[don_w]

Originally Posted by MickMach

nice videos Don.....hey in vid 6 on Donnas solo run I see she leaves with both hands on the wheel. you just let the car shift auto? I ran some of my best times that way...do you run it in auto or you shift it? you run a shift light?

We always just put it in "D". Works best that way.

Originally Posted by MickMach

also is that still the 26" tire on the back? looks to be good size.

I'm running 28x10.50-15 slicks.

Originally Posted by Mister Roper

I wanna join your gang but I still need 11 more runs and 2 more sub 0.050 R/Ts.

Hehe, shouldn't each 1/4 mile run count as two 1/8ths?

Cool... Stangpede has a NorCal chapter.

I let Donna make all the runs today, and she had about half of them last light. She got all three sub 0.050 lights today, and had 27 runs in a 24-hr period. haha. So, she's in.

BTW... I won the Reaction Time trophy last night with a 0.501 (on a 0.500 tree). My worst light out of six runs was a 0.527. And we missed the Super Street trophy by 3/100's or so. Results here: http://www.racelegal.com/results/race_results.asp

[MickMach]

thanks don!
great R/Ts way to go.....both of ya!!

[don_w]

Thanks Mick.

And Donna also ripped off a new all-time best for the car yesterday... 7.079 @ 98.75mph, with a 1.542 60-ft time.

Unfortunately, I also got the roll bar "warning" from the track owners. Basically, they said cage it or slow it down.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, March 23, 2007

This turned out to be a good night at the track. As usual, I installed the 10psi blower pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 60s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was in the 50’s all night, which really hurt the air. And the left lane was slick and tricky. Every time we ran in that lane, it spun on the launch.

We only got a total of 11 runs because we quit a little early. But one of them was good enough for another trophy! I won the trophy for the Best Reaction Time (a 0.501 on a 0.500 tree). In fact, my slowest light all night was 0.527. RaceLegal Results here.

Here are the videos from Friday, March 23 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

**Video #1, Time 6:21 pm, DA = 507 ft:
My first run was against Jim Borba and his GT350 clone. Normally, he runs low 6’s on a 200-300 shot of nitrous on the 347 stroker motor, but tonight he was sans bottle, running all motor. We both went red on the run, but he was 0.001 more red than me (0.476 to 0.477). I ran 7.480 @ 89.99, 1.736 60-foot time. Borba’s numbers were 7.059 @ 96.77, 1.614.

Video #2, Time 6:26 pm, DA = 514 ft:
My next run was against another Mustang. I was in the left lane, and quickly found out how little traction there was over there. Even though I cut a pretty good light (0.513), it spun hard. You can hear it bounce off the rev limiter as it spun the tires. The 1.801 60-foot time resulted in a 7.583 @ 92.40. The black Stang went 10.645 @ 65.88, 2.671.

**Video #3, Time 6:32 pm, DA = 499 ft:
My third run was my quickest run of the night. And how often do you get a chance to race and beat a 7-sec turbo ricer with pink wheels? haha. He rolled into both stage beams early and then sat there with the engine revved up. When I saw and heard that, I just took my time getting staged. I tree’d him big time (0.527 to 0.905), and then drove away for a 0.815 sec victory. My 7.380 @ 91.83, 1.678 beat his 7.817 @ 93.55, 1.796.

**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = 478 ft:
Donna’s first run turned out to be the best of the whole night. She was up against a 96 Cobra. I think the announcer likes Donna. hehe. She cut her best reaction time of the night (0.525), and ripped off a great 7.313 @ 92.40, 1.658. She was 2-1/2 seconds ahead at the strip. The Cobra ran 9.506 @ 78.81, 2.502.

**Video #5, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 457 ft:
Donna’s next run was even more lopsided… and the announcer was even more animated. She raced a classic Mustang and just drove away from him. The margin of victory was 3.7 seconds… it seems like it takes forever for him to come into view of the camera. She slowed to a 7.464 @ 92.98, 1.750 to a 10.914 @ 71.99, 2.883.

Video #6, Time 7:16 pm, DA = 422 ft:
OK… someone get this announcer a sedative or something. haha. Donna was running a ’37 Plymouth (with a Chevy LS1 motor in it). She spun a little on this run, with the 60’ slowing to 1.811. The timeslip showed 7.545 @ 92.02 to the Plymouth’s 8.827 @ 78.12, 1.970.

