An electric dragster might be quicker (or in the future will be) in the 1/4 or 1,000, but the spectators' experience is not the same.

Formula-Zzzzz, I mean Formula-E is being touted in some circles as the racing of the future. Some may not understand the visceral experience of being near these machines doing their thing.

I agree, I think racing is popular because it is a visceral experience, the sounds, the smells....eyes burning from the nitromethane, the frightening, ground shaking, louder than loud explosion of power unleashed in a blaze of fire and smoke...the occasional explosion and ensuing fireball of an engine exploding...

It's the drama...

'Zackly.

Back in the '80's when I lived in California, I went to see the motorcycle Grand Prix racing at Laguna Seca. Standing right at the fence by the corkscrew as these 2-stroke bikes went flying by exhausts wailing, wafting 2-stroke exhaust smoke, all part of the experience.

Tesla S'es silently zipping around Talladega with huge Tide logos on the hood sounds like snooze fest to me.

I had an office mate ask me where to take her new boyfriend for his birthday and I suggested the amature drag races at Sears Point in Sonoma. I said they could walk the pits and meet the drivers and that the experience of top fuel dragsters would be something they would never forget.

They had an absolute blast of a time! "Fuel" smells like a cox airplane toy but BIGGER! You never forget the sweet smell of nitro-methane and burning rubber and you never forget the pounding you feel all the way through your body when those cars fly by the stands. Ain't nothin' like it.

Electrics will never have that impact. They will be the boring part of the races and everyone will be waiting for the finale when the real top fuels come out.

Back in the mid to late eighties, I would on occasion go out to Sears Point to watch the amateur AFM motorcycle races held on Sunday. The dragstrip was the back straight with a hairpin turn at the end of the strip. It's layout has changed a lot since then.

https://www.afmracing.org/about-the-afm/afm-history

Me too! The hairpin was turn 11. 10 wound around to the staight after coming down the hill. I had friends that raced there and I did their suspension and motor tuning. We usually camped out at Turn 4 to see who would lose it coming over the crest and slide off the track.

I toyed with the idea of amateur racing and even had done the Keith Code track school but had to admit that, while I liked to ride 'briskly' , I was in no way going to be able to compete with the likes of those guys. The thought of regularly tossing myself and my bike down the track took the shine off of those flights of fancy.

I still enjoyed the Sunday Morning Ride from Mill Valley up to Bodega Bay. Back then, the breakfast stop was at the Le Printemps Cafe in Lagunitas just east of the Samuel P. Taylor state park.