My Weekend Drag Racing Results (and vids)
2/18/07, 05:17 AM
#41
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Great vids as always Don. Gives me something to do around here other than shovel snow. Nice kill on the Z28. 
But that VW. 
Scott
But that VW. Scott
2/18/07, 09:29 AM
#42
Thread Starter
Yea, that VW is pretty quick. But OMG, it is painful on the eyes (and ears). It doesn't weigh anything. I saw the guy pick up the back end and move it about a foot to the left. haha
2/18/07, 12:24 PM
#43
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She is ready to go racing.Scott
2/18/07, 01:07 PM
#44
Thread Starter
In fact, take a look at June 9th on this calendar: http://www.baronadrags.com/schedule.shtml.
2/18/07, 01:13 PM
#45
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There is actually a group of people out here who specialize in drag racing VW's. It is just amazing how quick some of them are. I've seen several of them run in the 6s in the 1/8-mi!!
In fact, take a look at June 9th on this calendar: http://www.baronadrags.com/schedule.shtml.
In fact, take a look at June 9th on this calendar: http://www.baronadrags.com/schedule.shtml.
Looks like you need to go see Adam and go with the next smaller pulley!!!
At least it wasn't a bus. Good luck Don.Scott
2/18/07, 01:26 PM
#46
Thread Starter
But, back in January (on a cold night with good air), I did make a few runs there with the 12# pulley on, and I ran a bunch of 7.1s, and the best was a 7.094. I stopped after that run, before I got in trouble.
3/1/07, 02:20 PM
#47
Thread Starter
1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, February 24-25, 2007
For me, this was much anticipated weekend of racing. It was the beginning of the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #1 was on Saturday, and Race #2 was on Sunday.
However, things did not go very well at all. The key to winning bracket races is consistency, for both the car and the driver. The car was not running consistently… especially when it mattered. And my driving was less than impressive. I had a few good reaction times, but overall I was disappointed with my performance. Other than the pure fun of drag racing, I left the track after two days feeling very frustrated. And to top it off, the alternator died on the drive home from the track. Fitting ending.
Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving this weekend. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She will get all of the seat time next trip to the track.
Here are the videos from Saturday, February 24 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
Video #1, Time 10:14 am, DA = 1,843 ft:
My first time trial run on Saturday was against a 2005 GTO. The driver of this car is an accomplished drag racer, with more than 20 years of experience. He was the NHRA Division 7 ET Challenge winner in 2006. This run was the first on a new set of drag slicks for me, and I tried to give them a good burnout. But, I don’t think it was enough, there was some tire spin on the launch. I ran a 7.337 @ 96.485, with a weak 1.725 60-foot time. The GTO ran 8.344 @ 87.029, 1.978. Even though I finished first, I went red on the start and he got the win light.
**Video #2, Time 10:48 am, DA = 2,011 ft:
Run number #2 was much better. After a 0.068 light, I ran a 7.136 @ 97.945, 1.609. The ET on this run was the 2nd best of the weekend, and the trap speed was the highest all weekend. As good as this run was, I still finished well behind the opponent, who ran an awesome 6.383 @ 106.827, 1.388.
**Video #3, Time 11:27 am, DA = 2,187 ft:
The next run was also pretty decent. I was racing a classic Camaro, and I ran a 7.182 @ 97.761, 1.622. The Camaro ran 9.622 @ 73.084, 2.213.
Video #4, Time 11:57 am, DA = 2,366 ft:
The track started a new event today called the “Run for the Money”. For a $10 entry fee, you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. The other half goes to a Summit Series Finals fund for the track. I decided to stick with a 7.18 dial (which was my previous run). But, of course, the car decided to pick it up a notch, running a 7.154 @ 97.425, 1.604. My opponent, an Olds 4-4-2 W31, ran a 7.707 @ 87.429, 1.635 on a 7.73 dial. So I was .026 under and he was .023 under. Neither one of us would win the $100 winner’s share of the pot.
**Video #5, Time 12:55 pm, DA = 2,438 ft:
After the lunch break, the Summit Series eliminations began. In the 1st Round, I was up against a 55-57ish Chevy. I stuck to my 7.18 dial, and he was dialed in at 6.59. I was determined to cut a good light, and I did with a reaction time of 0.023 (my best of the weekend). But the Chevy was not far behind with a 0.034. But, here’s where my car started messing with my head. After three straight runs in the 7.1x range, it could only muster a 7.285 @ 95.972, 1.644 on this pass. That extra 1/10 of a second was all the Chevy needed to catch me and win by 0.023 sec.
Video #6, Time 1:26 pm, DA = 2,532 ft:
After the loss in the Summit Series, I wanted to get in a few test and tune runs before the Gambler bracket race started later in the day. On this run, I was up against a 2003 Z06 Corvette (with a For Sale sign in it). I ran a 7.249 @ 97.758, 1.686, to the Vette’s 10.357 @ 68.482, 2.397. I don’t know for sure, but he may have spun his street tires on the launch. And on the video, you can clearly see a lot of smoke coming from the car as he crossed the finish line. He probably hurt the motor. So, if you’re looking to buy a 2003 Z06, you might want to make sure it’s not this one.
Video #7, Time 2:22 pm, DA = 2,473 ft:
My next run was yet another in the 7.20s. After a 0.017 red light, I ran 7.220 @ 95.847, 1.614. My opponent went 9.588 @ 73.413, 2.287.
Video #8, Time 2:34 pm, DA = 2,473 ft:
Just 12 minutes later, I made another run, this time against Ed’s car (with his son AJ driving). For the 4th run in a row, I ran in the 7.2 zone, with a 7.217 @ 96.580, 1.611. I’m not sure what happened to AJ, but the car slowed to an 8.458 @ 81.299, 1.861.
Video #9, Time 3:06 pm, DA = 2,467 ft:
Now it was time for Round 1 of the Gambler Bracket ($20 entry). Since the car had four straight runs in the 7.20s, I decided to dial in at 7.25. I figured if I cut a good light, and had a lead at the end, I could always hit the brake to keep from breaking out. Well, I was real tardy on the tree, giving up about a tenth to the ’37 Fiat Topolino in the left lane (who was dialed in at 5.41). And once he passed me, there was no reason to brake, so I stayed in it. The car didn’t run another 7.2; instead it went 7.191 @ 96.600, 1.627. The seriously quick bantam ran a 5.464 @ 114.882, 1.176. Yikes!!
**Video #10, Time 3:57 pm, DA = 2,291 ft:
After getting knocked out, I had time for a couple more runs. This one was against Ed, and it ended up being my best run of the day. Even though I went red by 0.029, the car clicked of a 7.128 @ 97.244, 1.578. The ET and 60-foot times were the lowest of the weekend. Ed ran a 7.982 @ 89.891, 1.869.
**Video #11, Time 4:19 pm, DA = 2,146 ft:
My last run of the day wasn’t bad. I missed a perfect reaction time by 0.001 second (d’oh!), and ran a 7.175 @ 96.869, 1.598. But that big-block Camaro in the right lane was gone in a flash, stopping the timers at 6.377 @ 108.207, 1.374.
================================================== ====
As Sunday dawned, I had high expectations to do better than I did on Saturday. But, other than a couple moments early on in the day, it turned out to be even worse and more frustrating as the day went on.
Here are the videos from Sunday, February 25.
Video #1, Time 10:12 am, DA = 1,927 ft:
In the first time trial run, I went 7.198 @ 96.670, 1.620. Not a bad start. But, the Chevy II/Nova in the other lane made it look bad. He cut a 0.008 light and ran 6.616 @ 101.871, 1.399.
**Video #2, Time 10:37 am, DA = 2,055 ft:
This was probably my favorite run of the day, even though I lost. My opponent (Rick Reynolds) was driving his classic Ford Fairlane, with a 427 medium-riser engine in it. Basically, this is one of the factory super stocker cars from the early-mid 60s. Our cars are pretty evenly matched, so it’s always fun to run against Rick. On this day, he was 0.040 better on the tree (an 0.028 vs 0.068), and slightly quicker, so he beat me by about 1/2 a car-length (0.056 margin), even though I was gaining on him at the top end. My 7.185 @ 96.664, 1.604 just wasn’t enough to top Rick’s 7.169 @ 94.860, 1.568. But it was still fun!! Donna was standing right at the finish line for a really different perspective for the video, too.
**Video #3, Time 11:22 am, DA = 1,955 ft:
This one was another race between two evenly matched cars. On Saturday, we had pitted next to the guy who owns this Chevelle, and he had been running in the 7.1-7.2 range. So he and I decided to go heads up. Donna had moved even farther down track. She was just behind the win light, maybe 80’-100’ past the finish line. Once again, I gave up too much on the tree (his 0.052 vs my 0.098), and then my car fell off to a 7.269 @ 95.807, 1.630. George ran a 7.153 @ 95.815, 1.530 and beat me by about a car length. By the way, if you listen to the beginning of the video, you can hear my “dial in”. haha.
**Video #4, Time 12:09 pm, DA = 1,869 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. Just like Saturday, it cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. Just because my car had been so unpredictable this weekend, I decided to dial in quicker than it had run all day thus far. I figured what the heck. So I put a 7.15 on the window and rolled in. The dragster in the other lane was dialed in at 6.09. I cut a decent 0.064 light and had a 60’ time of 1.591. When I saw the 330’ time of 4.59 flash on the board, I knew it was going to be close. But I ended up going 9 thousandths too quick, running a 7.141 @ 97.624. LOL… go figure. For what it’s worth, the dragster ran 6.137 @ 112.731.
Video #5, Time 1:14 pm, DA = 1,723 ft:
This run was Round 1 of Summit Series #2. The weather was cooling off, and my previous pass had been 7.14, so I decided to dial in at 7.15. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 6.66, so I was getting about a half second head start. Unfortunately, I was asleep at the tree and the car slowed a couple ticks, and once again I lost in Round 1. The numbers were 7.180 @ 96.982, 1.601 vs. 6.760 @ 93.513, 1.455. He won by 0.048 sec.
