[Waxed'05 GT]

Don - Please post a link to the Ford GT you guys are referencing to.

[don_w]

These are from a thread about previous trip to the track back in Sept 2006:

Video #1:
My second run was against the Ford GT. The owner, Roger, also has a Vortech-blown ’05 Mustang, and I first met him at the track last year. This was the first time he brought the GT to the drag strip. I managed to run a 7.363 @ 93.803, 1.669. Roger’s numbers were 8.244 @ 95.373, 2.187.

Video #2:
My third run was also against the Ford GT. Prior to our pass, a car left a serious oil down in the left lane. And I was the lucky dog to make the first pass on the track after the cleanup. I don’t think there was any groove left, because the car broke loose, and I had to pedal it. Obviously, lifting killed my ET, but not enough to lose to the Ford GT. Scoreboard: Don 2, Roger 0. hehe. I ran a 7.746 @ 89.755, 1.803. Roger’s numbers were 8.113 @ 96.347, 2.125.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, January 19, 2007

On this Friday night at the track, we didn’t set any new personal bests. Even though the air was cool, the humidity was pretty high, which hurts performance. On the 10psi supercharger pulley, the car was fairly consistent with 9 runs in the 7.40s, with a couple in the 7.30s, and a few a little higher.

Also on this night, there was a video crew at the track doing public relation promos for RaceLegal that are supposed to go on the web somewhere. They interviewed me for a little while, and then one of the camera operators went for a couple rides with me. I think she was a bit surprised by what it felt like going down the track in my car.

Here are the videos from Friday, January 19 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with a double asterisk, **.

Video #1, Time 7:03 pm:
My first run was against a new Dodge Stratus R/T. I hope they aren’t all as pokey as this one… sheesh. I ran a 7.496 @ ?? mph (not recorded), with a 1.732 60’ time. The Dodge went 12.080 @ 68.08, 3.51. It sure takes him a long time to be seen in the video. Haha.

Video #2, Time 7:27 pm:
I’m not sure what happened on this one. It spun twice in the first 80 feet or so, and the ET fell off quite a bit to 7.607 @ 90.18, 1.784. The little car in the other lane ran 10.269 @ 75.12, 2.775.

**Video #3, Time 7:38 pm:
My third run was the best of the night. I ran a 7.362 @ 95.54, 1.687 to the Fox body 5.0 Mustang’s 8.456 @ 81.67, 1.833.

Video #4, Time 8:06 pm:
Here is Donna’s first run of the night. She is up against a 1979 Camaro. On this run, Donna went 7.466 @ 93.74, 1.771 vs the Camaro’s 7.990 @ 87.21, 1.835. He also cut a perfect 0.500 light.

**Video #5, Time 8:19 pm:
Donna’s next run was against an old truck hot rod. It’s pretty nice, and runs in the low 7’s. Donna ran 7.427 @ 95.94, 1.762 against his excellent 7.095 @ 96.98, 1.618.

Video #6, Time 8:47 pm:
On this run, Donna is up against an SRT4. She ran a 7.443 @ 94.73, 1.732 vs the Dodge’s 8.204 @ 87.04, 1.871.

Video #7, Time 10:06 pm:
This run was against John’s brand new ’07 Vista Blue. Previously, I was teasing John about him leaving on the 1st bulb so he’d have a headstart against me. So that’s what he did. haha… I went 7.472 @ 94.53, 1.726 against John’s 9.851 @ 74.26, 2.635.

Time 10:25 pm:
My next run did not get on camera. I ran 7.435 @ 94.54, 1.678 against an 8.904 @ 81.96, 2.240.

**Video #9, Time 10:39 pm:
This was the closest race I was in all night. I was up against a 300ZX TT. Not only was he late on the tree, but he was also a tick slower. After cutting my best RT (0.575) and 60’ (1.632) of the night, I ran the second best lap of the night… a 7.363 @ 94.73, 1.632 against his 7.453 @ 93.95, 1.728.

Video #10, Time 10:51 pm:
Next up, I had a solo run. I ran a 7.408 @ 93.55, 1.674.

