Power Tool Drag Racing! September 25th Entries open.

Saw this earlier and was surprised it wasn't on here already. Quite short notice though :?

Silverline's Annual Power Tool Drag Racing Championship will be held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, on 25th September 2011. Organised with our team at Robo Challenge the extreme sport of power tool drag racing involves engineering power tools into drag racing mean machines!

If this catches your imagination, why not enter the competition? There's a total prize fund of £3,000 up for grabs, plus lots of chances to win top prizes. Featuring ride-on and non ride-on classes, the rules for power tool drag racing are pretty simple: take a hand held power tool, turn it into something resembling a drag racer, and set it off down a 75-foot long track. If you are really up to the challenge, why not enter the ride-on class. Some competitors start with the frame of an existing vehicle such as a go kart, while others start from scratch. Commonly used tools include petrol chainsaws and leaf blowers!

After achieving 4th place in 2009, and 3rd in 2010, Channel 5's Gadget Show are rumoured to return to the event, this time with their eye on the first prize! Last year the Gadget Show teamed up with Robo Challenge to create an awesome chainsaw powered dragster!
This totally out of this world event is one not to be missed! Not only does it make for a truly awesome day out, but the engineering that goes into the drag racers provides hours of pre race day fun too! What's more, 2010 British Touring Car Champion Jason Plato and team mate Alex MacDowall will take a break from driving the Silverline Chevrolet Cruze to make a public appearance at the 2011 event!
With timing down to a tenth of a second between standings last year, we have no doubt all of the competitors will be at the top of their game. DIY has never been so much fun!!

You entering Tony? :P

Who's entering what this year? I'm gonna be honest and say that without the robot side of things attached to it this time, I've had no urge to enter. Just costs too much in terms of fuel, accommodation etc for very little return. Can't believe it's been almost a year already though. Wonder if Dave's singed arm hairs have grown back yet?

Haha no no, don;t really fancy the 7 and a half hour drive, and as fun as it would be to watch, I have no real interest in spending any money to take part, and as you said, fuel/hotel costs would make it just silly-expensive. Just thought there would be people on here who would want to enter.

Im going with my C5. Another engine arrived today for mine, pick up the other on Saturday, twice the power from last year, speed up from 33pmh to 50mph. Just trying to figure out a way of controlling the throttles, looking like servos at the moment. Big Nipper are also building an electric one, think we're the only ones this year.

I didn't think it was on this year. I haven't got anything done for it. are the feather robots going this year?

We are going with a ride on one this time, will be testing it on thursday, just got a few bits to finish but it all works on the bench. Its powered by 10 9angle grinders.
The feathers are not going this time.
The event has been advertised on the silverline website for at least 4 months.

Team Big Nipper.

Dare you to chop off all the roll cages, it'll save weight! :rofl:

Craig, put some drill motors on pilgrim, you could have the first walking drag racer!

judging from the pictures Graeme you are not taking this challenge seriously :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
As to this event I thought some one would have mentioned on this site so I wouldn't have to bother with the other sites :uhoh:
Thank goodness you have given up with the Dremmels :crazy: :crazy:

Hi Guys

Yes we were just about to post this event up! Every one should have got it now from our Newsletter.

Yes the Silverline Power Tool Drag Racing is back this year at Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil! I know there are quite a few new entries for the ride on catagory and we have heard that the previous winning time has already been broken by some teams in testing so it should be a great event. We are also running the indoor racing system so make sure you get your angle grinders belt sanders and any other hand held power tool and bring them down to the track. Silverline have put up some great prize money to race for and I am expecting the competition to have seriously upped the pace!

If you would like to enter please do so here. http://www.silverlinetools.com/asset...RULES_2011.pdf

If you have any questions at all just let me know. I hope to see lots of you there and we are very much looking forward to an awesome event!

could we enter a drill motor powered rc non-ride on dragracer? its still driven by powertools :)

Problem :uhoh: :uhoh: the closing date for entries is 1st September, I was going to enter a belt sander but I'm too late :cry: !

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Originally Posted by craig_colliass

Problem :uhoh: :uhoh: the closing date for entries is 1st September, I was going to enter a belt sander but I'm too late :cry: !

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Never fear! They allow what they call 'stragglers' in the PDF. Email them & offer Pilgrim as a side show.

What I wish to know is: can I regulate that mains voltage for DC?

Be-jesus Grame! 10 angle grinders, I bet that's noisy!

Hi Craig

We are still open for entries if you would like to come. Just fill out the form.

First test, ran ok just didn't have enough space to get to top speed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIi7mljNc14

I won't be able to finish my ride on but I'll be there with a non ridden. Looking forward to seeing you all.

What time do you think you can do with it for the standing 100 meters?

Speedo only goes to 70mph. Expect a time somewhere between 3 and 15 seconds :).

