Got Grip
20+ Year Contributor
- 289
- 262
- Sep 17, 2002
-
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
I just got home from Maple Grove's Dutch Classic NHRA Divisional race and I couldn't be happier!
The race actually started on Thursday afternoon but my dad couldn't get off from work on Thursday so we missed first qualifying session. We rolled into the track on Friday morning and got an incredible parking spot, right at the end of the staging lanes and we had a huge area. They treat comp racers like royalty at these events. We were a bit nervous about the tech inspection because this was our first ever actual event with the car. The tech inspector inspected our car right in our pit and was very nice, he didn't have a single gripe. He was actually the same guy that did the chassis certs at TurboTrix the day before the Showdown.
We sit around a good part of the day waiting for our qualifying session. They finally called us up, we got ready for the run and went up to the lanes. We got my dad all suited up and strapped into the car, about 2 pairs of cars are in front of us and it starts to drizzle. At first everyone is hanging out thinking it will pass but it just gets worse and we have to turn around and take the car back to the trailer. The announce a few minutes later that they are calling it for the day, no more runs.
Saturday comes and we're still all set to make the pass, the rain begins to lift and we get up in the lanes. We want to make a good pass to qualify but didn't want to do anything beyond what we knew the car was capable of. We set it up fairly conservative and didn't get crazy with the boost and went out and made a clean pass. It was a 7.53 at 172 MPH. Awesome, we're very happy with that. A few minutes after we get the car back, once again the skies open up and it starts to rain. Shortly after they announce that they are calling it a day again and to come back early on Sunday so they can get moving.
We get the qualifying sheet and see that we are qualified 22nd out of 28 cars at .23 seconds over our index. Not great but no worse than where we expected to be. First round we have a car that went about .22 under his index on the Thursday qualifying session.
Sunday comes and we get everything set up for first round and we decide we're just going to go up and give it all we have. At this point we don't have much to lose, we're here to have fun and we don't expect to win. We just wanted to get a feel for what the events are like.
We decided on a staging procedure before the run that we felt would give us our best chance at winning and we went up to the line and my dad executed the procedure perfectly. We had the car on the 2 step before his first yellow was even lit so there was plenty of time to build boost. The other guy leaves and we see the red light... INCREDIBLE! We just won our first round ever of comp racing and the car hasn't even left the line yet! My dad lets the car go with a somewhat crappy light (distracted by our opponents redlight) and it leaves HARD. It rattled the tires a good bit in first and actually spun hard enough at the top of first to cause it to short shift. Then his time pops up, 7.30 at 179 MPH! We just matched our index on only the 20th pass ever on this car and ran a new best ET and MPH.
Second round we have to run the number 1 qualifier. We decided we're just going to go up and do the same thing, it worked last time, why not? No real changes to the tune or boost or anything, just try to repeat first round. Once again, my dad gets the car on the line and up on the 2 step before the first yellow even comes on, as the tree comes down we see that redlight appear in the other lane again, wtf? The number 1 qualifier (.65 seconds under his index) just redlit against the number 22 qualifier! No complaints here. This time my dad is a bit more prepared and tries to nail the tree. He nails a .027 reaction time (first time ever trying to cut a light in the car) and the car leaves awesome. Carries the front wheels nice and smooth, no tire shake this time. Score board lights up and we see 7.34 at 176 MPH. Not a bad way to back up that first round run. I quickly remembered that there were 28 cars there and that there was a bye run in the 3rd round, it's supposed to go to the number 1 qualifier, since we just took him out, we get a bye run into the semi's!
We decided not to beat on the car and just rolled it down the track for our win on the bye run. It ran like a 18 something at 65 MPH.
Now we're all set for the semi final round. We actually decided to turn the boost down a bit for this pass (long story) but otherwise, keep everything the same. My dad got up on the line but wasn't able to get up on the 2 step quick enough and ended up leaving the line before building any real boost. The car rolled its way to a 1.4 60', then boost hit and it went 7.94 at 175 MPH. Not too shabby for that 60' and less boost. Unfortunately, the other guy ran a good bit under his index and beat us.
Needless to say, we're ecstatic with how the car performed and our luck at our first ever real Comp race. We got a million compliments this weekend as well as plenty of people saying "that'll never work." Funny part is, none of those guys who told us it will never work made it past second round.
There are some people I have to give a HUGE thanks to for making this all possible:
First Jason Chandler and Russ McLaughlin - Without these two guys my dad and I would have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to stay on top of the car. Thanks guys, you were a great help.
Also thanks to:
AEM
Extreme PSI
SparkTech Ignitions
Kiggly Racing
Hamm's Machine Shop
Fuel Injector Clinic
All of these companies have helped us to get us where we are with the car. Kiggly even loaned us his spare head to make this event, we wouldn't have even made it out if it wasn't for that. Thanks a bunch Kevin.
Jason took some great video of the runs so when I get some time I'll crapily edit it together and post up a link.
Thanks for reading my ramblings.
The race actually started on Thursday afternoon but my dad couldn't get off from work on Thursday so we missed first qualifying session. We rolled into the track on Friday morning and got an incredible parking spot, right at the end of the staging lanes and we had a huge area. They treat comp racers like royalty at these events. We were a bit nervous about the tech inspection because this was our first ever actual event with the car. The tech inspector inspected our car right in our pit and was very nice, he didn't have a single gripe. He was actually the same guy that did the chassis certs at TurboTrix the day before the Showdown.
We sit around a good part of the day waiting for our qualifying session. They finally called us up, we got ready for the run and went up to the lanes. We got my dad all suited up and strapped into the car, about 2 pairs of cars are in front of us and it starts to drizzle. At first everyone is hanging out thinking it will pass but it just gets worse and we have to turn around and take the car back to the trailer. The announce a few minutes later that they are calling it for the day, no more runs.
Saturday comes and we're still all set to make the pass, the rain begins to lift and we get up in the lanes. We want to make a good pass to qualify but didn't want to do anything beyond what we knew the car was capable of. We set it up fairly conservative and didn't get crazy with the boost and went out and made a clean pass. It was a 7.53 at 172 MPH. Awesome, we're very happy with that. A few minutes after we get the car back, once again the skies open up and it starts to rain. Shortly after they announce that they are calling it a day again and to come back early on Sunday so they can get moving.
We get the qualifying sheet and see that we are qualified 22nd out of 28 cars at .23 seconds over our index. Not great but no worse than where we expected to be. First round we have a car that went about .22 under his index on the Thursday qualifying session.
Sunday comes and we get everything set up for first round and we decide we're just going to go up and give it all we have. At this point we don't have much to lose, we're here to have fun and we don't expect to win. We just wanted to get a feel for what the events are like.
We decided on a staging procedure before the run that we felt would give us our best chance at winning and we went up to the line and my dad executed the procedure perfectly. We had the car on the 2 step before his first yellow was even lit so there was plenty of time to build boost. The other guy leaves and we see the red light... INCREDIBLE! We just won our first round ever of comp racing and the car hasn't even left the line yet! My dad lets the car go with a somewhat crappy light (distracted by our opponents redlight) and it leaves HARD. It rattled the tires a good bit in first and actually spun hard enough at the top of first to cause it to short shift. Then his time pops up, 7.30 at 179 MPH! We just matched our index on only the 20th pass ever on this car and ran a new best ET and MPH.
Second round we have to run the number 1 qualifier. We decided we're just going to go up and do the same thing, it worked last time, why not? No real changes to the tune or boost or anything, just try to repeat first round. Once again, my dad gets the car on the line and up on the 2 step before the first yellow even comes on, as the tree comes down we see that redlight appear in the other lane again, wtf? The number 1 qualifier (.65 seconds under his index) just redlit against the number 22 qualifier! No complaints here. This time my dad is a bit more prepared and tries to nail the tree. He nails a .027 reaction time (first time ever trying to cut a light in the car) and the car leaves awesome. Carries the front wheels nice and smooth, no tire shake this time. Score board lights up and we see 7.34 at 176 MPH. Not a bad way to back up that first round run. I quickly remembered that there were 28 cars there and that there was a bye run in the 3rd round, it's supposed to go to the number 1 qualifier, since we just took him out, we get a bye run into the semi's!
We decided not to beat on the car and just rolled it down the track for our win on the bye run. It ran like a 18 something at 65 MPH.
Now we're all set for the semi final round. We actually decided to turn the boost down a bit for this pass (long story) but otherwise, keep everything the same. My dad got up on the line but wasn't able to get up on the 2 step quick enough and ended up leaving the line before building any real boost. The car rolled its way to a 1.4 60', then boost hit and it went 7.94 at 175 MPH. Not too shabby for that 60' and less boost. Unfortunately, the other guy ran a good bit under his index and beat us.
Needless to say, we're ecstatic with how the car performed and our luck at our first ever real Comp race. We got a million compliments this weekend as well as plenty of people saying "that'll never work." Funny part is, none of those guys who told us it will never work made it past second round.
There are some people I have to give a HUGE thanks to for making this all possible:
First Jason Chandler and Russ McLaughlin - Without these two guys my dad and I would have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to stay on top of the car. Thanks guys, you were a great help.
Also thanks to:
AEM
Extreme PSI
SparkTech Ignitions
Kiggly Racing
Hamm's Machine Shop
Fuel Injector Clinic
All of these companies have helped us to get us where we are with the car. Kiggly even loaned us his spare head to make this event, we wouldn't have even made it out if it wasn't for that. Thanks a bunch Kevin.
Jason took some great video of the runs so when I get some time I'll crapily edit it together and post up a link.
Thanks for reading my ramblings.
