 The lighter colored columns are the new locations of the intake (blue) and exhaust (red) valve stems. Obviously the biggest change was to the exhaust valves, and they were also rotated 12 degrees counter-clockwise from their old locations (viewing from the top of the head). |
There was speculation on Net drag racing forums that Johnson had as much as a 50HP advantage with the DRCE2/3, he scoffed at that, figuring he’d be finishing some tenths ahead of everybody if that were so – and that hasn’t been the case. Even though according to Engel the 3 was a just few HP below the 2 right out of the box, a team would be rejoicing if they started down with say, 10HP. Why? Because they knew they had more development potential in the later engine.
Johnson opined that currently the 2 and 3 were, “just about equal in HP,” with more potential yet to be found in the 3. He also notes that the DRCE3 is more reliable than the earlier engine. Given all that, why would Warren Johnson abandon the stable DRCE2 engine combination at the time? He certainly had been successful with its development and could be racing and likely winning with it.
 Note in this detail the splayed main caps and the 1/4-inch dowels securing and locating them. |
 A better view of a more vertical pushrod geometry of a DCRE3 combination. The rocker arm mounting areas and spring seats have been revised so engine builders have more options for valve angles. |
He is quick to answer and you can tell that the question spikes him a little. According to Johnson, the DRCE2 was an “inefficient design” and had reached the point in its development cycle where, “it was destroying parts, and that equals no power gains.” Obviously inefficiency is not something Warren takes lightly and he has quantifiable data for support of which side of the efficiency line an engine delivers. He says, “I added up that it (DRCE2) was costing me $80,000 per year in valve springs alone!” because of breaking valvetrain parts and replacing them each run. Clearly, it insults him that one of his engines would do that to him, and that was motivation enough to work on the next generation.
Where To Now?
Hard to speculate really. Dan Engel predicted at the end of 2005 that more than Johnson’s team would be using the more developed DRCE3 in 2006, and that hasn’t been the case. So, if someone of his insight and access could be a bit off, how the hell could I be any more efficient?
But when Johnson takes the same question he is emphatic. The life cycle of the DRCE2 is nearing its end, and there are more teams facing up to that and doing more DRCE3 R&D. He thinks that the DRCE2 has only about another year tops before it is fully eclipsed by the later engine. Certainly Dan Engel would like to see more teams racing DRCE3s out on the track in 2007.
Probably by that time, Warren Johnson will be dyno-flogging and on track with the DRCE4 and looking for some more RPM, and doing all that meticulous labor to eek out another incremental power gain. 
 |
||||
|
||||
 |
