Goodyear Dragster to feature in Sepang Drag Battle
Participants in the upcoming Sepang Drag Battle tomorrow will be having their hands full trying to live with the powerful Goodyear Dragster, set to be piloted by Goodyear Thailand’s official drag racer, Apaspong Premanon, or better known as Khun O.
Powered by an 11.58-litre V8 engine from Chevrolet, the Goodyear Dragster produces an astonishing 3,000hp, sent to the rear wheels by the TS400 two-speed automatic transmission. It’s best quarter mile sprint has been timed at 7.2 seconds.
It wouldn’t be much of a Goodyear Dragster if it ain’t burning Goodyear rubber. Up front, the Dragster uses bicycle-thin 22″ x 2.5″ x 16″ Goodyear Eagle Front Runner tyres, while the back features a pair of deliciously meaty 33.5″ x 17.0″ x 16″ Goodyear Eagle Dragway Special rubbers.
“Goodyear has always had a rich heritage in racing, starting from over a century ago. We’ve been involved in many different kinds of motorsports, ranging from NASCAR and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in the United States to drifting and drag in the Asean region,” said Richard Fleming, Managing Director of Goodyear Asean.
Fleming’s statements was echoed by the Goodyear Malaysia MD, Nasution Abdul Rahman, who said, “The reason we brought in the dragster is because it’s an iconic machine that is synonymous with drag racing, and is something most Malaysians have never seen in action before. It is a good ambassador for the sport which we hope will also ignite even more interest for it here in Malaysia.”
The Sepang Drag Battle, held along the pit straight of the Sepang International Circuit, is organized into 7 categories, with the Goodyear Dragster set to compete in Category A – Open. Cars will enter the straight in pairs and race each other to the finish line located 400 metres in front in a straight line. Depending on categories, the races last anywhere between 4 and 17 seconds, with the top speeds reached ranging from 130kph to a blinding 530kph.