**Video #11, Time 11:03 pm:
This was the first of two runs where I had the RaceLegal PR camera-person on-board with me. She kept the camera in my face during the whole run, and was asking questions. Technically, you aren’t supposed to go quicker than 8.50 with a passenger in the car, but they kind of ignored this for the runs I made with her. Although I did brake early to try and slow down, it wasn’t enough to get above 8.50. I ran against a 2004 GTO (which is mostly stock and pretty quick). I went 7.895 @ 63.11, 1.668 against the GTO’s 8.148 @ 87.89, 1.918. It was close at the finish line, but I nipped him by 0.194 sec.

**Video #12, Time 11:14 pm:
This was a solo run with the camera in the car again, except she had it focused out the windshield instead of in my face. Again, I braked early at the end, but not enough. I ran 7.547 @ 80.06, 1.647. She got to feel a pretty decent 60’ time on this run.

Video #13, Time 11:33 pm:
Donna made the last three passes of the night. On this one, she ran 7.421 @ 95.13, 1.721, which ended up being her quickest run of the night. The opponent went 9.498 @ 78.67, 2.472.

**Video #14, Time 11:41 pm:
Donna’s last two runs were against the same car… a low 7-sec Fox-body Stang from Tijuana. We started calling it the TJ Fox. On the first matchup, she went red by 16 thou (0.484) and ran 7.494 @ 92.59, 1.737. The TJ Fox went 7.193 @ 96.15, 1.654. He cut a horrible 1.077 tree, so the difference at the end was a lot. If my car had been on the 12# pulley, it would have been a pretty even match headsup, but his driving skills cost him even with my car on the 10# pulley.

Video #15, Time 11:49 pm:
Once again, the TJ Fox had trouble at the tree. First he rolled the beams and lit the red bulb, and then he hesitated before he actually launched. So the timers were running after the red, but since he didn’t go anywhere right away, the ET was funky looking. Donna slowed to a 7.616 @ 94.94, 1.858, and his numbers were 9.107 @ 87.37, 2.863. Bottom line, she took the stripe again.

[don_w]

Sorry... I had slight typos in the links for #2 and #9. Here are the corrected links:

Video #2

**Video #9

[bnkrtoy]

Originally Posted by don_w

Practice is good, but can only take you so far. Having good air and track conditions is the key... but you can't control that. We went last night, and the air wasn't as good, so no new personal bests. But we still had a blast. Vids will be posted later.

And since the rebuild, I have 7000 miles and 208 runs on the car.

p.s. BTW, the Ford GT vids are a favorite of mine as well.

Agreed.. Conditions contribute heavily, however, manually speaking , these cars are different animals to launch with the tq of a TS. 3/4's of the best times I see are from the auto's.

208 runs Why do I live in Chicago??? Keep me busy and see if you can get ya a C6 Z06.

[don_w]

Originally Posted by bnkrtoy

Agreed.. Conditions contribute heavily, however, manually speaking , these cars are different animals to launch with the tq of a TS. 3/4's of the best times I see are from the auto's.

Precisely why I got an auto trans. I knew I'd be racing, and that's the best way to do it.

Originally Posted by bnkrtoy

208 runs Why do I live in Chicago??? Keep me busy and see if you can get ya a C6 Z06.

LOL... yea, 208 runs from Sep to Jan. And I'm still waiting to actually see a Z06 or a GT500 at the track. I'd love to run against either one of them. Where are those guys????

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, January 27, 2007

This turned out to be a pretty good day at the track. While the weather was a little warmer and much more comfortable than it was 2 weeks ago, the track was hooking well. The density altitude ranged from a low of 1,729’ up to 2,523’. Also, there weren’t too many cars there. In about 5 hours, Donna and I managed to get in a total of 23 runs. I guess we got our money’s worth today!