Video #7, Time 7:44 pm, DA = 360 ft:
On this run I was up against another late model Mustang. Even though I went red by 0.010, I ran a 7.459 @ 91.09, 1.722 to his 8.496 @ 85.88, 2.155.

**Video #8, Time 8:18 pm, DA = 308 ft:
This run was both good and bad at the same time. It was bad, because the car spun hard in that poor left lane. And it was good, because I cut a 0.501 reaction time and won a trophy for Best Reaction Time later in the evening. My opponent was a low 7-sec Camaro, but he had a passenger and lifted at half track to keep from getting kicked out (you can’t run quicker than 8.50 with a passenger). With my tire spin, all I could run was a 7.705 @ 90.00, 1.856. He ran 9.036 @ 45.31, 1.814.

Video #9, Time 9:12 pm, DA = 233 ft:
My last run of the night was against a turbo VW GTI (I call it the “roll cage on wheels”). He told me it has 360 hp at the wheels and weighs 1800 lbs… but even that weight seems too high. I guess until I get a roll bar in my car and I can pump the boost back up to 12psi, I just don’t have enough oomph to outrun this guy. I ran a 7.565 @ 89.10, 1.766 to his 7.319 @ 101.81, 1.831.

Video #10, Time 9:54 pm, DA = 216 ft:
Ed’s son AJ and Donna raced on this pass. Both of them left early, but Donna was “more red”. She ran 7.540 @ 90.36, 1.797 to AJ’s 8.068 @ 89.82, 2.022. I think the left lane also got to AJ, because Ed’s car is much quicker than that.

Video #11, Time 10:34 pm, DA = 192 ft:
The last run of the night was Donna against Ed… and the left lane still is no good. Ed definitely had traction issues on this run. Donna went 7.549 @ 91.46, 1.812 to Ed’s 8.295 @ 88.76, 2.160.

[travelers]

The car looks great on the vids. Your RT would make the pros jealous. You said that you were experimenting with staging deep and had a few more red lites. I used to help a friend who raced regularly and he used to stage shallow to give him more travel time without red lighting. He would leave early just as the yellow was going out. That worked really well for him. I just did my racing on the streets. Oh I didn't say that did I .

You said you went form a 26" tall tire to a 28" did you change gears?

[don_w]

Originally Posted by travelers

The car looks great on the vids. Your RT would make the pros jealous. You said that you were experimenting with staging deep and had a few more red lites. I used to help a friend who raced regularly and he used to stage shallow to give him more travel time without red lighting. He would leave early just as the yellow was going out. That worked really well for him. I just did my racing on the streets. Oh I didn't say that did I .

You said you went form a 26" tall tire to a 28" did you change gears?

I ran the 26" tire before I was supercharged. I made the switch after the motor rebuild.

I used to stage shallow, and it definitely help my ETs and caused fewer redlights. But I couldn't consistently cut good RTs under 0.050. So by rolling in deeper and still leaving on the last amber, my RTs are much better. I just got to stop the reds. haha.

[chevykiller]

DON,

If you had a Brake, do you think you could even use it? I know you have slicks but do you think if you could load the car up it would still hook?

I'm asking cause I am going to have a similiar set-up to you very soon (although bigger...lol ) and wondering if my brake will be too much for a 28" slick.

Adam says in the 18-20 psi range, he had to leave at an idle to hook but I've never really liked those Phoenix tires of his and think the MT Slicks should stick under load even on a 28". I'm definitely not tubbing so 28" is it but you have so much seat time at the track I figure you would know by feel if the car would plant or not...

Thanks,

Mark

[Mister Roper]

Sometimes I have no idea what I'm doing. I need to start thinking about traction...

[don_w]

Originally Posted by chevykiller

DON,

If you had a Brake, do you think you could even use it? I know you have slicks but do you think if you could load the car up it would still hook?

I'm asking cause I am going to have a similiar set-up to you very soon (although bigger...lol ) and wondering if my brake will be too much for a 28" slick.

Adam says in the 18-20 psi range, he had to leave at an idle to hook but I've never really liked those Phoenix tires of his and think the MT Slicks should stick under load even on a 28". I'm definitely not tubbing so 28" is it but you have so much seat time at the track I figure you would know by feel if the car would plant or not...

