It was really exciting to see how you responded to our first post about the technical side of drag racing. I'd like to continue our fuel tank discussion with a description on how we get the fuel to the motor.

We use a four gear section waterman pump that at 8000 rpms will pump 104 gallons per minute. Thankfully, we only need all of that fuel for a couple of seconds when the motor is getting tugged down as the clutch is locking up. Maintenance of the fuel pump is very important. If it starts flowing less or breaks, the motor is going to blow up.

After every weekend that we race, the pump gets taken completely apart and sometimes we have to replace a gear section or an end plate. Sometimes, major repair is needed and we have to get new housings. After a pump is fresh and ready it usually takes a couple of runs before the fuel flow stays the same. Like most things in this sport you need to have two pumps at all times or a good buddy who will loan you one.

Stay tuned for next week when we talk about fuel mixtures.