All language subtitles for rise_of_the_machines_s01e07_ultimate_dragster

A new breed of super machine is
evolving.

Bigger.

Faster.

Smarter.

Built to tackle near impossible feats.

Among them, the world's ultimate
dragster.

This missile on wheels rockets to
phenomenal speed.

Going 325 miles an hour, mishaps happen.

In a blast of flame and thunder, the
fastest accelerating vehicle on the

attempts a record -breaking win.

That's not good.

It could end up hurting Sean very bad.

When something happens at that speed,
you're just along for the ride.

Flowing this phenomenal $400 ,000
missile apart,

we'll discover its technological secret.

from a super -tough steel frame and an
air -blasting supercharger that

feeds an engine with the pulling power
of two freight trains to an ingenious

braking system.

We'll reveal how this extraordinary top
-fuel dragster evolved to rise

above all other machines.

Pomona, California.

Home to the National Hot Rod Association
Final, the supreme contest for the

fastest racing cars on the planet.

Over the next four days, 18 elite
category top fuel dragsters will battle

the world championship.

The prize?

the coveted champion's trophy, and half
a million dollars.

There can only be one winner.

I started when I was 12 years old racing
the junior dragster category.

The biggest race of my career is this
weekend.

Sean Langdon is leading the championship
table.

This is my first shot at a top -field
world championship.

A lot of nervous energy right now, but
I'm excited for it.

To clinch the championship prize, Sean
needs to keep his lead for the next four

races.

We're here.

This is it. Pomona Raceway. The big
weekend.

To win, Sean has to beat this man.

His closest rival.

One of the fastest drivers on the
circuit and the reigning world champion,

Antron Brown.

We just want to come out here and do
what we do.

Sean's got a lot of points right now, so
we're just going to make it hard on

him. We just don't want to give it to
him.

I'm ready to go right now.

A couple hours, man, a couple hours.

We know it's not going to be easy.

That guy's a fighter.

We know he's going to give everything
that he's got.

To beat Antron and claim the top prize,
Sean needs the fastest car in the

competition.

And this is it.

The Allen Abbey Top Fuel Dragster.

A 25 -foot missile on wheels.

Multi -million dollar funding makes sure
that this unique one -ton car

incorporates the ultimate technological
innovation.

It has a super light carbon fiber shell
to cut through the air.

Inside the nose, a tank full of powerful
nitromethane fuel.

Behind the driver's seat,

An 8 ,000 horsepower engine.

Connected to tires that can run over 300
miles per hour.

These innovations make this dragster the
fastest accelerating machine on land.

Well, good morning, race fans. It is
race day, my absolute favorite day of

week here at the Autoflug Raceway
Pomona.

We want to put a different motor in it,
so we're going to take this short block

out. We're going to put a new one in.

It's two hours before Sean's first race.

In the pits, the team's mechanics start
building the engine.

It's almost like synchronized swimming.

One's going in, the other's coming out,
and they really work well together.

They leave the engine build as late as
possible.

so it can be set up for the weather
conditions at the time of the race.

They can disassemble a whole car, motor,
plug, blower, everything, put it back

together, and we can fire it up in less
than 40 minutes.

The engine settings are decided by the
tuner.

We'll come in here three hours before we
run and start monitoring our weather.

Sean's team manager, Alan Johnson, tunes
the car's engine.

Well, we might have to change this to 40
and a half.

Changes in air temperature and humidity
affect the engine and the performance of

the dragster.

Alan decides the car's settings just 60
minutes before the race.

We'll put the engine together, and
hopefully we've made all the correct

calculations and decisions, and we'll
make a great qualifying run.

20 minutes to race time.

The team tows the car out to the staging
lanes.

The mechanics are anxious they've done
their job correctly.

Obviously, we grew up and did something
to lead to Sean getting hurt, you know?

You really put your life in their hands.
They have to prepare the car properly,

and they have to put the pieces together
properly every single time because one

little mistake.

It can mean everything.

Drag racing is a dangerous pursuit.

Crashes happen every season.

