Mud Racing Part II

<font color=purple>That last thread was getting too long to load, so I started over here. Here's RolngThun's last post:</font color=purple>

With your lights do you guys add in the reaction time?
Five or six years ago we got a new set from portatree, I believe the name is.
These are wonderful lights, very little trouble like the previous version that we had. At least until I ran over the sensors at the finish line last year at the last race. Then they made a trophey out of the pieces for me at the banquet.
We add the reaction time, it adds something for the driver. Not to mention the pressure to cut a good light. We also give 25 bucks to who ever cuts the best light of the day. This way even if a guy can't win his class, he still has a chance at some prize money. This money comes from sponsers the assocation gets so no money is taken from the 100% payback. I have never claimed that honor but have seen a few red eyes in my life. And that stays at the back of your mind for next time. <font color=purple>

We don't add the reaction time to the run here, nor do we do anything for cutting a good light. We only run one lane in the G.U.M.B.O. events & last season the lights we used had no tree. Since I don't own a set of lights, I never know if I'll have a tree available. I can pretty much always get a timing set, but the homemade tree we use just goes from red to green with green indicating both "staged" and "go". I think that's a RaceAmerica set & they're probably as reliable as the club's Portatree set that we got new in '99 (the ones G.U.M.B.O. will get to use this year). That one does have a good tree, but even when they do go side by side, they don't go through the "pre-stage, stage, go" like most. They get both vehicles in "stage" then check to see if both are ready before going "yellow's, green". Kind of throws off the rythm if you're used to how they do it at the drag races. Wouldn't be much trouble to come up with $25, though. Our sensors are almost bulletproof & are also encased in some real heavy metal boxes one dude built. They got clobbered a couple of times with no problems last season.


Ran my Toy side by side at a club event last year & was kind of intimidated by the thought of trading paint with the other dude. My truck's nothing special, but my running mate had a new paint job & I didn't want to be the one to clobber it. I thought the lanes were too close for a super shallow 150 foot track. So, since there was no R/T involved, I thought I'd let the other guy cross the finish line before I went. The truck was trying to creep on me, so I nailed it when he was at 1/2 track. But, at about 100 feet I could tell I was going to beat him to the finish - but not by a lot. So, I backed off & coasted at least the final 40 feet. Did kind of the same thing in the other lane - the bad one. Took 6th out of 43 because of my 1st pass (they only pay 4 though). It was really a goof on my part though. With such a long, narrow truck on skinny tires, I was going straight as an arrow when I let off of it. I guess I shouldn't have been watching when all those CJ's ran & ended up sideways[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif[/img] - including my normal #1 competition.

Oh well, that's racin' [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif[/img]</font color=purple>

TEX


[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

We don't use the prestage either. We use the stage, and when both stage lights are lit, the starter guy will wait a couple of seconds then start the lights. If you roll out or back out before the lights start coming down they will restart you, if the lights have started that is your run.
Our lanes are a good distance apart,and most of our tracks have the lanes dug into the ground making it hard to get into the other lane. After the finish a truck could cut in front of the other.
Watching some of the other guys race can get into your head, twice last year I had to run right after the guy ahead of me rolled.
I have been to tracks in Wisconson where the lanes were very close and nothing in between, that is very intimidating. One track here in Michigan, not one of ours, has a concrete wall on the right side and concrete barriers on the left. The ones on the left bother me because there is a good amount of spacing between some of them. I wouldn't mind bouncing off the side too much, but I sure would hate to get between two of them and hit head on.
Our lights had taken many good hits and lived. I hit them full speed with scoops and nitrous. I think maybe there is still parts that have not come back down. Even though I'm the one who built them I was feeling very bad about it that day.
My sister is in the Air Force down there somewhere, Whitehead AFB I think, anywhere near you?

<font color=purple>Whitehead is in the Western part of the state about 3 hours away. I remember when our club was the host club for the Jamboree Nationals in Sedalia, most of the girls in the bikini contest came down from Whitehead.

That race we had side by side last year wasn't dug down at all & it was a real wet, but not particularly deep track. I think a couple of the blower cars got together in the shutdown area late in the day after I'd gone home. Incidentally, I think one of the primary reasons those guys end up rubber-side-up is staying on the throttle too long. Missouri Mud Racing Association makes the Modifieds & Pro Modifieds run a "kill-cable" that shuts down the motor as they cross the finish line. They run deeper pits & I don't think that would be ideal for a shallow track (the speed is too high & you would want the ability to "blip" the throttle to straighten yourself out). BUT, since going to that system several years ago they haven't had a single roll - they used to average 3-4 per season. Most of the rolls I've seen happened one of two ways: either they grabbed traction by staying on the throttle right into the dry stuff, or the chassis flexed back too quickly after shutting down in the dry stuff (more true with blown than injected cars). Maybe the answer is to keep the shutdown area loose for a hundred feet or so???

I hear what you're saying about other trucks messing up your mind. At one event in '98 I backpedaled twice during my run because I saw the other guys getting airborn in a rough pit. This was the 3rd event of the season & my wife had yet to be able to run - I broke a R&P at the first race & the starter failed at the second one just as she was getting ready to go. So, instead of just hammering it, I tried to "save" the truck. Good news is, she did take 1st in her class even if I went home empty handed. But, my main competition had been working on his & didn't see how rough it was. So, he full-throttled right over the bumps - kinda caught him off guard, but he won the class. My wife once had to run immediately after a hard roll. She was running our "street" truck in a Supermodified class. There was one rail there & there had been a dozen ladies signed up for the class. All but 4 dropped out when they realized they were running against a legit Modified. Well, the good car rolled & D/Q'd leaving a couple of bump-ups from Street & Super Stock to duke it out, & she came out on top. Thing is, we pay 4 places (and even had plaques that day), so why a single good car scared off 3/4 of the class I don't know. But, my wife says it's like that all the time now at registration. When the deadline to sign up approaches, there are always about a dozen gals down there with completed registration forms & money in hand just waiting until the last minute to see if anyone fast shows up. She says the mad rush to enter when they realize no rails are in the class is pretty comical.

Gotta go! </font color=purple>

TEX

[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing