Drag Racing thoughts, ideas, suggestions

[hrpiii]

I know there is a FB thread about some thoughts on improving/enhancing the drag racing. I also know there are quit a few people on this forum that don't have FB accounts. So I thought I would start one.

Think positive and offer suggestions for improving this event. I hope the mods remove post that get into bashing each other/event.

For me and my wife, we had a blast on the drag strip. Had a truly wonderful time and of course would of liked to had a couple more runs with our friends, but I know time is hard trying to get so much accomplished in two days on a track that everyone wants to have fun on. I also enjoyed watching those guys running 8's, 9's and 10's too. Wow those are some great times and happy those guys are there having fun too, and letting us enjoy their beautiful cars with lots of power.

Now with that said, IMO, the drag racing event is moving away from what it was originally and into something different. When Camarofest first started, I think the main goal was to get those people that just purchased their first muscle car, or wanted to take it on the track for that experience and just have some fun with it in a safe environment. That was the foremost thing, and I believe it is still there, but not as predominant. I feel like it is turning into a small LS Fest with all the different brackets, qualifying, and elimination rounds. Not that it I want that to go away, but where will we be in 3 years from now at this rate. Test N Tune was the dominating time a couple years ago, and now qualifying and eliminations are dominating the time slots. At this rate, Test N Tune will be for 30 mins on each day? I know when they called Test N Tune times, the lanes stacked up very deep, which is awesome and shows what the crowd was wanting to do!!

I also know that I could have had a few more runs in my class, but it wasn't that I wanted "more" runs, I wanted to "race" my friends that were in different classes and the only time I got to do that was in the Test N Tune. We all had similar times with different classes but couldn't get time to go against each other.

There is also a perception of "bracket racing" that was intimidating to a few new people. Even though they could use the qualifying times to make some runs, the perception of "Racing" their car was something they were a little scared of and only ran in the test n tune calls. Oh I know, a run down the track is no different, light turns green, you go. But the perception or pressure they felt they were "racing" someone was intimidating. So there is that challenge that we need to help people get past or have a better understanding of. Maybe something like classes we have at the NCM track, a class of "Novice". This not only would give them some confidence, but also an opportunity for those that race a lot to help them understand the staging process, and launching. Understanding all this will help promote the sport to a whole new generation of "I want to do that and get better" group of people. I know our fellow Camaro drag racers would love to help those wanting to get better, or make their first pass, but how do we go about that? Is there a 'drivers' meeting to kick things off, or a set time. Maybe have a few people at the line to help them and give pointers during the staging process.

There did appear to be quit a bit of time between class runs, either qualifying or eliminations that some Test n Tune could of been used. I'm talking about when they were not prepping the track for runs, it appeared to be an opportunity that could of been used if all Test N Tune cars wanting to run would of already been in lanes 1 & 2. I'm already in the stands watching others run, and when it's time, we go to our cars.

I hope next year we do have some time set aside for "Call Outs". This just sounds fun, and give some bragging rights for a year.

I know we touched on this before, but any thoughts on some Night Drags, like maybe Friday Night Only. Maybe 7-9/10p, where we could still wrap things up and get back to the parking lot to socialize. I know this would be a huge challenge for those helping coordinate stuff, but it is an opportunity.

Those are my thoughts and opinions and hope to keep improving in the drag racing event. I know we all can't have what we want or run as much as we would like.... but at the end of the day, I would hope everyone can say, "I have a blast and truly enjoyed myself on the drag strip". If you can say that, the event was successful. And I know I can say that, as me an my wife had a wonderful time!!