Last time Sean raced here, his rival,
Antron Brown, had a narrow escape.

At 300 miles per hour, his engine
exploded.

Going 330 miles an hour, when something
happens at that speed, there's nothing

you can do as a driver. You're just
along for the ride.

Fifteen minutes before the race, Sean
makes his final preparations.

I'll have my 20 -layer driving suit, my
helmet. Obviously, we have protective

gloves. We have protective shoes.

Hans' device keeps his neck, the head
and neck.

Keep this from rolling around.

We'll get him out, kiddo.

Once we get in the car, I'm just in
there kind of mentally envisioning the

In the first race, Sean is seated to run
head -to -head against his closest

rival, Antron Brown, in the Matco car.

If Sean can hold on to his points lead
for the next four races, he will become

the top fuel world champion.

Sean's mother, Debbie, has come to watch
him race.

I do get nervous sometimes, but he's
doing what he loves and he gets to enjoy

it.

There will be four races over the next
three days.

Race one.

Sean is in the near lane, Antron in the
far lane. If Antron Brown can pick up

points here, he can put himself back in
the thick of this championship battle.

When he heads down the track, Sean
depends on a critical safety device.

Under the dragster's skin, there's a
safety cage that wraps around the

It's built on ancient technology,
designed to climb high.

When Chinese builders wanted to
construct tall towers, they used

made of bamboo.

Bamboo's tubular shape gives it immense
strength.

It's three times stronger than wood.
It's also hollow, making it light.

This helped the Chinese to reach for the
sky.

Inspired by this idea, Sean's dragster
has 180 feet of aircraft -grade steel

cubits welded into his body to make it
ultra -thick.

It's lighter than a family car, but in a
300 -mile -per -hour impact, helps

protect the driver.

giving Sean the confidence to go like
the bat out of hell.

Except right now. Let's see how it plays
out.

It's the National Hot Rod Association
Finals, the world championship of drag

racing.

Sean Langdon in his super -fast top
-fuel dragster is leading the

But to beat the reigning champion,
Antron Brown, Sean must hold on to his

for the next three races.

Race one.

Sean is in the near lane.

And the lead extends by one point.

Yes! That went awesome. Number one.

Awesome. We've got a car coming in,
guys.

Sean beats Antron by a hundredth of a
second.

He's run the fastest time of the day and
reached a top speed of 322 miles per

hour. Floor is ready.

Sean gives it full marks.

That was definitely an A -plus for the
whole team.

377 at 322 miles an hour.

For Sean and his team, it's a promising
start to the competition.

Day two, 9 a .m.

Sean is anxious about today's race.

You just never know what's going to
happen in the sport of drag racing.

Anything can happen at any given time.

I know how Antron is, and there's
something about certain competitors that

of go into Superman mode.

We know that he's got the capability for
doing that.

Sean has every reason to worry.

After yesterday's run, Antron knows his
dragster can go faster.

It was a really good start for race
weekend.

We're pushing trying to go home with the
number one spot.

Our car was a little soft on the start
line, but it ran exceptionally well

everywhere else.

When Antron's car hit the finish line,
it was actually traveling faster than

Sean.

Going into today, we're just going to
push a little harder to get our car to

better early, go a little bit quicker,
which we're shooting for.

To keep Sean ahead of Antron in the
competition, Alan must improve on

yesterday's run.

A key decision is to select the right
size of tire for the conditions on the

track.

Our race car tires develop a tremendous
amount of traction, but that traction is

based on a rubber -to -rubber
interaction.

The tires rub against a layer of rubber
laid down on the track.

To choose tires for today's run, Alan
relies on information collected during

first race.

During a run, a network of sensors
charts the dragster's vital signs.

From magnetic sensors detecting wheel
speed to thermocouples measuring the

temperature of the engine exhaust.

The sensors measure everything from fuel
flow to air pressure.

This way, Alan can tune this machine to
perfection.

We measure the temperature of the tires
with infrared sensors so we can see when

the tires get hot.

If the tires get too hot, they will slip
on the track and smoke.

If he smokes the tires, Sean will lose
the race.

275, 280.

That's the threshold. There's no turning
back after that. We've lost the run.

Knowing how hot the tires got

yesterday helps Alan choose the set for
today.

10 degrees warmer.

On a hot track, large diameter tires
work best.

They give more grip.

You know what? Put a 3 -H on there.

Bigger tires are the way to go, yeah.

Yeah, that's fine.

Just make an entire change to compensate
for the track temperature.

The tires that we ended up putting on it
are about a quarter inch larger than

the tires that we had on it previously.

It's a small change, but if it prevents
the tire from smoking, it will be

critical.

3 .30 p .m. Engine rebuilt.

Tires ready to roll.

Antron's team heads to the start line.

Moments later, Sean's dragster rolls out
of the pit.

Hop in and we'll go.

Once again, the two teams are racing
head -to -head.

We're going to get a run against Antron
again.

That's pretty cool.

It's a nervous time for Sean's mom.

And Antron Brown, mathematically, he
could catch Sean Lanker.

Before the race, Sean must prepare the
tires by completing a short run, known

the burnout.

We have a specific time that we like to
do the burnout.

So I'll basically try to keep that
consistent, same length burnout every

time.

The burnout removes dust and debris from
the surface of the tires, increasing

their grip.

As soon as I feel the tire start to
hook, I'll push the clutch pedal in, and

it'll come to a stop.

The tires are now hotter and ready to
stick to the track.

But when Sean hits the throttle, the
tires must also stay on the rims.

Traveling at top speed, the wheels will
spin 45 times a second, creating more g

-force than a rocket on takeoff.

To stop the tires from ripping away, the
dragster's design takes inspiration

from an old bicycle.

Early bike tires were fastened with
strips of canvas.

A real pain to replace.

That's until a British engineer invented
the clincher tire.

He folded beads of steel into the
rubber, so the air pressure hooked them

tightly onto the rim.

The dragster supersizes the bicycle's
tire beading.

470 feet of high -strength steel wire.

wraps into a 50 -pound tire.

Plates clamp the steel bead onto the rim
to hold the

tires on the wheel, even at full
throttle.

Sean must put his trust in this
technology as he launches off the line.

Sean Langdon is close to winning the top
fuel final, Drag Racing's World

Championship.

Race two, Sean lines up against the man
he needs to beat, Antron Brown.

Sean is in the far lane.

In a flash, Sean is traveling over 300
miles per hour.

At this speed, in five seconds, he will
hit the end of his track.

To slow down the dragster, it has an
ingenious braking system.

It evolved 20 million years ago.

The flying squirrel has a built -in air
brake.

When it leaps from a tree, it spreads
its limbs to deploy a thin membrane.

This slows down the fall.

so it can land without breaking its
bone.

Like the flying squirrel, the dragster
has an advanced air brake.

20 pounds of nylon are primed to explode
into two 75 -square -foot

parachutes.

Each parachute is crammed into a spade
the size of a football.

Waiting for the moment, Sean reaches the
finish line.

He's doing his job. The team's doing
their job.

It's all right on track. It's going to
happen.

Sean wins the race in the fastest time
of the day.

The last run was a great run for the
Allen Hobby team. We went 375 .0 at 327

miles an hour. He kept us in the number
one qualifying position.

Antron is second again, but still has a
chance of holding on to his title.

We attack the track.

And we grow from each run. That's our
main focus that we do every run. We go

after it every time.

We're a hard team to beat.

Sean's team manager, Alan, is delighted
with the results.

I give it a straight A. Today was a good
run.

As soon as Sean's car arrives back in
the pit, the mechanics start stripping

down the engine, looking for signs of
damage.

Good.

The mechanics are doing well. Everything
so far, no issues.

The engine looks really well. We're not
beating it up.

The only problem is that Sean's tires
are gripping the track too well.

The racetrack's so good, it's pulling
chunks out of the tire.

That's not good.

You don't want to run that.

You could end up blowing a tire and
hurting Sean very bad.

It's junk, man. No good.

Unlike the tires, Sean reuses his
parachute.

