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Post by rickvoegelin on May 7, 2011 17:13:29 GMT -7
Eagle Racing landed Saturday afternoon courtesy of Phyllis the Mail Lady, so we've got five haulers in the pits at Lions Drag Strip for Sunday's Test 'n' Tune.
Ninjatek was first in line at the pit gate, and he got the prime spot near the tamale stand with an unobstructed view of Jungle Jim's transporter (which also means an unobstructed view of Jungle Pam). You snooze, you lose.
Cheers,
Racemaster Rick
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Post by Joe65SkylarkGS on May 7, 2011 21:53:30 GMT -7
I am very excited to see the numbers Rick!!!!  |
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Post by Joe65SkylarkGS on May 8, 2011 12:27:04 GMT -7
No times yet Rick? Is today the testing day?
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Post by 440gtx on May 8, 2011 12:37:16 GMT -7
Don't forget that Rick is 3 hours behind us.
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Post by Joe65SkylarkGS on May 8, 2011 12:39:38 GMT -7
Don't forget that Rick is 3 hours behind us. Yea 440, I just said that to my TM. lol  Forgot for a minute  |
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 14:34:29 GMT -7
It's a perfect day for racing here on the central California coast. Light overcast, 60 degrees, low humidity -- the cars are gonna fly during the one and only Test 'n' Tune session before the NTRA Manufacturers Funny Car Championship. The ace Lions Drag Strip crew has been up since dawn, checking the timing system and grooming the track. First up is Nostalgia Pro Stock. A light turnout today with only three cars in the pits.  The first car to the starting line is Joe65SkylarkGS's blue Buick -- what else would expect from a racer with a handle like that? Joe's GS is getting the evil eye from the ace Lions tech crew -- they don't like those silicone foam slicks, which aren't legal for NP/S. They said they'll let it slide this time, but don't bring 'em back in July. Joe's Buick runs a best of 1.003/12.74. The blue beast runs like a bracket racer, five passes between 1.003 and 1.017, with speeds between 12. 74 and 12.86 mph.  Ninjatek's Revenge makes an easy checkout pass, then puts the hammer down. No wheelie bar on this baby -- Ninja's a brave guy. First full pass is his best, 1.200/10.25. Slowed down to 1.323 at 9.33 by the fourth run, time to put it back in the box before we lose a motor.  RV Racing is out making some test runs with dick Harrell's NP/S Camaro today. The host isn't eligible to compete in the July race, but wanted to get a baseline run. The Harrell Camaro runs .920/14.09 and goes back in the box. Next up is Nostalgia Funny Car. |
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 14:52:54 GMT -7
The Nostalgia Funny Cars have been called to the staging lanes, the power supply set to 13.8 VDC, and mothers warned to take shelter. The Lions Drag Strip track record for NF/C is 1.023/12.33 mph. The Dodge Father led the pack in qualifying for the NTRA World Finals at 1.063 last October. There's been six months of development since then, and those marks could be in jeopardy. Could Lions see its first sub-1 second NF/C run today?  Joe's Cuda and Buick square up for an intramural match. The Cuda leaves the line first, but encounters big time handling problems -- looks like the crew forgot to install the guidepin. The Green GS has a case of wheel hop, runs 1.364/8.44 mph. Its sixth run is its best, 1.272/9.08. The crew's got a guidepin in the Cuda, but now there's a problem with the right-side pickup making intermittent rail contact. The crew makes a quick swap with the Buick's shoe, and the motor's getting full power now. After six passes, its best numbers are 1.373/8.55. |
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 14:55:45 GMT -7
Eagle Racing is a newcomer to Lions Drag Strip, and is already a contender for Best Appearing trophy with his brilliant blue Camaro.  Eagle is running a high-downforce setup, and it may be just a bit too much drag for the sticky Lions quarter-mile. Eagle's best pass is 1.293 at 8.37 mph. |
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 15:06:28 GMT -7
SJracer brought a pair of Vega Funny Cars to the test session. Looks like one lost a part of its spoiler in a match race at Fremont last week -- here's hoping that the one-sided spoiler won't upset the high-speed aerodynamics.  SJracer's first check-out run produces a 1.416 at 8.03 mph in the Vega with blue accents. It goes quicker every run, finally posting a best e.t. of 1.153 at 10.82 mph. SJ's second Vega is a rocketship. First pass is a 1.068 at 11.21 mph, and its eighth run equals the track record at 1.023/11.82 mph. But wait -- the eagle-eyed Lions tech inspector sees something he doesn't like. Yes, those rear tires are too tall -- .630" diameter. SJ's going to have to switch to legal .550" tires for the Manufacturers Championship, but he's served notice that he's going to be tough. |
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 15:10:53 GMT -7
Ninjatek made the long haul to California with a pair of NF/C entries. Jungle Jim is a crowd favorite at Lions and a local hero. Ninja says the Can-Am body on his second entry is just a stand-in until he gets a new body ready for the Championships.  Jungle's having a bad day, and his Nova is hopping down the track to a best of 1.563/7.22. Looks like the pickup shoes still need some work. The Can-Am's quicker with a best pass at 1.334/8.58. |
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Post by sjracer on May 8, 2011 15:13:19 GMT -7
Sorry, I wasn't trying to cheat with the tire hieght. I don't have anything to measure my tires so I have no concept of size. I thought that a few people ran the dragster tires last year so I set one up to run them. Should I send you another set of tires?
