From: johnsw@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu (William E. Johns)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Big Time Drag Racing!!!
Date: 6 Oct 92 04:56:52 GMT
Organization: Washington State University
Originator: bill@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu

I did it, I went drag racing.  First time in my life.  I won a heat and
achieved a goal of mine, to touch 125 mph on a drag strip.  A fun
Sunday.
 
What we did was went bracket racing.  We in this case was Jeff-
Keeper of the Third Gear-Earls, and Denizen-without-a-terminal-or-
number Scott Larson.  We went up to Spokane Raceway Park.  We were
all very new to this game.
 
Bracket Racing:  I suppose there are a few readers out there who
have never been to a drag strip.  Drag racing is the science and art of
being a quarter of a mile away before the other guy.  Bracket racing
is a way to do that and try to make everyone on different mounts
equal at the start of the contest.  I had never been to a strip before
so a brief description is in order.
 
We arrived at 10ish, in time for check-in and tech inspection.  Check
in involved paying $15 dollars, and signing a release.  Tech
inspection involved signing another release and getting a number.  I
was number 11F(irst)T(imer).  Someone sorta waved their arms and
told me to have a good time.  On to the lines for racing.
 
Once there we got to see folks race and to get the general idea.  If
you have never done it, it is really quite simple.  You line your bike
up next to someone you want to race.  When signaled you go to one of
the racing lanes.  There will be folks ahead of you, sometimes two
deep in the process of racing.  When it is your turn you roll your bike
up to two lines on the ground, about 4 inches apart.  The first is a
prestage.  Cross it and a small yellow light comes on a pole between
and ahead of you and the other guy.  Nudge the bike a little further
and the other light comes on.  At that point you are _staged_.  When
both racers are staged the starter can, at any time, start the race.
What happens is first a big yellow light comes on and then, 0.4
second later, the green light comes on.  You cannot cross the line
until the green light comes on.  In fact you can't react fast enough to
beat the green light so when you see the big yellow light, you go.  As
in GO.  (If you see the green light you are way late.)  Then it is just
WFO until you cross 3 lines a quarter mile away.  The middle line is
the exact distance/time, the other two lines about 30 feet either side of
the middle line get your speed.
 
You have about 3/4 mile runout with one turn about 1/4 mile down
the strip and another at the end.  You wind your way back to where
you originally got in line and one the way, pick up a slip of paper.
This will tell you speed in mph, your ET-Elapsed Time,  reaction
time--the time from when the green line officially came on to when
you crossed the line, time to 60 feet, who won and by how much for
both racers for that round.  After you race you return to the grouping
area and get in line and do it again.
 
Bracket racing is neat.  Everyone gets 3 practice runs.  Then, you go
and select a _dial in_ time.  This can be anything you wish.
Typically, say you run 13.500 second quarters and you are very
steady.  You might pick 13.495 as your dial in.  If your competition
has a dial in of say 10.495 seconds you get a 3 second head start.
Irrespective of what you bring, everyone gets adjusted so you
compete evenly.  Based on dial in times, everyone is equal.
 
The idea is to beat the other guy without exceeding your dial in time,
or break-out.  If you break out, you lose. If you lose your race, you
lose.  Speed has nothing to do with it, the ET does.  Thus, everyone is
equal except for skill and consistency.
 
The FTer's had two chances to win something.  After we all dialed
in, we raced each other.  If we lost there, we could then go race with
the big boys.
 
For my 3 practice runs I learned a lot.  My first reaction time was
.780 seconds, then 0.538, then 0.348.  Hmmmm, there is a very
strong learning curve here.  My speeds/ET's were incredibly slow
with runs of 106.05mph/13.708 sec, 102.51/14.202, and
108.33/13.458.  I was so pleased with not looping the bike on the
second start I forgot to shift outta 2nd gear.  I felt good about the
third run and realizing the learning curve, picked a dial in time of
13.333 seconds.  Then the racing started.
 
