silverbull1tt

Wow that looks like a pretty retarded track setup having it end near a **** cliff.

don_w

It's actually not a problem... unless you have a 4-sec car, and your chute doesn't opem. The turn off is about 200-300 feet before the sand.

70MACH1OWNER

Uuuhhh!! Ain't there a 1/2 mile of level ground out there??? That seems pretty insane to me. This coming from a guy that lives on a rural drag strip. 1 mile of straight road with a few corn fields and a couple of houses. You guys must really want to race bad to point her at a cliff.
Scott

http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Aswideopen.flv

06GTwJUICE

WERD!

I don't think I'm that crazy, even if there is 10 nets and 400yards of sand traps in front of the cliff.

I mean cheating Darwin is one thing, but opening the door wide open for him to step in is another thing.

don_w

LOL... There's plenty of room to stop for 99.99% of the cars out there. Like I said, unless you have a 4.5 sec funny car, and your chute doesn't open, you're OK.

don_w

1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, February 2, 2007

As is typical with Qualcomm, the air was cool, but the humidity was pretty high. Dew was forming before we even got out of the tech line. I knew that it was going to be an interesting night. Moisture on the track has a way of making traction iffy at best.

We made a total of 16 runs (all on the 10psi pulley), and pretty much all of them were in the 7.40s and 7.50s. And one of them was good enough to win another Super Street class trophy! I think that is number 12 or 13, now.

And I finally got a chance to line up against a Shelby GT500… but it wasn’t even a contest. Details below.

Here are the videos from Friday, February 2 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with a double asterisk (**).

Video #1, Time 6:28 pm, DA = -319 ft:
My first run was a solo pass, and was basically a waste. The track was green, and it spun right on the launch. I pedaled it once and ran a pathetic 8.038 @ 89.99, with a 2.037 60’ time.

Video #2, Time 6:34 pm, DA = -264 ft:
Six minutes later, I made another run. The opponent was a 350Z, who apparently spun badly off the line. My car hooked pretty well, and ran 7.497 @ 92.59, 1.771 against the Z’s 10.582 @ 76.26, 3.101. The 7.497 was 3 thousandths too quick to qualify for the Super Street ET Class trophy (7.500 and above).

**Video #3, Time 6:41 pm, DA = -341 ft:
For several months, I’ve been waiting to get a chance to race against a Shelby GT500. I was happy to see one next to me in the staging lanes. I was looking to put a spanking on him! I was so amped, that I went red by 0.015… d’oh. However, it all turned out to be anti-climactic. He was on street tires and spun at the hit off the throttle, and then got loose about 100’-150’ down track. Unfortunately, I never got another shot at him that night. I ran 7.444 @ 92.02, 1.708 against the GT500’s 10.270 @ 89.46, 2.992. That trap speed tells me he was pulling hard at the top end, despite his traction woes early in the run. Oh well, someday I’ll get to run one again (hopefully with drag tires on it).

**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = -371 ft:
Donna’s first run of the night ended up being the best of the night!! She was up against a Mitsubishi Evolution… and he finished a distant 2nd, almost 2 seconds behind. Donna laid down a nice 7.380@ 92.98, 1.686 vs. a 9.259 @ 83.48, 2.366.

Video #5, Time 6:59 pm, DA = -377 ft:
Donna’s next run was a solo, and she ran 7.483 @ 92.78, 1.768. The announcer at the track was not the regular guy, and he started just referring to the car as the “BAD 05GT�… but he didn’t always know which one of us was driving. It made for some humorous moments throughout the night.

Video #6, Time 7:04 pm, DA = -355 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a generic Honda. She spun a little on her launch, which killed the 60’ time and ET. But, for the moment, she had a run which could qualify for a trophy. Donna ran 7.570 @ 92.59, 1.811 vs 11.087 @ 68.49, 2.696.

Video #7, Time 7:12 pm, DA = -402 ft:
I had another solo on this run, and just barely ran under the 7.50 index, with a 7.486 @ 91.65, 1.705.

**Video #8, Time 7:18 pm, DA = -405 ft:
This turned out to be my best run of the night, 7.435 @ 92.78, 1.715. The “whatchamacallit� in the other lane ran 10.289 @ 68.60, 2.409.

Video #9, Time 7:26 pm, DA = -420 ft:
On my next run, I spun early (at the top of 1st gear) and bumped the rev limiter. The 7.561 @ 91.84, 1.760 pass was enough to bump me into trophy position and Donna out of it… but not for long.

