The BME Bulletin #1
Bill Miller Engineering's Top Fuel
Blog
BME AND NEW DRIVER ALAN BRADSHAW Can anyone truly be comfortable riding herd on 8,000 horsepower in a fire-breathing Top Fuel Dragster? True to his Lone Star heritage, Top Fuel rookie Alan Bradshaw is getting comfortable in the BME/Okuma/Red Line Oil Top Fuel Dragster and getting to know the BME team. After a brief preseason test session and a close-but-no-cigar outing in the NHRA season-opener, Bradshaw qualified for the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals in Phoenix. Although the BME/Okuma dragster came up short in its first-round match with the U.S. Army machine driven by three-time NHRA champion Tony Schumacher, the BME team is close on the heels of the big dogs. Bradshaw, the 2003 NHRA Lucas Oil Series, Top Alcohol Dragster champion, has logged 16 runs since he joined the BME team, seven in testing and nine in national event competition. In that brief Top Fuel career, he's already set new personal-best marks at 4.627 seconds and 316.01 mph. "Things are coming together really well," said Bradshaw. "When I first met the team, I knew they were going to be good for me and look out for my best interests. It's a real solid group. They care, they're committed, and they bust their tails. That says a lot for Bill and his ability to attract good people. I'm very happy to be with this team. "A 4.62 is obviously quicker than a 5.19, which was my previous career best in Top Alcohol Dragster," Bradshaw noted. "But, at the same time, the protocol and routine is very similar in the two cars. The biggest change is that I've had to learn the 'hurry-up offense' on the starting line. In TAD, the driver has a little time, but in Top Fuel, everything is run by the stopwatch, so you must stage and leave on time." Miller is impressed by his driver's early-season performance: "After just four runs in the car, he was already running more than 300 mph," Miller noted. "Alan pays attention, he's well spoken, and he works his butt off on the car between passes." POMONA REPORT The black-and-yellow BME dragster's first qualifying run proved to be its quickest at the season-opening, CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. The 4.691-second elapsed time at 299.66 mph was a promising start, even with an early shutoff on the short Pomona track. Subsequent qualifying runs produced tire smoke, a problem with a fuel enrichment valve, and a dropped cylinder. At the conclusion of qualifying, the BME team was on the outside looking in, 19th on the list. BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD "After our short weekend in Pomona, we decided take a different tack at Phoenix," Miller explained. "We tested our superchargers and learned that we need to increase the boost pressure. We're working on new superchargers, but as an interim solution, I decided to bump up the blower overdrive for Phoenix." Bradshaw's qualifying run on Friday night at the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals produced a 4.627 e.t. at 316.01 mph despite another early shutoff prompted by the darkness at the end of the track. That time proved good enough to secure the 16th spot when qualifying concluded on Saturday afternoon. "It was tough watching my friends and customers trying to knock us out of the field," Miller recalled. "I wished them well. I just didn't want them to run quicker than a 4.62!" Race day in Arizona dawned clear and cold. The BME crew set up the car for cool conditions, then watched anxiously as the track temperature rose quickly. Facing the well-funded Schumacher team, BME was out to win one for the underdog. "It was awesome to take on a three-time NHRA champion in my first run in eliminations," Bradshaw recalled. "I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. I totally respect having a champ in the other lane, but I can't control his world, so I just worry about mine. The competition is you, the track and the tune-up." The BME dragster was out first, as Bradshaw posted a .057-second reaction time to Schumacher's .090. That advantage was short-lived, however, as the Army car chased down the BME machine. "Bradshaw did his job and put a holeshot on Schumacher, but then the big budget kicked in and he outran us," said Miller. "But if he had sneezed, Alan would have been right there for the win." DYNO DOINGS The BME/Okuma team will pass on the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., while the back half of the race car chassis is updated with heat-treated tubing as mandated by NHRA's new, SFI specifications. Meanwhile Miller and engineer/aerodynamicist Tim Gibson are resurrecting the famed Gibson-Miller Supercharger and tooling up for a new production run. Part of that preparation is BME's installation of an engine dynamometer capable of testing a blown alcohol engine. Originally designed and constructed by famed Top Fuel and Funny Car Crew Chief, Dale Armstrong, for the Budweiser King team, this massive dyno utilizes an absorber unit once used for testing World War II radial aircraft engines and a planetary gearbox from an earth mover. "The dyno is being set up to test superchargers," Miller revealed, "and that knowledge will teach us how to build better blowers." HOUSTON ROCKET The BME team will be back in action for the 19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston on March 3-April 2. Bradshaw, a resident of Odessa, Texas, relishes the idea of racing a Top Fuel Dragster at his home track in front of his fellow Texans. "I consider both Houston Raceway Park and the Texas Motorplex to be home races," said Bradshaw. "I've always done well in Houston, and I look forward to racing in front of my Texas buddies. I'm ready to get back in the car and go again. "One of the challenges for us will be figuring-out the newest Goodyear Dragway Special. We didn't have a lot of success with the new, 2420 tire in testing, but Bill is gathering information about the setup with that rubber so, hopefully, we can get up to speed quickly in Houston." BME RACE RESULTS
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