Top Alcohol
Encyclopedia
Top Alcohol dragster
s are akin to the premier Top Fuel
drag racing
class, but produce much less horsepower. They are required to burn a lower-performance mixture of alcohol fuel
(generally methanol
) instead of more volatile nitromethane
. Engine
sizes cannot exceed 531 cid. Nitromethane
-burning entries may also race in this category,this being the injected cars. Supercharger
ed cars are also allowed, the roots and the screw type superchargers are accepted. Ethanol
is also occasionally used as a substitute for methanol as it is less corrosive and toxic.
Top Alcohol was devised in the 1970s as a replacement for the Top Gas class which was similar but burned gasoline
. Initially, dragsters competed against Funny Car
s in a category known as Pro Comp, before a separate class of Top Alcohol Funny Car was created in the 1980s. It was within IHRA
's version of this class use of ethanol fuel was pioneered with great success by Mark Thomas, an Ohio farmer who became a five-time champion within that organization. Despite this fact, ethanol has failed to capture the imagination of racers, the majority of whom opt for methanol. Today both the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car compete in NHRA drag racing, however they not classed as professional but as sportsman. The Top Alcohol classes also compete outside of North America, most notably in Australia and Europe. Alcohol Funny Car is a professional class in the IHRA.
Dragster
Dragster may refer to*Dragster, a rock band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era.*Dragster, a video game released in 1980.*Dragster, a term referring to a custom-built vehicle used in drag racing....
s are akin to the premier Top Fuel
Top Fuel
Top Fuel racing is a class of drag racing in which the cars are run on a mix of approximately 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol rather than gasoline or simply methanol. The cars are purpose-built for drag racing, with an exaggerated layout that in some ways resembles open-wheel circuit racing...
drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
class, but produce much less horsepower. They are required to burn a lower-performance mixture of alcohol fuel
Alcohol fuel
Although fossil fuels have become the dominant energy resource for the modern world, alcohol has been used as a fuel throughout history. The first four aliphatic alcohols are of interest as fuels because they can be synthesized chemically or biologically, and they have characteristics which allow...
(generally methanol
Methanol fuel
Methanol is an alternative fuel for internal combustion and other engines, either in combination with gasoline or directly . It is used in racing cars and in China...
) instead of more volatile nitromethane
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
. Engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
sizes cannot exceed 531 cid. Nitromethane
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
-burning entries may also race in this category,this being the injected cars. Supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
ed cars are also allowed, the roots and the screw type superchargers are accepted. Ethanol
Ethanol fuel
Ethanol fuel is ethanol , the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres...
is also occasionally used as a substitute for methanol as it is less corrosive and toxic.
Top Alcohol was devised in the 1970s as a replacement for the Top Gas class which was similar but burned gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. Initially, dragsters competed against Funny Car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
s in a category known as Pro Comp, before a separate class of Top Alcohol Funny Car was created in the 1980s. It was within IHRA
IHRA
IHRA may refer to:*International Human Rights Administration*International Hot Rod Association*International Hotel & Restaurant Association*International Human Rights Association*International Harm Reduction Association*Illinois Human Rights Act...
's version of this class use of ethanol fuel was pioneered with great success by Mark Thomas, an Ohio farmer who became a five-time champion within that organization. Despite this fact, ethanol has failed to capture the imagination of racers, the majority of whom opt for methanol. Today both the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car compete in NHRA drag racing, however they not classed as professional but as sportsman. The Top Alcohol classes also compete outside of North America, most notably in Australia and Europe. Alcohol Funny Car is a professional class in the IHRA.
See also
- E85 ethanol fuel in racing
- Pro ModifiedPro ModifiedPro Modified, also known as Pro Mod, is a class or division in the sport of drag racing used in the NHRA and the American Drag Racing League .-Overview:...