Video #10, Time 8:32 pm, DA = -498 ft:
On Donna’s fourth run, she made another Mitsubishi look like it was standing still. Plus, she almost hit that 7.500 mark right on the nose. She ran a 7.498 @ 91.46, 1.758 to a 10.255 @ 73.88, 2.715.

Video #11, Time 8:55 pm, DA = -537 ft:
Donna’s next two runs were against an Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck. On this run, she ran 7.553 @ 92.02, 1.801 vs a 9.560 @ 79.64, 2.380. Both of them spun the tires on the launch. But, Donna’s 7.553 now put her in position for the trophy!!

**Video #12, Time 9:17 pm, DA = -564 ft:
The Viper truck made a much better pass on this run, running 8.721 @ 83.49, 2.149. Pretty impressive for a big heavy truck! Donna slowed a tick to a 7.578 @ 92.78, 1.809.

**Video #13, Time 9:36 pm, DA = -557 ft:
On this run, I faced off against a late model Mach 1. He had a good reaction time, but I passed him and drove away. My 7.473 @ 93.16, 1.742 beat his 9.158 @ 79.50, 2.219. And the 93.16mph trap was the best of the night for my car.

**Video #14, Time 9:56 pm, DA = -591 ft:
I was down to one final run of the night, and I was up against a 1968 Cougar. I ran 7.536 @ 91.28, 1.759 to the Mercury’s 9.125 @ 79.92, 2.214. Lucky for me, the 7.536 was close enough to 7.500 to win the Super Street trophy for this night!! Even though I edged Donna out for the trophy, she was a good sport about it. She cheered me on the return road, and grabbed this short video while we waited for the track photographer to take the picture for the RaceLegal.com website.

Video #15, Time 10:15 pm, DA = -626 ft:
Donna’s next race was against our friend Rich, who was driving a rental V6 convertible Mustang (while his GT was in the shop). The cameraman (me) really messed up this video… it is totally out of focus. Here are the numbers: Donna ran 7.479 @ 92.78, 1.759 to Rich’s 10.622 @ 68.49, 2.660.

**Video #16, Time 10:36 pm, DA = -624 ft:
Donna’s last pass of the night was against a Porsche 911. The guy driving the Porsche “challenged� her in the staging lanes, so she obliged him. I’m not sure what he was thinking. He had a passenger with him, which meant he couldn’t go quicker than 8.50. Maybe he just wanted a good view of the back end of the BAD 05GT as it ripped down the track! haha. Donna ran 7.563 @ 91.65, 1.793 to the tractionally challenged Porsche’s 11.289 @ 59.52, 2.299.

tom281

Thanks for posting the vids Don- it never gets old watching cars haulass.

freebass55

That's a lot of runs in 4 hours. Wish it was like that up here.

TacoBill

Awesome vids, Don!

Do you have any going up against Leo? I know you two are in different Classes, but would be fun to see a couple TMS'ers run together.

don_w

I have more from Saturday coming later. I just need time to do a write-up.


We usually get somewhere between 12 and 20 each trip to the track. We had 19 more on Saturday. Stay tuned...



Leo wasn't there this week. I think we raced each other once before, but it must not be on video.

don_w

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, February 3, 2007

Even though the temps on this day were approaching 80 degrees and the density altitude readings ranged from just under 2,200 feet to more than 3,000 feet, the car still ran pretty well. No personal bests, but both Donna and I both had 7.12s as our best of the day (although mine was 0.004 quicker). And Donna entered her first ever bracket race… a $20 entry “Gambler� event (with a $300 guaranteed purse), where the pool of money was paid out to the top finishers. Even though she was very nervous, she made it out of the first round, but broke out in the 2nd round when the car went quicker than we thought it could in the heat. But, she had fun and is looking forward to running competitively more often in the future.

The only mechanical issue of the day was a tossed belt on the 4th run. As I left the starting line, the car basically was a pig, and I knew something was wrong. A quick wiggle of the steering wheel confirmed I had no power steering, so I knew it was the belt or a broken tensioner. I limped down the track and made it back to the pits. Fortunately, my Meziere electric water pump kept the temps in check. After popping the hood, I found out the tensioner and belt were both fine, so we put the belt back on and went racing without any other problems. Oh, and I got a chance to personally tell George Meziere (who lives in the San Diego area, and races at Barona) how much I like his water pump!!

