bushwesl
07-09-2007, 11:22 AM
This past weekend I raced at Green's Dragstrip, located in Elsie, MI, which is a 300 ft sand drag strip that used to be an old gravel pit. It's ran by Mid-Michigan Trail Runners, which is a organization that puts on the races, and which you must be a member of to race. The yearly membership is $15, and it's $20 per race. You're allowed to race pretty much anything and everything, as long as it passes an inspection. They had trucks, cars, quads, sand rails, dune buggies, and full out dragsters there, not to mention a diverse group of racers, from full out pros to newbies such as myself. They race two classes, "modified," and "super modified," which is only determined by dividing the submitted dial in times in half. So basically it's split into a fast class and a slow class, and is ran using a bracket style.
A few of my buddies have raced here before and since I've gotten my R done they've wanted me to take it out there. We got there early so I could get some practice runs in so I could get used to the strip and also how the lights worked before they started time trials. Unfortunately, the lights weren't working, and to make a long story short, they pretty much spent an entire day working on there equipment, due to what is believed to be from being hit by lightning. Anyway, I waited it out, and meanwhile my firends that were going to race ended up leaving because it was taking so long. Since it wasn't until about 5p.m. until they got the lights fixed, I only was able to get two practice runs in before time trials, which I totally wasted. My first practice run I tried to launch in 2nd gear, but bogged down, so I pulled the clutch back in, got the rpm's up, and took off. Since I didn't think that I had my rpm's up high enough upon taking off, I tried to launch in 2nd gear again during my second practice run. The same thing happened and I rode a wheelie down 1/3 of the strip, so not so good. It was now obvious to me that I had to launch in 1st gear, due to the wet heavy sand and my R not having quite enough power.
During my first time trial I came up to the line, got staged, and then realized that my quad was about to die due to the gas being turned off inbetween practice runs and time trials. As I'm reaching down to turn the gas on, the lights are running down the tree, and the green light has been lit for a few seconds. After getting the gas turned back and resituated on my R, I took off. I had a much better holeshot and was able to kind of get a better feel of how to take off, but since my delayed reaction time due to having to turn the gas back on, it was once again another wasted run. My second time trial I did everything right, and I ended up running a 6.3?? with a 0.2 reaction time. I submitted my dial in time as 6.0.
A pic of me getting ready to be staged, and that's my friend Andy trying to coach me a little before a race.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/100_0373.jpg
Here's a video of me and my first race. I ended up winning, but only ran a 6.5?? I think it's because I shifted into 5th gear, where I should have just rode 4th all the way out through the finish line.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_Race2.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=Race2.flv)
Here's a pic of me coming back from a race that I just finished.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/100_0388.jpg
Here's a pic of me waiting in line to race again.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/100_0386.jpg
Another video of me racing. This one was actually really close, but I ended up winning by about half a quad length.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_Race1.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=Race1.flv)
I don't know if you would call it beginners luck, or perhaps the date had something to do with it (7/7/07), but I ended up winning the "modified class," which I think I was just as surprised as everyone else.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/CheckeredFlags2.jpg
I consistently ran low 6.2's and high 6.1's. Although, after my last official race, I had to wait to race the winner of the race that was currently going on, but both of them red lighted and were disqualified, so I was guaranteed 1st place as long as I completed a run without red lighting or breaking out. So I made sure that the light was good and green before I took off. I ran a 6.3??, with a 0.6?? reaction time. I'm lucky, because if I wouldn't have waited longer like I did, I would have beat my dialed in time of 6.0 and broke out, because I usually had a reaction time of right around 0.2 seconds. At least now I know I can definitely break 6 seconds :)
Here are some more videos to give you an idea of what else was out there.
This Banshee was about the fastest thing there. Although, I think the only thing that was still Banshee on it was the plastic and the seat. He ran mid 3's. Impressive to say the least. :o
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_RedBanshee.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=RedBanshee.flv)
This is the wife of the guy with the Banshee in the above video driving here 8 cylinder full out dragster. She also ran mid 3's. After she crossed the line and had it shut down, there were still rocks and debris falling from the sky from the roost that she'd throw. :o
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_Dragster1.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=Dragster1.flv)
Another dragster Banshee, but not quite as fast as the first one.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_BlueBanshee.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=BlueBanshee.flv)
"Step Child" vs. a Mustang bodied car with a Chevy motor of course ;) :D
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_StepChildvs.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=StepChildvs.flv)
P.S. Sorry for the book!