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Post by sjracer on May 8, 2011 15:26:57 GMT -7
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 15:34:57 GMT -7
We finish out the day with Wood's Vega NF/C. Wood dropped a close race to the Dodge Father in the semifinal round at the NTRA Finals, and it looks like he's out to avenge that loss.  Wood blew up a body last week, so he's got one shell to swap between two chassis. First out is Chassis 6. To say it's noisy is an understatement -- sounds like it's ready to strip some gears. But the timers don't lie, and the car literally screams to a 1.092 at 10.21 mph. Wood's Chassis 1 is a sweetheart. First run is a 1.040/11.78, and its sixth pass sets the Lions NF/C track record for elapsed time at 1.011 seconds! Wood also runs the top speed so far at 12.09 mph. What's this? Looks like Low ET and Top Speed isn't good enough for this crew. Wood's guys are swapping the motors now between the two chassis. The fans sense that something special is about to happen and they could see history made today. Chassis 6 is first to run. It's definitely quicker with the new motor, 1.032 at 11.20 mph, and a lot quieter, too. As they fire up Chassis 1, you can feel the tension. This baby is on steroids. First an easy warm-up pass: 1.028/12.42. Wood knows he can do it, and he does: .998/13.14 -- the first sub-1 second NF/C run ever at Lions! Wood also breaks the 13 mph barrier. These guys are relentless, and they're still working on the tune-up. Third run is a .960/13.32. The fifth run raises the bar even higher: .955/13.37. After a quick shoe cleaning, Wood puts down the run of the day: .946! He didn't break the NF/C track record, he destroyed it. Will the Ohio Mafia have an answer to Wood's Chevy? Will the Fords even show up? We'll have to wait until the Fourth of July weekend and the NTRA Manufacturers Championship to find out. BE THERE! |
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Post by rickvoegelin on May 8, 2011 15:56:11 GMT -7
Wheelie bars are not legal in NF/C. If Ninja's Can-Am shows up with plastic wheelie bars on the back of the body for the Manufacturers Championship race, I'll cut 'em off <g>. Wheelie bars are legal in NP/S, 2" maximum length. Cheers, Racemaster Rick |
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Post by 440gtx on May 8, 2011 16:10:43 GMT -7
We finish out the day with Wood's Vega NF/C. Wood dropped a close race to the Dodge Father in the semifinal round at the NTRA Finals, and it looks like he's out to avenge that loss. Wood blew up a body last week, so he's got one shell to swap between two chassis. First out is Chassis 6. To say it's noisy is an understatement -- sounds like it's ready to strip some gears. But the timers don't lie, and the car literally screams to a 1.092 at 10.21 mph. Wood's Chassis 1 is a sweetheart. First run is a 1.040/11.78, and its sixth pass sets the Lions NF/C track record for elapsed time at 1.011 seconds! Wood also runs the top speed so far at 12.09 mph. What's this? Looks like Low ET and Top Speed isn't good enough for this crew. Wood's guys are swapping the motors now between the two chassis. The fans sense that something special is about to happen and they could see history made today. Chassis 6 is first to run. It's definitely quicker with the new motor, 1.032 at 11.20 mph, and a lot quieter, too. As they fire up Chassis 1, you can feel the tension. This baby is on steroids. First an easy warm-up pass: 1.028/12.42. Wood knows he can do it, and he does: .998/13.14 -- the first sub-1 second NF/C run ever at Lions! Wood also breaks the 13 mph barrier. These guys are relentless, and they're still working on the tune-up. Third run is a .960/13.32. The fifth run raises the bar even higher: .955/13.37. After a quick shoe cleaning, Wood puts down the run of the day: .946! He didn't break the NF/C track record, he destroyed it. Will the Ohio Mafia have an answer to Wood's Chevy? Will the Fords even show up? We'll have to wait until the Fourth of July weekend and the NTRA Manufacturers Championship to find out. BE THERE! [glow=red,2,300] WOW![/glow] .940's is almost what my 4-gear with a mean green armature runs. I can't touch those times with a 14 ohm armature. My best pass here with a NF/C is a 1.03 something. Wood has definately brought the big guns. Grats on the track record Wood! Matt |
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