Sunday 9th August 2015 is the Nostalgia day at Sydney Dragway. Here's hoping for good weather, good racing and for the top secret modifications to the 'Cuttin' loose' HAMBster to pay off. I'll keep youse posted, depending on what time I get home tomorrow.
Well, where to start? Jumped into the FJ Holden ute and picked my mate Dennis up and headed off to Sydney, about 1& 3/4 hour drive away. A pretty good roll-up of Nostalgia drag cars already there, possibly the best I've seen for a while. The usual HAMBsters were there. Steve and Jeff Danglemaier, Gerard, Wayne in the Mangrove Mountain car, Al Odgers in the Boskovich car and me. Steve and Jeff were first up, with Jeff trying out his new twin Weber setup. Things didn't go well with the throttle getting jammed on flat out. 8,000 revs didn't do the engine any favours with oil spitting out every orifice before he could shut it off. Next was me and Gerard with me doing my usual single wheel, 60ft burnout allowing Gerard to get a good lead on me. I was trialing new intake trumpets and they seemed to contain the vapour better but I still only ran a 14.5. Probably had something to do with a crappy 2.15/60ft due to the wheelspin. Wayne and Al ran next with Wayne having gear change trouble. Lined up for our next qualifying run with Al and Gerard facing off with Gerard taking the win. I was up against Wayne with me taking a surprise win but only just. Jeff and Steve ran, with Jeff off song. Then the day got weird. As we were coming back up the return road we were pulled up by 2 ANDRA officials who said one of us was leaving an oil slick the length of the track. They looked under our cars but seemed happy enough and sent us on our way. Back at the pits and next minute we have more officials turn up and start going over the cars again, especially me and Wayne's. Ours are ok but then they reprimand Wayne for not wearing fire retardant pants. He's a big bloke and told them he couldn't get them in his size so they were going to let him finish the day. About 20 minutes later they were back. They were armed with the rules and regulations and he wasn't allowed to run until he had the proper pants. That was one down. They checked under my car again but apart from a slight weep around the sump plug, all ok. They were still looking for the Exxon Valdes leaker. Jumped back into their golf cart and took off again. Five minutes or so later, like Arnie, they're back. We all got a complete audit. Race suit, boots, socks, helmets in date, seat belt dates and wrist restraints. Jeff's boots were split so he got chatted for that. Now I don't mind following the rules, but this was starting to look like we were being targeted for 'special' treatment. As far as we know, no other bracket copped this much attention. Even some of the Gasser style cars who only run a couple of times a year with their 'iffy' front-ends didn't get a second look. Turned out Jeff's car was hurting so that was another one down. That left 4. We lined up for our first Chicago shoot-out with me and Al , but Al's car was out with no oil pressure. I did a solo pass and ran a 14.2 on a 14.4 dial. I've never run a 14.2 before so was pretty happy with that. Steve ran against Gerard with Steve taking the win. Now for the anticlimax. Due to delays from crashes and exhibition cars taking forever to stage and run, the day was canned before our next runs. Back on the trailer and head home again without a result. Just to make the day even worse, my car camera lost it's sound again except for the first run and my wife wasn't there to record on her camera so you will have to go to bed early with only one fillum to watch. Hopefully, better luck at Gunnedah next weekend.
"Strange Days" sometimes happen. I've never figured out the reasons, but it seems like some kind of cosmic warp gets the events started and they just take off on their own from that point. Amazes me how some little thing puts a bug in the tech guys bum and things rapidly grow out of proportion. From your 14.2 it sounds like the intake trumpets may be helping. Keep at it mate, we're enjoying the ride with you.
Sounds like a day of drama with the officials, can't say I've seen that amount of 'checking' take place previously. Good to see the weather turned out great for once, with some more rodders coming out to play. Out of curiosity, can you talk me through what rpm you're taking off in, and what you're spinning it to? I see the tacho needle giving quite a move, looks and sounds like its fairly wound up of sorts. Cheers, Drewfus
Yes Drewfus, the weather was sensational for a change. 'Twas one of the good bits of the day. I usually bring the revs up to about 3000 rpm and then as the lights count down, I add a few more. As you can see sometimes I add too many. To be honest, I very rarely look at the tacho when I change gears. I just do it by feel . It's only when I watch the videos I realize how much I'm ringing it's neck.
