Does anyone have some tips on racing...  how to get a good launch, tire pressure, shifting, burnouts, etc...  I'm very new to racing.  Last night was actually the first time I've ever been to the strip.  As a "beginner try" I took my CTS to union grove, WI to learn.  But I really want to run my fairlane.  (just need my new tires to arrive and to sort out some hesitation issues - hopefully we'll be ready in a week or two)

Anyway, it was so much fun that I want to do more.  But I felt like I was flying blind.  My technique was just mash the gas on green.  I know a lot of things are car specific but I'm sure there have to be tricks and tips to use as a starting guide.  Thanks!

 - John

John: Lake Forest, IL



'57 Fairlane 500 - Looking better every day.

Hi!

Great to hear we've got another Y-Block ready to go down the track.  If your waiting to actually see the green light, you're late.  Depending on how you stage and the diameter of your front tire you could be adding over a second plus of ET to your timeslip, just in reaction time at the line.

I like to stage shallow, where the pre-stage and staged bulbs are both lit.  Some tracks don't allow double bulbing but if they do this technique will generally increase your trap speed.  It can also draw your competition into a situation where they red light and lose the race.

It also allows you to roll out and actually start your car before the green light comes on.  Where it gets tricky is you have to know how your car reacts, your reaction time and the diameter of your front tire to know the actual roll-out before you break the beam and red light yourself.

It takes a good deal of practice  and every time you change one variable, like the tune up on the car or the tires, it changes your launch.  Work on that and you'll be surprised how many races you can win.

Larry D

Winnipeg, MB Canada Eh!


'57 Fairlane 500 Club Victoria

'58 Custom 300 Tudor

'56 Crown Victoria

'61 Starliner Z Code

'51 Ford Victoria

As Larry says, anticipating the green light is a key to winning races.  You can probably leave the line as soon as you see the last yellow.  Maybe leave between the last two yellows.  Practice will let you learn this.  Keep leaving slightly quicker until you finally trigger a red light, then back off.  The better way may be to find a spot, such as the instant the last yellow comes on, and get consistent at doint that.  Your reaction time on the time slip is how you judge that.  When you get consistent at that, tune your car to make the reaction times better.  RPM at the line, timing, front and rear tire pressures are some of the things you can use to tune the car.  And an old cardinal rule:  Make only one change at a time so you don't get confused.  Many racers change more than one thing, then don't know what helped and what hurt.  Have fun.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Go to the Events page on the main part of the site and scroll down to the bottom. There are several documents there in pdf format that Bob Martin wrote several years ago. I think that you will find them helpful.

Jim (site owner)
'56 Club Sedan - Ted Eaton built 429 hp '292/318, '54 Sunliner - stock '302