Scott, Jeff and I separated so that we would not take each other out
and found ourselves racing cages!  There was everything, from hot
street cars to stock Honda Civics to a Honda 3-wheel ATV's.  We had
been watching the competition and there was one really ratty wreck,
a yellow, hacked up VW dune buggy conversion with a straight pipe.
The thing sounded like a chain saw with hemorrhoids and was
running on mud/snow tires.  This was my draw.  I was ready to eat
him alive.  He had a dial in over 17 seconds so he got a 4+ second
head start.  We staged, I ran the tack up to 5k, put my belly on the
tank, put all my weight on the wheels and tucked under the
windscreen.  I was ready to blow by that dude and take his
headlights with me.  He went off with a screechy whine and I
waited, and waited, and waited then my big yellow light came on and
I popped the clutch and was--enveloped in a massive cloud.  Can you
say _burnout_.  There I was on top of about 100 ponies all
screaming, all wanting to go somewhere real soon now, with the
back end bouncing and the bike pointed about 45 degrees off the line,
at the spectator stand.  Scared the poop outta me.
 
I got the bike under control, pointed down the track and got moving
in the right direction.  My reaction time was 0.245 seconds and my
speed was 107.7, my ET was 14.2 seconds and I lost by 0.476
seconds.  Just a part of the learning curve.
 
I got in line with the big boys, but by now I was no fool, I picked the
guy I was gonna race carefully.  No one with a ZX-11 or anything like
that, I pick some guy with one of those little toy bikes.  I needed
something easy.  The bike I pulled up next to would have been just
about right for Noemi, the seat couldn't have been more than 15
inches off the ground.  Actually, I doubt if any part of the bike was
much over than about 24 inches high.  I knew it was some sort of a
beginner as he had training wheel hanging off the back--way off the
back.  I _know_ Noemi is better than that.  I wouldn't recommend
this bike for her in any case, the tank, actually a wide part of the
frame of the bike looked smaller than a HD peanut.  The bike looked
incredibly uncomfortable.  Talk about rear sets, the pegs were in
_back_ of the rear axle, making luggage totally impractical.
Considering the size of the engine, which was huge, even by poser
standards, and the size of the tank, it had to be the most impractical
sports touring bike I've ever seen.  And the plumbing.  All those
little tanks of gas and pipes and all.  The guy even put the handle
bars on up-side-down.  A real loser.
 
I knew I had this one in the bag when we got ready to stage.  The guy
gets his bike about half way to the line and then he must have hit a
small stone or something on the road cause the bike just wouldn't go
forward no matter how hard he spun the back tire.  Geezzz, he made a
huge cloud of smoke but never moved an inch.  Had to have a couple of
guys get him unstuck and line him up for staging.  I made a point of
riding over a puddle of that sticky stuff the pro car racers left all
over the track so that I did not burn out again and I was _ready_.
 
Our names were called out over the loud speaker and we both hit our
prestage light.  I could see the folks in stand shake their heads at
this race, I obviously had it in the bag and everyone was feeling
sorry for that other guy.  Then we both stage our second light and I
hit the gas.  I could almost hear the roar of the crowds as my big
yellow light came on.  I popped the clutch and got a great start.  I
was motoring like I never had before.  I even remembered to shift to
second and then third without the aid of the rev limiter.  I was
flying, it was great.  As I rolled over the finish line I looked back
and saw that poor fellow a good _50 yards behind_.  Hell, this was
easy.
 
I motored around, got my winners tag, I did a 109.45/13.500.  I then
parked my bike and went to pick up my trophy.  Nope, gotta do it a
couple more times, so I got back in line and picked another one of
these newbies on the toy bikes.
 
Well, this second run didn't work our so swell.  I slipped on the take
off and got a miserable start, and this fellow _didn't_ drop his clutch.
All I saw was the south end of a northbound super drag-bike.
 
But I would not quit or give up that easily.  When he slowed down to
exist, I kept my FJ WFO, and motored passed him well over 125 mph
indicated.  I achieved my goal of hitting 125 on a drag strip, even if
it was 1/8 or so mile past the gates!
 
I found out later that this fellow is a pro, usually running in the
money line.  There was so much competition that day that he decided
to go _duck hunting_ instead.  Quack, quack, quack.
 
It was fun.  I like road racing tracks more as I am in to leaning.  I do
like the idea of being able to compete on a bike even up, against the
best.  I like the idea that if I do something stupid, I probably won't
take someone else out.
 
I would recommend that folks try this as a form of entertainment.
Next time I'll take the PD.  It is slower and more manageable for a
newbie.  Consistency, not top speed wins.  It's a great way to get
your speed rush, meet a bunch of new people, have a relatively
inexpensive good time and ride, which, of course, is the name of the
game.
 
Ride Free,
 
Bill
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