Thanks,

Mark

Mark, keep in mind, my suspension is also not stock, and Adam's was (as far as I know). I'm running 12psi in the Mickey's and they dead hook about 90+% of the time (track prep and other various reasons account for when they don't). I'm sure there are a lot of cars out there (not necessarily S197s) running more power with the same tire, and hitting them pretty darn hard. It really comes down to the suspension set-up. Personally, I think they would stick fine... but I suppose there is a chance they wouldn't.

[don_w]

Originally Posted by Mister Roper

Sometimes I have no idea what I'm doing. I need to start thinking about traction...

Gotta love the in-car camera view!!

One run was obviously loose... were the others loose too?

[don_w]

Mark... one more thing. You might be able to use the 28.0/10.5-15W (p/n 3055W) on the Bogarts. They have a 10.9" tread width vs the 10.0" tread of the 28.0/10.5-15 (p/n 3055). Another option would be the 28/11.50-15 (p/n 3057)... 11" tread, with a narrower sidewall width than the 10.5W tire (12.9 vs 13.1).

[psfracer]

Originally Posted by don_w

Mark, keep in mind, my suspension is also not stock, and Adam's was (as far as I know). I'm running 12psi in the Mickey's and they dead hook about 90+% of the time (track prep and other various reasons account for when they don't). I'm sure there are a lot of cars out there (not necessarily S197s) running more power with the same tire, and hitting them pretty darn hard. It really comes down to the suspension set-up. Personally, I think they would stick fine... but I suppose there is a chance they wouldn't.

Yep, I remember that as well---when I was looking at it on the lift before Ca Speedway in Oct, he had stock LCA's stock UCA, stock driveshaft--I was like WTF? Couldn't believe he was doing that on stock suspension. Also, those slicks he ran were brand new, and the first pass he smoked them way down the track, but by later in the day they were already hooking better.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 24, 2007

Since I had several recent trips to the track where I did all the driving due to the Summit Series, I let Donna have all the runs on this day. The weather was pretty good, with temps in the high 60’s in the morning and mid 70s in the afternoon. The humidity wasn’t bad; dew points were in the mid 40’s all day.

And the big news from this day… Donna set a new best ET for my car... a 7.079 @ 98.755 (see video #11 below). She beat my previous best of 7.084. I'm sincerely happy for her. She has been trying for 6 months (since 9/22/06) to run a better ET than me. Records are made to be broken, and I'm glad she finally got there on Saturday. She was on Cloud 9 all weekend... and doing some major trash talking, too. haha. But when she got too cocky, I just reminded her who got the trophy on this weekend. OK… so we both did some trash talking.

Unfortunately, the track owners asked me to get a roll bar for the car. They said the 7.07 got some attention (along with six runs in the 7.1’s and another dozen in the 7.20’s). So, until I can get a roll bar, we’ll have to drop back down to the 10psi blower pulley and slow it down a bit.

Here are the videos from Saturday, March 24 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:11 am, DA = 2,268 ft:
The first run of the day was just about the worst run of the day. She was running a lady in her 60’s with a Duster. Donna ran 7.391 @ 91.346, 1.717 against the Duster’s 10.610 @ 89.581, 4.504. The Duster clearly had some issues at the starting line.

**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 2,284 ft:
The next run was much better. Donna was racing a 72 Ranchero with a 540+ ci motor (the announcer says 514, but it’s been changed). After a decent 0.080 light, Donna laid down a 7.195 @ 95.738, 1.607. The Ranchero went 7.715 @ 89.579, 1.715. At the end of this video, you get a glimpse of part of the return road at Barona.

**Video #3, Time 10:24 am, DA = 2,309 ft:
Run #3 was even better. She was paired up with a Corvette. Donna cut a killer 0.010 reaction time (her first of six lights under 0.050 on the day), and then clicked off a 7.154 @ 97.057, 1.627. The Vette ran 9.760 @ 70.136, 2.165.

**Video #4, Time 10:30 am, DA = 2,356 ft:
The opponent on this one was a Plymouth Arrow with a big block on nitrous. Note the wheelie bar. Both drivers cut 0.02 lights, but the 5-sec race car just pulled away. Donna ran 7.278 @ 96.226, 1.699 to the Plymouth’s 5.962 @ 118.869, 1.344.

