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I am pretty bored so I thought I would make a thread to help first timers get out to the
track for a play. Believe me, it may be a short race, but it can be lots of fun.
1. Anyone can drag race. Anyone who has a car or bike can have a crack. I have seen all
kinds of weird cars at the racetrack and some of them are very slow. Don't be shy, get out there and
have a go.
2. It is cheap as chips. It costs $20 to get into Willowbank as a specator for a Test n Tune.
It costs $40 to race and you get one pit crew in for free. So you can race for the same price as it
costs to walk in and watch. Why watch when you can get amongst it.
2a. What you need. To race you need a few basic things. You must have an Australian
Standards approved helmet, and you must have neck to ankle to wrist clothing. In other words,
long pants and long sleeves. You must also wear covered shoes.
2b. What to do. When you get to the track, you pay your $40 and they will give you 2 tickets
of entry for you and your crew member, and an entry form. It is always a good idea to have a pen
in your car as this saves time. Fill out your form, drive around to the small shed at the back end of
the staging lanes and there will be some Willowbank staff there in green shirts. They will help you.
2c. The Staging Lanes. Running at 90 degrees to the racetrack, before the start line, there are
8 lanes. These are the staging lanes. They are where you line up to go racing.
3. The Christmas tree. The christmas tree is a set of lights with 2 staging lights, 3 yellow lights,
a green light and a red light.
4. Staging. As you roll up to the startline, which is the big yellow line you can see on the edge of
the racetrack, you will see 2 lights at the top of the tree. The first light is pre-stage. This shows you
that you are approx 7 inches from the startline. When both lights come on, you are staged and ready to
start. Make sure that you check the big yellow line though, because I have seen lots of people stage with
their back wheels, which is quite embarrassing if your mates are watching. If the top light goes out, don't
rush to hit reverse, that just means you are deep staged. You are ok to go from there, but you will need to
be super careful not to go too early on the startline.
5. Time to race. When you are staged and ready, the starter will push his button to start the lights.
You will see 3 amber lights and then the green. You are not interested in the green. You are interested in
the last, or bottom amber. That is when you go. You go when you see the last amber. But remember, you
go when you SEE the last amber. Don't anticipate the amber because you will red light. When you see that
last amber, hit the loud pedal all the way to the floor and get ready for a great ride.
6. Timing boxes. If you look down the racetrack you will see a series of boxes in the middle of the
road. These are all timing boxes to give you times at different stages of the race. The first is at 60 foot.
Then 330, 660 which is half way and then 1000 foot. The last 2 sets of boxes are at the finish line. Your
terminal speed is measured between these last 2, and the second is the finish line.
6b. The finish line. On the concrete wall on either side of the racetrack is a big yellow light. This is the finish line and you should start braking as soon as possible after you go past them.
7. The tower. At the bottom of the tower is a small box on the side opposite the grandstand.
Check the race number that Willowbank staff wrote on the side of your car and get the corresponding
card to know what your times are.
8. Tyre pressures. In most cases, lowering your tyre pressure slightly will improve your traction
on the start line.
The more you practice, the better you will get and the faster you will go. It is loads of fun, and can
settle some good arguments between mates over who has the fastest car.
Anyhow, I hope that helps and if anyone wants to know any more about drag racing, just give me a
yell. And even if you don't want to go out there and race, you should get out there as a spectator
and watch the fastest cars in the world. There is nothing like a car going 0-500+ km/h in under 5
seconds believe me. If you haven't seen it at least once, you are missing out big time
Cheers
Brian
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This post has been edited by F_CK Y__: 23 May 2010 - 09:46 AM
Reason for edit: added the stuff you need for the time you run
MultiQuote
My room mate and I both lolled, good call that even if it's untrue.
