Autoblog

The NHRA has acted very quickly in an effort to improve the safety of its Top Fuel and Funny Car races. Due to the tragic death recently of '94 and '95 Top Fuel champion Scott Kalitta, the drag strip for these two fastest classes will be shortened from the traditional 1,320 feet to 1,000 feet. Race officials and team managers believe that this compromise will continue to make for an entertaining race as the cars will still be hitting speeds of around 300 mph. This is an interim change as the sanctioning body investigates the crash and its causes, and will stay in effect until more definite changes can be made. The first race which will incorporate the new shorter track length will take place on July 11-13 at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, Colorado.

[Source: NHRA via AutoWeek]

Dick Landy, the man synonymous with Dodge's wildly-successful factory drag racing program in the 1960s and '70s, has died from kidney failure. He was 69 years old.

Landy made a name for himself and his factory sponsor by combining the legendary Hemi with an altered wheelbase to create the first "funny car". The combination of horsepower and traction led to the banning of his vehicles by the NHRA; relegated to the exhibition circuit, Landy then introduced nitromethane, mechanical fuel injection, and supercharging to the equation and established the foundation for the highest tiers of modern drag racing. Landy later returned to the world of officially-sanctioned racing to participate in the formative days of the Super Stock and Pro Stock classes, and remained involved with Chrysler for the remainder of his long career.

The muscle car era would not have been the same without Dick Landy, and he will be missed.

[Source: NHRA; a hat tip to Jalopnik]

As part of Ford Motor Company's Way Forward plan, the automaker has transformed its Dearborn Proving Grounds facility into the new Dearborn Development Center - a $43M renovation that allows for thorough physical testing of a vehicle's performance and durability.

To test a vehicle's performance, the company has installed a 43-acre "vehicle dynamics area", a 12-acre wet pad, a 2.5-mile steering and handling course, and a 4000-ft straightaway. Sign us up for a session with the Shelby GT500, please. The "World Road" area samples driving surfaces from around the world, and rest assured that the majority of it is not simulating the super-smooth Autobahn. Bring your own kidney belt to this one, and check your fillings afterwards for any looseness. Traffic around the sprawling complex is coordinated via a centrally-mounted control tower with a 360 degree view of its surroundings.

The site, which previously was employed only for limited fuel-economy testing, sits next to Ford's $65M Safety Innovation Center.

Eighty-some years ago, the Dearborn Development Center started its life as a commercial landing strip, and Ford Air Transportation Service provided the first regularly-schedule airline service with flights between Detroit and Chicago.

[Source: Ford Motor Company; the complete press release is located after the jump]

General Motors recently hosted a drag strip race against its Ford and Dodge rivals to demonstrate a new diesel and transmission powertrain. In an old airstrip up in Beiseker, Alberta, Canada, the world’s largest automaker showed off its new 6.6 litre turbodiesel V8 Duramax engine with 360 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque contained in a Chevrolet Silverado. The Ford truck was an F-250 with a 6.0-litre V8 pumping 325 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque, while the Dodge Ram had a 5.9 litre turbodiesel engine that produced 325 hp and 610 ft-lbs. of torque. All vehicles were automatics and each hooked to an equipment float holding a 3,200-kg (over three tons) tractor.

The Silverado won the race, followed by the F-250 and the Dodge Ram. While the Chevy's extra oomph no doubt played a part in its victory, the writer rightly attributes the win to the Silverado’s new six-speed Allison transmission that kept the pickup in its powerband's sweet spot more often that its rivals with traditional four-speed autos.

More details can be found at the link.

[Source: Toronto Star with picture by Howard J. Elmer]