Seattle09GT
07-02-2009, 02:41 PM
OK, Pacific Northwest G8 Owner's, September is going to be a busy month!
The 12th Annual Buick/Olds/Pontiac Drag Races and Car Show is being held at Bremerton Raceway on Saturday, September 19, 2009. There is also a Test and Tune session on Friday, September 18, 2009.
WHERE: Bremerton Raceway
FROM TACOMA
Travel Highway 16 toward Bremerton. Take the Tremont Exit in Port Orchard and go left on Old Clifton Road. Go Left on Sunnyslope Road. Immediate right on Clifton road to end.
FROM BREMERTON
Take Highway 3 South toward Belfair. Left on Sunnyslope Road, and Right on Clifton Road to end.
FROM BELFAIR
Take Highway 3 North. Go Right on Sunnyslope road and right on Clifton Road to end.
WHEN: Saturday, September 19, 2009 8:30 AM until disqualified or final ladders (subject to weather). There is a test and tune on September 18, 2009 - optional.
WHAT: Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac Drag Races. There is also the final race for the Car Club Challenge and the kids do 1/8th mile drag races in scale cars, so it is a crazy busy day of drag racing. This is bracket racing, no prior experience required and it is a great chance to legal break 100 MPH in your G8 in a safe environment.
WHO: You, your G8 and your family/friends
YOU SHOULD KNOW: You need to comply with all NHRA rules. This includes the following:
1) A helmet, Snell or SFI helmet meeting a minimum of Snell 2000, 2005, SFI 31.1, 31.1A,31.1/2005, 31.2A, 41.1, 41.1A, 41.1/2005, 41.2 or 41.2A specs if you plan to run faster than 14.0 seconds. In other words if you have a GT or GXP, bring an appropriate helmet. You will also need to have a drive shaft loop. This is stricter than the NHRA requirements of 12.99 seconds or faster and is a track rule. I have no idea if this already exists on our cars out of the factory or not (someone smarter than me can advise).
2) If your car will run faster than 12.00 seconds, well, the requirements get a lot stricter. You'll need to refer to the NHRA Rule Book.
3) Bremerton does not allow open exhausts, mufflers are required.
4) No co-drivers allowed in any runs in our cars, unless you're coming with a V6 G8. Co-drivers must be 16 years old or older and have a valid drivers license.
This is GREAT fun. I only bracket race once or twice a year. In a tight nutshell, think of it as gambling.
First you do some time trial runs. Depending on weather and number of cars you can get 3 to 5 runs in (if you're there at 8:30 AM and the track is dry). This will give you an idea of your DIAL IN. Your dial in is what you think you can run the quarter mile in. The object is to come as close to your dial in without going faster. If you go faster than your dial in, you have had a BREAK OUT and you are disqualified.
The other factor here is your REACTION TIME or R/T. This is how quickly your car starts to move forward after the Christmas tree lights go green. The faster your R/T, the better your overall result. If you hit a PERFECT LIGHT, you had an R/T of 0.000. Yes, to the 1/1000 of the second. If you JUMP the light, you left the line before the light turned green. Yup, disqualifed.
So with this bit of information:
Lets say you do a dial in of 13.25 because in your test runs you were running 13.30 to 13.40. You R/T was .235 and you crossed the traps in 13.38 seconds. They take your R/T of .235 and add the difference between your dial in and actual (.12) together. That comes out to .375. If the person in the lane next to you has a "bigger" number (either a slower R/T or was further off their dial in or a combination there of) you win. So you could nail your dial in in a perfect run, but if your R/T was .753 you're probably going to lose. On the other hand if your R/T was say .087 unless you just mangled your run, you're going to be pretty unbeatable.
So this isn't just about going fast, it is about knowing your car and having a good clean start.
So what if you get disqualified in your first race. Hey it happens. Honestly the way I've made it to ladders each year is largely because the person next to me jumped the light or blew their run. Hey, I'll take it anyway I can get it! The good news is that between the heats they will open up the track for tuning runs. This is in part so racers don't have to do hot runs (not the best for the car and usually hurts your track time).