Race after race.

When it kind of settles down a little
bit, I will come in there and then I'll

start packing the parachutes.

You know, their kind of joke is, hey, we
don't want to touch that. That's a

driver thing. Nobody else wants a
responsibility if it doesn't come out.

You have to make sure the parachutes
come out.

The parachutes are Sean's main braking
system.

But if they fail, he has a backup, high
-tech disc brake.

Four high -friction carbon fiber pads
clamp onto two carbon discs

with more pressure than a biting tiger.

Within seconds, the brakes are as hot as
a volcano, but bring

Sean to a stop safely.

It's been a successful day.

But as Sean's team packs up for the
night, they know that tomorrow is make

break.

Yesterday, Sean made the best run and
extended his lead.

Antron needs to cut into it right here.

Day three of the finals.

Today's two races will be the most
important of Sean's life.

If he can hold on to his lead until the
end of the day, he will win the

championship trophy and half a million
dollars.

Today's a big day for the Allen Aubrey
team because we should be able to clinch

the championship.

So it would be my first title in the top
field category.

I'm very excited, but I'm trying not to
think about it too much. A lot of

nervous energy, but I'm ready to get out
on the racetrack.

60 minutes to race time.

All right.

Alan needs to decide what settings to
run with on the car.

Both runs we've made so far this
weekend, the track was 93 degrees.

Today, it's probably going to be more
like 100 or 103 degrees, so it'll be 10

degrees hotter.

The hot track makes it more likely the
car's wheels will slip, smoking the

But Alan is determined to push it as
fast as before.

There's been more cars that have run
down the racetrack. It has, you know, a

better coating of rubber on it. So I
suspect even though it's a little

we should be able to run close to what
we ran yesterday afternoon.

Alan sets the car up to push to the
limit.

It's a critical decision.

If he's wrong, it could cost Sean the
championship.

12 .30 p .m. With two races this
afternoon, Sean Langdon is within sight

beating reigning champion Antron Brown.

One hour until the next race.

Sean's crew fuels up.

The nitromethane, when you smell it,
it'll make you cry. I don't know what it

about it.

Nitromethane's not like your average
gasoline.

It's pretty both.

An engine running on nitromethane
produces over twice the power of one

on gasoline.

But the car still needs a lot of it to
travel 1 ,000 feet.

One run, like, uh...

13 gallons, probably average.

The problems with nitromethane don't
stop there. The power it produces

with the weather.

Nitromethane is extremely sensitive to
humidity. So the water that's

in the air affects our tuna.

has set the car up for the humidity he
predicts will be in the air at the time

of the race.

He must hope the weather doesn't change.

Once again, Sean is racing against
Antron Brown.

But as the two teams line up in the
staging lanes, there's a delay.

A dragster has spilled oil on the track.

While the race crew cleans it up, time
takes by.

The air grows more humid, playing havoc
with Alan's engine setting.

Twenty minutes later than scheduled,
Sean and Antron reach the start line.

Race three.

Sean is in the near lane.

It's all on the line here. Let's see how
it plays out.

To give the engine maximum power in the
humid air, the dragster has a mighty

supercharger, an engine booster with
roots in the Industrial Revolution.

In the mid -19th century, iron
production is slow.

Traditional bellows can't supply enough
air to melt large quantities of iron

ore.

So two American brothers invent a unique
air pump.

Two three -foot -tall rotors trap masses
of air and blast it into the furnace.

This pushes up the heat to produce iron
on an industrial scale.

The dragster ramps up this air pump.

The two rotors in the supercharger spin
at 12 ,000 RPM.

pushing over 400 gallons of air into the
engine every second.

They boost the dragster's top speed to
more than 300 miles per hour.

Sean and Antron line up.

In drag racing, it only takes four
seconds for the tables to turn.

Just smokes the tires and Antron is
going to chip away at that point lead.

This championship is not over yet.

Just when the championship was within
reach, Sean has lost a vital race.

Just smoked the tires.

Probably about 500 feet or so smoked the
tires. But we'll be able to get it

fixed for the next run.

