Re: RE: OT - Drool Time

From: jon@dakota-truck.net
Date: Tue Jun 11 2002 - 22:02:24 EDT


"Dave" <ded74@yahoo.com> wrote:

: That's why I could never do bracket racing. I mean winning is cool and all,
: but how much fun can you have running the same mid 17s all day long? I say
: ya run what ya brung and just have fun, win or lose. :)

  You might be surprised! :-) I haven't been to the track in over a
year now and I really miss it. I'm a bit wary of going back though
just because I've got my finances strung rather thin, and I don't
want to risk breaking something. So, I've been toying around with
the idea of a throttle stop that would only give me 50% of the pedal
travel. Might help things out in that department.

   It doesn't matter how fast you are - the spirit of competition is
there. At our track, we just race for trophies but the competition
can get INTENSE! Each race has SO many variables to take into account,
and there are actually several races going on at once. First, you're
racing against yourself, by keeping yourself and your vehicle consistent,
you're racing against the clock, you're racing against the weather and
track conditions, and finally there's that guy in the other lane who'se
sole purpose in life is to beat you.

  The stakes aren't really that high (just a plastic trophy) but the
feeling you get when you cross the line and your win light comes
on is like nothing I've ever experienced - I'm a pretty reserved guy
but I have whooped and hollered as I crossed the line and had the win
light come on. (It gets more intense the deeper into eliminations you
get.) On the other side of the coin, when the other guy's light comes on,
the feeling in the pit of my stomach is awful. You'd do practically
anything to just "rewind" time for 30 seconds.

  I can only immagine the level of emotion in the professional ranks
where there is actually something besides a trophy and personal pride
at stake.

  If you haven't tried bracket racing, I would recommend giving it a
go. Be sure you understand what is going on though - that's a must.
Stumbling through anything without understanding it is rarely fun.
For the most part, I have only raced my mid 14 sec. Dak, but I have also
taken my 18 second Ram and once, a 23 second Izuzu. I must admit, it
*is* nice to be able to run fast, and I love to run down a slower vehicle,
but once you get to the bracket racing, the actual speed of your vehicle
has very little to do with the fun factor. That's been my experience at
least.

-- 

-Jon-

.---- Jon Steiger ------ jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -----. | I'm the: AOPA, DoD, EAA, NMA, NRA, SPA, USUA. Rec & UL Pilot - SEL | | '70 Barracuda, '92 Ram 4x4, '96 Dakota, '96 Intruder 1400, '96 FireFly | `----------------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com ----'



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