You driving glyn :) Got my other engine today, bought as a non-runner, 10mins later off it went, turns out the spark plug was loose! All other engines are fitted and linked up already, will get this fourth one in tomorrow. May be testing by tomorrow night if not Monday, just need to make a fuel tank.

Hi Alan, No I definately won't be driving, far too fat and heavy. Mark will be driving, now on a starvation diet to keep his weight down, thinking of chopping his left leg off to save weight as its only used for the brakes! :rofl:

Brakes!? Pah!

Well seeing as mines front wheel steer and brakes, and there is now weight at all on the front, I dont have either! All engines mounted with throttle actuators, just need to wire it all up and sort out a fuel tank, hopefully full test run tomorrow :uhoh:

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_0342.jpg

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_0340.jpg

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_0337.jpg

More piccies http://photobucket.com/ptdr11

That looks great Alan!

We are franticly trying to get ours finished, no idea if its any good!

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We are franticly trying to get ours finished

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Same as always :proud:

Mines more or less done, a few tweaks to do. Went to go for a test run tonight but two of the throttle actuators seem to have stopped working, so need to look into that, hopefully something simple!

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_0343.jpg

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_0344.jpg

Looks good Alan
Have you worked out the theoretical top speed - RPM of motor - gear ratio and wheel diameter?

omg he's fitted a nitrus kit to it :shock: :shock:

Lol, no nitrus, not that brave, although did thik about it, maybe next year! Theoretical top speed is 50mph. Do need to fit some sort of wheelie bar/wheels, without me in it, it almost balances on the back wheels!

50mph!
You crazy Roboteer

Don't forget to do your :uhoh: :uhoh: :uhoh: crash helmet strap up tight!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Yup, and seeing how the front wheel does all the steering and braking, and that has hardly any grip, will be interesting! Will never get full speed due to air resitance, friction etc, think they should have a speed trap on the course as well!

BTW 50mph is nothing, Adam Harper (one of the original RW judges who worked for Sinclair) beat the electric land speed record...

Adam Harper, the driver who broke the world land speed record for an electric vehicle by whipping along at a staggering 150mph, was on hand to recount the tale of daring.

Adam, 39, from Kent, was one of the first C5 salesman and is now the only world authorised dealer.

'Up to 100mph it's like you're running on rails, it's really stable,' said the dare-devil driver, who also performed the first electric vehicle stunt in a C5 by driving through a 70ft tunnel of fire.

'Then at about 110 to 120mph it starts getting tricky. At that point if a tyre blew up or something happened you would be surely dead.'

Had to do abit of a rebuild today, the actuators turned out to be no good (burnt out 3 out of 4), so the throttles are now controlled by servos. A few little bits to do tommorrow and it should be done, couldn't run it today due to it raining.

Looking good Alan, Just made a sproket on ours to run 10mph faster if we need to. Since the test last week i have improved it by more batterys and fixed the transmition so it changes up-got a spring in the wrong place. In theory should reach 60mph in about 80m now if it doesnt blow up. Just got to finish painting the front and move the lcd screen so mark can see it better. We havent got time to test it agian now until we are there.
You can run yours in the rain its not as bad as ours :lol:

rather drive yours in the rain than mine, the risk of electrocution is less than that of pointing the wrong way halfway down the track!

150 mph <blocked> that :lol:

All you have to do is paint it??? That cant be right lol. We are still working on ours lots of problems. This year the timing will be the same as drag racing with the top speed displayed :)

Alan looks really good. We went with the beach buggy as should be stable (and it was cheap on ebay), allthough with the 5hp engine that came with it, it could lift the front wheels of the road, that why the grinders are as low as possible.

Want to see pictures of yours James.

It might be finished but that doesn't mean it will work on the day, you didn't build a 250V 35kW speed controller for under £150 :). Just the isolator switch cost £60.

Graeme, got 2 110Ah lead acid batteries if we need them for the chargers on the day, should be able to do 2 full recharges before they go flat if they are ok. Wouldn't let me borrow the silverbird LiPo's

I'll bring my off roader Mark, thats got 3x 50Ah batts on it you can use to charge off.

That must be one hell on an isolater for £60, couldn't you have just an automotive keyswitch, theyre rated at a few hundred amps and only £15.

Fitted a speedo to mine today, only a bike one, but will give me an idea of speed. Fit wheelie bar tommorrow, then all done. :uhoh:

Automotive isolators are only rated at low voltage, try to use them at high voltage and the contacts usually weld together. Couldn't find a resonalbly priced single one so got a 32A 8way isolator and split them between the grinders.

Thanks for the offer of the batteries. They will let us use the power inside if needed just need them incase we need to recharge quickly outside.

You can always download an android app to record your speed. I tried one at the weekend call car performance that records your max speed, time to 40mph,60mph, 330 foot (~100m) time and others using the GPS and accelorometer. Seemed to be quite accurate with my car, didn't try it with the dragster.

Yes the batterys will help alan, thanks.
Just finished the bracket for the screen so its ready to go.