Here are the videos from Saturday, February 3 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

**Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 2,178 ft:
Donna’s first run of the day was pretty good. It turned out to be her second best ET of the day. She cut an excellent 0.036 light, and laid down a nice 7.152 @ 97.480, with a 1.595 60-foot time. The Chevy in the other lane went red by 0.050, but ran a smoking 6.629 @ 102.395, 1.447.

Video #2, Time 10:10 am, DA = 2,216 ft:
Just a few minutes later, Donna lined up against an Evo and ran another nice pass. After cutting a 0.060 light, she went 7.199 @ 97.164, 1.624 against a 9.146 @ 78.654, 2.199.

**Video #3, Time 10:14 am, DA = 2,216 ft:
Her third run was another hot lap, and the car’s performance shocked me. Without any cool down at all, Donna made her best run of the weekend with a 7.127 @ 98.528, 1.607. The Camaro ran a 7.846 @ 90.096, 1.842.

Video #4, Time 10:23 am, DA = 2,350 ft:
My first run of the day pretty much ended before it started. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my belt came off right after the burnout. In the video, you can see it dangling under the car as I stage and launch. Not that it matters, but my timeslip showed 11.588 @ 49.369, 2.152. The Nova in the right lane ran 7.768 @ 88.110, 1.708.

No Video
Time 11:10 am, DA = 2,421 ft:
After getting the belt back on, we headed back to the staging lanes. This next run was my best (and the car’s best) lap of the whole weekend. Somehow, Donna did not get it on video (I’ve accused her of erasing it… hehe). Anyway, I cut a good 0.031 light and then ran 7.123 @ 97.868, 1.574. My opponent went red by 0.056, and ran 7.522 @ 95.755, 1.738.

Video #5, Time 11:15 am, DA = 2,517 ft:
Predictably, the car slowed down on this run since it was only 5 minutes after the previous one. And the low 6-sec Nova running against me made it look even slower. Both of us turned on the red lights. He was 0.009 early and I was 0.002 red. Close to perfect, but red nonetheless. I ran a 7.225 @ 96.110, 1.604 to his 6.402 @ 105.741, 1.381.

Video #6, Time 11:20 am, DA = 2,513 ft:
My next run was against a Bullitt Mustang. He left early and I left way late. I ran a 7.209 @ 96.298, 1.599 to his 9.016 @ 78.951, 1.966.

Video #7, Time 11:28 am, DA = 2,454 ft:
Donna had time for one more test-and-tune run before the lunch break. The Gambler bracket would be starting right after the break. Ideally, this would have been a solid practice run for her, but it didn’t work out too well. She apparently over powerbraked it, and it kind of two-stepped it on the launch. You can see the car move to the left on the launch. The bad launch resulted in a 7.346 @ 96.906, 1.701. The Scion ran a pedestrian 10.251 @ 69.940, 2.308.

**Video #8, Time 12:36 pm, DA = 2,805 ft:
So, now it was time for Donna to enter the world of competitive racing. As mentioned previously, she had never run in bracket race before. Even though I’ve tried to “coach� her (as she described it), it’s not the same as getting out there and doing it. Anyway, as it turned out, she would have had a 1st Round Bye if there had been an odd number of cars, but at the last minute another car entered. She was the in the final pair, against a 6-sec Duster. He was dialed in at 6.75, and Donna was dialed in at 7.26 (the temp had gone up considerably, so we felt that was a good starting point). Donna did not have a good RT, but the Duster lit the red bulb, and Donna got the automatic win, and advanced to Round #2. But, the car definitely ran quicker than I expected in the heat. She recorded a 7.182 @ 96.959, 1.597. The Duster clicked it off early and ran 6.825 @ 91.396, 1.480.

**Video #9, Time 12:55 pm, DA = 2,880 ft:
Round #2 was run less than 20 minutes later. Since it was very warm outside, and the car didn’t sit very long, I didn’t expect it to go 7.18 again. We decided to push her dial-in to 7.20, which seemed reasonable all things considered. Her opponent was dialed in at 6.61, so Donna was getting about 6/10 head start. Neither driver cut a stellar light, but Donna was about 0.3 slower on the tree. Even though she tapped the brakes at the stripe, she still broke out, running a 7.159 @ 95.283, 1.593. I have no idea where in the heck the 7.15 came from. Her opponent ran 6.654 @ 101.939, 1.450 on his 6.61 dial, so she was eliminated. But, she’s got the fever now. Expect future bracket events for her!!

