First trip to the track
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:29 pm
Hey all :)
For you veteran racers out there this is minor stuff, but I've been waiting a long time to actually make smoke and go fast like this...
I finally made it to the track with the Camaro (first time out). I trailered down to Sacramento Raceway last weekend (June 15).
On the very first test run my trans/shifter cable decided to come apart so I got to be towed back to the pits by a *Mopar* guy (Bill Creech / Lil Demon) of all things <laffin>
So, back in the trailer it went. Took it home, swapped the cable and was back at the track for Test-N-Tune the next Friday nite (last week).
Back at the track I made one test run, no times, just to make certain nothing big was gonna fall off or hand-grenade.
Then I staged, launched and peeled off a 12:00 @ 114 mph. Spun like hell, I was late on the launch, I took a nap between shifts and the damn thing *still* pulled off a 12.0. I was screaming when I went through the traps <laffin>. Man, I was happy, happy guy. Still am, in fact
I made 5 more runs, getting my routine down, figuring out how to light the meats up to get em sticky, figuring out all the switchology with the multi-function Roll-Stop / Trans-Brake button, remembering to smack the ratchet shifter when that bright light comes on, etc., etc.
It's amazing how far down your IQ drops when your heart rate and adrenaline level goes past the moon
It was also damn hot. It was over 100 degrees at the track when I got there for Tech at 5:00 PM and when we started running at 6:00 PM it was still about 99 degrees out.
Here’s my times and speeds, along with the ambient temp for each. I also posted videos out on YouTube (links below). You should be able to click them for the video. If I managed to screw them up you can still do a search on YouTube for WIKD69 if you want to watch.
6:12PM, 99 Degrees - Test launch, no ET
6:29PM, 98 Degrees - 12.008 ET, 113.998 MPH
7:29PM, 91 Degrees - 12.432 ET, 104.206 MPH
7:36PM, 91 Degrees - 11.278 ET, 106.677 MPH
8:20PM, 92 Degrees - 11.276 ET, 123.276 MPH
8:24PM, 92 Degrees - 11.075 ET, 124.012 MPH
And back home, unloading.
I parked back at the trailer after the 11.07 run above, intending to wait a bit for cooler air and then rip off three more runs before the track closed at 10:00 PM.
Unfortunately some guy in an import windowed his block and oiled things from half-track all the way to the stripe. So much for my runs in better air. They did get the track open again at 9:40 or so but I decided not to chance a freshly oiled/cleaned surface. And sure enough the first guy out afterwards went sideways at half-track before bringing it back.
Bill Creech (Lil Demon) and Al Alquire helped me out a bunch, giving me good advice and keeping me alive until I got things figured out. Both Al and Bill have been racing for a lot of years.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience. I think that if I had been able to make my last three runs in better air, combined with my getting more of a clue, I would have nailed some 10.90 runs before I went home that night. And, the car was basically in hamburger-chasing street trim. The only things I changed were to add some header extenders and a load of 110 race fuel. No timing, tuning, jetting or other changes at all. I think the next time I’ll spend some time playing with jets and shooters and tweak the timing just a bit. If I really want to up the ante I'll swap the cogs on the blower. I'm running 9% underdriven right now and swapping would take me to 9% over, tho I'm not sure what jets and shooters I'd need for that configuration. I also need some real rubber on the back. I’m running 29 x 18.50 MT Sportsman Pros and while they wrinkle and make nice smoke and hook pretty well they’re still not real slicks. If I can swing it the next time out I’ll hang some honest rubber under it.
Sorry this was such a long post, but I’ve been waiting to make it to the track for a long, long time and this is pretty major event for me. I know these were just a few Test-N-Tune by-runs but I’m still reliving those rides down the track. I can’t wait to go back out there.
Harry
For you veteran racers out there this is minor stuff, but I've been waiting a long time to actually make smoke and go fast like this...
I finally made it to the track with the Camaro (first time out). I trailered down to Sacramento Raceway last weekend (June 15).
On the very first test run my trans/shifter cable decided to come apart so I got to be towed back to the pits by a *Mopar* guy (Bill Creech / Lil Demon) of all things <laffin>
So, back in the trailer it went. Took it home, swapped the cable and was back at the track for Test-N-Tune the next Friday nite (last week).
Back at the track I made one test run, no times, just to make certain nothing big was gonna fall off or hand-grenade.
Then I staged, launched and peeled off a 12:00 @ 114 mph. Spun like hell, I was late on the launch, I took a nap between shifts and the damn thing *still* pulled off a 12.0. I was screaming when I went through the traps <laffin>. Man, I was happy, happy guy. Still am, in fact
I made 5 more runs, getting my routine down, figuring out how to light the meats up to get em sticky, figuring out all the switchology with the multi-function Roll-Stop / Trans-Brake button, remembering to smack the ratchet shifter when that bright light comes on, etc., etc.
It's amazing how far down your IQ drops when your heart rate and adrenaline level goes past the moon
It was also damn hot. It was over 100 degrees at the track when I got there for Tech at 5:00 PM and when we started running at 6:00 PM it was still about 99 degrees out.
Here’s my times and speeds, along with the ambient temp for each. I also posted videos out on YouTube (links below). You should be able to click them for the video. If I managed to screw them up you can still do a search on YouTube for WIKD69 if you want to watch.
6:12PM, 99 Degrees - Test launch, no ET
6:29PM, 98 Degrees - 12.008 ET, 113.998 MPH
7:29PM, 91 Degrees - 12.432 ET, 104.206 MPH
7:36PM, 91 Degrees - 11.278 ET, 106.677 MPH
8:20PM, 92 Degrees - 11.276 ET, 123.276 MPH
8:24PM, 92 Degrees - 11.075 ET, 124.012 MPH
And back home, unloading.
I parked back at the trailer after the 11.07 run above, intending to wait a bit for cooler air and then rip off three more runs before the track closed at 10:00 PM.
Unfortunately some guy in an import windowed his block and oiled things from half-track all the way to the stripe. So much for my runs in better air. They did get the track open again at 9:40 or so but I decided not to chance a freshly oiled/cleaned surface. And sure enough the first guy out afterwards went sideways at half-track before bringing it back.
Bill Creech (Lil Demon) and Al Alquire helped me out a bunch, giving me good advice and keeping me alive until I got things figured out. Both Al and Bill have been racing for a lot of years.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience. I think that if I had been able to make my last three runs in better air, combined with my getting more of a clue, I would have nailed some 10.90 runs before I went home that night. And, the car was basically in hamburger-chasing street trim. The only things I changed were to add some header extenders and a load of 110 race fuel. No timing, tuning, jetting or other changes at all. I think the next time I’ll spend some time playing with jets and shooters and tweak the timing just a bit. If I really want to up the ante I'll swap the cogs on the blower. I'm running 9% underdriven right now and swapping would take me to 9% over, tho I'm not sure what jets and shooters I'd need for that configuration. I also need some real rubber on the back. I’m running 29 x 18.50 MT Sportsman Pros and while they wrinkle and make nice smoke and hook pretty well they’re still not real slicks. If I can swing it the next time out I’ll hang some honest rubber under it.
Sorry this was such a long post, but I’ve been waiting to make it to the track for a long, long time and this is pretty major event for me. I know these were just a few Test-N-Tune by-runs but I’m still reliving those rides down the track. I can’t wait to go back out there.
Harry