Since the DA was about 1,000’ feet higher than it was two weeks ago, I expected the car to run mainly in the 7.20s, with maybe a couple 7.1x’s. I definitely didn’t think the air was there for any chance at any new personal bests. But, I ended up being wrong. Both Donna and I each set our own all-time personal best ETs… Donna ran 7.108 and I went 7.084!!

The 7.084 is the quickest run this car had ever made!!

Here are the videos from Saturday, January 27 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 1,729 ft:
Donna got things started by facing off against a very quick ’65 Chevy. Her 7.198 @ 97.403, 1.634 60’ was a good first run, but no match for his 6.585 @ 103.599, 1.446. At this point, I figured her 7.19 was going to be tough to beat because the air was as good as I expected it to be at 10:00 in the morning, but the 7.19 didn’t stand up for too long.

**Video #2, Time 10:09 am, DA = 1,832 ft:
Donna’s second run turned out to be an excellent heads-up race against a late 60’s Camaro. Even though he went red by 0.064, Donna cut a killer 0.006 light, and tracked him down. Her 7.132 @ 97.862, 1.608 was (at the time) her all time best ET, and it was enough to drive around the Camaro’s 7.294 @ 96.693, 1.631.

**Video #3, Time 10:17 am, DA = 1,786 ft:
Donna’s next run was against the same Camaro. And the results were very similar. She ran 7.152 @ 98.458, 1.620 to his 7.296 @ 96.618, 1.622. So much for my guess that we wouldn’t see too many runs below 7.20s. haha.

**Video #4, Time 10:26 am, DA = 1,788 ft:
Now it was my turn. I was up against a late model Firebird (basically stock), and he had a great view of what turned out to be the all-time best run my car has ever made. Seriously, I didn’t think the weather conditions were there for a 7.0 run, but sure enough, I stopped the clocks at 7.084 @ 98.113, 1.551, beating my previous best of 7.094. I don’t think Donna was particularly happy when she saw the number on the scoreboard… hehe. And even though my 60’ time was pretty good (2nd best ever at the time), it wouldn’t be the best of the day… more on that later. The Firebird ran 9.058 @ 80.352, 2.124.

Video #5, Time 10:30 am, DA = 1,853 ft:
My next run wasn’t nearly as good. I had a solo pass and it only ran 7.224 @ 96.178, 1.606. I’m not sure what happened, but I was hot-lapping and this run was only 4 minutes after the last one. Maybe there was just a bit too much heat in it.

Video #6, Time 10:38 am, DA = 2,044 ft:
Even though the DA was rising and my 60’ wasn’t as good as the previous run, it still went a couple ticks quicker. I was up against the same Firebird I had raced earlier, and I ran 7.199 @ 97.527, 1.623 to the Pontiac’s 9.207 @ 80.059, 2.238.

**Video #7, Time 11:07 am, DA = 2,020 ft:
Now it was time for Donna to lay down a killer pass! First of all, she clicked off the best 60-foot time my car has ever run (1.545! WOW!), and then laid down her personal best ET ever… 7.108 @ 98.309!! My view of the scoreboard was blocked a little, so it took me a couple seconds to see it. She was oh-so-close to a 7.0 pass!! The Corvette in the other lane managed a 9.204 @ 74.693, 2.069.

Video #8, Time 11:13 am, DA = 2,074 ft:
Six minutes later, Donna staged up against a very fast ’69 Camaro on nitrous. This Camaro is capable of mid-6 sec runs, so something wasn’t right on this pass. Donna over-powerbraked it at the line, causing the tires to break loose and spin coming out of the hole, killing her RT and 60’ time. She ran 7.315 @ 97.875, 1.716 to the Camaro’s 7.101 @ 104.749, 1.831.

Video #9, Time 11:25 am, DA = 1,905 ft:
My next run was against our friend Rich in his stock ’06 Vista Blue. Rich apparently used up his clutch on this run, and had to quit for the day. His trap speed tells the story there. I managed a 7.212 @ 97.039, 1.605 to his 9.342 @ 68.851, 2.067.