Halfway down the track.

Sean spun the tires in a puff of smoke.

The car needed better grip, but the
invention that should have provided it

didn't perform as well as they hoped.

To help the dragster grip, a precision
-engineered wing supported

by a high -strength frame creates 5 ,400
pounds of downforce.

It pushes the wheels firmly onto the
track.

The wings are a very, very important
part of the car.

Running these speeds, you have to have
that much downforce, otherwise you would

not be able to keep the car on the
ground.

The crew can change the angle of the
wing to create more or less downforce.

On the last run, they got the settings
fractionally wrong.

It's a fine line between wheel spin and
a win.

When it smokes the tires down the track,
you don't want to stay in it because

you'll over -rev the motor and you'll
blow the motor up. So at that point, I

lifted to save the parts, didn't want to
blow anything up, give the guys more

work to do.

In the opposition pits, Antron Brown's
team is delighted with their win.

Feels like a pretty good run.

Hopefully we can build on that for the
run this evening. Hopefully it'll be a

little better conditions. Maybe we can
take that number one spot.

This is definitely my passion of what I
enjoy doing.

You put your heart and soul in it. And
no matter how hard the times get, it

makes it that much easier to get through
the hard times when you have a group

like we have.

And that's what it takes. You have to
have a unique group of individuals to

what we have here special.

Antron could yet snatch victory.

For Sean's team, there's little time for
a post -mortem. The next race is just

90 minutes away.

It's coming down to this last race of
the day, and we stay number one.

We'll have the championship.

Shawn Langdon is now just one race away
from winning the Top Fuel Drag Racing

World Championship.

Shawn's crew swings into action to
rebuild the car for the final race of

day.

The dragster's 500 cubic inch V8 engine
is at the heart of the team's success.

But getting the pulling power of two
freight trains out of a block of metal

small isn't easy.

The job of creating this top fuel engine
started long before the race season

began.

190 miles away in Santa Maria,
California.

To ensure he has the best motor, Alan
builds the engine components himself in

his factory.

To be successful in top fuel racing,
your car has to perform absolutely at

utmost level. We're fighting for
thousands of seconds on the racetrack,

has to start here on the ground floor as
we start to produce parts.

The engine starts as a 350 -pound lump
of forged aluminum alloy,

which is machined to make the engine
block.

We generally machine everything to plus
or minus five -tenths of a thousand,

which on this big of a part is very,
very tight.

And it's really not that easy to do.

It takes 11 hours to produce the
finished block.

At this stage, they're about 130 pounds.

I wouldn't want to lift that by myself.

It can take over 170 runs to win a
championship.

So Alan needs to make a lot of engines.

We ask these engine blocks to do a
tremendous amount of work. We're

over 8 ,000 horsepower.

And for an engine block of that size to
be able to handle that kind of

horsepower, its longevity is in
question.

And so what we try to do is we try to
build a product here that will last, you

know, a minimum of eight runs.

Usually an inventory of about 18 blocks,
and we manage to rotate those

throughout the year.

It's this precision engineering that
gives Sean one of the best engines in

business.

At the Pomona racetrack, the mechanics
finish rebuilding the engine.

It's almost kind of sad. This could be
the last race of the season because the

car is running so well.

You're putting the tune -up in it, and
it's just making good, clean runs on the

track, not hurting any parts.

Everything is really coming together.
It's good.

There's just 50 minutes to the last
critical race.

Before they head to the start, Sean's
crew must check that all 500 components

the newly built engine work. This is
what we call a starter dog.

We'll have a C12 racing gasoline just to
kind of get it going on.

We'll just pull this trigger.

Once that starts turning and fuel starts
coming into the engine, then it starts

the combustion of everything, and that's
how you start the car.

Sean will test the engine by ramping up
the ignition,

spinning magnets.

generate up to 50 ,000 volts, firing it
into the cylinder spark plugs 50

,000 times per second.

This lights the dragster's nitromethane
fuel and hopefully

powers it to victory.

The fumes are pretty bad.

If you didn't have one of these guys,
you probably wouldn't be able to stand

around very long.