Video #6, Time 1:52 pm, DA = 1,731 ft:
Back to some test and tune runs again… this time against another dragster. Running heads up against a 5-sec dragster sure can make you look slow. My 7.222 @ 96.578, 1.630 was no contest for his 5.968 @ 119.611, 1.295.
**Video #7, Time 2:37 pm, DA = 1,770 ft:
This run was against a 460ci Ranchero running nitrous. Even though he left early and went red, I passed him at the 60’ cone, and ended up running a 7.212 @ 97.075, 1.621 against his 7.885 @ 89.507, 1.880.
Video #8, Time 3:08 pm, DA = 1,827 ft:
This is Round 1 of the $20 Gambler Bracket. Since the last two runs were in the 7.20s, I decided to dial in at 7.25. I needed to cut a good light, and then hopefully be able to brake at the end. My opponent was the same Chevy I raced in Round 1 of the Saturday Summit Series, and like Saturday, I managed to get him on the tree. My RT of 0.049 was a little better than his 0.056. But, as soon as I hit the throttle, the car felt like a pig. It felt like it was in the wrong gear, or the e-brake was on, or the belt came off, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. It just bogged real bad. Shortly after leaving the line it took off, but the bog at the launch was all it took to end my day. With a crappy 1.874 60-foot time, all it would run was a 7.548 @ 95.953. The Chevy’s 6.819 @ 94.069, 1.425 (on a 6.63 dial) was plenty to beat me. It was shortly after this run that the alternator died, so I’m wondering if that had anything to do with the way it ran. I just don’t know.
.
For me, this was much anticipated weekend of racing. It was the beginning of the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #1 was on Saturday, and Race #2 was on Sunday.
However, things did not go very well at all. The key to winning bracket races is consistency, for both the car and the driver. The car was not running consistently… especially when it mattered. And my driving was less than impressive. I had a few good reaction times, but overall I was disappointed with my performance. Other than the pure fun of drag racing, I left the track after two days feeling very frustrated. And to top it off, the alternator died on the drive home from the track. Fitting ending.
Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving this weekend. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She will get all of the seat time next trip to the track.
Here are the videos from Saturday, February 24 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
Video #1, Time 10:14 am, DA = 1,843 ft:
My first time trial run on Saturday was against a 2005 GTO. The driver of this car is an accomplished drag racer, with more than 20 years of experience. He was the NHRA Division 7 ET Challenge winner in 2006. This run was the first on a new set of drag slicks for me, and I tried to give them a good burnout. But, I don’t think it was enough, there was some tire spin on the launch. I ran a 7.337 @ 96.485, with a weak 1.725 60-foot time. The GTO ran 8.344 @ 87.029, 1.978. Even though I finished first, I went red on the start and he got the win light.
**Video #2, Time 10:48 am, DA = 2,011 ft:
Run number #2 was much better. After a 0.068 light, I ran a 7.136 @ 97.945, 1.609. The ET on this run was the 2nd best of the weekend, and the trap speed was the highest all weekend. As good as this run was, I still finished well behind the opponent, who ran an awesome 6.383 @ 106.827, 1.388.
**Video #3, Time 11:27 am, DA = 2,187 ft:
The next run was also pretty decent. I was racing a classic Camaro, and I ran a 7.182 @ 97.761, 1.622. The Camaro ran 9.622 @ 73.084, 2.213.
Video #4, Time 11:57 am, DA = 2,366 ft:
The track started a new event today called the “Run for the Money”. For a $10 entry fee, you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. The other half goes to a Summit Series Finals fund for the track. I decided to stick with a 7.18 dial (which was my previous run). But, of course, the car decided to pick it up a notch, running a 7.154 @ 97.425, 1.604. My opponent, an Olds 4-4-2 W31, ran a 7.707 @ 87.429, 1.635 on a 7.73 dial. So I was .026 under and he was .023 under. Neither one of us would win the $100 winner’s share of the pot.
**Video #5, Time 12:55 pm, DA = 2,438 ft:
After the lunch break, the Summit Series eliminations began. In the 1st Round, I was up against a 55-57ish Chevy. I stuck to my 7.18 dial, and he was dialed in at 6.59. I was determined to cut a good light, and I did with a reaction time of 0.023 (my best of the weekend). But the Chevy was not far behind with a 0.034. But, here’s where my car started messing with my head. After three straight runs in the 7.1x range, it could only muster a 7.285 @ 95.972, 1.644 on this pass. That extra 1/10 of a second was all the Chevy needed to catch me and win by 0.023 sec.
Video #6, Time 1:26 pm, DA = 2,532 ft:
After the loss in the Summit Series, I wanted to get in a few test and tune runs before the Gambler bracket race started later in the day. On this run, I was up against a 2003 Z06 Corvette (with a For Sale sign in it). I ran a 7.249 @ 97.758, 1.686, to the Vette’s 10.357 @ 68.482, 2.397. I don’t know for sure, but he may have spun his street tires on the launch. And on the video, you can clearly see a lot of smoke coming from the car as he crossed the finish line. He probably hurt the motor. So, if you’re looking to buy a 2003 Z06, you might want to make sure it’s not this one.
Video #7, Time 2:22 pm, DA = 2,473 ft:
My next run was yet another in the 7.20s. After a 0.017 red light, I ran 7.220 @ 95.847, 1.614. My opponent went 9.588 @ 73.413, 2.287.
Video #8, Time 2:34 pm, DA = 2,473 ft:
Just 12 minutes later, I made another run, this time against Ed’s car (with his son AJ driving). For the 4th run in a row, I ran in the 7.2 zone, with a 7.217 @ 96.580, 1.611. I’m not sure what happened to AJ, but the car slowed to an 8.458 @ 81.299, 1.861.
Video #9, Time 3:06 pm, DA = 2,467 ft:
Now it was time for Round 1 of the Gambler Bracket ($20 entry). Since the car had four straight runs in the 7.20s, I decided to dial in at 7.25. I figured if I cut a good light, and had a lead at the end, I could always hit the brake to keep from breaking out. Well, I was real tardy on the tree, giving up about a tenth to the ’37 Fiat Topolino in the left lane (who was dialed in at 5.41). And once he passed me, there was no reason to brake, so I stayed in it. The car didn’t run another 7.2; instead it went 7.191 @ 96.600, 1.627. The seriously quick bantam ran a 5.464 @ 114.882, 1.176. Yikes!!
**Video #10, Time 3:57 pm, DA = 2,291 ft:
After getting knocked out, I had time for a couple more runs. This one was against Ed, and it ended up being my best run of the day. Even though I went red by 0.029, the car clicked of a 7.128 @ 97.244, 1.578. The ET and 60-foot times were the lowest of the weekend. Ed ran a 7.982 @ 89.891, 1.869.
**Video #11, Time 4:19 pm, DA = 2,146 ft:
My last run of the day wasn’t bad. I missed a perfect reaction time by 0.001 second (d’oh!), and ran a 7.175 @ 96.869, 1.598. But that big-block Camaro in the right lane was gone in a flash, stopping the timers at 6.377 @ 108.207, 1.374.
================================================== ====
As Sunday dawned, I had high expectations to do better than I did on Saturday. But, other than a couple moments early on in the day, it turned out to be even worse and more frustrating as the day went on.
Here are the videos from Sunday, February 25.
Video #1, Time 10:12 am, DA = 1,927 ft:
In the first time trial run, I went 7.198 @ 96.670, 1.620. Not a bad start. But, the Chevy II/Nova in the other lane made it look bad. He cut a 0.008 light and ran 6.616 @ 101.871, 1.399.
**Video #2, Time 10:37 am, DA = 2,055 ft:
This was probably my favorite run of the day, even though I lost. My opponent (Rick Reynolds) was driving his classic Ford Fairlane, with a 427 medium-riser engine in it. Basically, this is one of the factory super stocker cars from the early-mid 60s. Our cars are pretty evenly matched, so it’s always fun to run against Rick. On this day, he was 0.040 better on the tree (an 0.028 vs 0.068), and slightly quicker, so he beat me by about 1/2 a car-length (0.056 margin), even though I was gaining on him at the top end. My 7.185 @ 96.664, 1.604 just wasn’t enough to top Rick’s 7.169 @ 94.860, 1.568. But it was still fun!! Donna was standing right at the finish line for a really different perspective for the video, too.
**Video #3, Time 11:22 am, DA = 1,955 ft:
This one was another race between two evenly matched cars. On Saturday, we had pitted next to the guy who owns this Chevelle, and he had been running in the 7.1-7.2 range. So he and I decided to go heads up. Donna had moved even farther down track. She was just behind the win light, maybe 80’-100’ past the finish line. Once again, I gave up too much on the tree (his 0.052 vs my 0.098), and then my car fell off to a 7.269 @ 95.807, 1.630. George ran a 7.153 @ 95.815, 1.530 and beat me by about a car length. By the way, if you listen to the beginning of the video, you can hear my “dial in”. haha.
**Video #4, Time 12:09 pm, DA = 1,869 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. Just like Saturday, it cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. Just because my car had been so unpredictable this weekend, I decided to dial in quicker than it had run all day thus far. I figured what the heck. So I put a 7.15 on the window and rolled in. The dragster in the other lane was dialed in at 6.09. I cut a decent 0.064 light and had a 60’ time of 1.591. When I saw the 330’ time of 4.59 flash on the board, I knew it was going to be close. But I ended up going 9 thousandths too quick, running a 7.141 @ 97.624. LOL… go figure. For what it’s worth, the dragster ran 6.137 @ 112.731.
Video #5, Time 1:14 pm, DA = 1,723 ft:
This run was Round 1 of Summit Series #2. The weather was cooling off, and my previous pass had been 7.14, so I decided to dial in at 7.15. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 6.66, so I was getting about a half second head start. Unfortunately, I was asleep at the tree and the car slowed a couple ticks, and once again I lost in Round 1. The numbers were 7.180 @ 96.982, 1.601 vs. 6.760 @ 93.513, 1.455. He won by 0.048 sec.
Video #6, Time 1:52 pm, DA = 1,731 ft:
Back to some test and tune runs again… this time against another dragster. Running heads up against a 5-sec dragster sure can make you look slow. My 7.222 @ 96.578, 1.630 was no contest for his 5.968 @ 119.611, 1.295.
**Video #7, Time 2:37 pm, DA = 1,770 ft:
This run was against a 460ci Ranchero running nitrous. Even though he left early and went red, I passed him at the 60’ cone, and ended up running a 7.212 @ 97.075, 1.621 against his 7.885 @ 89.507, 1.880.
Video #8, Time 3:08 pm, DA = 1,827 ft:
This is Round 1 of the $20 Gambler Bracket. Since the last two runs were in the 7.20s, I decided to dial in at 7.25. I needed to cut a good light, and then hopefully be able to brake at the end. My opponent was the same Chevy I raced in Round 1 of the Saturday Summit Series, and like Saturday, I managed to get him on the tree. My RT of 0.049 was a little better than his 0.056. But, as soon as I hit the throttle, the car felt like a pig. It felt like it was in the wrong gear, or the e-brake was on, or the belt came off, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. It just bogged real bad. Shortly after leaving the line it took off, but the bog at the launch was all it took to end my day. With a crappy 1.874 60-foot time, all it would run was a 7.548 @ 95.953. The Chevy’s 6.819 @ 94.069, 1.425 (on a 6.63 dial) was plenty to beat me. It was shortly after this run that the alternator died, so I’m wondering if that had anything to do with the way it ran. I just don’t know.
.
3/1/07, 04:19 PM
#49
Thread Starter
Interestingly enough, my water temp never got higher than it normally does (190 +/-). I guess that's a good sign... it must not take much juice to run that pump!
BTW... my friendly Ford dealer wanted $470 for a new alternator (plus a $60 core charge).
So instead, I'm having my alternator rebuilt for a lot less. I should have it back tomorrow.
3/10/07, 09:54 PM
#50
Thread Starter
1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, March 9, 2007
This was a fairly good night at the track… even after having to switch from the 12psi supercharger pulley down to the 10psi pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 50s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was only 5 to 10 degrees below ambient temp all night. As the temperature went down, humidity went up, and so did the ETs. Funny thing about water in the air… you can’t compress it and you can’t burn it.
Also, RaceLegal has what is known as the “3 on, 3 off” rule. If you win trophies at three races in a row, you aren't eligible to win one for the next three races (kinda dumb, huh??). Since I had won trophies the last two times, we decided to skip trying for a trophy tonight, so we could be eligible again next time. But, it kind of backfired.
Believe it or not, if we had gone to the trophy booth at 11pm, we would have won not one... but two trophies!! Arrgggg... Donna's 7.54 run (video #9) would have got her the Super Street class trophy (7.50 index) and my 0.504 light (video #2) would have won for best reaction time of the night. As it was, a 7.60 ET and a 0.507 RT won the trophies. Oh well… at least we’re eligible for the next night.
Here are the videos from Friday, March 9 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).
**Video #1, Time 6:27 pm, DA = 49 ft:
This track is usually real green on the first couple passes (what do you expect for a parking lot with marginal prep), but it wasn’t too bad tonight (at least in my lane). My first run turned out to be the second best of the night. I was racing against Ed’s son AJ driving Ed’s Mustang. AJ had some traction problems, and his 60’ time showed it. I ran a 7.371 @ 91.46, 1.645 against AJ’s 8.459 @ 88.23, 2.104. My 1.645 60-foot time was as good as it got all night.
**Video #2, Time 6:38 pm, DA = 35 ft:
My second run was against Ed, and it turned out to be the best of the night for my car. I cut a near perfect 0.504 light (0.500 is perfect), and then ran 7.367 @ 92.59, 1.676 to Ed’s 7.952 @ 89.29, 1.922. Ed also had a great light, 0.562. It was a fun race!
Video #3, Time 6:54 pm, DA = -1 ft:
My third run was against AJ again. I powerbraked it too much on the launch, and it caused some tire spin and slowed down in the first 60 feet. But, it also ran the highest trap speed of the night, 94.94mph. Here are the numbers: 7.463 @ 94.94, 1.741 to 8.092 @ 89.99. AJ had a good 0.553 light on this run.
Video #4, Time 7:14 pm, DA = -38 ft:
It was Donna’s turn now. Her first opponent was that VW “jalopy” that she had raced on another night. Like I’ve said before, it’s basically a roll cage on wheels. It’s completely stripped down, and ugly as can be. But, with its turbo, it’s pretty quick, too. Anyway, because of my previous run (where I spun due to powerbraking it), Donna decided to try to launch from an idle. She rolled in deep and cut a great 0.538 light, but the launch was weak and resulted in an equally weak 1.838 60-foot time, and the worst ET of the whole night, 7.56. At the stripe, the VW nipped her by 12 thousandths (0.012) of a second. I just wish I could run the 12psi blower pulley whenever he’s in the other lane. She ran 7.561 @ 92.21, 1.838 to his 7.388 @ 99.11.
**Video #5, Time 7:50 pm, DA = -78 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a 6-sec Duster known as “El Picoso”. He left a little early and turned on the red bulb. Donna clocked a nice 7.438 @ 92.59 (no 60’ time recorded), to El Picoso’s 6.759 @ 102.51, 1.584.
Video #6, Time 8:18 pm, DA = -155 ft:
A Fox-body Mustang lined up against Donna on this run. Donna went red by 20 thou (0.480), but backed up her previous 7.43 run with a 7.452 @ 92.21. The Fox ran 7.736 @ 91.46, 1.796.
**Video #7, Time 9:26 pm, DA = -229 ft:
My next run was against AJ again. He was very close to a perfect light, but ended up going red by 0.007. I managed a decent 0.553 light, and then ran another 7.3x pass, 7.378 @ 92.21, 1.665 to AJ’s 7.861 @ 89.46.
Video #8, Time 10:16 pm, DA = -268 ft:
This run was against Hector’s Cobra. Unfortunately, his street tires just would not stick to this track, and it killed his chances at any good runs. One look at his 60’ time of 2.963 and you can tell how bad his traction was. I ran a 7.465 @ 91.83, 1.727 to his spinning 9.844 @ 73.53, 2.963.
Video #9, Time 10:39 pm, DA = -297 ft:
Donna had another good light on this run (0.556) en route to a 7.543 @ 92.59, 1.782. The generic import in the right lane ran 9.809 @ 72.34, 2.301.
Video #10, Time 11:01 pm, DA = -287 ft:
OK, this video has a little lesson in it. The lesson is: don’t try to do a burnout while the traction control is still on. It doesn’t work and it makes you look silly. hehe. I’m surprised she didn’t slide all over the track on the run; I thought there had to be some water left on those slicks. On this pass, Donna raced Hector in his Cobra. And the traction bug bit him even worse. After missing a perfect reaction time by a mere 6 thousandths (0.494), Donna ran a 7.475 @ 92.59, 1.737 to the Cobra’s 10.456 @ 78.80, 2.982.
Video #11, Time 11:29 pm, DA = -294 ft:
Hector lined up against me on this run as well, and it was the same story for him. I ran 7.545 @ 93.55, 1.749 to his 10.245 @ 74.13, 2.529.
**Video #12, Time 11:41 pm, DA = -294 ft:
This video is amusing. The other car is not fast to begin with and it slowed down even more on this run. I’m just about at the turn-off before he crosses the finish line. Donna has a funny line at the end of the video about me coming back around and “lapping” him. haha. Anyway, I ran 7.545 @ 93.55, 1.747 to his 12.367 @ 36.73, 2.272.
**Video #13, Time 11:52 pm, DA = -294 ft:
Donna made the final two runs of the night, and against the same Evolution each time. On this run, she left early, but still clicked off her best ET of the night, 7.415 @ 92.97, 1.702. The Evo ran 8.640 @ 80.93, 1.905.
Video #14, Time 12:06 am, DA = -294 ft:
Donna drilled the tree this time, cutting a 0.545 light and running a 7.495 @ 92.59, 1.749, against the Evo’s 8.569 @ 80.93, 1.864.
This was a fairly good night at the track… even after having to switch from the 12psi supercharger pulley down to the 10psi pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 50s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was only 5 to 10 degrees below ambient temp all night. As the temperature went down, humidity went up, and so did the ETs. Funny thing about water in the air… you can’t compress it and you can’t burn it.
Also, RaceLegal has what is known as the “3 on, 3 off” rule. If you win trophies at three races in a row, you aren't eligible to win one for the next three races (kinda dumb, huh??). Since I had won trophies the last two times, we decided to skip trying for a trophy tonight, so we could be eligible again next time. But, it kind of backfired.
Believe it or not, if we had gone to the trophy booth at 11pm, we would have won not one... but two trophies!! Arrgggg... Donna's 7.54 run (video #9) would have got her the Super Street class trophy (7.50 index) and my 0.504 light (video #2) would have won for best reaction time of the night. As it was, a 7.60 ET and a 0.507 RT won the trophies. Oh well… at least we’re eligible for the next night.
Here are the videos from Friday, March 9 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).
**Video #1, Time 6:27 pm, DA = 49 ft:
This track is usually real green on the first couple passes (what do you expect for a parking lot with marginal prep), but it wasn’t too bad tonight (at least in my lane). My first run turned out to be the second best of the night. I was racing against Ed’s son AJ driving Ed’s Mustang. AJ had some traction problems, and his 60’ time showed it. I ran a 7.371 @ 91.46, 1.645 against AJ’s 8.459 @ 88.23, 2.104. My 1.645 60-foot time was as good as it got all night.
**Video #2, Time 6:38 pm, DA = 35 ft:
My second run was against Ed, and it turned out to be the best of the night for my car. I cut a near perfect 0.504 light (0.500 is perfect), and then ran 7.367 @ 92.59, 1.676 to Ed’s 7.952 @ 89.29, 1.922. Ed also had a great light, 0.562. It was a fun race!
Video #3, Time 6:54 pm, DA = -1 ft:
My third run was against AJ again. I powerbraked it too much on the launch, and it caused some tire spin and slowed down in the first 60 feet. But, it also ran the highest trap speed of the night, 94.94mph. Here are the numbers: 7.463 @ 94.94, 1.741 to 8.092 @ 89.99. AJ had a good 0.553 light on this run.
Video #4, Time 7:14 pm, DA = -38 ft:
It was Donna’s turn now. Her first opponent was that VW “jalopy” that she had raced on another night. Like I’ve said before, it’s basically a roll cage on wheels. It’s completely stripped down, and ugly as can be. But, with its turbo, it’s pretty quick, too. Anyway, because of my previous run (where I spun due to powerbraking it), Donna decided to try to launch from an idle. She rolled in deep and cut a great 0.538 light, but the launch was weak and resulted in an equally weak 1.838 60-foot time, and the worst ET of the whole night, 7.56. At the stripe, the VW nipped her by 12 thousandths (0.012) of a second. I just wish I could run the 12psi blower pulley whenever he’s in the other lane. She ran 7.561 @ 92.21, 1.838 to his 7.388 @ 99.11.
**Video #5, Time 7:50 pm, DA = -78 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a 6-sec Duster known as “El Picoso”. He left a little early and turned on the red bulb. Donna clocked a nice 7.438 @ 92.59 (no 60’ time recorded), to El Picoso’s 6.759 @ 102.51, 1.584.
Video #6, Time 8:18 pm, DA = -155 ft:
A Fox-body Mustang lined up against Donna on this run. Donna went red by 20 thou (0.480), but backed up her previous 7.43 run with a 7.452 @ 92.21. The Fox ran 7.736 @ 91.46, 1.796.
**Video #7, Time 9:26 pm, DA = -229 ft:
My next run was against AJ again. He was very close to a perfect light, but ended up going red by 0.007. I managed a decent 0.553 light, and then ran another 7.3x pass, 7.378 @ 92.21, 1.665 to AJ’s 7.861 @ 89.46.
Video #8, Time 10:16 pm, DA = -268 ft:
This run was against Hector’s Cobra. Unfortunately, his street tires just would not stick to this track, and it killed his chances at any good runs. One look at his 60’ time of 2.963 and you can tell how bad his traction was. I ran a 7.465 @ 91.83, 1.727 to his spinning 9.844 @ 73.53, 2.963.
Video #9, Time 10:39 pm, DA = -297 ft:
Donna had another good light on this run (0.556) en route to a 7.543 @ 92.59, 1.782. The generic import in the right lane ran 9.809 @ 72.34, 2.301.
Video #10, Time 11:01 pm, DA = -287 ft:
OK, this video has a little lesson in it. The lesson is: don’t try to do a burnout while the traction control is still on. It doesn’t work and it makes you look silly. hehe. I’m surprised she didn’t slide all over the track on the run; I thought there had to be some water left on those slicks. On this pass, Donna raced Hector in his Cobra. And the traction bug bit him even worse. After missing a perfect reaction time by a mere 6 thousandths (0.494), Donna ran a 7.475 @ 92.59, 1.737 to the Cobra’s 10.456 @ 78.80, 2.982.
Video #11, Time 11:29 pm, DA = -294 ft:
Hector lined up against me on this run as well, and it was the same story for him. I ran 7.545 @ 93.55, 1.749 to his 10.245 @ 74.13, 2.529.
**Video #12, Time 11:41 pm, DA = -294 ft:
This video is amusing. The other car is not fast to begin with and it slowed down even more on this run. I’m just about at the turn-off before he crosses the finish line. Donna has a funny line at the end of the video about me coming back around and “lapping” him. haha. Anyway, I ran 7.545 @ 93.55, 1.747 to his 12.367 @ 36.73, 2.272.
**Video #13, Time 11:52 pm, DA = -294 ft:
Donna made the final two runs of the night, and against the same Evolution each time. On this run, she left early, but still clicked off her best ET of the night, 7.415 @ 92.97, 1.702. The Evo ran 8.640 @ 80.93, 1.905.
Video #14, Time 12:06 am, DA = -294 ft:
Donna drilled the tree this time, cutting a 0.545 light and running a 7.495 @ 92.59, 1.749, against the Evo’s 8.569 @ 80.93, 1.864.
3/21/07, 02:50 PM
#52
Thread Starter
1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 17-18, 2007
This weekend was the next event for the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #3 was on Saturday, and Race #4 was on Sunday. I definitely wanted to do better than the last time. I did make it to the 2nd round both days, but mostly because of luck, not skill.
One area I needed to improve was my reaction times. So, I decided to change the way I staged the car. Instead of going in as shallow as I could, I rolled in a couple extra inches. While this will hurt ETs, it improves RTs. And it seems to have helped quite a bit. For the weekend, about half of my green light RTs were under 0.050 (which is my target), with my best being a 0.002. And overall, about 70% of them were 0.093 or better. Plus I had a couple of "near miss" red lights too (a -0.001 and a -0.004). Of course, since I was purposely working the tree, I cut a few other redlights. But I guess that's the price I have to pay to get better.
The weather on Saturday was pretty warm. The high temp was about 91 degrees, and for all but the first two runs of the day, the temp was between 80 and 90 all day. The density altitude was between 3,400 and 4,100 for all those runs.
Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving on Saturday. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She did however drive on Sunday.
Here are the videos from Saturday, March 17 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
Video #1, Time 10:00 am, DA = 2,575 ft:
I started of with a decent (but not great) reaction time… a 0.093. My opponent was a 5-sec dragster, so this was a lopsided race. I ran a 7.301 @ 94.635, 1.657 60-foot time to his 5.603 @ 120.689, 1.291.
**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 3,042 ft:
Now this one was more like it. I was up against one of the best drivers in San Diego. He wins a lot of bracket races (and money) with his 2005 GTO. As usual, he cut a very good 0.030 light, but I actually beat him off the line with a 0.010 light of my own. I ran 7.285 @ 95.480, 1.668 to his 8.449 @ 95.994, 1.987.
Video #3, Time 10:48 am, DA = 3,411 ft:
This run started off with another good light, 0.043. Of course, the low 6-sec Vega in the other lane easily made up the 8/100’s I had on the tree, and drove around me. My 7.311 @ 95.288, 1.670 was no match for his 6.275 @ 108.467, 1.343.
**Video #4, Time 11:12 am, DA = 3,523 ft:
On this run, I raced another 5-second car… a Ford Pinto with a 557cid motor in it. This car is a beast… just watch the left front tire when he launches. And the driver (Rick) is one of the best out there (and is also now part owner of this track). Again, I was focused on the tree and cut my third straight good light. My 0.026 was 3 hundredths better than his 0.057, but that margin disappeared in the first 60 feet. After a little tire spin on the launch, my Mustang went 7.329 @ 95.572, 1.696 to the Pinto’s 5.700 @ 122.516, 1.288. Not even close at the finish line. haha
Video #5, Time 11:31 am, DA = 3,688 ft:
This run is an example of a bizarre occurrence that is happening every so often… and I’m not even sure why. When I launch the car, it just leaves like a pig. It seems like there is no power for about the first 8 or 10 feet, and then all of a sudden it comes on. My only theory is that it’s my torque converter acting up. I know it has some issues with lockup in 4th gear, and maybe it messes up now and then at the launch, too. Anyway, it did it on this run, which hurt the numbers across the board. All it could muster was a 7.398 @ 94.319, 1.720 to the roadster’s 5.659 @ 121.522, 1.298. I was getting tired of lining up against 5-sec cars by now. Haha.
Video #6, Time 11:52 am, DA = 3,824 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. It cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. My first four runs were between 7.28 and 7.32, so I decided to dial in at 7.30. But, I screwed up at the tree. It was a solo run, and when I rolled in, I lit both bulbs. Usually, I like to take a couple seconds after the pre-stage bulb to concentrate, but the tree came down immediately and I didn’t powerbrake it as well as I should have making for a bad launch; and I was late. What a waste of 10 dollars… all I could run was a paltry 7.418 @ 92.998, 1.680.
**Video #7, Time 12:44 pm, DA = 4,075 ft:
Now it was time for Round #1 of the Summit Series. Based on my previous two runs, and the fact that the temp was at its highest of the day, I decided to play it safe and dial in at 7.40. I was up against a Corvette who was dialed in at 5.88, so I was getting a second and a half head start. I cut yet another excellent light (0.018), and the Vette went red (-0.022). However, I didn’t notice his red light at all. All I could see in my mirror was him screaming up from behind me, and I didn’t want to hit the brakes too soon, and have him pass me at the stripe. I stayed in it until the right at the end and then hit the brakes. Amazingly, the car ran its best pass of the day (and my best of the weekend)… even while hitting the brakes, and with 90-degree air and a DA over 4,000 feet. Go figure. Maybe the cloud cover that rolled in a couple minutes earlier played a part, but who knows. It ran 7.204 @ 92.516, 1.598. Even though I broke out by a bunch, his red light saved me. I got totally lucky on this run. The Vette ran 5.908 @ 117.286, 1.333.
**Video #8, Time 1:37 pm, DA = 3,407 ft:
My next run was Round #2 of the Summit Series. The temp had dropped quite a bit, so I decided to go back to some of my earlier runs as a benchmark. Donna suggested I dial in at 7.26, but I opted for 7.29. In bracket racing, you really want to dial in a number you’re pretty sure you can run, and then use the brakes to adjust at the end. It’s easier to slow it down than to speed it up. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 7.64, so he was leaving first. We had almost identical RTs (my 0.080 to his 0.079), so the finish line would be the key. Once I got out in front, I hit the brakes at the end… but not enough. I ended up running a 7.286, breaking out by a mere 0.004 sec. Four thousandths of a second is about 6 inches. D’Oh!! If I had listened to Donna and dialed in at 7.26, I would have been moving on to Round #3. Instead, I was done. Here are the numbers: 7.286 @ 89.046, 1.651 to his 7.670 @ 87.392, 1.635.
Video #9, Time 2:00 pm, DA = 3,454 ft:
I had time for a couple practice runs before the afternoon Gambler bracket race started. And on this one, I was paired up with the Vega I ran earlier. Once again, I started with a pretty good light (0.037), and ended up running a 7.261 @ 95.486, 1.650. The Vega went 6.510 @ 104.700, 1.381.
**Video #10, Time 2:35 pm, DA = 3,824 ft:
Here is the first run I made against Ed this day. I was a little too aggressive on the tree, going red by 0.025 sec, and Ed took a little nap… whoops. I ran 7.284 @ 97.151, 1.653 to Ed’s 7.818 @ 88.827, 1.787. The 97.151mph trap speed was the highest my car ran all weekend.
Video #11, Time 2:53 pm, DA = 3,890 ft:
OK, I decided to pay the $20 and enter the Gambler bracket race. The previous three runs had been a 7.28, 7.26 and 7.28, so I thought it was being consistent enough to run the bracket. I dialed in at 7.28 and was paired up against a Camaro dialed in at 6.41. My RT was decent (0.070, which was almost 9/100 better than his 0.157), but just like on run #5 the car fell flat on its face on the launch. All I could muster was a 7.423 @ 94.595, 1.745 to the Camaro’s 6.443 @ 107.433, 1.410. The margin of victory for him was 0.023. So, the big advantage I had on the tree was wasted because the car dogged on me.
Video #12, Time 3:10 pm, DA = 3,909 ft:
The rest of my runs would now just be for practice. On this one I had a solo pass, running 7.312 @ 95.076, 1.689. I was early on the tree, turning on the red bulb by 0.063.
Video #13, Time 3:38 pm, DA = 3,768 ft:
My next run was against a Dodge Coronet, and my car went back to being a pig again. I wish I knew for sure what is causing this behavior. The 60-foot was way off again (1.731) and all it would run was 7.412 @ 94.500. The Dodge ran 7.043 @ 98.548, 1.590.
Video #14, Time 3:41 pm, DA = 3,756 ft:
I hotlapped it back to the staging lanes in time to line up against Ed. This time Ed was trigger happy and left early (-0.083), and I got caught napping (0.162). I ran 7.335 @ 94.669, 1.671 to Ed’s 7.855 @ 89.600, 1.845.
**Video #15, Time 3:55 pm, DA = 3,740 ft:
Ed and I went at it again, but this time we both nailed the Christmas tree. Ed had an outstanding 0.013 light, and I was right behind him with a 0.023. At the end, the timeslips read 7.369 @ 94.011, 1.683 vs 7.832 @ 89.283, 1.797.
Video #16, Time 4:00 pm, DA = 3,757 ft:
We decided to hotlap it one final time for the day. Ed and I both had nearly equal reaction times (my 0.087 to his 0.085). I ran 7.314 @ 94.633, 1.661 to Ed’s 8.114 @ 87.837, 1.950.
[The videos for Sunday will come later today or tomorrow]
This weekend was the next event for the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #3 was on Saturday, and Race #4 was on Sunday. I definitely wanted to do better than the last time. I did make it to the 2nd round both days, but mostly because of luck, not skill.
One area I needed to improve was my reaction times. So, I decided to change the way I staged the car. Instead of going in as shallow as I could, I rolled in a couple extra inches. While this will hurt ETs, it improves RTs. And it seems to have helped quite a bit. For the weekend, about half of my green light RTs were under 0.050 (which is my target), with my best being a 0.002. And overall, about 70% of them were 0.093 or better. Plus I had a couple of "near miss" red lights too (a -0.001 and a -0.004). Of course, since I was purposely working the tree, I cut a few other redlights. But I guess that's the price I have to pay to get better.
The weather on Saturday was pretty warm. The high temp was about 91 degrees, and for all but the first two runs of the day, the temp was between 80 and 90 all day. The density altitude was between 3,400 and 4,100 for all those runs.
Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving on Saturday. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She did however drive on Sunday.
Here are the videos from Saturday, March 17 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
Video #1, Time 10:00 am, DA = 2,575 ft:
I started of with a decent (but not great) reaction time… a 0.093. My opponent was a 5-sec dragster, so this was a lopsided race. I ran a 7.301 @ 94.635, 1.657 60-foot time to his 5.603 @ 120.689, 1.291.
**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 3,042 ft:
Now this one was more like it. I was up against one of the best drivers in San Diego. He wins a lot of bracket races (and money) with his 2005 GTO. As usual, he cut a very good 0.030 light, but I actually beat him off the line with a 0.010 light of my own. I ran 7.285 @ 95.480, 1.668 to his 8.449 @ 95.994, 1.987.
Video #3, Time 10:48 am, DA = 3,411 ft:
This run started off with another good light, 0.043. Of course, the low 6-sec Vega in the other lane easily made up the 8/100’s I had on the tree, and drove around me. My 7.311 @ 95.288, 1.670 was no match for his 6.275 @ 108.467, 1.343.
**Video #4, Time 11:12 am, DA = 3,523 ft:
On this run, I raced another 5-second car… a Ford Pinto with a 557cid motor in it. This car is a beast… just watch the left front tire when he launches. And the driver (Rick) is one of the best out there (and is also now part owner of this track). Again, I was focused on the tree and cut my third straight good light. My 0.026 was 3 hundredths better than his 0.057, but that margin disappeared in the first 60 feet. After a little tire spin on the launch, my Mustang went 7.329 @ 95.572, 1.696 to the Pinto’s 5.700 @ 122.516, 1.288. Not even close at the finish line. haha
Video #5, Time 11:31 am, DA = 3,688 ft:
This run is an example of a bizarre occurrence that is happening every so often… and I’m not even sure why. When I launch the car, it just leaves like a pig. It seems like there is no power for about the first 8 or 10 feet, and then all of a sudden it comes on. My only theory is that it’s my torque converter acting up. I know it has some issues with lockup in 4th gear, and maybe it messes up now and then at the launch, too. Anyway, it did it on this run, which hurt the numbers across the board. All it could muster was a 7.398 @ 94.319, 1.720 to the roadster’s 5.659 @ 121.522, 1.298. I was getting tired of lining up against 5-sec cars by now. Haha.
Video #6, Time 11:52 am, DA = 3,824 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. It cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. My first four runs were between 7.28 and 7.32, so I decided to dial in at 7.30. But, I screwed up at the tree. It was a solo run, and when I rolled in, I lit both bulbs. Usually, I like to take a couple seconds after the pre-stage bulb to concentrate, but the tree came down immediately and I didn’t powerbrake it as well as I should have making for a bad launch; and I was late. What a waste of 10 dollars… all I could run was a paltry 7.418 @ 92.998, 1.680.
**Video #7, Time 12:44 pm, DA = 4,075 ft:
Now it was time for Round #1 of the Summit Series. Based on my previous two runs, and the fact that the temp was at its highest of the day, I decided to play it safe and dial in at 7.40. I was up against a Corvette who was dialed in at 5.88, so I was getting a second and a half head start. I cut yet another excellent light (0.018), and the Vette went red (-0.022). However, I didn’t notice his red light at all. All I could see in my mirror was him screaming up from behind me, and I didn’t want to hit the brakes too soon, and have him pass me at the stripe. I stayed in it until the right at the end and then hit the brakes. Amazingly, the car ran its best pass of the day (and my best of the weekend)… even while hitting the brakes, and with 90-degree air and a DA over 4,000 feet. Go figure. Maybe the cloud cover that rolled in a couple minutes earlier played a part, but who knows. It ran 7.204 @ 92.516, 1.598. Even though I broke out by a bunch, his red light saved me. I got totally lucky on this run. The Vette ran 5.908 @ 117.286, 1.333.
**Video #8, Time 1:37 pm, DA = 3,407 ft:
My next run was Round #2 of the Summit Series. The temp had dropped quite a bit, so I decided to go back to some of my earlier runs as a benchmark. Donna suggested I dial in at 7.26, but I opted for 7.29. In bracket racing, you really want to dial in a number you’re pretty sure you can run, and then use the brakes to adjust at the end. It’s easier to slow it down than to speed it up. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 7.64, so he was leaving first. We had almost identical RTs (my 0.080 to his 0.079), so the finish line would be the key. Once I got out in front, I hit the brakes at the end… but not enough. I ended up running a 7.286, breaking out by a mere 0.004 sec. Four thousandths of a second is about 6 inches. D’Oh!! If I had listened to Donna and dialed in at 7.26, I would have been moving on to Round #3. Instead, I was done. Here are the numbers: 7.286 @ 89.046, 1.651 to his 7.670 @ 87.392, 1.635.
Video #9, Time 2:00 pm, DA = 3,454 ft:
I had time for a couple practice runs before the afternoon Gambler bracket race started. And on this one, I was paired up with the Vega I ran earlier. Once again, I started with a pretty good light (0.037), and ended up running a 7.261 @ 95.486, 1.650. The Vega went 6.510 @ 104.700, 1.381.
