Any serious Bracket Racers here?

['98 BlackBird]

Just wondering how many of you actually bracket race?
I am in the points race at the local track running in the street and strip division. It's a 20 race schedule and your best 14 races get totaled to the final points at the end of the season. The points winner gets $1000 and second place pays $400 and third pays $100.
So far I am 7th with 60 points.
I need to work on my dial-in times. Although it is pretty tough to run 2 T&T sessions at 1:30 and 3:30 then have to dial-in your car for elims after waiting 4+ hours when the weather makes a huge change.

[shenanigans]

I wanna get into it I am pretty good, and any competition I have done I have held my own... Just all those trips to the track... get costly if you don't win, and main problem wear and tear on my transmission.

[njspder]

when i have to go through a dial situation like that i will usually go to the track on a slower open test and tune nightr and watch teh weather very closely. also make sure they are printing teh weather on teh timeslip.
although as the summer goes on the temp will be higher, the amount it cools off at night will generally be in scale all season. the same with humidity. the air will pick up water at night in about the same percentage all year long.
only place i ever really had trouble dialing after i did this was maple grove. that air just changes by crazy amounts through out the evening. surrounded by mountains and a million trees.
the other thing you need to watch very closely is your staging. regardless of hwo you liek to be in the beams, always repeat your routine so that you get there consistantly.

good luck

later
tim

[Robafb]

I race every weekend and so far this year Im 1st or 2nd the first 2 weekends and I'm usually in the finals for one simple reason. Reaction time. My worst R/T of the year so far is a .627 and Im usually under .575 all weekend, and it helps tremendously. As far as dialing in goes if you havent changed parts, and you are consistent in your pre race routine then you should just dial in whatever your best time you have run is. Unless there is something wrong with the track or your car, you should always be close enough to your dail in that way. But that is where your reaction time comes in, because if you cut a .5 something R/T and the guy besides you has a .7 then you already have 2 tenths to play with. I would definetly work on the reaction times and use them to help you win, more then tring to get accurate with your dial in. Plus experienced drivers hate getting tree'd, its really funning to watch them get beat by a guy in a v6 who won because of R/T.

['98 BlackBird]

Yeah with the Camaro this season my average RT is .082 with an average off-dial of .086.
I got beat last Sunday by .008 sec :eek:
I just purchased a Tag Systems hand heald weather system with ET prediction. I hope that helps me dial in a little better.

[shenanigans]

So people R/T are really not that great at these things?

I assumed going out there everyone was gonna be a .050 or less...

I am generally under .100 if I am trying for it... usually on the lower end. Though I have redlighted a few tiems but at least really close redlights, -0.009s and such.

I may consider it... I do admit takes awhle to get a feel for the car. My old car I took to the track so many times I could just kinda tell when it was gonna run fasster or slower, from temps dipping to the car being hot from hotlaps getting to the later rounds... I always break out and lose.

I am getting their consistant with my car now, but I am not there, but then again this car doesn't see nearly as much track time there is a reason, I replaced everything on my old car's drive train, most stuff more then once.

[Nachius]

I have never bracketed, but I know that car is consistent. Also I see a newer run and the MPH appears to be closer to what I expected for a high 14 run.

['98 BlackBird]

The Street and Strip divison here at Richmond is very close. about 80% of the drivers hit the tree below .100. I am still trying to get used to the new car and how it runs and reacts to weather changes.
For instance: I ran a T&T run at 2:30 and ran a 14.91 @ 92.38
Then at 7:00pm I ran a 15.09 @ 91.21

Yes Shane I got a new best last Sunday.

[njspder]

at e-town you need to be .040 or better and atco you better be .025 or better if you ever want to win.
you can get through a few rounds with .07-.10, but you aren't gonna have a shot at teh win.
then again, we are also talking about tracks that have produced countless national champions and draw 100+ cars per class on a regular basis. talent pool gets a little thick that way.

later
tim

[andrew.brandon]

the car is consistent as hell and so is my RT, but the actual RT changes from weekend to weekend, but it stays consistent for the day. if that makes any sense

[njspder]

consistant is the name of the game.

later
tim

[wishigotan8]

My camaro is very inconsitent I dont know how consitant your guys cars are, but i vary a tenth without spinning in the 60'. You can win with an inconsitant car though...rules i follow are: if you have a consitant car dial in safely (maybe .01 cushion) and inconstiant car i dial in slighlty slow and plan on hitting the brakes at the end. your R/T is the most important thing...there is no way to correct a bad reaction time(unlike consistancy:if you're running to fast there's always the brakes). Always shallow stage as delicatly as possible and then bump-in until you "find your light" you can also adjust the air in your front tires to fine tune your R/T. Get to the track as early as possible and let it cool down completly before you run it or your first run will be virtually useless to you.

P.S.-I race a corvette, my record thus far this year is 16-2 with one loss in the finals due to a redlight and one more due to transmission grenading on the starting line. If you have any questions just let me know.

[wishigotan8]

As far as my reaction time goes it ranges between several .005's up to .054 (when i'm jsut trying not to redlight). To be competative at my track you need to have a sub .08 light...to be unbeatable..a .000 and run exactly on your dial in.. [img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img]

['98 BlackBird]

With the Camaro I am 6-5 with 1 breakout and 1 red light.
My average RT is .070 and I am usualy off dial on an average of .07

I am slowly getting used to how the car runs in the humidity, night, cold and hot air.

Going back to my old post, it looks as if I am getting better.