Just make it where we can be comfortable
while we're checking everything on the

race car.

Going to warm it up real quick, make
sure everything's good.

Before every run, John test fires the
engine.

He will push the revs to full throttle
to check the supercharger, engine, and

transmission. All run perfectly.

It's a little intimidating at times.

Sometimes it can be an uneasy feeling,
but that's why you hire the best guys.

The engine is so loud, it's been
measured at over three on the Richter

8 ,000 horsepower inside those motors,
the feeling that you get in your body,

takes your breath away.

This noise is part of the attraction for
racing fans.

Earplugs are essential.

Engine tested, Sean's team heads to the
start.

In the rival pits, Antron's mechanics
roll out their car.

This is the big one. The next race could
decide who.

will be world champion.

4 .10.

30 minutes to the race that could win
Sean the championship.

Excited, nervous.

Every run's important, but with the
opportunity today, it's nerve -wracking.

Didn't get a whole lot of sleep last
night.

Antron Brown, the reigning world
champion, appears cool and confident.

Sean Langdon, within sight of his first
championship, is raring to go.

Just trying to get down the track.

Hopefully we can get the championship
clinched on the next round.

Both crews have adjusted the tires, the
engine power, and the wing angle.

But one mission -critical component will
make all the difference on this final

run. When it comes to winning races in
Top Fuel, probably the most important

part is the clutch.

The clutch is Alan's secret weapon.

The more you know about the clutch and
how it works, the better off you're

to be in the long run. So we focused
predominantly most of our energy on the

clutch.

The dragster has no gear, so it uses its
clutch to accelerate.

It connects the engine to the wheels and
increases speed by using a

trick from an ancient war machine.

The Chinese rapid fire siege catapult.

A huge wheel spins bags of rocks at high
speed.

A blade releases the missiles and hurls
them towards the enemy, smashing their

defenses.

The dragster's spinning clutch also uses
its rotation to throw out six levers.

These push against metal plates that
lock together to

transmit the revs of the engine.

A plunger slides back to release 12 more
levers, locking the clutch into full

throttle, pushing the dragster to a top
speed that in the next four -second race

could decide the championship.

Race four. This is the critical race.

For Sean, it's his first chance to win
the world championship.

For Antron to stay in the game, he needs
to clinch this run.

Antron is in the near lane.

Sean on the far side.

They're staged up and ready. Is this the
championship moment?

Yes,

it is.

Smoke the tires, and it is over.

Polo Navi wins championship number
three, and Shawn Langdon wins his first

Top Fuel.

Shawn Langdon, ladies and gentlemen,
your

2013 Top Fuel World Champion.

Shawn has won.

He can hardly believe it.

It's a great feeling, you know,
something that I dreamed of as a kid.

There isn't a single word in the
dictionary that can describe that

The greatest feeling in the world.

Incredible, incredible.

We're so happy.

We're very, very proud of him. He just
got so well.

The action replay shows Antron in the
near lane, smoked his tires just 150

down the track.

When he smoked the tires, you know,
that's when I knew we had won.

Alan Johnson may be the best ever to
shoot one of these cars.

Alan's skill and experience have paid
off.

Race fans, let's hear it for your world
champion, Sean Langdon.

Now the real film begins.

Drag racing is a tremendous amount of
work.

And I obviously love it. And when you
love something the way all the people on

this team do, that's when you really get
good at it.

The Allen Abbey Dragster, a 25 -foot
-long rocket on wheels,

is American engineering at its boldest
and loudest.

The cars have done a great job.

This is by far the best car that we've
ever had.

It's not a middle -of -the -pack car.
It's a championship -caliber car.

The Allen Abbey Dragster is an
extraordinary feat of engineering.

It's all thanks to high -speed tires
that give phenomenal grip.

Spring -loaded parachutes that act as
brakes.

An ingenious clutch that ramps up the
speed.

A twin rotor supercharger that pumps up
the power. And a tubular frame that

protects the driver.

It's these technological secrets that
have helped this dragster evolve to rise

above all other machines.