MythBusters

On this turbocharged episode of "MythBusters"...

the whole team feels the need for speed in an Indycar special.

Holy crap!

First up, it's a sporting-superstar showdown...

Show you how we do it in the Olympics.

In a short-course sprint...

- Let's do this. - ...That'll knock your socks off.

Go!

Can man beat car?

That was close.

Then, there's some sensational suction...

Whoa! Look at that.

as the guys see if a road-hugging racecar

really can mobilize a manhole cover.

You're getting faster.

Beautiful!

Meanwhile, Kari, Tory, and Grant strip down...

Apparently, my intestines are measuring 101 degrees.

...Then suit up.

I'm about to drive an indycar for three hours! Whoo-hoo!

To test out a race-day, weight-loss myth...

Goodness gracious, that's fast.

That pushes them all to the brink and beyond.

I am exhausted. I feel like I just got beat up.

Who are the MythBusters?

Adam Savage...

It's scientific!

and Jamie Hyneman.

Quack, damn you.

Between them, more than 30 years of special-effects experience.

Together with Kari Byron...

Golden dragon!

Tory Belleci...

Why are we doing this?

and Grant Imahara.

Somebody order an explosion?

They don't just tell the myths.

Aw!

They put them to the test.

MythBusters 12x04 - Indy Car Special Original air date May 22, 2013

First out of the blocks is a myth

that pits hamstrings against horsepower.

What are you doing? Research.

Only you could call playing around with toys "research."

So, what's up first?

First up, we've got a doozy.

There is a myth that a man can actually outrun an indycar.

I'm sorry.

I don't know any dudes that can run 220 miles an hour.

He doesn't have to, because this race takes place

over only a distance of 30 feet.

Ah. Well, that's different.

That's all about the physics of it...

traction, mass, that kind of thing.

That might just work.

You feel like running?

Maybe after lunch.

Good idea.

The incredibly Indy 500 is renowned for its rolling starts.

One reason for this "go, go, go" game plan

is that indycars struggle to get a grip from a standing start.

But is their traction really so terrible

that in a 30-foot, man-versus-car race-off,

it's the human who'd take the checkered flag?

Well, what better place to test it

than America's Mecca of motorsport?

We've been lucky enough,

in the course of doing this show,

to film at some pretty iconic locations.

We got to escape from Alcatraz.

Welcome to The Rock.

We got to throw pennies off the roof

of the Empire State Building.

Wow.

And we looked for Jimmy Hoffa

on the 50-yard line of the Meadowlands.

But today... today... I am standing on the starting line

of the most famous track in racing,

the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,

known, because of this strip I'm standing on, as The Brickyard.

These bricks are some of the 32 million

used to build the original, 2 1/2-mile-long track

back in 1909.

The speedway's seen speed records smashed

and a lot of cars trashed in its 100-year history.

But safe to say it's never seen anything quite like this.

Well, our track is all set up.

You ready for some sprinting, hoosier?

I'm good to go. All we need is a car and a driver.

I'm no psychic, but I believe one is showing up posthaste.

Hey, everybody.

- Hey, Ryan. How's it going? - Good.

Ryan Briscoe's a bit of a legend around here,

not just for his driving but for walking away

from this calamitous crash back in 2005.

Today, he's offered to coach Adam on how to get off to a flying start.

This is the car I'll be racing against Jamie in our head-to-head match

but I've never driven one before.

Ryan, what would you say to a novelist about getting this one off the line and driving it?

You've got a lot of horsepower here,

and the key is really gonna be, you know,

getting that feeling with the clutch

and not stalling it, 'cause it's got a very touchy clutch.

So, you're gonna have lots of RPM.

And then, just find that bite point.

Get those tires spinning, and off you go.

With a top speed of over 240 miles per hour,

these are the fastest racecars in the world,

and Adam's pretty quick to get his butt behind the wheel.

All right, I'm gonna start it up.

Wow. I feel a rumble in my soul.

"Rumble" is right, because this car goes

from zero to 100 in 3 seconds flat.

Let's see how Adam handles the horses.

Well, that was a little spotty.

I'm gonna give it another few tries.

Any minute now, I'll be ready for the Hyneman.

The challenge is a 30 foot match race between man and car.

And there's just a few minutes for Adam to get up to speed.

Gotta see he's getting a little better.

Okay, here we go.

One more try and then I'm coming for you, Hoosier.

Here we go.

Yeah, that's it!

After four practice starts,

Adam's convinced he was born to burn rubber.

So, cue test number one...

700 horsepower versus one hopeful Hyneman.

You wouldn't think it would be much of a contest,

but here's the thing.

I weigh a little over a tenth as much as that car does.

So, I might just be a little quicker getting off the line.

The feeling trackside is, it's gonna be close,

so let's see.

Are you ready? Start your engines!

Go!

Sure enough, there's barely the width of a moustache between them.

I don't know. It was a close finish.

That was close!

The high-speed shows Adam flashing through for a win

in the last fraction of a second.

It's so close, there's no question.

This calls for a do-over.

Start your engines!

Go!

To the naked eye, it's another close call,

but the high-speed shows Adam has increased his edge.

How'd that go?

You were ahead of me by about three feet that time.

- Really? - Yeah.

It's amazing to watch it, because I'm leading you

right up until about I'm ready to cross the finish line.

And then there you are, and you're gone.

I did spin out a bunch at the starting line.

- You want to go one more time? - Yeah.

This is Jamie's last chance to confirm the myth

and boost the morale of pedestrians everywhere.

But it's not "third time's a charm."

I think I got my ass kicked.

This time, Adam wins out by way more than a nose.

We just did a very exciting three tests - man versus machine

and in the first one I won by a few inches

second one - by a couple of feet

third one - kind of by a mile.

Now, two things are happening that I think causes that.

One is I'm getting better at starting off a line each time.

Two, the tires are getting hotter and that makes them stick better.

I thought I did pretty well.

A couple of those runs, I was neck-and-neck with the car.

But I'm just wearing street clothes,

and maybe if we put somebody in proper gear,

and maybe if that person happened to be

a little younger than me, A.K.A. Adam,

he might have a fighting chance.

Yep. Just down the track,

we've got Sprint-King Savage up against Hair-Trigger Hyneman.

He's no Usain Bolt,

but the finish of this race is certified gold.

Next up is a "lose weight real fast" myth

that should get anyone's motor racing.

Okay, Indycar special. What have we got?

All right.

This one sounds a little fishy, but here goes.

It's that, during the course of a race,

an Indycar driver can lose 10 pounds.

Seriously? 10 whole pounds?

That's what they say.

Wait a minute.

Does this mean we're gonna be driving racecars

- to test this myth? - I hope so.

I'm gonna go suit up.

Excited much?

If this diet dilemma is true, it's one of the most exciting

and potentially perilous ways ever to slim down in a hurry.

The weight these drivers supposedly shed

is due to extreme exertion and plenty of perspiration.

But 10 pounds is more than most of us

could hope to lose in a month.

All right. I'm ready to race.

Since this is about sweat, maybe we should narrow it down first