Video #10, Time 12:29 pm, DA = 2,314 ft:
During the hour-long lunch break, the DA climbed several hundred feet, so our chance for any more really good runs was over. On this run, I was up against that bottle-fed ’69 Camaro Donna had raced earlier. Except now he made he a screaming pass. My 7.224 @ 94.378, 1.606 was no match for his 6.456 @ 108.877, 1.523. I even tried to cheat by going 0.090 red. haha.

**Video #11, Time 12:35 pm, DA = 2,332 ft:
On this run I was up against an old classic Coupe DeVille. But this is not your father’s Cadillac! This one has a huge 6-71 blower on it… plus a little nitrous to boot. I grabbed better than 2/10 on the tree (0.076 vs 0.285), but it wasn’t enough to hold him off. He used all that horsepower to drive around me, and won by 0.145 sec. I ran 7.179 @ 96.469, 1.575 to his 6.825 @ 106.653, 1.691. But, it was a fun race.

Time 12:43 pm, DA = 2,280 ft:
I managed to screw up the video completely on this run, but Donna ran 7.352 @ 96.692, 1.701. The fiberglass-bodied ’69 Mustang race car (with a 900hp 427 cid motor) in the other lane, ran an amazing 5.851 @ 118.302. C’ya!

Video #12, Time 12:54 pm, DA = 2,312 ft:
Donna next lined up against an old Nova, and she easily outran him. She ran 7.253 @ 97.593, 1.655 to his 8.163 @ 85.200, 1.868.

Video #13, Time 1:00 pm, DA = 2,343 ft:
Donna faced the same yellow Vette she had raced earlier, and the results didn’t change much. Even though he left way early and she was way late. Donna ran 7.296 @ 97.131, 1.678 to the Chevy’s 8.922 @ 77.859, 2.079.

**Video #14, Time 1:26 pm, DA = 2,375 ft:
On this run, I was paired up against our friend John in his new ’07 Vista Blue. Other that ET Street tires, it was bone stock. I cut my best reaction time of the day, 0.006, and ran a 7.191 @ 97.642, 1.611 against John’s 9.279 @ 77.188, 2.156.

**Video #15, Time 1:29 pm, DA = 2,355 ft:
Even though this run was just 3 minutes later, the car ran about the same. I was racing John again, and he decided to leave way early (-0.602 red) hoping to make the gap at the end closer. It didn’t work… but it was funny!! He jumped out on me, but I pretty much had him caught by the 60-foot cone. I ran 7.200 @ 97.047, 1.614 to John’s bogging 9.504 @ 75.432, 2.237.

Video #16, Time 1:34 pm, DA = 2,395 ft:
Even hot-lapping it (just 5 minutes later), the car showed some serious consistency. After running a 7.191 and a 7.200, it came right back and ran 7.198. I was happy that the car ran so consistent back-to-back-to-back. The numbers were 7.198 @ 97.244, 1.602 against the Camaro’s 8.282 @ 90.452, 2.115. It’s always fun beating a Camaro down the track!

**Video #17, Time 1:49 pm, DA = 2,523 ft:
On this pass, Donna was up against an old Vega with a big block motor on nitrous. For the video, I positioned myself even with the Christmas tree, so I could get a nice frontal shot of Donna’s launch. This was another good race, with Donna getting edged out on a holeshot. She ran 7.244 @ 97.185, 1.644 to the Vega’s 7.350 @ 96.098, 1.757.

Video #18, Time 1:55 pm, DA = 2,492 ft:
This time it was Donna’s turn to race the Firebird. She ran 7.352 @ 97.219, 1.712 against his 9.190 @ 80.559, 2.273.

Video #19, Time 1:58 pm, DA = 2,399 ft:
Three minutes later, Donna made this solo pass. She had a great reaction time, 0.006… her second 0.006 of the day!! She ran 7.338 @ 97.725, 1.708.

Video #20, Time 2:35 pm, DA = 2,323 ft:
My next run was against John again. No funny business on the tree from John this time. I ran a 7.270 @ 95.502, 1.596 to his 9.199 @ 77.644, 2.131.