A few of my buddies have raced here before and since I've gotten my R done they've wanted me to take it out there. We got there early so I could get some practice runs in so I could get used to the strip and also how the lights worked before they started time trials. Unfortunately, the lights weren't working, and to make a long story short, they pretty much spent an entire day working on there equipment, due to what is believed to be from being hit by lightning. Anyway, I waited it out, and meanwhile my firends that were going to race ended up leaving because it was taking so long. Since it wasn't until about 5p.m. until they got the lights fixed, I only was able to get two practice runs in before time trials, which I totally wasted. My first practice run I tried to launch in 2nd gear, but bogged down, so I pulled the clutch back in, got the rpm's up, and took off. Since I didn't think that I had my rpm's up high enough upon taking off, I tried to launch in 2nd gear again during my second practice run. The same thing happened and I rode a wheelie down 1/3 of the strip, so not so good. It was now obvious to me that I had to launch in 1st gear, due to the wet heavy sand and my R not having quite enough power.
During my first time trial I came up to the line, got staged, and then realized that my quad was about to die due to the gas being turned off inbetween practice runs and time trials. As I'm reaching down to turn the gas on, the lights are running down the tree, and the green light has been lit for a few seconds. After getting the gas turned back and resituated on my R, I took off. I had a much better holeshot and was able to kind of get a better feel of how to take off, but since my delayed reaction time due to having to turn the gas back on, it was once again another wasted run. My second time trial I did everything right, and I ended up running a 6.3?? with a 0.2 reaction time. I submitted my dial in time as 6.0.
A pic of me getting ready to be staged, and that's my friend Andy trying to coach me a little before a race.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/100_0373.jpg
Here's a video of me and my first race. I ended up winning, but only ran a 6.5?? I think it's because I shifted into 5th gear, where I should have just rode 4th all the way out through the finish line.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_Race2.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=Race2.flv)
Here's a pic of me coming back from a race that I just finished.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/100_0388.jpg
Here's a pic of me waiting in line to race again.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/100_0386.jpg
Another video of me racing. This one was actually really close, but I ended up winning by about half a quad length.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_Race1.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=Race1.flv)
I don't know if you would call it beginners luck, or perhaps the date had something to do with it (7/7/07), but I ended up winning the "modified class," which I think I was just as surprised as everyone else.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/CheckeredFlags2.jpg
I consistently ran low 6.2's and high 6.1's. Although, after my last official race, I had to wait to race the winner of the race that was currently going on, but both of them red lighted and were disqualified, so I was guaranteed 1st place as long as I completed a run without red lighting or breaking out. So I made sure that the light was good and green before I took off. I ran a 6.3??, with a 0.6?? reaction time. I'm lucky, because if I wouldn't have waited longer like I did, I would have beat my dialed in time of 6.0 and broke out, because I usually had a reaction time of right around 0.2 seconds. At least now I know I can definitely break 6 seconds :)
Here are some more videos to give you an idea of what else was out there.
This Banshee was about the fastest thing there. Although, I think the only thing that was still Banshee on it was the plastic and the seat. He ran mid 3's. Impressive to say the least. :o
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_RedBanshee.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=RedBanshee.flv)
This is the wife of the guy with the Banshee in the above video driving here 8 cylinder full out dragster. She also ran mid 3's. After she crossed the line and had it shut down, there were still rocks and debris falling from the sky from the roost that she'd throw. :o
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_Dragster1.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=Dragster1.flv)
Another dragster Banshee, but not quite as fast as the first one.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_BlueBanshee.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=BlueBanshee.flv)
"Step Child" vs. a Mustang bodied car with a Chevy motor of course ;) :D
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/th_StepChildvs.jpg (http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb299/bushwesl/?action=view¤t=StepChildvs.flv)
P.S. Sorry for the book!