Posted on 11/16/2018 12:12:49 PM PST by ETL
Drag racer Kat Moller was killed in an accident at Sebring International Speedway on Thursday night.
Moller was making an exhibition run in her jet-powered car, which is capable of speeds of over 300 mph.
A witness told DragZine.com that her main chute failed to open at the end of the 1/8-mile strip and that she veered into the wall, but an official investigation into the crash is ongoing.
The 24-year-old was driving for Larsen Motorsports, which fields several jet-powered cars.
“Kat has been part of our racing family for 5 years and we cannot begin to express our sorrow,” team CEO Chris Larsen wrote on Facebook. ‘“Your prayers in this very difficult time are appreciated”
According to her team biography, Moller started racing Jr. Dragsters when she was 11 years old. She held an engineering degree from the University of South Florida and was pursuing a Master’s degree in the same subject at Florida Tech.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The track must have been a little short., or maybe it was “just” an equipment failure. Top fuel dragsters hit 300 mph, too. But, their chutes are supposed work.
Pity. I hope they figure out what happened, to make it less likely in the future.
Don’t guess I have ever heard of her but what a waste of a young and intelligent lady.
"...jet-powered dragster..."
What a shame. I’m very sorry.
What a way to go. You pop the chute, there’s no sudden -6G snap, and at that instant you know you are dead. At least it was quick.
Saw these cars many times over the years.
They are basically fighter jet engines strapped to a car chassis.
Spoke with Les Shockley (Shockwave) many times. He stated the tires alone were Indy tires and they were over extended to begin with.
He told me a story once of his car leaving the ground on the way down the strip and he shut down, pulled the chutes, closed his eyes and prayed. He opened his eyes in time to see himself right side up and coasting to a safe stop.
Crazy stuff.
I don't currently have access to cable TV, but when I did I occasionally watched drag racing and recall seeing her a few times.
Here’s what a successful 300 MPH run looks like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=84&v=hmegBjiywuM
Made these 2 gifs from it...
No one will really gives a damn about
Nitro burnin’ funny cars
No one will ever write a song called
Nitro burnin’ funny cars
According to another source, she was driving on a “created” one eighth mile strip out of their main straight as it is really an oval track, (undersized from the normal quarter mile), and when her primary chute didn’t deploy, and may have partially deployed, she veered into the traps, which were not needed as she was not going to hit top speed due to the short track, and after going through them now out of control hit the only wall down there. This makes the second time this year a fatal crash involving a jet dragster and an exhibition on a converted oval track straight has occurred. Jet car legend Doug Rose crashed his Green Mamba into a barrier while performing at Norway Speedway, a paved oval track, in August.
When you stretch the capacities of these machines capable of such great power into a semi-controlled status by changing the normal car designed strategy, you create a danger. This exhibition is not safe on undersized converted oval tracks. And as they cannot reach top speeds due to the size problem, it is more show and the run should not have been finished. She should have shut down shortly after leaving the line.
rwood
Beautiful. The tragedy is complete.
When I was a kid, a regional quarter-mile drag strip ended up becoming an eighth-mile strip because the cars were getting too fast to safely shut down on what was left past the traps. A few years later they had some big-name funny cars out there and almost all of them said that the situation was becoming marginal again. A jet dragster without a hell of a lot of pavement and more nice open space beyond would be a scary ride.
Sad, very sad. So young.
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