Video #5, Time 10:39 am, DA = 2,525 ft:
On this video, I was standing at about the 60-foot point. Donna was racing a motorcycle. She ran 7.270 @ 96.189, 1.661 to the bike’s 7.103 @ 107.128, 1.969.

**Video #6, Time 10:49 am, DA = 2,653 ft:
This run features Donna’s best RT of the day (0.006), but inexplicably the slowest run of the day. Could be that six runs in less than 40 minutes put too much heat in the motor. Or, it could have been one of those runs where it left flat … it was the worst 60-foot time all day (1.733). Anyway, she ran 7.393 @ 95.046, to the Camaro’s 6.397 @ 109.114, 1.444.

Video #7, Time 11:11 am, DA = 2,513 ft:
This camera angle is from about 120 feet down track. Donna was racing Ed, who was making his first run of the day. Both of them went red, and Donna ran 7.258 @ 95.712, 1.643 to Ed’s 7.765 @ 87.052, 1.725.

**Video #8, Time 11:16 am, DA = 2,650 ft:
Here is a view from half-track (330’). Donna was running Ed again, and she left 0.040 early. Ed took a little nap at the line, but still got the win light… haha. Anyway, both of them made good passes, with Donna running 7.216 @ 95.163, 1.613 to Ed’s 7.800 @ 89.590, 1.770.

**Video #9, Time 11:25 am, DA = 2,756 ft:
On this run, Donna was lined up against a 1972 Dodge Dart. She went 0.069 red, and the Dart was 0.369 late, so it kind of looked like a bracket race. Donna got to the stripe first with an awesome 7.130 @ 99.191, 1.606. At the time, the 7.13 was the quickest of the day so far. And the 99.191 mph ended up being the highest all day, and the 2nd highest ever for my car. The Dart ran 6.850 @ 103.348, 1.648.

**Video #10, Time 11:36 am, DA = 2,773 ft:
This was the last test-and-tune run before the lunch break. Yes… she got in 10 runs in less than an hour and a half!! She was running the Ranchero again on this pass, and she cut another great RT (0.037) en route to a nice 7.232 @ 96.385, 1.675. The Ranchero ran 7.742 @ 89.057, 1.693.

**Video #11, Time 12:43 pm, DA = 3,063 ft:
This run was the 1st round of the Sportsman Gambler Bracket race ($20 buy-in). The Olds 4-4-2 W-31 was dialed in at 7.76 to Donna’s 7.21 dial. So, he was getting a head start by a little over half a second. Unfortunately, Donna had an untimely late reaction time of 0.252 to his 0.035, so she basically lost the race on the starting line. She told me later she was worried about red-lighting and got over-cautious. But, since she had to stay in the throttle to catch him, it allowed her to crank off the quickest ET my car has ever run!! She ran 7.079 @ 98.755 with a 1.542 60-foot time. The 1.542 is also the best 60-foot ever recorded!! At the end, I saw his win light a split second before I saw her scoreboard. With the temps and DA increasing, I was stunned… to say the least. For the record, the Olds ran 7.875 @ 84.159, 1.742.

**Video #12, Time 12:52 pm, DA = 3,122 ft:
Back to test-and-tune runs, and Donna was lined up against an old Falcon. She had a 0.036 RT (where was that on the previous bracket run… d’oh), and then ripped off an excellent 7.117 @ 96.286, 1.571. The 7.117 was the ninth best run ever for the car. And to do it just 9 minutes after the previous run and with a DA over 3,100 feet, is pretty impressive. The Falcon was way late on the tree (0.913), and ran 8.619 @ 80.169, 1.995.

Video #13, Time 1:08 pm, DA = 3,004 ft:
On this run, Ed cut a good RT of 0.059, while Donna was napping (0.341). Even though she gave Ed a head start, she drove around him with a 7.236 @ 95.728 to Ed’s 7.964 @ 89.496, 1.908. Ed’s 60-foot time was way off, so he might have spun a little on the launch.