**Video #10, Time 1:03 pm, DA = 3,001 ft:
Undeterred, Donna went right back for another test & tune run. She was lined up against a Henry J, and ran a 7.228 @ 97.842, 1.652. We could have used that 7.22 on the previous run. The Henry J ran 7.744 @ 91.983, 1.832.

**Video #11, Time 1:28 pm, DA = 3,066 ft:
I was back in the car for the next run. And just to really confuse me, the car decided to crank out an awesome run considering it was the hottest part of the day (about 78 degrees), and the DA was at it’s worst. I was racing the orange Camaro Donna had run earlier, and I ran a nice 7.131 @ 98.867, 1.573 vs a 7.670 @ 91.039, 1.739. My 60’ time and the trap MPH were both the best of the day. In fact, the 98.867mph was the highest trap speed I’ve ever recorded personally. And the ET was close to the two 7.12s we ran earlier. Go figure…

**Video #12, Time 1:28 pm, DA = 2,968 ft:
Recently, this track started allowing motorcycles and cars to run at the same time. Personally, I don’t like it. It seems dangerous for the bikes. But, like it or not, I was paired up against a Suzuki GSX1300RZ Hayabusa. Those things are seriously quick crotch rockets!! On this pass, the bike clearly had some trouble right off the starting line, but he sure came on strong at the top end! I got the holeshot win light by 0.032 sec, running a 7.241 @ 94.598, 1.599 vs the Hayabusa’s 7.216 @ 107.302, 2.105.

Video #13, Time 1:51 pm, DA = 2,912 ft:
My last run of the day was not all that great… I spun a little on the launch. I was running another Evo, and all I could muster was a 7.331 @ 95.283, 1.640. The Evolution ran 8.735 @ 81.488, 1.984.

Video #14, Time 2:23 pm, DA = 2,679 ft:
Donna was lined up to run a 1994 LT1 Camaro with nitrous on this pass. However, at the last second, he shut off and she had a solo run. The track starter didn’t really even let her know it was a solo. He kind of walked up to the window as the tree was coming down. It caught her by surprise, but she cut a nice 0.046 light, but did not have time to powerbrake it correctly. The 60’ time was way off (1.727), and all it could run was 7.364 @ 97.161.

Video #15, Time 2:40 pm, DA = 2,667 ft:
This time, Donna was racing the same Bullitt Mustang I ran earlier. She ran a 7.269 @ 94.844, 1.645 to his 8.977 @ 78.632, 1.996.

Video #16, Time 2:45 pm, DA = 2,705 ft:
Donna was asleep at the tree on this run, giving up about 0.35 second right at the start. But, she was able to drive around the Nova and get the win light by 0.092 sec. Donna went 7.312 @ 98.540, 1.709 to the Nova’s 7.755 @ 88.334, 1.705.

**Video #17, Time 2:52 pm, DA = 2,725 ft:
Donna sure picked a good time to lay down a great run. She was up against the juiced LT1 Camaro that shut down against her earlier. This time he made the run. Donna combined a good 0.040 reaction time, with an excellent 7.159 @ 96.256, 1.582 run, to wipe out the Camaro, who ran 7.437 @ 96.072, 1.725. Again, I’m not sure where this 7.15 run came from. It had only been 7 minutes since here last run, and it was still pretty warm out there. But, it’s never a bad thing to put a hurting on a Camaro!! hehe

**Video #18, Time 3:00 pm, DA = 2,679 ft:
The final run of the day was respectable. Even though Donna was a tardy on the tree, the other guy went red, so it looked lopsided at the beginning. She ran a 7.247 @ 97.054, 1.629 to his 7.642 @ 91.512, 1.823. After this run, I bought Donna and me ice cream cones. Those sure tasted good!

don_w

Here are some vids of Pat (2horseowner), Leo (LEO_06GT) & Shawn (Osiris) from the Q last night:

Pat vs. Shawn

Leo vs. A Noobie (not sure if this guy had ever raced before, watch him stage)

Pat vs. Leo

And just for fun, Jim Borba in his 700hp nitroused 347ci GT350 clone... wooo weeee! This thing is capable of 5-sec 1/8 runs.

don_w

1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, February 16, 2007

Well, this turned out to be a less than stellar night at the track. The track surface wasn’t prepped very well, and the staging lines were long. And to top it off, my alternator began giving me some issues, so we had to stop early (after only 8 runs). All runs were on the 10# blower pulley.

