cook and Bedwell going 166. Then Garlits going 170+. He said absolutely impossible. Furthermore he added if I continued interest in this absurd and abominal automotive craze, it would be absolutely impossible for me to graduate in engineering. Unfortunately he proved correct on the last note. At least for the next few years untill I tried engineering again. haha. A little more mature attitude this time around.

By this time the tire traction theory had been proven to some extent and further mathematical formulas had been developed that we still use today to calculate hp and mph. I actually made a quite involved presentation for a class project along this line. Got a 6 credit A too. hoot hoot.

Today there still are naysayers that claim the limits have been reached. I don't think so but I think we will run out of cars before that happens. We are down to only 14 at national events?? I can remember running our fuel and gas cars in 16 car shows when there were 35 or more cars entered.

I remember heading back to school in '66 and hearing that Pete Robinson had just broken into the 5's for the first time, and getting back to the dorm and having guys declare that it was not physically possible to be that quick!! Calculations show that a car cannnot go that fast!! Like you said, we get to thresholds that are declared unbreakable, and then another breaktrough in technology pushes past the limits.

they didnt hit 5's till the early 70's as of 1969 6.43 was the world record record by john mulligan of beebe-mulligan. at indy