February 2019

Behind the astonishing spectacle of professional drag racing is extreme engineering that is ultra-tightly focused but compared to other forms of motorsport no less complex for that. If anything the puzzle gets harder, the fewer are the variables that make the difference between winning and losing. The challenge of engineering and controlling the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world is thus a fascinating one that is revealed annually by Drag Race Technology. This publication uniquely gets to the nuts and bolts of a range of drag race cars, bikes and boats from around the world representing the state of the art in straight-line engineering and reveals the technologies that provide the winning edge.

• Intro: THE EDITOR - The appeal of drag racing without complying with a specific set of regulations is clear, something the NHRA and its ilk should note 
• Grid: IN THE NEWS - The impact of the trend to lay back Funny Car exhaust headers, what the NHRA needs to do to keep Pro Stock alive, and more… 
• In Conversation: RAHN TOBLER - Anne Proffit charts the career of this doyen of the dragstrip, in particular his move from Top Fuel to Funny Car 
• Dossier: JEFF LUTZ ’57 CHEVROLET - Lawrence Butcher finds out how one man built this hot rod that can be raced on dragstrips as well as driven legally on the roads between them 
• Insight: LIBERTY EXTREME-T TRANSMISSION - Luke Robinson explains the workings of this transmission, which is designed for use with torque converters 
• Digest: RED VICTOR 3 - Peter Donaldson reports on Red Victor Racing’s work to win back the title of the world’s fastest Pro Mod down the quarter-mile 
• Focus: SAFETY EQUIPMENT - Safety equipment for drag racers is improving all the time. Peter Donaldson reports on the latest advances 
• Insight: NOONAN 4.9 HEMI ENGINE - Luke Robinson explains how this new Hemi engine differs from the original design, and the advantages it offers 
• Digest: MEXXSPEED GHIA PRO NITROUS - An almost obsessive attention to detail is the hallmark of the creator of this dragster, as Lawrence Butcher explains 
• Insight: HONDA S-DREAM BONNEVILLE STREAMLINER - Lawrence Butcher recounts the development of this compact roadcar into a land speed record challenger 
• Appendix - Details of the drag racing sanctioning bodies and what the different classes consist of 
• Supplier directory - Our listing of the companies providing products and services for the drag racing community 
• PS: ROCKET MEN - We look back at some of the arguably crazy – and definitely dangerous – ways of adding power to drag cars