Saltflats... I am thinking that I might have Worded that Wrong When I say 3 seconds I mean 1 thousand, 2 thousand, 3 thousand & Go! It might be the way I was saying it, when you Get Older in Life you will see. Just my 3.5 cents Live Learn & Die a Fool
Yep- if you wait at all when that third yellow comes on, you will have a good view of him making a run. Plenty of time to come up with excuses as to why you slept on the tree.
No advantage to deep staging in a heads up run.. Also , you stage shallow as possible and come off the floor with the clutch when the third amber comes on, not when it's going out.
That all gets into the track, light beam, reaction time, etc. I'm sure. A good friend (rip) was a long time SS/A racer used to wear a .001 T-shirt, until he saw a guy at Englishtown years ago with an .000 one on. There are practice devices not very expensive. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/p/1039751932 Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
Don't sit up drinking beer till 1 am and expect to cut a good reaction time next morning. But it has been done by seasoned racers
I'm surprised that not too many people mention the staging lights and getting there. First of all get a linelock they are pretty cheap and easy to install it will help you on your burnouts and more importantly help stop you from rolling out of or into the beams while staged. You WILL BE nervous and excited your first few runs your leg will be bouncing around like crazy on the pedals due to excess adrenaline you can't help it but you can be prepared for it. That is why newbies have trouble staging. First get a look at the staging BEAM lights where your car will be positioned on the starting line. You need to get an idea BEFORE your first stage where you will start to enter the beam so you don't look like an idiot and go too far past the beams. With most normal weekend racers the best way to stage (Not saying for experienced and bracket guys) is to creep up on the first prestage beam so you are moving slowly when the light at the top of the tree lights. STOP for a second and collect yourself, take a deep breath, make sure all switches if any are on or in the correct position (you should have checked them before entering the staging lanes). Then it is a SHORT distance to the staged beam ( you may be able later with practice to "Bump against" the line lock to get the staged beam to light). What you want to do is watch the light come on and STOP immediately. There are other methods for experienced drivers but for your first few trips as close to the BEGINNING of the staged beam is best for beginners. Step on the brakes and lock the line lock and FORGET THE OTHER GUY. Get your RPMs up to where you determined you will launch. Watch the countdown lights CONSTANTLY from that point on so you don't get surprised when they start to countdown. It's a good idea to watch other cars on the line and the lights BEFORE you get your car up to the line. Count the seconds or whatever so you know when the lights start down how long it is before the last yellow comes on and they launch. Leave when you see the last yellow, if you are amazingly fast in your reaction time and red light SO WHAT on practice runs (but most newbies are slow so don't worry about red lights in your practice runs). Then follow the other peoples advice about the other sections of the run. And HAVE FUN.
One of the most important things is to practice enough that you get familiar with the starting process and you learn to RELAX .......... Everything you do in life is always 10 times harder if you let it overwhelm you. Its just a race afterall.......
Most importantly, go and have a piss before you get in the car. I guarantee you'll be needing one badly after sitting in the staging lanes getting excited about your first race.
The most important point to remember, report back after you go to the track. Don't let this thread die without telling us how you did. Good or bad, we want results.
FYI, I have a little experience in a similar match. I drive the Valiant, 360 with an A 833, best pass is 12.20. Dad drives the 37 Dodge with a 392 and a Torqueflite. The coupe ran a 12.70 on the third pass after building but didn't MPH for shit due to extremely lean mixture.
Use the tallest front tires you can fit... Use Drum brakes, remove the self adjusters and adjust just so you hear a very slight scrap.. Open the radiator support up and let the air rush into the engine compartment and take away the drag...
All/and some good replies.......... You have zero track time, so here's a lil,and I mean A LIL to aid you......... You'll have butterflies.... NO doubt....... Just to get you started, and there is WAY MORE to go.......... AND this is before you even get to the track= Sit in your car. Helmet up.Strap in as you would on race day........... Picture things as you would/might do...... Either have the car running with open pipes, OR, crank a stereo as loud as you can.....= You need to be tone deaf, and focus on things= called procedure. Picture what you would do...... Go through it again, and again, get a routine with your motions, and how you will do things.... Staging, shifting,driving...... Visualize start to finish in your head.......... it's like a choreographed dance......... MANY steps from A to B............... Way much to say, but if you noise block,and pattern yourself= over, and over, you'de be surprised what you can get out of your ride...... Doesn't always mean HP...... Youd'e be surprised how much a driver can do......... The fellas here that do it can attest........ Put yourself through the garage ringer, practice grasshopper, as it will only make you sharper....... This is just a lick of playing the game...........Way more to come........ And this was all free, without spending ONE cent.............
Here's a helmet cam video I found on YouTube to give you a little bit of an idea of what to expect and how to handle the car after the run.
Honestly for someone with not much experience, here is my suggestions... 1 tree the bastard.... he wont expect it, just dont stall.... 2. hit good shifts, keep rpms up in power band, launch about 3k decent fast off the pedal should do for your car. 3. DON'T MISS 3RD GEAR.... 4. Have fun, if you win rub it in....if not, enjoy it for what it is... fun 5. Don't go broke chasing that drag racing carrot in the sky... There is always someone faster, with more money throwing it around like they have the biggest dick in the world.
I don't think it was mentioned, but you don't want a full tank of fuel. Weight is everything so 3-4 gallons is enough. Trunk empty. 35-38 psi front tires (low rolling resistance). Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
LOL I was close and by his reasoning you could have been into the 8s. These guys get a program or online calculator and think they can determine how fast a car is or what the HP is by using an algorithm. Hell I knew a guy that ran an 11.9 @ 122. By the reckoning that 128 is a 10 second car that guy should have been driving a high 13 second car. Those programs do not take into account track condition, or traction (or the lack there of) or gearing or vehicle weight. . . I read a story from a trusted source about a guy who tripped the lights @ 148 and ran a 12.6. granted it was a fuel coupe his first pass and he was in and out of it half a dozen times. I got an idea that his ETs got better with time. End of the day that post about how fast the pusher should have been was probably a screw with the beaner post. I heard that those guys even have a social group. LOL
Maybe but I would try a few launches first to see if you launch hard enough to pull the fuel away from the supply outlet. (racers are in the rear but stock tanks could be forward.)
Here is a trick that I'll bet no one mentioned and one that I have been known to use (not on purpose mind you ) from time to time. You can always wing it in the staging lanes. 9 out of 10 times your opponent will red light.
Online calculator I use is fairly accurate, within 2-3 tenths, for me anyways. Just need to do your homework on tire pressures, suspension, shock settings, and ton of other little details and you'll get there. http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjAr7jBrfTmAhWGpZ4KHTh1BIcQFjAAegQIBxAC&url=http://www.wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm&usg=AOvVaw3FVTtZDDce_L-m6IFcfdZH
Roll through the staging beams during your burnout and don’t back up all the way, then stage with he back tires Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Another I don't think mentioned the proper fuel for the motor (compression) can make a huge difference. A friend was bracket racing years ago with a 9.5:1 motor on racing fuel. I suggested mix half regular non ethanol (89 I believe it was). He picked up 0.3 seconds...and his car was very consistent. Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
Slicks arrived today. Waiting on the wheels. I have a couple of small safety items I'm getting sorted out. Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The only way to accurately determine the speed and ET of a given vehicle is to plant your ass in the seat and launch it when the time comes. Those calculators are for dreamers. I probably don't need much advice on how to win a race. But thanks for the advice and the encouragement. When I grow up I will get me one of those really fast cars and try and race it.
The Jalopy Journal