The only upside to the night, was that I managed to win another trophy (my 13th overall) in the Super Street class (7.50 index). Click here for Race Legal results

Here are the videos from Friday, February 16 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:30 pm, DA = 221 ft:
Donna’s first run was against Ed’s car, with AJ driving. The track was very green, and they both spun right on the launch. The numbers were bad… Donna ran 8.048 @ 88.06, with a 2.010 60’ time. AJ could only muster an 8.461 @ 80.06, 2.024. Donna really over-revved on the burnout, and was banging the rev limiter. When I asked her about it later, she said, “I don’t know what I was thinking about�. I think it was a blond moment. haha

Video #2, Time 6:40 pm, DA = 191 ft:
The track was no better on the next run. Donna faced off against AJ again. You can see her getting real loose early in the run, but she drove through it. AJ improved, but left way early (red light), and Donna was way late. Anyway, the numbers weren’t good again. She ran 8.292 @ 88.58, 2.108 to AJ’s 8.005 @ 88.06, 1.808.

Video #3, Time 6:49 pm, DA = 164 ft:
Run #3 was a little better, but she still spun in 1st gear (as evidenced by the 60’ time). The opponent was an ’83 or ’84 Fox body Stang. Donna ran 7.754 @ 91.46, 1.923 vs. a 9.873 @ 70.09, 2.298.

**Video #4, Time 7:13 pm, DA = 127 ft:
My first run of the night turned out to be as good as it would get. I’m not sure, but I think that’s a Buick Grand National in the other lane. Anyway, I ran 7.487 @ 90.72, 1.702. The Buick ran 8.239 @ 87.21, 2.050.

**Video #5, Time 7:25 pm, DA = 113 ft:
On this run, I was up against a late-model F-body Z28 Camaro, running nitrous oxide. I over-powerbraked it on the launch, causing a little spin early. Even though the Z28 was only about 1/10 of a second slower than me, I had over 4/10’s of a second advantage on the tree, so it wasn’t even close. My 7.566 @ 91.64, 1.760 was more than a half-second ahead of the Chevy’s 7.682 @ 90.73, 1.703 at the finish line.

Video #6, Time 7:43 pm, DA = 82 ft:
My third and final run of the night was against another 2005+ Mustang. The margin of victory for me was over two seconds, so I’m thinking his massive rear wing and “Euro� tail lights probably slowed him down. I ran 7.613 @ 89.11, 1.731 vs 9.562 @ 80.93, 2.537.

Video #7, Time 8:46 pm, DA = 14 ft:
Donna’s next run was against this Volkswagen “jalopy�. Basically, it’s a roll cage on wheels. haha. It’s completely stripped down, and ugly as can be. But, it’s pretty quick, too. In fact, it beat Donna on this run. I wanted to go hide. Actually, I wanted to go change pulleys and run him again. Anyway, Donna’s 7.696 @ 90.90, 1.828 wasn’t enough to beat the VW “POS� time of 7.574 @ 91.46, 1.724.

Video #8, Time 9:09 pm, DA = 18 ft:
Prior to this run, the car wouldn’t re-start in the staging lanes. We used Ed’s car to jump start it, and just left it running until after the pass. Frankly, I think the problem started on the previous run. I’m convinced that the VW zapped my car with an “Ugly POS Ray� and messed up the alternator. LOL. Donna was running against Ed on this pass. Ed decided to cheat and leave before the green light was on, but Donna tracked him down and passed him anyway. She ran 7.602 @ 91.28, 1.797 to Ed’s 8.123 @ 87.03, 1.896. Because of the alternator issue, we decided to call it a night after this run.

freebass55

Sick, love the vids, Don.

That 350 clone...

don_w

Thanks.

He just got that car back together. He tore it up filming that Pinks show in Arizona a couple months ago. It will run low 9's in the 1/4.

Osiris

Right on! thanks for the video's Don

LEO_06GT

Thanks for the vids Don. After seeing the ricer stang's times last night I'm begining to wonder if it was really S/C. Heck both runs that I went against him I beat him No prob. He told me he was having "traction" issues to which I responded thos 20" rims probably aren't helping any. He said he had the Saleen S/C which even if he's a horrible driver you'd figure he'd atleast run under 8.5 or lower.

don_w

Any time. We'll try to get more in the future, too.


SC'ed? I didn't know that. He ran a 9.56 against me. Really lame if it was SC'ed.

LEO_06GT

He told me he had a Saleen S/C. Although It's probably safe to say he was lieing since he never once popped his hood. If I remember correctly his car did have a 2000 series number.

don_w

Wishful thinking?