ORGANIZER: David - you can PM me with questions or call (206) 669-1316
Alright. So who is going? :woohoo:
The 12th Annual Buick/Olds/Pontiac Drag Races and Car Show is being held at Bremerton Raceway on Saturday, September 19, 2009. There is also a Test and Tune session on Friday, September 18, 2009.
WHERE: Bremerton Raceway
FROM TACOMA
Travel Highway 16 toward Bremerton. Take the Tremont Exit in Port Orchard and go left on Old Clifton Road. Go Left on Sunnyslope Road. Immediate right on Clifton road to end.
FROM BREMERTON
Take Highway 3 South toward Belfair. Left on Sunnyslope Road, and Right on Clifton Road to end.
FROM BELFAIR
Take Highway 3 North. Go Right on Sunnyslope road and right on Clifton Road to end.
WHEN: Saturday, September 19, 2009 8:30 AM until disqualified or final ladders (subject to weather). There is a test and tune on September 18, 2009 - optional.
WHAT: Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac Drag Races. There is also the final race for the Car Club Challenge and the kids do 1/8th mile drag races in scale cars, so it is a crazy busy day of drag racing. This is bracket racing, no prior experience required and it is a great chance to legal break 100 MPH in your G8 in a safe environment.
WHO: You, your G8 and your family/friends
YOU SHOULD KNOW: You need to comply with all NHRA rules. This includes the following:
1) A helmet, Snell or SFI helmet meeting a minimum of Snell 2000, 2005, SFI 31.1, 31.1A,31.1/2005, 31.2A, 41.1, 41.1A, 41.1/2005, 41.2 or 41.2A specs if you plan to run faster than 14.0 seconds. In other words if you have a GT or GXP, bring an appropriate helmet. You will also need to have a drive shaft loop. This is stricter than the NHRA requirements of 12.99 seconds or faster and is a track rule. I have no idea if this already exists on our cars out of the factory or not (someone smarter than me can advise).
2) If your car will run faster than 12.00 seconds, well, the requirements get a lot stricter. You'll need to refer to the NHRA Rule Book.
3) Bremerton does not allow open exhausts, mufflers are required.
4) No co-drivers allowed in any runs in our cars, unless you're coming with a V6 G8. Co-drivers must be 16 years old or older and have a valid drivers license.
This is GREAT fun. I only bracket race once or twice a year. In a tight nutshell, think of it as gambling.
First you do some time trial runs. Depending on weather and number of cars you can get 3 to 5 runs in (if you're there at 8:30 AM and the track is dry). This will give you an idea of your DIAL IN. Your dial in is what you think you can run the quarter mile in. The object is to come as close to your dial in without going faster. If you go faster than your dial in, you have had a BREAK OUT and you are disqualified.
The other factor here is your REACTION TIME or R/T. This is how quickly your car starts to move forward after the Christmas tree lights go green. The faster your R/T, the better your overall result. If you hit a PERFECT LIGHT, you had an R/T of 0.000. Yes, to the 1/1000 of the second. If you JUMP the light, you left the line before the light turned green. Yup, disqualifed.
So with this bit of information:
Lets say you do a dial in of 13.25 because in your test runs you were running 13.30 to 13.40. You R/T was .235 and you crossed the traps in 13.38 seconds. They take your R/T of .235 and add the difference between your dial in and actual (.12) together. That comes out to .375. If the person in the lane next to you has a "bigger" number (either a slower R/T or was further off their dial in or a combination there of) you win. So you could nail your dial in in a perfect run, but if your R/T was .753 you're probably going to lose. On the other hand if your R/T was say .087 unless you just mangled your run, you're going to be pretty unbeatable.
So this isn't just about going fast, it is about knowing your car and having a good clean start.
So what if you get disqualified in your first race. Hey it happens. Honestly the way I've made it to ladders each year is largely because the person next to me jumped the light or blew their run. Hey, I'll take it anyway I can get it! The good news is that between the heats they will open up the track for tuning runs. This is in part so racers don't have to do hot runs (not the best for the car and usually hurts your track time).
ORGANIZER: David - you can PM me with questions or call (206) 669-1316
Alright. So who is going? :woohoo: