After spending most of last year going to test and tune sessions so I could learn my car, I wanted to step into the Friday night bracket races at BSD this season. It's been a long time since I've done any bracket racing and I'm not at all familiar with a pro tree. For some reason they always run a sportsman tree at the t&t's, but a pro tree at the brackets. I do like the pro tree better, I just don't have much experience with it.
Due to several rain outs last week was the first race of the season. I had a less than stellar outing losing by break-out in the very first round.
Last night we were back to try again. I got four time trials and my times weren't as consistent as I'd have liked. I also wasn't real happy with my reaction times the best of which was a .090. That's not horrible, but it's not good either.
There were 14 of us in the street/stick class when eliminations started. The first round I was matched with a car dialed at 13.20 while I was dialed at 11.98. This was the way i like it as I prefer to be the chaser. I didn't have a very good light but the other lane was even worse and I won pretty easily. When i came back to the pits I told my pit crew (which consists solely of my wife Sue) that if I didn't do a better job on the lights it was going to be a short night again. I was fully aware that I was just lucky to win with a .185 light.
Second round I got matched with a slower car again, this time one dialed at 13.5 while I left my dial at 11.98. I did have a better light (.043) and won pretty easy again.
So we went on to the semi-final round where again I was matched with a slower car (14.5). This time I had what I consider a very good light, (.013) and was ahead enough at the finish to ease off the gas before the stripe.
So I made it to the final round where I would now face the driver who had won the points title the last three years in a row. He was dialed at 11.83 and I was pretty sure he could run faster than that so my game plan was simple. With him dialed at 11.83 and me at 11.98 it would pretty much be a heads up race. I told Sue that I had to beat him off the light, then push him hard enough to make him break out since I was sure he could run faster than his dial. I felt the light was very important and would most likely determine the outcome of the race.
I got what I thought was a very good start and we were side by side the whole way down the track. At the end he got me by about a half a fender. I figured it had been a great race and I'd had a good night finishing as runner-up. I drove to the pits and straight onto the trailer. My wife had to come over and tell me that I'd won as my opponent had broken out. Then the guy I'd raced came over to congratulate me not only on the win but for running a triple zero light!
Now I realize that a .000 light is as much luck as anything else, I mean after all it's only a thousandth of a second from being a red light, but still it's pretty rare and I was stoked.
We didn't get home from the track till around 3:00 AM, but in my opinion it was worth it. I love racing in general, but I'll have to admit that winning is more fun than losing!
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OFR - old fart racing
We're not the fastest car at the track but we might be having the most fun.
If you're not having fun, then you're taking this stuff too seriously!
What is "dial in"? From a few posts, I've got an idea. Is it basically a prediction of what your best time would be? But you get disqualified if you go faster than that time?
you put whatever you think your car is going to run.whatever the diffference in the time between you and the other person is, the slower time gets that much of a head start.if you both run the time you wrote and cut the same light you would cross the stripe at the same time.the first car across the line without going faster than what they wrote on the window wins.its a hell of a good time.15 second cars can run in the same class as 9 second cars.
2007 Mustang GT Vista Blue 740RWHP/motor 904RWHP/spray 9.01 @ 152 mph 1/4 mile, 1.40 60' 2008 Clash of the Titans World Finals Champion 2009 Strictly Street Points leader/ET & MPH Record Holder
2009 GT500 Grabber Orange Vert 594 RWHP 11.5 @ 120mph it's my slow car!
Nothing like the win , I love the bracket racing also. I tried it for the first time last season and beat the track champion. Boy he was mad, I told him I was sorry and it was my first time. He just got madder. Oh Well can`t please everyone.
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Airraid CAI/BAMA tune,moto blue pullies,3:73`s,LPW girdle;Powerhouse DS,CHE safety loop,CHE LCA`S & Adjustable UCA,Kooks LT`S & O/R X Pipe,prothane MM`s,Steeda CMDP`S,Eibach springs,Tokico D specs,Polished TB(by Me),Steeda radiator support,MT DR`S,Zex kit 100 shot. Taylor Relocation batter kit and cut off switch
11:933 ET, 1.674 60`,111.877 MPH 5600 feet above sea level 6900 D/A
Congrats on the win. It’s important to have a strategy for each elimination round. Well done.
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'07 Ford Mustang GT Alloy Metallic
4.6 Auto, 3.73 gears, C&L CAI, Diablo 91 octane tune, drag radials, and a saftey loop. What else do I need for a 14 second bracket car?
My best night racing ever! 
