sgtmcd42
01-25-2008, 09:14 AM
I have to jump in here.....I have been lurking and watching the discussions here. Most of you know that my ha/gr car was the first real dragster that I had ever built or driven on a track. I had a blast building it, made a lot of friends, and even ended up with a trophy. I recently sold it due to family obligations....but that is another story.
These topics of how fast they should be allowed to run and other technical arguments are, in my opinion, ruining the class. While my experience is limited, I don't believe anyone who follows the current rules and doesn't spend 10's of thousands of dollars will ever get a true ha/gr sub 10.99. If anyone does they are either cheating or building a car for the wrong reasons. If an E.T. limit needs to be set to help guys run on nhra tracks then so be it. Those that think they can build an ha/gr that will go faster than 10.99? I HIGHLY doubt you can and stay in the era/spirit.
Since I have been involved with these cars I have seen them run anywhere from mid 12's to 19's. After extensive tuning and tweaking, most cars are relatively consistent in the low 13's to high 12's. I doubt, though, you could ever be competitive in a bracket race with these cars. With the technology in this class it is not uncommon to see a car that made a low 13 last pass run a 14 or 15 the next pass due to a missed shift or other reasons.
There have been a couple of cars that have made it into the 11's, but they are not ha/gr cars but rather SDRA cars that have allowed for a few more modern parts. No offense to the SDRA guys, but for a ton of reasons they chose to create a new class with different rules. Anyone can create a set of rules and build cars to their rules so I don't have any animosity towards them and even ran my ha/gr car all last year in the SDRA racing series.
The spirit of drag racing is to push you and your car as far as you can, but the people involved in this class must understand that there are limitations to keep the cars in the spirit of those late 40's early 50's cars. The evolution of the dragster made so many huge advances over the years and cars quickly advanced in both speed and E.T.'s. This class can't evolve like that. As soon as you try and evolve it you have moved the era up a few years and now you are into diggers, slingshots, etc. Don't try and make an early rail with the driver and engine between the axles and a single hoop evolve. At that point it is no longer a part of this tribute to those late 40's early 50's rails.
The class will always be competitive and fun if you stay within the current rules. I am sure the rules will evolve for safety a little, but ALWAYS remember the era these cars are a tribute to. There is probably room for safety improvements in the class. We don't want anyone hurt or dead. That is obviously not the point I am trying to make. If you want to build a dragster to tribute a different era, or to go as fast and quick as you can then you should think about NOT building an ha/gr dragster. I am not trying to be an ass, but rather to get everyone to look at your reasons for building a dragster. There are a ton of nostalgia classes out there, and even more classes available if you want modern stuff.
It is natural to ask questions and attempt to determine what is and is not acceptable for this class as some of the rules are fairly vague. I don't think anyone should be hammered for asking a rule related question. Just look at the reasons you are asking the question. Are you trying to squeak something in that evolves your car past the era? I think most of you know if your ideas are in the spirit of this class or if you are trying to evolve your car. Again, these cars CANNOT evolve like cars have over the years. The class is permanently fixed in a specific era. The current rules allow you to build to your imagination and even to push you and your car to be fairly quick so have fun with it. I assure you there is a lot of fun to be had and plenty of room for these cars to be competitive.
Well, this was a long rant......but that is my .02 cents.
These topics of how fast they should be allowed to run and other technical arguments are, in my opinion, ruining the class. While my experience is limited, I don't believe anyone who follows the current rules and doesn't spend 10's of thousands of dollars will ever get a true ha/gr sub 10.99. If anyone does they are either cheating or building a car for the wrong reasons. If an E.T. limit needs to be set to help guys run on nhra tracks then so be it. Those that think they can build an ha/gr that will go faster than 10.99? I HIGHLY doubt you can and stay in the era/spirit.
Since I have been involved with these cars I have seen them run anywhere from mid 12's to 19's. After extensive tuning and tweaking, most cars are relatively consistent in the low 13's to high 12's. I doubt, though, you could ever be competitive in a bracket race with these cars. With the technology in this class it is not uncommon to see a car that made a low 13 last pass run a 14 or 15 the next pass due to a missed shift or other reasons.
There have been a couple of cars that have made it into the 11's, but they are not ha/gr cars but rather SDRA cars that have allowed for a few more modern parts. No offense to the SDRA guys, but for a ton of reasons they chose to create a new class with different rules. Anyone can create a set of rules and build cars to their rules so I don't have any animosity towards them and even ran my ha/gr car all last year in the SDRA racing series.
The spirit of drag racing is to push you and your car as far as you can, but the people involved in this class must understand that there are limitations to keep the cars in the spirit of those late 40's early 50's cars. The evolution of the dragster made so many huge advances over the years and cars quickly advanced in both speed and E.T.'s. This class can't evolve like that. As soon as you try and evolve it you have moved the era up a few years and now you are into diggers, slingshots, etc. Don't try and make an early rail with the driver and engine between the axles and a single hoop evolve. At that point it is no longer a part of this tribute to those late 40's early 50's rails.
The class will always be competitive and fun if you stay within the current rules. I am sure the rules will evolve for safety a little, but ALWAYS remember the era these cars are a tribute to. There is probably room for safety improvements in the class. We don't want anyone hurt or dead. That is obviously not the point I am trying to make. If you want to build a dragster to tribute a different era, or to go as fast and quick as you can then you should think about NOT building an ha/gr dragster. I am not trying to be an ass, but rather to get everyone to look at your reasons for building a dragster. There are a ton of nostalgia classes out there, and even more classes available if you want modern stuff.
It is natural to ask questions and attempt to determine what is and is not acceptable for this class as some of the rules are fairly vague. I don't think anyone should be hammered for asking a rule related question. Just look at the reasons you are asking the question. Are you trying to squeak something in that evolves your car past the era? I think most of you know if your ideas are in the spirit of this class or if you are trying to evolve your car. Again, these cars CANNOT evolve like cars have over the years. The class is permanently fixed in a specific era. The current rules allow you to build to your imagination and even to push you and your car to be fairly quick so have fun with it. I assure you there is a lot of fun to be had and plenty of room for these cars to be competitive.
Well, this was a long rant......but that is my .02 cents.