Hello to All,
Let's clear this up for everyone still following this thread.
Let's clear this up for everyone still following this thread.
damon henry wrote:
>
>First of all, WZ is running on an open drags night, and there is absolutely nothing at stake.
>
Partially true. There is not the same level of driver's pride or ego to
get bruised if we do not 'win', as there is in bracket racing which
focuses on the 'driver' not the 'car'. But, our goal at Plasma Boy
racing in addition to all the fun we're having, is to spread the EV word
and get folks excited about alternative energy. With that goal in mind,
there is a lot at stake in regards to how White Zombie fairs against
other street cars. Heads up style drag racing is perfect for our
mission. If we had poorer ETs compared to the gassers we run against
most of the time, or if the car never jumped ahead of the other cars off
the line the way it does, or if it broke-down most of the time on the
runs, or if it was simply just plain slow, this would be doing the
opposite of what we want to get done. So, looking at it this way, yes,
there 'is' a lot at stake.
>None of the spectators, which I am one of the most frequent ones, can even see the end of the track because of the way it is laid out with a bridge over the top about halfway down. In fact the racers often can't see the end of the track themselves because it is only marked by a couple of cones at the end. They often guess as to when they should lift.
>
All correct.
>There is never an indication of who crossed the line first. You get a clear view of the launch, and from the score board you can see each racers reaction time. As the cars dissapear out of view your eyes switch over to the score boards where they change over to each drivers trap speed and finally their final ETs. We all have to wait for the ETs to be posted to know who won the race.
>
>
Correct about the lack of a 'win' indicator, but only during heads up
style racing....the ET is everything, not the trap speed, not which
driver had the best reaction time, and not which one gets across the
finish line first. Now, certainly having a good reaction time, a good
launch (by both cars) and a side by side race down the strip is better
by far, than having one guy sit for a few seconds before he (or she)
takes off. It makes for a more 'grudge match' type of thing, and at
heads up style racing, I've never seen any racer not want to be the
first across the finish line. That said though, when Tim and I hit the
strip, our main purpose is to better our ETs over previous ones, and in
the process, perhaps also make a gas car not look so good, too
In bracket racing or something like a Craftsman series heads up race,
the 'win' indicator is definitely lit up, and it's definitely clear to
see. It was last night, Wednesday, in fact, when Tim and I took White
Zombie out and yes, competed in 1/8 mile bracket racing. On the first
race, we got the 'win' light. On the second race, we didn't and were
eliminated from officially racing, but we were then allowed to write TO
on our side glass indicating we were running 'time only' for the rest of
the night.
We had swapped out the tall 3:70 gears we tried for the super light
version of the car when powered by the lithium pack - a good idea that
worked as planned and delivered the car's best ever 1.58 60 ft. time and
a 114 mph trap speed, and put back in the 4:11 gear set that works
better for the much heavier lead acid powered version. The 3:70 gears,
just as I had figured, were too tall once we re-installed the 844 lb.
lead acid pack and added even more weight with the ~100 lb. 6 point roll
bar, and they produced much poorer 1.74-1.77 60 ft. times. The change
back to the 4:11 gears was another good idea that brought back our
normally strong the 60 ft. times. Last night on a cold track where
pretty much everyone was having back launches, we saw 1.6-something 60
ft. times again.
>Perhaps on the time slips there is a line that indicates who crossed the line first, although I am not sure one way or the other on that.
>
On the time slips for heads up racing, it says either 'Left 1st' of
'Right 1st'. On the time slips for bracket style racing, there is a
'win' indication for the appropriate lane and car number.
>Of all the races I've been to I've never seen any indication of who crossed first.
>
>
Go to Wednesday night bracket racing and you'll see it pretty clearly.
At heads up racing, you won't.
See Ya....John Wayland
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