Dragster ride opens at Yas Marina

Roller coasters bore you? Then strap yourself into a dragster with Hot Rod Fuller at the Yas Marina Circuit for some of the most thrilling milliseconds of your life.

The top fuel dragster, driven by US driver Tommy Johnson takes on fellow American “Hot” Rod Fuller, right, during the Yas Drag Racing Festival.

ABU DHABI // At almost Dh80 a second, the capital's newest ride is an excellent way to burn money and rubber. It is also a chance to experience G-forces greater than those to which astronauts are subjected. From a week today, thrill-seekers will be able to go from nought to 250kph in barely more than five seconds as they ride along with a drag-racing world champion on a purpose-built track at Yas Marina Circuit.

The man behind the wheel is "Hot" Rod Fuller. He has won 20 titles in the National Hot Rod Association, the top league in the US, and describes the Dh400 experience as the fastest thrill in the world. "You can strap yourself up and off you go," he said. The car takes just 5.2 seconds to cover 200 metres. In that time, the dragster burns almost two litres of fuel. The same amount would be enough to take an average car about 25km. That is not quite as fast as Fuller's competition races, in which he would typically hit 160kph in just 0.7secs.

"What goes on in my head is different from the average person's head," he said. "I have been doing this for 23 years, so for me when I roll up to those stage beams [the lights], I am on. I don't have to think when I get up there." Despite the speed, Fuller is keen to assure potential passengers that they will be in safe hands. The cars are looked after by a team headed by Gary Harper, who performed the same role for Fuller in his racing days.

Also on hand is Nathan Bates from Florida, who has worked on drag cars for six years. Once the two passengers are strapped in, Harper makes sure they are familiar with the catch that will release them from the vehicle in the event of a crash. Each cockpit has a steering wheel and pedals, although these do not function. The steering and pedals are weighted to feel exactly as they would if you were driving.

"It doesn't matter if you touch the pedals," Harper said. "It will not make any difference to the car or to Rod. You just hold on to the wheel when you get going." Also, there are working dials and gauges - although passengers are unlikely to have time to pay them much heed. Majdi Haddad, who won a newspaper competition to be one of the first people to take the ride, said he felt very comfortable after being coached through what he was about to experience.

"The way the instructors give you instructions gets you in the 'why I am here' mode. "They told me to put my chin down, lift my shoulder so I can get a 100 per cent exact experience." Up front, Fuller focuses on getting to the end of the straight track. He first accelerates on a wet part of the concrete and spins the wheels. "It helps get the tyres started and heated, and it's easier on the parts of the engine," he said.

Then he rolls back and waits for the green lights. "When I press the button and the foot goes to full throttle, it is just a mechanical movement on my body and it just happens. "It is like I don't have to think about it … for me it's bam, bam bam, boom and it all happens. "There is not much thought going through my head." There was not much thought going though Mr Haddad's head, either, as the car took off.

"It is like time travelling," he said. "In the beginning, your mind is not processing everything right for the first two seconds. "For the take-off, it is like an explosion. It is the thrill of a lifetime."

For interactive multimedia, plus videos including interviews and demonstrations with dragster Hot Rod, click here.

It's like being shot from a cannon

The closer I get to the car, the faster my heart beats.

"Stand beside the car and get in as if you are getting into a bath," says Nathan Bates, the mechanic from Florida who will shortly be propelling me to 250kph.

Once strapped in tightly, I put my helmet on, shut the visor, and wait. I can hear myself breathing heavily.

Under bright floodlights, the pit crew gives us the thumbs up, and clear away from the now-roaring engine.

We move to the start line. More thumbs up, and Bates pushes the throttle.

The engine roars, and the car bounces and jolts forward, not far nor fast but abruptly and loudly. He told us this would happen when he wanted to heat the tyres.

We roll back to the lights. The light goes from red to orange and the engine reaches full revs.

I tighten my neck muscles, so my head doesn't shoot back when we take off. The G-force, I have been told, will be 4G. Astronauts have to contend with only 3.5G. It is too late to wipe the beads of sweat from my brow.

The light changes to green. In the blur of the next two seconds, I feel my chest tighten as though someone is fastening a belt around me.

It's like being shot from a cannon. I concentrate on keeping my neck straight and back muscles primed, but I forget to breathe.

All I can hear is the noise of the wind around my helmet and the engine behind me. I can't focus on anything.

Once my brain catches up with the experience, I remember to breathe. As we reach our top speed, the lights above appear to streak.

Another second. I can see the end of the track. My head feels unsteady.

My driver, Rod Fuller, takes his foot off the gas. We roll to a stop.

As we roll back to the garage, my heart is thumping. Nathan has to help me stumble out of the car.

We did 250kph in five seconds on 200 metres of track. I walk away, trying to breathe.