The jet propelled funny car Fireforce 1 is no more after an unfortunate event at the Santa Pod Raceway Flame & Thunder event 2006. This article will be constantly updated as more information is available to us. Hopefully it will develop into a long lasting “shrine” to Fireforce 1 as it has provided us with many good memories. Fireforce 1 has provided many people with their first experience of a jet funny car and I’m sure it will not be forgotten. You may ask why I’m personifying this car, and I ask myself that sometimes: It’s mainly because Fireforce 1 was the first jet car I ever saw, and I was about 12 at the time so it seemed all the more impressive (not that it got less impressive in later years though).
What Happened?
Sparks from the back of the engine were seen just before Fireforce left the start line. As soon as full throttle was reached and the brakes released, obviously something went wrong in the engine region causing it to catch fire. In the event of a fire, the car is designed to shut of the fuel and deploy the parachutes (thank you to Shaun Drury for clearing this up). Contrary to many theories, the parachutes did not deploy by accident. However, as the engine was still pumping out a lot of heat, the parachutes almost instantly caught light. About a second after the car left the start line, the fuel tank thats opposite the driver ignited (thankfully the other side of the engine), engulfing the car in flames. However, after further inspection of the engine, it appears that no fan blades had been lost, and the engine was fully in-tact. The driver (Tony Baker) walked away with very minor injuries. This incident is an excellent example of how the fire-proof suit that Tony was wearing, combined with the excellent safety features of the car saves lives.
Fireforce 1 has now been retired from racing and will be an unfortunate loss to the drag racing community. This said, there is still Fireforce 2 & 3 which I’m sure will give the crowd the same thrill (if not better) as Fireforce 1 has done for many years.
The Car
If you didn’t get to see the spectacle that was Fireforce 1, this is what you have missed (taken from the SantaPod website):
Below is the sad yet spectacular image of Fireforce 1 rolling down the track engulfed in flames. It is amazing to think anyone could survive such an inferno, and they certainly would not have if it weren’t for the protective fire suit and safety equipment.
Below is some more technical information about Fireforce 1:
- Engine: Westinghouse j34/36 originally fitted to an American F2 Banshee.
- Power: 5000lbs thrust with reheat approximately 10,000hp.
- Body: Fibreglass replica of an 89 Ford Mustang.
- Chassis: Chrome-moly construction with full six point safety cell.
- Fuel: Aviation grade, consuming 130 litres per show.
- Brakes: Two sixteen foot parachutes used in conjunction with hydraulic brakes.
- Speed: 250mph in six seconds over 400m.
- G-Forces: Up to 4G during acceleration and 6G during deceleration.
The Crash Video
This first video was taken from the viewing bank of SantaPod, about halfway down the track. It clearly shows the flaming Fireforce 1 as it makes its way down the track to it’s final resting point, about 100m from the finish line.
This post was written by 
im dead glad the driver was oki 
Adam
November 5th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Im surprised that the news of the incident hasnt been spread a bit more. That video of ours is the only one on the net. As there was someone infront of my with a camera phone and lots around me, I thought there would have been more news on it.