Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho has an annual streetcar showdown. It is head-up racing, rather than bracket racing, and uses a 0.4 second pro tree (all the yellows light at the same time followed by green 0.4 seconds later). The cars are classified as 12.5 seconds (cannot exceed 12.5), 11.5 seconds, 10.5 seconds, and unlimited. Cars must have DOT tires, mufflers, license plate, insurance and no electronics to qualify as a 'street' car. Some of the cars were thinly disguised race cars that probably never see the street. The top eight qualifiers competed in the evening event.
There were 16 cars in the 12.5 second class. It was the biggest of the classes. Since I usually run 12.6-12.7, I thought that I had a good chance. In reporting the results, I will ignore reaction time, as this is the first time I have raced with this type of tree. It is immaterial in time trials, anyway.
First run:
60' 1.927 (poor)
1/8 8.256
1/4 12.695
MPH 111.20
I thought that this might be enough to get me in, but after the first round, I was 7th. Most of the cars lower than me ran too fast, so they had not qualified.
Second run
Too terrible to report. I had a miserable start, as I was so worried about the light, that I launched at too low an RPM and bogged (OK, it was 13.054)
I lined up in the last part of the group for the final time trial. I wanted to know what I needed to qualify. By the time I got to the line, I was about 12th. The cutoff was 12.62. I had only run below 12.5 once, so I thought that there was no way I would go too fast. My previous best was 12.47. I decided to ignore the light, go when I was ready and just hammer it.
Third run
60' 1.836
330' 5.238
1/8 8.028
MPH 87.51
1000 10.414
1/4 12.425
MPH 111.99
I knew that I had put down a fast run, but to run my fastest run ever was a surprise. The competition was tough, as 8 cars ran between 12.50 and 12.62. So much for winning! I didn't even qualify for the finals. The only consolation when I lose like that is that I ran a personal fast time. It was fun, but there is a big empty spot in my garage where that trophy could have been displayed!
There were 16 cars in the 12.5 second class. It was the biggest of the classes. Since I usually run 12.6-12.7, I thought that I had a good chance. In reporting the results, I will ignore reaction time, as this is the first time I have raced with this type of tree. It is immaterial in time trials, anyway.
First run:
60' 1.927 (poor)
1/8 8.256
1/4 12.695
MPH 111.20
I thought that this might be enough to get me in, but after the first round, I was 7th. Most of the cars lower than me ran too fast, so they had not qualified.
Second run
Too terrible to report. I had a miserable start, as I was so worried about the light, that I launched at too low an RPM and bogged (OK, it was 13.054)
I lined up in the last part of the group for the final time trial. I wanted to know what I needed to qualify. By the time I got to the line, I was about 12th. The cutoff was 12.62. I had only run below 12.5 once, so I thought that there was no way I would go too fast. My previous best was 12.47. I decided to ignore the light, go when I was ready and just hammer it.
Third run
60' 1.836
330' 5.238
1/8 8.028
MPH 87.51
1000 10.414
1/4 12.425
MPH 111.99
I knew that I had put down a fast run, but to run my fastest run ever was a surprise. The competition was tough, as 8 cars ran between 12.50 and 12.62. So much for winning! I didn't even qualify for the finals. The only consolation when I lose like that is that I ran a personal fast time. It was fun, but there is a big empty spot in my garage where that trophy could have been displayed!
