Let’s get a couple things straight right off the bat. We dig the stuff that Hinson Motorsports does, and we love landspeed racing events like the Texas Mile. With that said, this video really makes our hair stand up. Not because they crashed the car, or because going 200mph has gotten easier and easier thanks to advancements in EFI and Turbos. No, it’s because of some of the things that weren’t done that we believe should have been. The video is awesome because ultimately they walked away. It’s awesome because the car was hauling ass right before it wasn’t anymore. It sucks because it shows a car that, in our opinion, should not have been allowed to go that fast at that track or any other.
We’ve been lucky enough to cruise the country with the Hinson gang during Hot Rod Magazine’s Drag Week a few years ago, and spent a fair amount of time helping them out during multiple thrashes on their car. They make big power, are great guys, and we love what they are doing. But they shouldn’t have been racing this car, at this event, with this much power.
The Corvette in question features a Hinson Motorsports built 1738 horsepower bullet that is fed by one big mother of a Turbonetics turbo, and Holley’s new Dominator EFI. It’s bad assed at every level and we want one! With tens of thousands of dollars into the car, the engine, etc. the thing that bothers us is the lack of safety equipment in this thing. I know, I know, we sound like your mother. In this case, your mother is right.
I’ve been around backwards in a car at 230 and can tell you that it ain’t cool. I walked away with nothing more than a hang nail, and the car had no damage. IF the car had started going the wrong way up, I can’t imagine a car I would have rather been in. To say the Camaro I was driving has a cage would be like saying Hinson’s turbo motors make power. Serious understatement for sure.
The Corvette in question, per the video is only equipped with a 6-point rollbar that would make it legal to 10.0 at an NHRA drag strip. MAYBE… The door bars are too low, but that doesn’t even matter here. There is no cage, no Petty bar, no crossbracing, no nothing. Flipping this car at 200 means serious injury unless you have a lot of luck on your side. And the Hinson crew clearly did. In our opinion this car shouldn’t have been allowed to run these numbers at this event or any other. I understand that as hot rodders and racers we’ll run as fast as someone will let us, but at some point, either we or the promoters need to be smart. We spend thousands of dollars on power, but safety seems to be an afterthought. As a guy that has been over 200mph in different types of cars, I really appreciate being in a car that I am comfortable being safe in. I won’t go fast in something I’m not willing to be in during a crash.
Okay, the preaching is over. Feel free to give us your thoughts.