Video #21, Time 2:39 pm, DA = 2,323 ft:
My 11th and last run of the day was a solo pass. I ran 7.253 @ 97.114, 1.617.

Video #22, Time 3:10 pm, DA = 2,297 ft:
Donna’s 12th and last run of the day was against John. She also ran her slowest pass at 7.359 @ 97.236, 1.665. John ran 9.309 @ 76.863, 2.181.

[don_w]

A couple weeks ago, there was a film crew on hand at the track doing a PR video for RaceLegal. As part of the video she was making, the lady interviewed me and then I took her for two runs down the track. On the first run, she just had the camera in my face. On the second, she pointed it out the front window. But in the edited video, she merged the two and it looks like one run. Here is a link to the full video:

YouTube - Street Legal EP#2

[Andrew_06_GT]

that was a pretty cool vid...I like the nice touch in the beginning..."Its the most fun you can have with your clothes on"

[don_w]

Originally Posted by Andrew_06_GT

that was a pretty cool vid...I like the nice touch in the beginning..."Its the most fun you can have with your clothes on"

LOL... that's one of my favorite sayings. I didn't know she'd use it in the final edited video.

[Waxed'05 GT]

Originally Posted by don_w

LOL... that's one of my favorite sayings. I didn't know she'd use it in the final edited video.

Was that you saying that Don???

[don_w]

Originally Posted by Waxed'05 GT

Was that you saying that Don???

Yes, and then they cut to a shot of me finishing the sentence, "... that's all there is to it". They actual used other clips of me too. They asked me about the car while I was standing in the pits, and of course all the in-car vid and dialogue too. Even the announcer makes reference to the car.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, February 2, 2007

As is typical with Qualcomm, the air was cool, but the humidity was pretty high. Dew was forming before we even got out of the tech line. I knew that it was going to be an interesting night. Moisture on the track has a way of making traction iffy at best.

We made a total of 16 runs (all on the 10psi pulley), and pretty much all of them were in the 7.40s and 7.50s. And one of them was good enough to win another Super Street class trophy! I think that is number 12 or 13, now.

And I finally got a chance to line up against a Shelby GT500… but it wasn’t even a contest. Details below.

Here are the videos from Friday, February 2 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with a double asterisk (**).

Video #1, Time 6:28 pm, DA = -319 ft:
My first run was a solo pass, and was basically a waste. The track was green, and it spun right on the launch. I pedaled it once and ran a pathetic 8.038 @ 89.99, with a 2.037 60’ time.

Video #2, Time 6:34 pm, DA = -264 ft:
Six minutes later, I made another run. The opponent was a 350Z, who apparently spun badly off the line. My car hooked pretty well, and ran 7.497 @ 92.59, 1.771 against the Z’s 10.582 @ 76.26, 3.101. The 7.497 was 3 thousandths too quick to qualify for the Super Street ET Class trophy (7.500 and above).

**Video #3, Time 6:41 pm, DA = -341 ft:
For several months, I’ve been waiting to get a chance to race against a Shelby GT500. I was happy to see one next to me in the staging lanes. I was looking to put a spanking on him! I was so amped, that I went red by 0.015… d’oh. However, it all turned out to be anti-climactic. He was on street tires and spun at the hit off the throttle, and then got loose about 100’-150’ down track. Unfortunately, I never got another shot at him that night. I ran 7.444 @ 92.02, 1.708 against the GT500’s 10.270 @ 89.46, 2.992. That trap speed tells me he was pulling hard at the top end, despite his traction woes early in the run. Oh well, someday I’ll get to run one again (hopefully with drag tires on it).

**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = -371 ft:
Donna’s first run of the night ended up being the best of the night!! She was up against a Mitsubishi Evolution… and he finished a distant 2nd, almost 2 seconds behind. Donna laid down a nice 7.380@ 92.98, 1.686 vs. a 9.259 @ 83.48, 2.366.

Video #5, Time 6:59 pm, DA = -377 ft:
Donna’s next run was a solo, and she ran 7.483 @ 92.78, 1.768. The announcer at the track was not the regular guy, and he started just referring to the car as the “BAD 05GT”… but he didn’t always know which one of us was driving. It made for some humorous moments throughout the night.

