Note to Lexus' engineering team: if you ever decide to come out with a 3000HP IS F, you may want to consider some aero modifications. That's pretty much what Bahrain's EKanoo racing team learned, when their 3000HP Lexus IS F drag car took a short, abortive flight at the Bahrain International Circuit recently.
The car is, as you'd expect, not your stock, dentist-owned-and-operated IS F. EKanoo describes it on their site as:
Car features a Methanol burning custom Pat Musi 649 cubic inch aluminum v8 with twin Precision pro mod 91 Turbochargers feeding air through Precision Turbo PT3000 charge air cooler . It utilizes a Neal Chance Torque Converter to deliver the power to the ground by way of the Rossler TH400 Gearbox… The potential peak horsepower for the engine is estimated 3000 hp when the boost is at maximum of 2 BAR
So, you'd think, with all that heavy modification to the car, there'd be some more aero work done than a bolt-on spoiler? I know this is all a tricky business, why and how cars gain lift at speed, but I'm really surprised nobody noticed the front end getting really light in their tests? Is this the sort of thing that can just happen, with no warning?
Happily and incredibly, the driver walked away without serious injury, so good job to the EKanoo guys in charge of building that roll cage and all the safety stuff. Maybe you ought to sit down with the aero guys and lend a hand.
Also, if you like your lift-relatated crashes in slow-mo and with hilariously bombastic music, you're welcome: