Top Speed Comparison

Top Speed Comparison

Post by Matt Peters » Mon, 17 Jun 1996 04:00:00




Quote:
> I must be missing something.  If the test is simply what is the fastest
> close course, then it almost certainly would be one of the high banked
> ovals used by NASCAR.  In this regard, Mark Donahue tried for (and I
> thought set) a closed course record on the Talladega track using a
> moth-balled Porsche 917 CanAm car.  Does anyone recall what that speed
> was?

Yikes, not quite, but I'll have a try at it:

   In the early-mid seventies AJ Foyt went to Taladega and set a record
of ~217 mph in an Indy car of that era.  The next week, Penske and Mark
Donahue went to Taledega in a Porsche 917 and went ~225 mph.

  Ok, does anyone know the real numbers that go above (year, mph,
etc.)?

Matt Peterson

 
 
 

Top Speed Comparison

Post by Matt Peters » Mon, 17 Jun 1996 04:00:00


Quote:

> >   Nope, not even close.  The qualifying record is closer to 235mph
> >(379kph?) than to 250mph!  I think the qualifying record is 235mph by
> >Mario Andretti at Michigan International Speedway.  Even then, the
> >record average speed (with pits stops, yellows, and such) is around
> >180mph for a race at Indy,

> The Pensky Mercedes had qualifying engines with 1000+ bhp and reached speeds of around 400kph,
> not in average lap speed, but top speed. Also, what I meant with average speed was over a lap.
> The average race speed would, as you say, be much slower.

> Torgeir

Ahhh...I see what you mean.  Yes, the Indy Cars reach a pretty high top
speed before having to "slow" down for the corners at Indy.

Matt Peterson

 
 
 

Top Speed Comparison

Post by Steve Dawkin » Tue, 18 Jun 1996 04:00:00

Quote:

> Which is the quickest type of racing in the world?  Is it Le Mans,
> Indy or F1?  What are their top speed?  How about their acceleration?

> BTW, which is quicker?  The road legal/race ready McLaren F1 supercar
> or a real F1?

The F1 car.

A road car cannot compete because it needs to be tractable and
driveable. You cannot drive a car on the road that is built
to last 200miles.

It is not really a fair comparison.

Steve

 
 
 

Top Speed Comparison

Post by Rui Pedro Mendes Salguei » Tue, 18 Jun 1996 04:00:00

Quote:



> > Top speed is easy: the current speed record in a closed race circuit

    ^^^-> NOT average speed in a lap.

Quote:
> > is 404 Km/h in the old version of the Hunaudieres straight (Le Mans).
> > Very close following is Indyanapolis at 403 Km/h this year.

This was also measured at the end of the fastest straight.

Quote:
> Michigan: 232.025 mph (374.23kph) - 1996 (Vasser) - pole
>           234.275 mph (377.86kph) - 1993 (Andretti) - record
> qualification
> Indy:     233.100 mph (375.96kph) - 1996 (Stewart)- pole
>           236.986 mph (382.24kph) - 1996 (Luyendyk)- record
> qualification

Here you are talking about the average speed during a lap.
BTW, this shows that Indy cars do slow down in the curves.

--
http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/f1/  an ex-tiffoso until the end of 1997

.pt is Portugal| `Whom the gods love die young'-Menander (342-292 BC)
        Europe |    Villeneuve 50-82, Toivonen 56-86, Senna 60-94

 
 
 

Top Speed Comparison

Post by Suman Misr » Wed, 19 Jun 1996 04:00:00

Quote:

> I must be missing something.  If the test is simply what is the fastest
> close course, then it almost certainly would be one of the high banked
> ovals used by NASCAR.  In this regard, Mark Donahue tried for (and I
> thought set) a closed course record on the Talladega track using a
> moth-balled Porsche 917 CanAm car.  Does anyone recall what that speed
> was?

        Donohue hit 257 mph on a circuit in France, driving a 917/30. I
believe that remains the record. Don't know if it was a specific attempt
or during the course of a race. I recently read that the turbocharged
917's could go 1500 bhp on overboost. 1100 'reliable'.

Suman Misra