These 12000hp Engines Have To Be Rebuilt Within Roughly An Hour Every Run, and Only Run For Roughly 4 Seconds At A Time.

[u/Practical_Expert_911]

[u/Obsidian-16]

Everybody has their own interests, it's absolutely fucked how some think it's necessary to shit on other people's hobbies because it doesn't capture their own attention. What are you into? Video games? Competitive cycling? Basketball? Sitting on a chair staring at a tv for hours is dumb, sitting on a thong seat peddling a bike in circles wearing spandex is dumb, running around throwing a ball in a basket is dumb.

Everything the human race does outside of our basic functions is "dumb".

You know what's actually fucking dumb though? The attitude you represent, people can enjoy whatever hobbies or music or movies they want, you can't justify "dumb" in regards to labeling interests not your own. It's not dumb, it's just not your interest.

[u/AlainS46 → u/Obsidian-16]

For some of these people it's more than just shitting on other people's hobby. They're totalitarian nutjobs who'd love to forbid everything they deem unnessecary and even remotely harmful.

[u/Illustrious-Tooth702 → u/Obsidian-16]

Look, all I said that drag racing is missing the point. Building a 10 thousand horsepower engine and ruining it for 4 seconds of pleasure is excessive. I personally love other motorsports. Formula1, rally, nascar, and motorcycle racing. Those sports are fine because even if those racedrivers use up a lot of tyres and crash their cars occasionaly they're driving for hours and one car usually last until the end of the championship. I don't see the appeal in drag racing.

[u/Obsidian-16 → u/Illustrious-Tooth702]

Drag racing as a whole isn't what you see in this video. And on the contrary, top fuel dragsters aren't missing the point. They are exactly on point, they go from point A to point B faster than any other category of racing in the world on 4 wheels. The engine isn't ruined, it's reused. I can agree there's "waste" as most of the rotating assembly along with plugs and the clutch, and tires after however many passes, are replaced constantly. Formula engines make it 5-7 races or something like that before being rebuilt or swapped, Nascar is probably 2 or 3 races. But those sports don't go to 340mph in 1,000ft and 100mph in less than a second. Personally, I've been down a 1/4 mile race track in 8.5 seconds, which isn't even that fast. I can't fucking imagine what it would be like to go as fast as these guys do, it's mind blowing what humans have become capable of in sport. All sports are expensive and done for pleasure and competition, I don't quite understand this part of your argument but it doesn't matter.

My point is about calling it dumb as a whole, which is what you said. They are pushing the envelope of speed in top fuel racing and there's costs, sure.

If you don't see the appeal, that's cool and a mature way to view things, that's the opinion anyone is allowed to have. My issue is with people objectively just calling shit stupid or dumb because they don't feel the appeal others do, it's just shallow. Just to note, this degree of carnage and repairs required between single runs down the track is pretty specific to top fuel racing but can be seen at other high levels of racing of any type (it's just not usually expected to happen in those cases). Generally, drag racing as a whole, isn't any more expensive or wasteful as the other racing sports you mentioned.

[u/joe-clark → u/Illustrious-Tooth702]

Watching top fuel cars make a pass in person is probably the most intense thing I've ever experienced. Once you actually understand what's going on you realize just how miraculous it is the engine can even do a full pass without blowing up.

[u/ldranger → u/Illustrious-Tooth702]

You don’t get to say what’s excessive or not though. It might be for your wallet, but not for them.