GM has either just patented the greatest invention in the history of drag racing, or the very worst. Which side you sit on could be an NHRA battleground for decades, at least if it makes it to production. In short, this invention could give you a perfect launch from the starting line, every time.
It’s like drag racing on easy mode, for better or worse.
Timed To The Lights For The Best Reaction Time
The patent is called Methods and Systems for Coordinating Launch Control for Vehicles for Racing, and it’s a simple idea that takes advantage of systems modern cars already have. The goal is to give you the perfect launch every time, combining the high-g getaways of a launch control system with a perfect reaction time to the green lights flashing.
First, the driver puts the car into drag race mode. Then they drive up to the Christmas Tree, the name for the system of yellow, green, and red lights that starts every drag race at an official race track. The car detects the tree’s lights, and then it tells you it detects the tree.
From there, the driver initiates the launch. The car can either make the driver hold the brake pedal, or it can hold the brakes on its own, even at full throttle. When the car is ready to launch, it will hold the throttle open even without driver intervention. That loads the driveline and helps build boost, so the car can take off as quickly as possible.
Once the lights start counting down, the car times the launch for the exact right moment. Once rolling, normal traction control does its thing, giving the driver maximum acceleration and a perfect reaction time off the starting line. Or rather, the car gets it. The driver is basically just along for the ride.
Is This The End Of Drag Racing?
2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. BurnoutChevrolet
A perfect start doesn’t mean hitting the gas the instant the green light comes on. The car has to roll forward to leave the starting line, and that takes some fractions of a second. A pro driver needs to be moving before the green, and this patent would take away that skill. It’s a key part of winning a drag race, in either open or handicapped bracket racing classes.
Drag racing seems like the obvious application, but GM hints at other racing applications in the patent. Some autocross events use a start light, and some series like Formula 1 use lights, though F1’s use variable timing. In theory, you could use it for those freeway on-ramp lights as well.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 drag race front 3/4 angleStellantis
Automakers keep making faster and faster cars, but that doesn’t make them any easier to drive. Inventions like this do make things easier, opening the performance gate to more customers. But it also kills the satisfaction of actually getting good at something. It takes practice and skill to cut a good light and get a good launch. Where’s the fun in just letting a computer do it?
Is it a good thing if anyone can hop into a ZR1X and rip eight-second quarter miles over and over again? We’re not sure. But it’s definitely not good for competition if the car does all the work to make it happen.
Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.
Sources: US Patent & Trademark Office, Road & Track