[Evil-Bee-NH]

sorry I got waylaid into not being able to go. Might have been able to help a little with this. I think your right I saw a little of that at CF8 but still plenty of time for T&T. I think though they do a great job of defining classes there needs to be a more set boundary, people aren't dumb even though they like to play dumb to sneak into classes they'll dominate using excuses or stupid questions. I think the V6 split was a success even though I wasn't there and haven't seen the results yet. I4 class was a bit weird I heard only 2 or 3 guys 2 being from the same shop and not doing finals. I won't be back til CF10 gotta save to buy a house but I am more then willing to sit down at this computer and talk with mlee and merc about cleaning the drag racing up some. That being said the grudge race call-out thing was a great idea that I dropped the ball on when I got way to busy playing damage control "IRL" to help organize at least. We'll need to discuss this prior to CF9 and see if you guys can band together to make it happen somehow. The biggest problem I see is communication between drag racers everyone kinda does the same thing someone else complained about with groups and not a lot of intermingling with everyone. Shit last year we had a congratulations get together at the bar and only 3 or 4 of us went...

[racergirl]

I did see on FB someone offering a drag racing 101 class. I think that could be helpful to anyone new. I wouldn’t mind helping with that either

[hrpiii]

Originally Posted by Evil-Bee-NH

sorry I got waylaid into not being able to go. Might have been able to help a little with this. I think your right I saw a little of that at CF8 but still plenty of time for T&T. I think though they do a great job of defining classes there needs to be a more set boundary, people aren't dumb even though they like to play dumb to sneak into classes they'll dominate using excuses or stupid questions. I think the V6 split was a success even though I wasn't there and haven't seen the results yet. I4 class was a bit weird I heard only 2 or 3 guys 2 being from the same shop and not doing finals. I won't be back til CF10 gotta save to buy a house but I am more then willing to sit down at this computer and talk with mlee and merc about cleaning the drag racing up some. That being said the grudge race call-out thing was a great idea that I dropped the ball on when I got way to busy playing damage control "IRL" to help organize at least. We'll need to discuss this prior to CF9 and see if you guys can band together to make it happen somehow. The biggest problem I see is communication between drag racers everyone kinda does the same thing someone else complained about with groups and not a lot of intermingling with everyone. Shit last year we had a congratulations get together at the bar and only 3 or 4 of us went...

Communication is always a challenge at any large event, and trying to find ways to help that is a struggle. Maybe a drivers meeting after the Meet N Greet at the hotel to answer questions there. Maybe review the goals, times, brackets in that meeting. Things are going to happen to move things around, like the accident that happened on Friday that set things back. But we do the best we can and keep moving.

Another challenge will be having so many different classes if we ADD MORE, you potentially won't have enough entries to make it worth it for each class. Stock, Mod, Super Mod, Super Duper Mod, Super Mod with a Catch Can, etc. Heck, just say if you run 10's you are in this class. Make the class by Times and not Modifications. If you run outside of your times, there is a disqualification.

I would rather see two cars running 9's, than one running low 9's and one running low 10's, but in the same class. I was unlimited, running 13's and I was to line up with cars running 9.1... bwahahahaha, seriously. But for me, just running is having fun, so it would not of bothered me.

Would that work? or are there too many people saying "That won't work because it makes sense"...lol. This way, you don't have to worry about tires, mods, engine sizes, etc. If a moded I4 can run a 14.1 and a stock V6 runs a 14.5.. let them go at it. Instead of Bracketing your cars, just bracket the times they register/sign up for. When they go through tech, they can just put it on their window. "#50 - 9" Car# - Time Bracket.

just a suggestion or thought.

[Ace0751]

That would be a good idea, it would eliminate a lot of things and combine brackets with the elimination that goes on. It will lump everyone into a time and will also open up TnT more to people who just want to make fun runs. Maybe have 7 classes combine from 8-15 seconds, it will make people who don't have a fighting chance in there class a possible contender.

I was in the modded class and best I could do in my vert is 13 flat and I am going up against people who are in the 11s and saw one in the 10s, which is still impressive. If we did timed classes, it would all come down to reaction and who can hook up quicker.

It would be worth trying one fest to see how it turns out, v6 on slicks vs v8 for 12 second passes would be very entertaining to see. Even for the 8 to 9 second classes would be a ball to watch with the close times we had this year. Think it would bring a lot of motivation, maybe have one or two qualifiers to get the time and then line up when they call your time bracket.

Just my thoughts

[Evil-Bee-NH]

Well we have a year to work it all out. I know I'm not going to CF9 but like i said I'll help with whatever i can. Another good idea is to get ahold of ricardo@phastek as the trophy sponsor getting him onboard makes it an easier time convincing the mods.

So how bout this rough unofficial wasting time before work draft.

E/T Classes:


1. 14+s E/T


2. 13s E/T


3. 12s E/T


4. 11s E/T


5. 10s E/T


6. 9-s E/T


8. Bracket



Literally we've only eliminated 3 classes from CF8's list but it does make it a lot more cut and dry.

We could have an unofficial grudge class as well which is something I think we need to discuss amongst ourselves. Now the argument i'll see is well we liked running against other V6's etc. Having about 45 passes under my belt now and having been to CF7 I can say that's cool but there's no way you don't know what your car is going to do. We get a few first timers I was and even whiskeyfed was last year let me tell you Bowling Green is hot and humid and not many of us don't have a good idea what our cars will do in hot weather in fact maybe only canadiens might have that argument and i live in New Hampshire and i know what my car will put down in hot humid conditions very well at this point.


The other idea i had flopping around like a dying fish in my head was have us mark on our cars for grudge racing like they do for our classes.


ie;


Grudge Race:


Whiskeyfed [GR 01] vs Evil-Bee-NH [GR 01] on our windshield so the track guys know who's racing who. We could easily make this our own bracket racing grudge race thing as well and do it during open test and tune easily with some of us taking the initiative in staging so that others don't get mixed in or we interfere with other racers we have a ton of staging lanes to utilize during test and tune and we (by that i mean the mods) rent the track so the idea is doable.

[hrpiii]

Originally Posted by Evil-Bee-NH

Well we have a year to work it all out. I know I'm not going to CF9 but like i said I'll help with whatever i can. Another good idea is to get ahold of ricardo@phastek as the trophy sponsor getting him onboard makes it an easier time convincing the mods. I'll try working a grudge race idea for you all in a few days.

Thanks Evil-Bee. Hopefully Phastek will get a chance to check this tread out later. Would love to hear others thoughts if this would or wouldn't work or other ideas. With such a large variety of mods, it is very difficult to coordinate so many different classes, keep it competitive yet fun for all to enjoy with the number of people that run on the drag strip.

[Ace0751]

Grudge race would be technically the same as a call out and with racergirl being called out and calling everyone out, she won't have much to see out of that windshield. It would still be nice to change it up and see how it goes at least one fest, I know some of these guys would have the egos bruised by losing to a modified v6 or i4.

A couple years ago, went up againt etmx unexpected and he was using radials with his v6 and had a great launch. Never know what you will go heads up with the timed class racing.

[hrpiii]

Originally Posted by Evil-Bee-NH

Well we have a year to work it all out. I know I'm not going to CF9 but like i said I'll help with whatever i can. Another good idea is to get ahold of ricardo@phastek as the trophy sponsor getting him onboard makes it an easier time convincing the mods.

So how bout this rough unofficial wasting time before work draft.

E/T Classes:


1. 14+s E/T


2. 13s E/T


3. 12s E/T


4. 11s E/T


5. 10s E/T


6. 9-s E/T


8. Bracket



Literally we've only eliminated 3 classes from CF8's list but it does make it a lot more cut and dry.

We could have an unofficial grudge class as well which is something I think we need to discuss amongst ourselves. Now the argument i'll see is well we liked running against other V6's etc. Having about 45 passes under my belt now and having been to CF7 I can say that's cool but there's no way you don't know what your car is going to do. We get a few first timers I was and even whiskeyfed was last year let me tell you Bowling Green is hot and humid and not many of us don't have a good idea what our cars will do in hot weather in fact maybe only canadiens might have that argument and i live in New Hampshire and i know what my car will put down in hot humid conditions very well at this point.


The other idea i had flopping around like a dying fish in my head was have us mark on our cars for grudge racing like they do for our classes.


ie;


Grudge Race:


Whiskeyfed [GR 01] vs Evil-Bee-NH [GR 01] on our windshield so the track guys know who's racing who. We could easily make this our own bracket racing grudge race thing as well and do it during open test and tune easily with some of us taking the initiative in staging so that others don't get mixed in or we interfere with other racers we have a ton of staging lanes to utilize during test and tune and we (by that i mean the mods) rent the track so the idea is doable.

I don't think it is as much removing or adding classes, it is more about making it more consistent/competitive runs on the track. This stemmed more for classes with a 3-4 second difference. Even trying to run Stock 6th gen against stock 5th gen wasn't competitive. The closest class was the ZL1 stock and that was because most all were 6th Gens.

Oh, and strongly agree about not knowing what you got till you get there. That is what the qualifying rounds are for, to decide what "Timed-Class" you will be in. Then don't worry about who goes up against who in eliminations, you are all in the same class and no favors given. The announcer calls "10 second cars to lane 4" and that's it, "11 second cars to lane 5". When they are in their lanes, then you could write the Timed-Class on the window.

You could easily run a 10.5 and a 10.9 in qualifying, and it guarantees you will be on your toes at eliminations as a driver. As opposed to a 9.1 going against a 11.3. In that last case, as a driver, you kind of sit there frustrated that you have no chance in heck unless he red-lights or breaks.

Grudge or Callouts... just find your challenger and hit the staging lanes together, or meet them there and pull into the staging lanes together. I think this is best for after all the 'running' is done, because I know several like to let their cars cool down a little if they were working through eliminations.

The goal is to make it simple(r) and more competitive. Unless you have a Dominating Car for your class, then you will be a little upset you actually have to race harder than planned....lol.

[Lafourche1]

I know that I may be in the minority, but for me, I only want to make 5-6 passes total in Test 'n Tune. It would be cool to do a call out race or two, but I really don't want to put more than 5-6 passes on the car, total (period).

I also know that I could benefit from a Drag Racing for Dummies class, too.

[Russell James]

I think the Heads up format was great. Would hate to see it evolve into bracket racing.

You can bracket race or watch bracket racing at any track any weekend. The Fest being a special event, is much more exciting to use a heads up format, and throw in some Grudge. If the cars get bunched together in such tight brackets then do dial ins...might as well hand out participation trophies and bore the fans to death. This version VIII of the Fest had great participation, and fans in the stands... huge accomplishment!

Maybe some fine tuning. Certainly not a great idea to have guys and girls in shorts and flip flops in the same class as cars running 4 seconds quicker in full safety gear. I'm sure they will sort that out.

Awesome event, can't wait till next year. Make it hotter please, adds to the challenge. And it makes the beer at Double Dogs taste even better at the end of the day.

[Ace0751]

There would be Test n Tune still, what we were saying is instead of having the classes we have now which some people that are placed have no chance, switch it to timed classes instead where everyone is competition because of equal grounds. There were also be test n tunes throughout the day as well for the people who want to have fun and also do some heads up.

[Evil-Bee-NH]

Originally Posted by Ace0751

There would be Test n Tune still, what we were saying is instead of having the classes we have now which some people that are placed have no chance, switch it to timed classes instead where everyone is competition because of equal grounds. There were also be test n tunes throughout the day as well for the people who want to have fun and also do some heads up.

Xactly besides let's face it the guy who won the I4 class though i love the guy would not have stood a chance against the 11.1s I4 that ZZP brought with them.

[oneredry]

another suggestion. tell the announcer to stop with his "....and uhh.." and uh.... ever other word was ...and uh...