DENSO makes its UK drag racing debut
DENSO possesses a wealth of knowledge when it comes to optimising the performance of the spark plug, but its Iridium Power plugs take things to the highest level and deliver when every second counts.
Motorsport in general, but drag racing in particular, puts immense demands on all of a vehicle’s components, but being fundamental to compete for the win, it’s the power plant that really comes under the spotlight. Pivotal to its role is the combustion process, and central to that is the reliability and quality of the spark that ignites the fuel/air mixture to maximise the power potential, a task in which DENSO Iridium Power spark plugs excel.
Although a prominent brand in many fields of competition, as the sun shone between 4th and 7thSeptember at Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, DENSO made its UK debut in the field of drag racing competition, by supporting 13 times European FIA Pro Stock champion, Jimmy Alund, with the Iridium Power IXU27 spark plugs for the 8.2-litre V8 engine that sits at the heart of his Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock machine.
Drag racing is an acceleration contest between two vehicles, competing over a quarter of a mile from a standing start, and is run after qualifying in tournament style eliminations, the loser being eliminated and the winner progressing until there is one driver left.
The FIA Pro Stock class is for petrol powered cars with traditionally opening doors, that closely resemble production models and are governed by a very tight set of rules concerning their appearance and specifications. However, equipped with DENSO Iridium Power spark plugs, the precisely tuned engine in Jimmy’s machine is able to deliver its full potential of 1,425bhp and launch him from a standstill and through the quarter mile barrier in around six seconds and to a top speed of well over 200mph!
“Switching from the previous brand of plugs to DENSO Iridium Power plugs has made a big difference,” Jimmy explained during the event. “Primarily it’s the quality of the plugs, but they are also easier to ‘read’, which is how I fine tune the calibration of the oxygen sensors with the carburettors, to ensure the combustion is as close to perfect as it can be to allow the unit to generate the optimum power needed to deliver the times I need during every run. To get a complete and ongoing picture, I examine a plug from a different cylinder after each run, but I also swap out all eight plugs for new ones, after three runs.”
Although the spark plugs are replaced after three, quarter mile outings, they fare better than the clutch, which needs to be swapped with a refaced replacement, after every run, a task that takes Jimmy and his three teammates around an hour, although they can complete it in just 45 minutes, if the pressure is really on!
Somewhat surprisingly for a sport that relies on each car going through a wheel spinning ‘burn out’ to generate the necessary heat in the tyres to maximise their adhesion to the track surface and achieve the fastest possible getaway, a set of rear tyres will actually last between 25 and 30 timed runs.
Returning to the subject of the quality of the plugs, Jimmy added: “Although the brand I previously used was the original specification for the engine, the step up in quality with the DENSO Iridium Power plugs was immediately obvious. One of the most beneficial factors is the gaskets, which are retained on the thread, which is really helpful when you’re taking them out of the cylinder head. Previously I’d have to waste time retrieving the gasket from the hole before I could refit them, which is a time consuming job when you’re changing eight plugs between races!”
When it came to the culmination of all the team’s efforts, Jimmy was the fastest in all but one of his four qualification runs, with a best combined time of 6.6241 seconds and a maximum speed of 211.86 mph. However, despite achieving the quickest quarter mile time of 6.5990, and the higher top speed of 209.94mph, his reaction time was a fraction slower that his opponent’s, which meant he just lost out on the win in Sunday’s final, by a mere 0.0079 of a second!
Rubbing salt into the wound, although Jimmy was leading the championship as the team pulled into Santa Pod, as it was the last round of the season, it also meant he was pipped to the title. However, despite the setback, with so much experience in his locker and DENSO Iridium Power spark plugs under the bonnet, he’s already raring to go for the 2026 championship and has his sights firmly set on securing his 14th title.