**Video #10, Time 2:35 pm, DA = 3,824 ft:
Here is the first run I made against Ed this day. I was a little too aggressive on the tree, going red by 0.025 sec, and Ed took a little nap… whoops. I ran 7.284 @ 97.151, 1.653 to Ed’s 7.818 @ 88.827, 1.787. The 97.151mph trap speed was the highest my car ran all weekend.
Video #11, Time 2:53 pm, DA = 3,890 ft:
OK, I decided to pay the $20 and enter the Gambler bracket race. The previous three runs had been a 7.28, 7.26 and 7.28, so I thought it was being consistent enough to run the bracket. I dialed in at 7.28 and was paired up against a Camaro dialed in at 6.41. My RT was decent (0.070, which was almost 9/100 better than his 0.157), but just like on run #5 the car fell flat on its face on the launch. All I could muster was a 7.423 @ 94.595, 1.745 to the Camaro’s 6.443 @ 107.433, 1.410. The margin of victory for him was 0.023. So, the big advantage I had on the tree was wasted because the car dogged on me.
Video #12, Time 3:10 pm, DA = 3,909 ft:
The rest of my runs would now just be for practice. On this one I had a solo pass, running 7.312 @ 95.076, 1.689. I was early on the tree, turning on the red bulb by 0.063.
Video #13, Time 3:38 pm, DA = 3,768 ft:
My next run was against a Dodge Coronet, and my car went back to being a pig again. I wish I knew for sure what is causing this behavior. The 60-foot was way off again (1.731) and all it would run was 7.412 @ 94.500. The Dodge ran 7.043 @ 98.548, 1.590.
Video #14, Time 3:41 pm, DA = 3,756 ft:
I hotlapped it back to the staging lanes in time to line up against Ed. This time Ed was trigger happy and left early (-0.083), and I got caught napping (0.162). I ran 7.335 @ 94.669, 1.671 to Ed’s 7.855 @ 89.600, 1.845.
**Video #15, Time 3:55 pm, DA = 3,740 ft:
Ed and I went at it again, but this time we both nailed the Christmas tree. Ed had an outstanding 0.013 light, and I was right behind him with a 0.023. At the end, the timeslips read 7.369 @ 94.011, 1.683 vs 7.832 @ 89.283, 1.797.
Video #16, Time 4:00 pm, DA = 3,757 ft:
We decided to hotlap it one final time for the day. Ed and I both had nearly equal reaction times (my 0.087 to his 0.085). I ran 7.314 @ 94.633, 1.661 to Ed’s 8.114 @ 87.837, 1.950.
[The videos for Sunday will come later today or tomorrow]
3/22/07, 09:59 PM
#53
Thread Starter
1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 17-18, 2007
Sunday, March 18 was day two of the weekend 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. We were lucky that the weather was cooler on Sunday than it had been on Saturday. The high temp was 74 degrees (compared to 91 on Saturday), and the density altitude ranged from 2,200 and 3,100 feet.
I continued my experimentation with staging deeper to improve my reaction times. However, I think the car was reacting quicker due to the better air and I had more redlights than I’ve ever had at the track. During test and tune runs they are irrelevant, but in competition, they can hurt. Video #8 is a prime example of a good run gone bad because of the red bulb.
As is our normal routine, Donna and I shared seat time today. Even with me running in the Summit Series, we still got 19 runs in, with Donna getting 10 of them.
Here are the videos from Sunday, March 18 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 2,224 ft:
My first run out of the box was against a Fox-body Mustang. Although I went red on this run, I missed a perfect RT by only one one-thousandth of a second (-0.001). The car “hiccupped” on the top end, but still ran a 7.280 @ 94,624, 1.669 60-foot. The Fox was way behind at 10.060 @ 70.982, 2.250.
**Video #2, Time 10:20 am, DA = 2,293 ft:
This was Donna’s first run of the weekend, and she came out swinging for sure. She ripped off the best run of the weekend (by far), and neither one of us ever got close to this run the rest of the day. She cut a very nice 0.051 light (her best of the day), and laid down a killer 7.110 @ 96.954, 1.584. The ET and 60-foot times were the best of the weekend, and the trap speed was 2nd best (behind the 97.15 I had on Saturday). The 7.110 was also her 2nd best ET ever (and the car’s 6th best overall). The quick 65 Chevy in the right lane went 6.754 @ 101.542, 1.456.
Video #3, Time 10:39 am, DA = 2,458 ft:
My next run was against another Fox-body Mustang. Even though I had another good RT (0.036), the car decided it was time to launch like a pig again, which showed in the horrible 1.832 60’ time. This hesitation on the launch is unpredictable and quite annoying. All it would run was a 7.449 @ 95.634. The Fox ran 8.842 @ 78.567, 1.820.
Video #4, Time 11:06 am, DA = 2,677 ft:
Donna’s next run was more in line with the rest of the weekend. She was paired up with a 1970 Chevelle. The blue Mustang ran 7.283 @ 96.176, 1.695 to the Chevy’s 8.389 @ 81.780, 1.877.
Video #5, Time 11:26 am, DA = 2,731 ft:
A 1964 Ford Falcon was the next car to run against me, but I was overmatched. My 7.303 @ 95.616, 1.695 was no problem for the Falcon’s 6.487 @ 111.275, 1.321.
Video #6, Time 11:46 am, DA = 2,749 ft:
There was time for one more run before the lunch break and Donna got a solo out of it. She ran 7.264 @ 95.993, 1.677.
**Video #7, Time 12:52 pm, DA = 3,030 ft:
This was Round #1 of the Summit race. I was lined up against a Nova and it was basically a heads up race. My dial in was 7.30 and his was 7.31. I was comfortable with the 7.30 because the previous three runs had been 7.28, 7.30 and 7.26. As it turned out, I won the round on a double red light (his -0.068 was worse than my -0.029). But, I got an even bigger break… the car bogged worse than ever before on the launch, running only 1.905 in the 60-foot. You can visually see the nose of the car stay down for the first 8 or 10 feet off the line. My 7.498 @ 95.882 was the slowest of the weekend. The Nova went 7.377 @ 85.566, 1.522.
**Video #8, Time 1:30 pm, DA = 3,028 ft:
This was Round #2 of the Summit race, and was even more frustrating to me as a driver than my 0.004 second breakout on Saturday. I was paired up with a 6-sec Nova, who was dialed in at 6.49. I kept my dial at 7.30… which turned out to be the right call. The car ran right on the dial with a 7.300 ET! But, the driver messed up and left early, triggering the red light. D’Oh!!! So, a perfect “dead on with a zero” run was totally wasted because of a starting line foul by yours truly. The final numbers were 7.300 @ 95.024, 1.679 to the Nova’s winning 6.533 @ 103.804, 1.414. He also cut a killer 0.011 light, too.
**Video #9, Time 1:47 pm, DA = 2,949 ft:
Donna got back in the car for this run against a Vega. He must have trouble, because the Vega will run low 6’s, but all he could run here was 8.8. Donna missed a perfect reaction time by a mere 0.006 seconds, and then clocked a 7.332 @ 95.610, 1.698. The Vega’s numbers were 8.867 @ 61.376, 2.467.
Video #10, Time 1:51 pm, DA = 3,014 ft:
Donna was up against yet another Nova on this run, who also had problems and aborted. After a 0.063 RT, the tires spun a little in 1st gear, slowing the run down. She went 7.397 @ 95.496, 1.702. The Nova’s numbers were 11.056 @ 58.293, 2.676.
**Video #11, Time 2:15 pm, DA = 3,123 ft:
This track allows cars and motorcycles to race each other. On this run, I was up against a Hayabusa bike. Those things are fast… but not fast enough on this run. I cut my best reaction time of the weekend… a near perfect 0.002! And then I outran the Hayabusa also. The timeslip showed my 7.242 @ 95.774, 1.655 beating his 7.299 @ 104.798, 2.030.
**Video #12, Time 2:47 pm, DA = 3,074 ft:
This run was against a pretty quick Camaro. I ran 7.233 @ 95.563, 1.637 to his 6.726 @ 103.249, 1.553.
**Video #13, Time 3:02 pm, DA = 3,035 ft:
This time it was Donna against the Hayabusa. Donna went out and laid down an awesome run (especially with a DA over 3,000 feet), with a good 0.064 RT. She ran a 7.173 @ 96.173, 1.620. But, he was better on the tree (0.013) and ran quicker, beating her by 0.183 sec. The bike ran 7.041 @ 106.015, 1.864. This one was fun to watch.
Video #14, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,951 ft:
There weren’t too many cars left by now, so Donna ended up racing the bike… again. He left early and went red, and Donna was tardy. But, she ran a solid 7.218 @ 96.383, 1.617 to his 7.086 @ 105.199, 1.890.
**Video #15, Time 3:42 pm, DA = 2,996 ft:
On this run, I was racing a… well, I’m not sure. A Buick? Olds? Whatever. Anyway, this turned out to be my 2nd best run of the weekend, running a 7.221 @ 95.845, 1.625. The opponent ran 8.601 @ 79.491, 1.913.
Video #16, Time 3:46 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
I hotlapped it back around and ran against the same car. I just missed a perfect light, going red by 0.004. Hotlapping usually takes a toll on performance and this was no exception. I slowed to a 7.321 @ 94.997, 1.669. He ran 8.951 @ 77.484, 2.042.
**Video #17, Time 3:59 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
OK, this one was bizarre and takes a little explanation. I couldn’t see it from where I was standing, but Donna and I figured it out later. First, she rolled through both stage beams. So she was asking the starter what to do (back up and restage, or just stay there?). He gestured to her to just stay there, but when the tree came down, her amber lights never flashed. The Jeep in the other lane left, and she was confused. The starter just motioned for her to go. Since her front tires were already out of the beams, the rear tires tripped the starting beam. The timeslip shows a 60’ time of 1.136. haha. And when the scoreboard flashed 6.74… well, I knew it was wrong. My reaction is humorous… “That ain’t right!” And the funniest part was, even after waiting that long to leave the line, she still caught and passed him before the stripe! For the record, the Jeep ran 10.370 @ 65.956, 2.318.
