The Kentucky Derby was not the position where high-performance horses ran last weekend.
Ford’s 1,400-horsepower Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 fought its 1,000-horsepower Mustang Cobra Jet V8 on Sunday at the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis.
It’s the fuel in the car through the nose.
Indy’s appearance is the first of the Mustang Cobra Jet drummer on a race track. Ford sees an electric future. And like fossil fuel sports cars, Ford uses the race track to check the limits of electric power. Ford has also developed a racing edition of his Mustang Mach E, also with 1,400 horsepower such as the dragster, to overcome barriers in road racing. Tracks.
“It’s pretty good to see the reaction of all the fans,” said Mark Rushbrook, Head of Functionality at Ford, who at Indy. “People were around (the electric car) all weekend; they came towards the car looking for him, taking selfies, excited to see the generation there and especially the ability to functionality. “
Taking credit for mustang’s reputation for performance, Ford unveiled a Mustang sub-brand with the Mach E, Mustang’s first electric SUV, to go on sale earlier this year.
Indianapolis presented the first exhibition race for the two Cobra Jet dragsters in front of a national television audience (and socially remote stands) at Super Bowl drag racing, the NHRA Mello Yello Series Denso USNationals. La battery of the Powers 4 electric dragster that produce 1,100 pound-feet of torque. The traditional Cobra Jet is powered by a supercharged 5. 2-liter V-8.
Dressed in a matched white live terrace with gold cobras painted on the doors, the two cars lit up the Lucas Oil Raceway. NHRA funny car driver Bob Tasca III was piloting the fully electric Cobra Jet 1400, while former NHRA funny car driver Tony Pedregon was flying the V-8 Cobra Jet.
Tasca put a horse in the EV pony from the line, and Pedregon crossed the quarter mile line first in 8,797 seconds at 158. 26 mph, while Tasca was only him at 8,826 seconds and 156. 81 mph.
The time of the e-dragster just after tests that timed the car at 8. 27 seconds at 168 mph. The Gas Cobra Jet raced in the NHRA for years opposite the Chevy and Dodge festival and holds the NHRA factory quarter mile record of 7. 7 seconds at 176 mph.
Rushbrook said Ford and NHRA were in talks about introducing electric drag racing to the sport. “NHRA is open to discussing the right classes,” he said. “We will come with other brands in those discussions. Array. . . to compete with Chevy, Dodge or Toyota. We’d also like Tesla to come and run with us. “
Rushbrook said there’s so much more to be informed about the electric monster’s abilities.
“It was a wonderful but exciting task for all of us at Ford Performance,” Rushbrook said. “We are very interested in continuing the paintings with NHRA on how electrification can be a component of the game and show the Cobra Jet 1400 with maximum strength. timely as regulations evolve. “
The instant offline pair has already made Tesla a legend among amateur racing racers. YouTube is full of videos of Model S sedans disappearing from V-8 production muscle cars like the Mustang and Dodge Hellcat.
But the Cobra Jet faces the first opportunity to see professionals take it on cars made exclusively for dragstrip. The cobra Jet 1400’s silent launch in stark contrast to the supercharged V-8 Cobra Jet.
In the sport’s most sensible ending, nitro-hungry Top Fuel dragsters make spectators cry as they rush down the track at 320 mph.
“Resistance racing has been the position in which Detroit demonstrates its most complex powertrains,” said Brad Gerber, Director of Development at NHRA.
Look for the Mustang Cobra Jets to compete on the occasion of the NHRA in Gainesville, Florida, on the weekend of September 25-27.
Henry Payne is a critic of The Detroit News. Find it on hpayne@detroitnews. com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.