Video #14, Time 2:33 pm, DA = 3,278 ft:
With the air temp and the density altitude reaching the highest points of the day, Donna was set to run in the “High Roller” Gambler bracket. It cost $50 to enter, and I saw only a couple cars lined up for it. With a $500 as seed money from a sponsor (plus the $50 per car), it was a good chance to make some money with a couple good runs. I had to talk her into running the race. As they were rolling the first pair out, only 5 cars were entered, and Donna had been randomly chosen to get a 1st round “bye”, meaning she would get into the Semis with just 3 cars left (and a purse of $750 up for grabs). But, at the very last second, one more car entered, so she had to race in Round #1. The old coupe was dialed in at 6.44, giving Donna 8/10 of a second head start based on her 7.24 dial. But, like in the previous bracket, she was behind on the tree… 0.08 slower than her opponent. Even though she drove it well at the finish by lifting, scrubbing off a little on the top end, and taking the stripe by only about 2 feet (0.018 sec), it wasn’t enough to avoid breaking out by 0.026 sec. She ran 7.214 @ 93.306, 1.590 to Joe’s 6.510 @ 103.678, 1.412. (By the way, Joe eventually won the bracket race and pocketed $600 for 1st Place.)

Video #15, Time 3:07 pm, DA = 3,270 ft:
The rest of the day was all test-and-tune for Donna. On this run, it was a fairly equal match-up against an early 60’s Chevy II. Donna barely went red by 0.017, while the Chevy was late at 0.296. She ran a 7.356 @ 94.388, 1.700 to the Chevy’s 7.377 @ 92.293, 1.658.

**Video #16, Time 3:14 pm, DA = 3,219 ft:
Another Dart lined up against Donna on this run, and it was another very good heads up race. The Dart won it on a holeshot advantage, but the ETs were very close. Donna ran 7.171 @ 96.245, 1.604 to the Dart’s 7.188 @ 97.715, 1.571.

**Video #17, Time 3:25 pm, DA = 3,196 ft:
Same Dart… different lanes. This time, he went way red (0.267) and Donna chopped down the tree with an excellent 0.032 RT. She backed up the previous 7.17 with a good 7.203 @ 95.746, 1.614 to the Dart’s improved 6.979 @ 99.653, 1.613.

Video #18, Time 3:29 pm, DA = 3,138 ft:
Donna hot lapped it back to the line, this time against another bike. They both had good RTs, with the bike taking a slight advantage, 0.049 to 0.064, but Donna made that up in just a few feet. Even with the bike’s big top end, he couldn’t chase her down at the finish. She ran another low 20, with a 7.225 @ 97.374, 1.610 to the motorcycle’s 7.429 @ 107.704, 2.202.

Video #19, Time 3:34 pm, DA = 3,138 ft:
Another quick turn around resulted in a solo pass. The numbers were 7.291 @ 94.274, 1.638.

**Video #20, Time 3:37 pm, DA = 3,101 ft:
Just 3 minutes later, she made another pass… this time against a ‘Busa. Both of them had very good RTs, with Donna being just a blink slower at 0.054 vs. 0.037. But, the bike’s top end pull was way too much. For the fourth run in a row (in a 12-minute time span), Donna ran in the 7.20s, with a 7.297 @ 95.467, 1.675 to the bike’s 6.226 @ 113.328.

**Video #21, Time 3:43 pm, DA = 3,036 ft:
With very few cars in the staging lanes, she was able to run again about 6 minutes after the last pass. Her opponent was a rarity at Barona… a FWD turbo import. It ran pretty strong, especially at the top end, but it couldn’t catch the sonic blue Mustang. Considering how she had been hot-lapping the car, Donna laid down an impressive 7.194 @ 95.601, 1.588 to the import’s 7.506 @ 100.479, 1.837.

Video #22, Time 3:48 pm, DA = 3,074 ft:
The 22nd and last run of the day was against a Nova. Again, this was two fairly equal cars going heads up. Even though Donna left early, her ET still was better with a 7.299 @ 94.057, 1.624. The Nova ran 7.360 @ 95.549, 1.714.

[psfracer]

Vid #11: "Good Grief!" I was expecting you to say "Charlie Brown" next. 1.54 60' is not bad---any more trouble with the T/C?

Hey, update your sig......

[don_w]

Originally Posted by psfracer

Vid #11: "Good Grief!" I was expecting you to say "Charlie Brown" next. 1.54 60' is not bad---any more trouble with the T/C?

LOL... I was stunned; especially as warm as it was at the time. Guess I didn't know what to say at the time.

The T/C is a POS... it's hit & miss with that thing.

Originally Posted by psfracer

Hey, update your sig......

Nah... I'm not going to claim her ET in my sig.