OK I am going to the track this thursday and have never taken a vehicle on a track just want to know what to accept and what to do and any advice. I just got my small stock MCS '05.

-Josh

 

It's really easy...most tracks operate the same way. When you get there, tell the entrance people you are going to run - usually on a non-race night it's called test & tune - you can make unlimited runs. Usually stock or near stock cars are in the 'sportsman' class, they may call it something similar. They will group people running by class when there are enough cars there - if it's not busy it's usually a free-for all.


There is usually a little booth or table where you walk up to to register once you get in and park somewhere. You'll be assigned a number usually, which you write on your window (ask which one they want), or if you don't have the shoe polish usually one of the start line guys has it for you (ask).

When you are ready for a run, you will lineup in the staging lanes. They may direct you to a certain lane, they may let you pick. When you get to the strip area, turn on your headlights. Make sure you do not have the a/c on while waiting in line - the water is not good on the ground for tires. Make sure all your windows are up, sunroof closed. Do not go through the burnout pits with street tires - burning out on street tires does no good - just go around the water and line up. They will motion you to the line behind the guy going right in front of you. Once they leave the line you can inch up. There are lasers called staging beams that your front tires will break. On a normal sportsman tree, there are two staging lights. Once both drivers light both lights, the countdown begins. Roll until just the first light is lit, then get ready. Once you roll another few inches to trip the 2nd light, game-on.

The other driver will be doing the same thing. Once both of you are ready with both lights lit, you will see the rest of the tree start to light and when you see green, it's go time. This is where you practice your reaction time, just keep practicing, you get better. Don't let off the gas until you are clearly past the trap at the end, then gently brake, and pull off to the return lane at the nearest exit path, there will be several down the end. On the way back most tracks have a little booth to pickup your timeslip where you get your results.

Then chill out for a bit, read over your results, and do it over again!

 

sweet! thank you

-Josh

 

if you see the green light.....you waited too long....

bring a bag of ice...keep it on the intercooler while in line...if your friends are coming with you make them do the work........just make sure they know how to close your bonnet

launching is more than just side stepping the clutch...and it's more than ridding the clutch...it about letting the tires spin but not so much that you are loosing an obsorbinate amount of traction....being in the right seating position is KEY...riding around with your seat tilted back cause it's "compfy" or "kewl" is great....but not on the track sit properly...

 

I thought I should post a sticky to encourage everyone that is interested in modifying their car to have a go at a Drag Racing... Save your license points, determine your vehicles real capabilities and perhaps save a life (maybe even yours) all at the safety of a sanctioned drag strip... Drag racing can provide something for everyone, whether it be novice drivers interested in learning more about cars and friendly competition, drag racers and 'motor-heads' who want technical tips on how to get more speed out of their drag or road cars, or general race and classic car enthusiasts that just like being involved with racing, cars, and like minded people.

It can seem a little daunting at first, most newcomers fall into the category where our knowledge of drag racing involves a race two at a time over a quarter mile distance. That pretty much sums up the basics but you will hear many terms and phrases that can throw you... Hopefully the below list can inform and help you get acquainted with some of the terms and rules you might encounter...



Bracket racing / Dial your Own: - In bracketdrag racing, the driver’s racing skills are the key factor in winning. It is how the car is tuned and driven - and how well the driver knows his/her car - rather than sheer power that is most important. Not only does this make bracket racing more skill orientated, it is consistency and accuracy, rather than speed and quickness that counts. This gives the slower vehicle (slower dial in time) of a race a physical head start, which is programmed electronically into the starting timers. To stop someone nominating a time they can run a lot faster than, thus giving an unfair advantage, a breakout rule is applied.

In bracket racing, it is really you against a clock, because while you are actually competing against the other car, you have to beat him without exceeding your dial in time. This is why the slower car is allowed to leave sooner. This "handicap" is calculated to give both cars an equal chance of winning.A good rule of thumb is to use your best PB as a guide, bearing that at night meets, the cooler night air will usually improve your times over runs done in the heat of day.

Dial-In / Index: At each race, you decide how you car will perform (given the weather, the cars tuning and the track’s con�*dition). You then determine an estimated elapsed time (ET – the time it will take to complete the course) to within one hundredth of a second.

You enter a class or level based on the ability of your car. Each class has a set time limit so you enter the class to which your car is best suited. You then get an official to mark your estimated ET (they use a washable marker like liquid white shoe polish) on the windshield and or side windows of your car. This is known as dialing in.

You are racing between two limits: the lower limit (obviously, the lower the ET the quick�*er the car) set by the class, and the upper limit set by the ET you posted on your wind�*shield

Breakout: - Breakout rules are applied to competitors who run below their posted dial in time during eliminations. Go faster than your dial in time (Index) and you are considered to have lost that race.
The only exceptions to this rule are:
When an opponent red lights or crosses the centre line or boundary lines.
When both drivers are under their index, the driver that is least under is the winner.
If two racers both run under by their index same margin (with elapsed times extended to thousandths of a second), the driver that crosses the finish line first is the winner

Heads up Racing: In heads-up drag racing - speed and power are the be-all and end-all. This is what gets the most TV coverage of in Australia, - the fastest 8 or 16 cars that ran that day during qualifying then race each other, with the winner progressing through the 'rounds' until the final where the fastest car wins.

Eliminations:- After you have tested and tuned your car, qualified you move to the head to head drag races against other competitors, this round by round racing is known as eliminations. You lose you are eliminated from the event and can no longer be in the running for overall honours.

Burnout Pad: This is where you warm up your tyres and perform any burnouts prior to staging. It is a concrete section of the track that the marshals keep wet. Do not do static burnouts on the track. Static (standing still) burnouts on the asphalt damages the bitumen surface, which will bring down the wrath of officials!


Xmas Tree: - The starting device used to begin the race. In simple terms the tree is a set of vertically arranged lights that gives you, the driver a visual countdown to the start of the race.

On the top are the pre stage and stage lights. After the staging lights are 3 amber lights, a green GO light and a red FOUL light. Each light has a .4 second delay. So an ideal reaction time would be .4 seconds. This is known as cutting a perfect light. When the stage light is on, your front tyre is interrupting the stage beam across the track. If that beam is re-opened before the green light comes on, the red FOUL light comes on, and that is known as Red Lighting

Pre Stage: - As you approach the start, there are three sets of photocells in each lane. (The third is N/A to street cars and is designed to register low cars like dragsters etc so we can forget that for now)... The first is the PRE STAGE beam, which controls the top lights on the Xmas tree. At the top of the tree you will see two sets of two lights that look like light bulbs used in your house. When you roll close to the starting line the pre stage lights come on, this does nothing more than let you know you have eight inches to go to the STAGE LIGHT

Stage Light: - The second pair of lights atop the Christmas tree. The race cannot be started until this light is on in both lanes. When both the pre stage and stage lights are on in both lanes it is time to move all your attention to the Christmas tree and get ready to launch your car on the green.

Perfect Light: - A reaction time of .40 of a second is known as a perfect light. Your reaction to the green is spot on, due to the .4 second delay between the lights you cannot possible go any faster than .4 of a second or you ‘red light'


Red Light: - Once you have your vehicle in position, and the stage lights are on, if that beam is re-opened (the staging light goes out) before the green light comes on, the red FOUL light comes on. While this doesn't matter too much at test n tune meetings in racing it means "you lose!"


Elapsed Time (ET): -The finish line also has a series of three photocells. The first is 66 feet before the finish line, the second is on the finish line and the third is 66 ft after the finishing line. The middle light stops the E.T. clocks and provides the elapsed time for the run. The elapsed time is the time between breaking the start beam and the finish beam

Terminal Speed (see also E.T.):- The first (66ft before the line) and third (66ft after the line) beams start and stop the speed traps to measure your speed across the finish.

Time slip:-

• Both lanes are on one ticket (look for your car number), although they print 2 slips per race you grab the one with your entrant number on it
• Your Index or Dial in Time (not at Test n Tune meetings)
• Your Reaction Time
• Time to get to the 60ft beam (use this to judge your launch or starting technique)
• ET and speed at half track- 1/8th of a mile or 660ft
• Your ET and Terminal speed for the ¼ mile
• Time under or over your dial in time
• Winning or losing margin to the competitor in the other lane
• Ambient temperature, Humidity, Barometric pressure and Track temperature

 

well I am heading out... hopefully later tonight I will have some embarassing times to post.

-Josh

almost forgot I am nervous and excited at the same time

 

Good luck! just have fun!!

 

Ok this is too much fun...

after a 1/4 tank of gas and 26 runs

on my second to last run of the night I got:
reaction of .251
I1 of 2.554
I2 of 6.797

with an ET of 10.217
MPH of 72.241
I average for the whole night around 70.8ish all with a bone stock '05 MCS

I was grinning ear to ear

-Josh

 

ok lets analyze.

-reaction of .251? did you redlight or do you run on a pro stock tree, not sportsman?

-T1 - 2.5, now is T1 at your tack 60 foot? in my stock MC i was able to get my 60 foot to 2 flat!!!! your not getting off the line fast enuff ro your spinning the tires too much down the line.

- ET 1-.21, i hope your running 1/8 mile....lol

 

ANALYZE AWAY!

no idea it had pre stage and stage lights then 3 yellows and a green, pics might help me to tell the difference
Some of my runs I would sping throught 1st, throught 2nd, then they would finally grab about 3/4 a ways down the track. Chirping every gear too Everyone at the track says its slippery... there was NO WAY i could rev above 2000rpms without spinning BADLY
yes

 

well about the lights.

depending on the track....
i run sportman tree, .500 reaction is perfect. if you run a .499 reaction, you redlight, or are disqualified.

as far as spinning the tires goes.... what PSI did you run? do you have runflats?

with runflats, ive found if you inflate to about 40-45 PSI, they grab better than lower psi, understandable for runflats.

with non runfltas like i have now, 17's, if i drop them to about 15-20 lbs, they like to get sticky faster and stay sticky longer. were you warming yours up at all?

 

runflats 17in
no warming up
35psi all around

my best reaction was .106 without redlighting

-Josh

 

crank up the PSI a bit next time.


now when you warm them up (the burnout) dont be a moron and go smoking them every single time you run

all you need to do is wait for them to smoke, and thats as hot as they are gonna get. if you keep smoking them, its isnt going to do anything but burn up your nice tires.

as soon as they whistle, from smoking too much, they are junk, dont even bother trying to race with them. they wont have any grip.

and, i anyone in just thinkin " this kid has no idea what hes talking about" i can tell you this:

-3 time stock street drag champion (handicapped) ( twice in a corvette, once in the mini)

-I have run under 10 seconds in a 1/4 mile before. i usually run in the 11's with the drag car we run, but i have run as low as 10.96

if you dont want to believe me, thats fin, but if you want to try some of this stuff out, go ahead, you wont regret it.

 

i am working on putting all my times in excell... i will post them when I finish

-Josh

 

cool that will help seeing where you need some help at.

 

http://webpages.charter.net/battlecattle/track.xls to dl the track times etc

Oh yea Lucy made me feel good when about half the cars were slower than her even though that had some CAI and other shinny and glowy crap under the hood/car... unless they ran NOS or slicks or AWD (damn WRX).

-Josh

 

Next time, invite the rest of us out to play Josh.

 

well consider yourself invited every thursday at knoxdragway. http://www.knoxdragway.com/
due to how addicting this is I should be out there almost every thursday but maybe not racing.

-Josh

 

That's eaxactly what I ran stock too!! You'll find the biggest benefit to all the track times to be getting rid of the runflats. The wheels don't make much difference at all, as far as going lighter - but regular sticky tires shave off your launch very easily.

 

Raising the psi on runflats doesn't do a thing, they are way too stiff sidewalled to begin with.

DO NOT smoke runflats! They do NOT heat up like regular tires - you will not increase the adhesion, only start to chunk the material off the cords!

Run runflats exactly as you do on the street, there is nothing you can do for them, and burnouts simply damage them.

 

agreed

 

no more analyzing? come on now all my runs are posted.... I am ready to get torched!

-Josh

http://webpages.charter.net/battlecattle/track.xls to dl the track times

 

too tired, my brain hurts. wait till tomarrow...

 

bump

 

Were you doing the 1/8th?