Given this, there’s a bit more to sand dragging than planting the right foot . Do that and your stripped out Chevvy or Nissan will be up to its axles and in a rather large hole before you even get the chance to see your life flash before your eyes.
Two elements among a laundry list of others stand out, the first being traction. Tyre choice is critical, and battle-hardened competitors often opt for paddles, which are essentially tyres with shovel-heads crafted on. The grip is consequently phenomenal.
The second issue is low-end torque, to make sure the start (competitors line up, as they do traditionally in dragging racing, side-by-side) is as jet-propelled – quite literally in some cases – as possible. Of course there is a side effect: low end torque and many-figured horsepower output usually equals ear-melting noise on fire up, one which – superbly – draws the crowds in and gets the adrenaline pumping even more.
You may perhaps remember our conversation with Dubai-based Sub Zero, a figurehead in the region for performance tuning and regional motorsport campaigns. Unsurprisingly, given the wealth of tech and experience available, the team is out in force, their drag monsters proving the benchmark for the event. Indeed, come the end of a night of brutal competition, the podium boasted a Sub Zero 1-2-3.
The daylight is long gone and the drive back to civilisation is arduous. Plus, once our ears have stopped ringing, tonight marks the first of four nights it takes to remove sand from clothes, lenses, crevices, nooks and a couple of crannies.
Would we check out sand dragging again? Absolutely. There’s some lunacy that just doesn’t get dull.
– FULL GALLERY OF IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE – CLICK – Shots courtesy of David Benson.