Video #18, Time 4:06 pm, DA = 2,937 ft:
This time, Donna staged correctly against the Jeep. She ran 7.278 @ 94.516, 1.626 to his 10.289 @ 65.916, 2.339.
**Video #19, Time 4:16 pm, DA = 2,909 ft:
The last run of the weekend was a solo pass for Donna. And she finished off in style. After cutting a 0.083 light, she tripped the beams in 7.247 sec @ 96.079mph, 1.633.
Sunday, March 18 was day two of the weekend 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. We were lucky that the weather was cooler on Sunday than it had been on Saturday. The high temp was 74 degrees (compared to 91 on Saturday), and the density altitude ranged from 2,200 and 3,100 feet.
I continued my experimentation with staging deeper to improve my reaction times. However, I think the car was reacting quicker due to the better air and I had more redlights than I’ve ever had at the track. During test and tune runs they are irrelevant, but in competition, they can hurt. Video #8 is a prime example of a good run gone bad because of the red bulb.
As is our normal routine, Donna and I shared seat time today. Even with me running in the Summit Series, we still got 19 runs in, with Donna getting 10 of them.
Here are the videos from Sunday, March 18 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 2,224 ft:
My first run out of the box was against a Fox-body Mustang. Although I went red on this run, I missed a perfect RT by only one one-thousandth of a second (-0.001). The car “hiccupped” on the top end, but still ran a 7.280 @ 94,624, 1.669 60-foot. The Fox was way behind at 10.060 @ 70.982, 2.250.
**Video #2, Time 10:20 am, DA = 2,293 ft:
This was Donna’s first run of the weekend, and she came out swinging for sure. She ripped off the best run of the weekend (by far), and neither one of us ever got close to this run the rest of the day. She cut a very nice 0.051 light (her best of the day), and laid down a killer 7.110 @ 96.954, 1.584. The ET and 60-foot times were the best of the weekend, and the trap speed was 2nd best (behind the 97.15 I had on Saturday). The 7.110 was also her 2nd best ET ever (and the car’s 6th best overall). The quick 65 Chevy in the right lane went 6.754 @ 101.542, 1.456.
Video #3, Time 10:39 am, DA = 2,458 ft:
My next run was against another Fox-body Mustang. Even though I had another good RT (0.036), the car decided it was time to launch like a pig again, which showed in the horrible 1.832 60’ time. This hesitation on the launch is unpredictable and quite annoying. All it would run was a 7.449 @ 95.634. The Fox ran 8.842 @ 78.567, 1.820.
Video #4, Time 11:06 am, DA = 2,677 ft:
Donna’s next run was more in line with the rest of the weekend. She was paired up with a 1970 Chevelle. The blue Mustang ran 7.283 @ 96.176, 1.695 to the Chevy’s 8.389 @ 81.780, 1.877.
Video #5, Time 11:26 am, DA = 2,731 ft:
A 1964 Ford Falcon was the next car to run against me, but I was overmatched. My 7.303 @ 95.616, 1.695 was no problem for the Falcon’s 6.487 @ 111.275, 1.321.
Video #6, Time 11:46 am, DA = 2,749 ft:
There was time for one more run before the lunch break and Donna got a solo out of it. She ran 7.264 @ 95.993, 1.677.
**Video #7, Time 12:52 pm, DA = 3,030 ft:
This was Round #1 of the Summit race. I was lined up against a Nova and it was basically a heads up race. My dial in was 7.30 and his was 7.31. I was comfortable with the 7.30 because the previous three runs had been 7.28, 7.30 and 7.26. As it turned out, I won the round on a double red light (his -0.068 was worse than my -0.029). But, I got an even bigger break… the car bogged worse than ever before on the launch, running only 1.905 in the 60-foot. You can visually see the nose of the car stay down for the first 8 or 10 feet off the line. My 7.498 @ 95.882 was the slowest of the weekend. The Nova went 7.377 @ 85.566, 1.522.
**Video #8, Time 1:30 pm, DA = 3,028 ft:
This was Round #2 of the Summit race, and was even more frustrating to me as a driver than my 0.004 second breakout on Saturday. I was paired up with a 6-sec Nova, who was dialed in at 6.49. I kept my dial at 7.30… which turned out to be the right call. The car ran right on the dial with a 7.300 ET! But, the driver messed up and left early, triggering the red light. D’Oh!!! So, a perfect “dead on with a zero” run was totally wasted because of a starting line foul by yours truly. The final numbers were 7.300 @ 95.024, 1.679 to the Nova’s winning 6.533 @ 103.804, 1.414. He also cut a killer 0.011 light, too.
**Video #9, Time 1:47 pm, DA = 2,949 ft:
Donna got back in the car for this run against a Vega. He must have trouble, because the Vega will run low 6’s, but all he could run here was 8.8. Donna missed a perfect reaction time by a mere 0.006 seconds, and then clocked a 7.332 @ 95.610, 1.698. The Vega’s numbers were 8.867 @ 61.376, 2.467.
Video #10, Time 1:51 pm, DA = 3,014 ft:
Donna was up against yet another Nova on this run, who also had problems and aborted. After a 0.063 RT, the tires spun a little in 1st gear, slowing the run down. She went 7.397 @ 95.496, 1.702. The Nova’s numbers were 11.056 @ 58.293, 2.676.
**Video #11, Time 2:15 pm, DA = 3,123 ft:
This track allows cars and motorcycles to race each other. On this run, I was up against a Hayabusa bike. Those things are fast… but not fast enough on this run. I cut my best reaction time of the weekend… a near perfect 0.002! And then I outran the Hayabusa also. The timeslip showed my 7.242 @ 95.774, 1.655 beating his 7.299 @ 104.798, 2.030.
**Video #12, Time 2:47 pm, DA = 3,074 ft:
This run was against a pretty quick Camaro. I ran 7.233 @ 95.563, 1.637 to his 6.726 @ 103.249, 1.553.
**Video #13, Time 3:02 pm, DA = 3,035 ft:
This time it was Donna against the Hayabusa. Donna went out and laid down an awesome run (especially with a DA over 3,000 feet), with a good 0.064 RT. She ran a 7.173 @ 96.173, 1.620. But, he was better on the tree (0.013) and ran quicker, beating her by 0.183 sec. The bike ran 7.041 @ 106.015, 1.864. This one was fun to watch.
Video #14, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,951 ft:
There weren’t too many cars left by now, so Donna ended up racing the bike… again. He left early and went red, and Donna was tardy. But, she ran a solid 7.218 @ 96.383, 1.617 to his 7.086 @ 105.199, 1.890.
**Video #15, Time 3:42 pm, DA = 2,996 ft:
On this run, I was racing a… well, I’m not sure. A Buick? Olds? Whatever. Anyway, this turned out to be my 2nd best run of the weekend, running a 7.221 @ 95.845, 1.625. The opponent ran 8.601 @ 79.491, 1.913.
Video #16, Time 3:46 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
I hotlapped it back around and ran against the same car. I just missed a perfect light, going red by 0.004. Hotlapping usually takes a toll on performance and this was no exception. I slowed to a 7.321 @ 94.997, 1.669. He ran 8.951 @ 77.484, 2.042.
**Video #17, Time 3:59 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
OK, this one was bizarre and takes a little explanation. I couldn’t see it from where I was standing, but Donna and I figured it out later. First, she rolled through both stage beams. So she was asking the starter what to do (back up and restage, or just stay there?). He gestured to her to just stay there, but when the tree came down, her amber lights never flashed. The Jeep in the other lane left, and she was confused. The starter just motioned for her to go. Since her front tires were already out of the beams, the rear tires tripped the starting beam. The timeslip shows a 60’ time of 1.136. haha. And when the scoreboard flashed 6.74… well, I knew it was wrong. My reaction is humorous… “That ain’t right!” And the funniest part was, even after waiting that long to leave the line, she still caught and passed him before the stripe! For the record, the Jeep ran 10.370 @ 65.956, 2.318.
Video #18, Time 4:06 pm, DA = 2,937 ft:
This time, Donna staged correctly against the Jeep. She ran 7.278 @ 94.516, 1.626 to his 10.289 @ 65.916, 2.339.
**Video #19, Time 4:16 pm, DA = 2,909 ft:
The last run of the weekend was a solo pass for Donna. And she finished off in style. After cutting a 0.083 light, she tripped the beams in 7.247 sec @ 96.079mph, 1.633.
3/23/07, 11:53 AM
#55
Thread Starter
Thanks... and PM replied.
3/28/07, 03:50 PM
#57
Thread Starter
1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, March 23, 2007
This turned out to be a good night at the track. As usual, I installed the 10psi blower pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 60s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was in the 50’s all night, which really hurt the air. And the left lane was slick and tricky. Every time we ran in that lane, it spun on the launch.
We only got a total of 11 runs because we quit a little early. But one of them was good enough for another trophy! I won the trophy for the Best Reaction Time (a 0.501 on a 0.500 tree). In fact, my slowest light all night was 0.527. RaceLegal Results here.
Here are the videos from Friday, March 23 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).
**Video #1, Time 6:21 pm, DA = 507 ft:
My first run was against Jim Borba and his GT350 clone. Normally, he runs low 6’s on a 200-300 shot of nitrous on the 347 stroker motor, but tonight he was sans bottle, running all motor. We both went red on the run, but he was 0.001 more red than me (0.476 to 0.477). I ran 7.480 @ 89.99, 1.736 60-foot time. Borba’s numbers were 7.059 @ 96.77, 1.614.
