McBride making a night-time pass.

To see these bikes run at night, belching flames as high as the starting line Christmas Tree, is truly the best way to experience the majesty of these thundering beasts. One thousand-plus horsepower consuming over four gallons of nitromethane in less than six seconds, front wheel motionless dangling in the air for the full pass is in a word, “breathtaking.”

What’s it like to see one of these bikes make a five second pass? John Blomeke, veteran starter for New England Dragway, who has had the job of standing between a pair of Top Fuel bikes to launch them describes the experience like this, “When it’s over, holy f*%king sh#t, that is way beyond cool!”