Video #6, Time 7:04 pm, DA = -355 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a generic Honda. She spun a little on her launch, which killed the 60’ time and ET. But, for the moment, she had a run which could qualify for a trophy. Donna ran 7.570 @ 92.59, 1.811 vs 11.087 @ 68.49, 2.696.

Video #7, Time 7:12 pm, DA = -402 ft:
I had another solo on this run, and just barely ran under the 7.50 index, with a 7.486 @ 91.65, 1.705.

**Video #8, Time 7:18 pm, DA = -405 ft:
This turned out to be my best run of the night, 7.435 @ 92.78, 1.715. The “whatchamacallit” in the other lane ran 10.289 @ 68.60, 2.409.

Video #9, Time 7:26 pm, DA = -420 ft:
On my next run, I spun early (at the top of 1st gear) and bumped the rev limiter. The 7.561 @ 91.84, 1.760 pass was enough to bump me into trophy position and Donna out of it… but not for long.

Video #10, Time 8:32 pm, DA = -498 ft:
On Donna’s fourth run, she made another Mitsubishi look like it was standing still. Plus, she almost hit that 7.500 mark right on the nose. She ran a 7.498 @ 91.46, 1.758 to a 10.255 @ 73.88, 2.715.

Video #11, Time 8:55 pm, DA = -537 ft:
Donna’s next two runs were against an Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck. On this run, she ran 7.553 @ 92.02, 1.801 vs a 9.560 @ 79.64, 2.380. Both of them spun the tires on the launch. But, Donna’s 7.553 now put her in position for the trophy!!

**Video #12, Time 9:17 pm, DA = -564 ft:
The Viper truck made a much better pass on this run, running 8.721 @ 83.49, 2.149. Pretty impressive for a big heavy truck! Donna slowed a tick to a 7.578 @ 92.78, 1.809.

**Video #13, Time 9:36 pm, DA = -557 ft:
On this run, I faced off against a late model Mach 1. He had a good reaction time, but I passed him and drove away. My 7.473 @ 93.16, 1.742 beat his 9.158 @ 79.50, 2.219. And the 93.16mph trap was the best of the night for my car.

**Video #14, Time 9:56 pm, DA = -591 ft:
I was down to one final run of the night, and I was up against a 1968 Cougar. I ran 7.536 @ 91.28, 1.759 to the Mercury’s 9.125 @ 79.92, 2.214. Lucky for me, the 7.536 was close enough to 7.500 to win the Super Street trophy for this night!! Even though I edged Donna out for the trophy, she was a good sport about it. She cheered me on the return road, and grabbed this short video while we waited for the track photographer to take the picture for the RaceLegal.com website.

Video #15, Time 10:15 pm, DA = -626 ft:
Donna’s next race was against our friend Rich, who was driving a rental V6 convertible Mustang (while his GT was in the shop). The cameraman (me) really messed up this video… it is totally out of focus. Here are the numbers: Donna ran 7.479 @ 92.78, 1.759 to Rich’s 10.622 @ 68.49, 2.660.

**Video #16, Time 10:36 pm, DA = -624 ft:
Donna’s last pass of the night was against a Porsche 911. The guy driving the Porsche “challenged” her in the staging lanes, so she obliged him. I’m not sure what he was thinking. He had a passenger with him, which meant he couldn’t go quicker than 8.50. Maybe he just wanted a good view of the back end of the BAD 05GT as it ripped down the track! haha. Donna ran 7.563 @ 91.65, 1.793 to the tractionally challenged Porsche’s 11.289 @ 59.52, 2.299.

[5twenty]

Do you keep good records of your runs? Do you use any race logging software?

I'm looking at Crew Chief Pro among others for the upcoming season.

Crew Chief Drag Racing Software and Professional Weather Stations Main Page

[travelers]

Good runs and videos it makes me want to head to the track again. This spring that is. it 12 out side.