Video #2, Time 6:26 pm, DA = 514 ft:
My next run was against another Mustang. I was in the left lane, and quickly found out how little traction there was over there. Even though I cut a pretty good light (0.513), it spun hard. You can hear it bounce off the rev limiter as it spun the tires. The 1.801 60-foot time resulted in a 7.583 @ 92.40. The black Stang went 10.645 @ 65.88, 2.671.
**Video #3, Time 6:32 pm, DA = 499 ft:
My third run was my quickest run of the night. And how often do you get a chance to race and beat a 7-sec turbo ricer with pink wheels? haha. He rolled into both stage beams early and then sat there with the engine revved up. When I saw and heard that, I just took my time getting staged. I tree’d him big time (0.527 to 0.905), and then drove away for a 0.815 sec victory. My 7.380 @ 91.83, 1.678 beat his 7.817 @ 93.55, 1.796.
**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = 478 ft:
Donna’s first run turned out to be the best of the whole night. She was up against a 96 Cobra. I think the announcer likes Donna. hehe. She cut her best reaction time of the night (0.525), and ripped off a great 7.313 @ 92.40, 1.658. She was 2-1/2 seconds ahead at the strip. The Cobra ran 9.506 @ 78.81, 2.502.
**Video #5, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 457 ft:
Donna’s next run was even more lopsided… and the announcer was even more animated. She raced a classic Mustang and just drove away from him. The margin of victory was 3.7 seconds… it seems like it takes forever for him to come into view of the camera. She slowed to a 7.464 @ 92.98, 1.750 to a 10.914 @ 71.99, 2.883.
Video #6, Time 7:16 pm, DA = 422 ft:
OK… someone get this announcer a sedative or something. haha. Donna was running a ’37 Plymouth (with a Chevy LS1 motor in it). She spun a little on this run, with the 60’ slowing to 1.811. The timeslip showed 7.545 @ 92.02 to the Plymouth’s 8.827 @ 78.12, 1.970.
Video #7, Time 7:44 pm, DA = 360 ft:
On this run I was up against another late model Mustang. Even though I went red by 0.010, I ran a 7.459 @ 91.09, 1.722 to his 8.496 @ 85.88, 2.155.
**Video #8, Time 8:18 pm, DA = 308 ft:
This run was both good and bad at the same time. It was bad, because the car spun hard in that poor left lane. And it was good, because I cut a 0.501 reaction time and won a trophy for Best Reaction Time later in the evening. My opponent was a low 7-sec Camaro, but he had a passenger and lifted at half track to keep from getting kicked out (you can’t run quicker than 8.50 with a passenger). With my tire spin, all I could run was a 7.705 @ 90.00, 1.856. He ran 9.036 @ 45.31, 1.814.
Video #9, Time 9:12 pm, DA = 233 ft:
My last run of the night was against a turbo VW GTI (I call it the “roll cage on wheels”). He told me it has 360 hp at the wheels and weighs 1800 lbs… but even that weight seems too high. I guess until I get a roll bar in my car and I can pump the boost back up to 12psi, I just don’t have enough oomph to outrun this guy. I ran a 7.565 @ 89.10, 1.766 to his 7.319 @ 101.81, 1.831.
Video #10, Time 9:54 pm, DA = 216 ft:
Ed’s son AJ and Donna raced on this pass. Both of them left early, but Donna was “more red”. She ran 7.540 @ 90.36, 1.797 to AJ’s 8.068 @ 89.82, 2.022. I think the left lane also got to AJ, because Ed’s car is much quicker than that.
Video #11, Time 10:34 pm, DA = 192 ft:
The last run of the night was Donna against Ed… and the left lane still is no good. Ed definitely had traction issues on this run. Donna went 7.549 @ 91.46, 1.812 to Ed’s 8.295 @ 88.76, 2.160.
This turned out to be a good night at the track. As usual, I installed the 10psi blower pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 60s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was in the 50’s all night, which really hurt the air. And the left lane was slick and tricky. Every time we ran in that lane, it spun on the launch.
We only got a total of 11 runs because we quit a little early. But one of them was good enough for another trophy! I won the trophy for the Best Reaction Time (a 0.501 on a 0.500 tree). In fact, my slowest light all night was 0.527. RaceLegal Results here.
Here are the videos from Friday, March 23 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).
**Video #1, Time 6:21 pm, DA = 507 ft:
My first run was against Jim Borba and his GT350 clone. Normally, he runs low 6’s on a 200-300 shot of nitrous on the 347 stroker motor, but tonight he was sans bottle, running all motor. We both went red on the run, but he was 0.001 more red than me (0.476 to 0.477). I ran 7.480 @ 89.99, 1.736 60-foot time. Borba’s numbers were 7.059 @ 96.77, 1.614.
Video #2, Time 6:26 pm, DA = 514 ft:
My next run was against another Mustang. I was in the left lane, and quickly found out how little traction there was over there. Even though I cut a pretty good light (0.513), it spun hard. You can hear it bounce off the rev limiter as it spun the tires. The 1.801 60-foot time resulted in a 7.583 @ 92.40. The black Stang went 10.645 @ 65.88, 2.671.
**Video #3, Time 6:32 pm, DA = 499 ft:
My third run was my quickest run of the night. And how often do you get a chance to race and beat a 7-sec turbo ricer with pink wheels? haha. He rolled into both stage beams early and then sat there with the engine revved up. When I saw and heard that, I just took my time getting staged. I tree’d him big time (0.527 to 0.905), and then drove away for a 0.815 sec victory. My 7.380 @ 91.83, 1.678 beat his 7.817 @ 93.55, 1.796.
**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = 478 ft:
Donna’s first run turned out to be the best of the whole night. She was up against a 96 Cobra. I think the announcer likes Donna. hehe. She cut her best reaction time of the night (0.525), and ripped off a great 7.313 @ 92.40, 1.658. She was 2-1/2 seconds ahead at the strip. The Cobra ran 9.506 @ 78.81, 2.502.
**Video #5, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 457 ft:
Donna’s next run was even more lopsided… and the announcer was even more animated. She raced a classic Mustang and just drove away from him. The margin of victory was 3.7 seconds… it seems like it takes forever for him to come into view of the camera. She slowed to a 7.464 @ 92.98, 1.750 to a 10.914 @ 71.99, 2.883.
Video #6, Time 7:16 pm, DA = 422 ft:
OK… someone get this announcer a sedative or something. haha. Donna was running a ’37 Plymouth (with a Chevy LS1 motor in it). She spun a little on this run, with the 60’ slowing to 1.811. The timeslip showed 7.545 @ 92.02 to the Plymouth’s 8.827 @ 78.12, 1.970.
Video #7, Time 7:44 pm, DA = 360 ft:
On this run I was up against another late model Mustang. Even though I went red by 0.010, I ran a 7.459 @ 91.09, 1.722 to his 8.496 @ 85.88, 2.155.
**Video #8, Time 8:18 pm, DA = 308 ft:
This run was both good and bad at the same time. It was bad, because the car spun hard in that poor left lane. And it was good, because I cut a 0.501 reaction time and won a trophy for Best Reaction Time later in the evening. My opponent was a low 7-sec Camaro, but he had a passenger and lifted at half track to keep from getting kicked out (you can’t run quicker than 8.50 with a passenger). With my tire spin, all I could run was a 7.705 @ 90.00, 1.856. He ran 9.036 @ 45.31, 1.814.
Video #9, Time 9:12 pm, DA = 233 ft:
My last run of the night was against a turbo VW GTI (I call it the “roll cage on wheels”). He told me it has 360 hp at the wheels and weighs 1800 lbs… but even that weight seems too high. I guess until I get a roll bar in my car and I can pump the boost back up to 12psi, I just don’t have enough oomph to outrun this guy. I ran a 7.565 @ 89.10, 1.766 to his 7.319 @ 101.81, 1.831.
Video #10, Time 9:54 pm, DA = 216 ft:
Ed’s son AJ and Donna raced on this pass. Both of them left early, but Donna was “more red”. She ran 7.540 @ 90.36, 1.797 to AJ’s 8.068 @ 89.82, 2.022. I think the left lane also got to AJ, because Ed’s car is much quicker than that.
Video #11, Time 10:34 pm, DA = 192 ft:
The last run of the night was Donna against Ed… and the left lane still is no good. Ed definitely had traction issues on this run. Donna went 7.549 @ 91.46, 1.812 to Ed’s 8.295 @ 88.76, 2.160.
3/28/07, 04:54 PM
#58
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Location: New Carlisle, Ohio (20 miles north of Dayton)
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Hey Don,
I've been watching for your post of this weeks races. I was begining to think you weren't going to post this week. As alway I love you vids. Might want to keep Donna on a tight leash around that announcer guy..LOL I want to see you take down the VW guy... 15 lb. pulley?
Scott
I've been watching for your post of this weeks races. I was begining to think you weren't going to post this week. As alway I love you vids. Might want to keep Donna on a tight leash around that announcer guy..LOL
I want to see you take down the VW guy... 15 lb. pulley?Scott
3/28/07, 06:40 PM
#59
Thread Starter
haha... thanks Scott.
I could handle the VW with the 12# pulley, I just can't run that quick there without getting booted. But, I'm getting serious about a cage now... the other track warned me on Saturday. So, I'll have to run the 10# pulley there too (until I cage it).
BTW, I have 22 vids from Saturday at Barona coming as well. I just need time to do a write-up. Here's a hint... Donna did all the driving that day, and after six months of trying, she finally went quicker than my personal best.
I could handle the VW with the 12# pulley, I just can't run that quick there without getting booted. But, I'm getting serious about a cage now... the other track warned me on Saturday. So, I'll have to run the 10# pulley there too (until I cage it).
BTW, I have 22 vids from Saturday at Barona coming as well. I just need time to do a write-up. Here's a hint... Donna did all the driving that day, and after six months of trying, she finally went quicker than my personal best.