Another enjoyable tale & video, Sir, despite the fates. Yes, you do wring'er out a bit. Back when I was running'er peg-leg I tried to launch low enough on the tach to let'er bite before rolling the pedal on. It worked pretty well when I got it right, but I never got fully consistent with the technique. Depending on the strip and the day's traction she'd often light up again in the gears, and I'd have to pedal'er again as well. Finally gave up, and when I moved back beside the mill I locked the rear.
At the Nostalgia meet here August 9th, I watched a Chev powered T bucket run low 13s with no roll bar at all, no arm restraints or fire suit, and yet the HAGR guys have to run all this regulation stuff, doesn't seem right to me
Good, bad, or otherwise, when we first started trying to get HA/GR's 'accepted' at ANDRA level to allow us to run at the three main tracks (Perth/Sydney/Willowbank), their (ANDRA) basis of why we had to have the cage and safety stuff was twofold, 'these are purpose built race cars, not street cars...', and 'they need to fit under an existing bracket (altered), hence need to meet their minimum safety criteria'. Whilst we did originally try to work along the basis that there were alternative classes that didn't have the same minimum, hence our first visit to the track our cars only had a single hoop, when push came to shove, it was versed to us to either fit within the existing structures, or shut shop of sorts. We chose to race. Cheers, Drewfus
We hit the same wall here. Using the Purpose-built argument, we had to meet cage specs of cars going 50% faster. Rather silly in point of fact, but the easy way out for NHRA. Unforyunately, it boogered the game for the other guys that were running open cars as well. NHRA then just went and applied the same "logic" and ruling to all their open cars and classes. I still can't fathom exactly what makes a "street" car safer at 100 mph than a "strip only" car.
I don't have any grief with doing stuff by the rules, hence the 'cage on mine looking less than Nostalgic. What gets up my nose is 'perceived' heavy-handed attitudes. I'm wondering if we will come in for this sort of attention every time we race, but that's probably just the conspiracy theorist in me.
It may just be paranoia and they may be out to get you. Sometimes it seems like some of the attitudes border on the fringe of putting us in a padded cage with no chance of any harm allowed. Wanting an AA/FA chassis and cage on a car that's running in the 13-14 second range just seems a bit severe when they will let considerably quicker and faster convertibles run if the driver wears a helmet and they run with the top up (like a bit of mechanism and fabric will protect you). Then you go to one of our "antique meets" and they are letting T buckets and hotrod roadsters with big block V8s run without any roll bars at all and they treat a HA/GR like it's a top fuel dragster because it's a "purpose built race car". No logic involved.
Well if we had 100 Eagle Fields to race at we would be better off, but we don't. When NHRA is the only game in town you got to deal with the rules and they will only get more ridiculous as time goes on. Got to say that the tech crew at Famoso in Bakersfield is easy to get along with, been racing there for 40+ years and never had any real problems. Just my 2 cents worth.
It`s only a matter of time, as eagle field gets more popular, before the insurance "folks" wake up and requires nhra compliance at that meet. specially as economics prevail allowing later model cars and exhibition cars to run. Another 2 cents. I say economics because the promoter has to at least try to break even. There aren`t that many of us old farts left to make it pay.
I'm not baggin' the HAGR guys I fully understand the reasons for the safety equipment, it's the street driven car. Imagine an incident in one of those at speed, not for this boy.
no offence taken, as illustrated the disparity between some classes makes no sense, especially at 100mph in an open car where the driver is exposed, and whilst I think at times some officials can be a bit over-zealous in some area's, in reflection, I'm glad that we have a level of safety.
Safety rules are interesting. In my 1962 Falcon sedan, I have 1 lap belt I installed, it is out of an early GM car. My Falcon on a good day runs the quarter mile at 88 mph out the back door. I do wear a proper full face helmet and single layer jacket., although not required at mid to low 15 seconds
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