times

[ravenous 2]

Times changed in atv class again? Unlimited got raised back to 5.19 to get into class? Kinda weird I thought that that class was very competitive the way it was. No i didnt got to the rule meeting on sunday to voice my opinion not like it seems it would have made a difference. My whole comlplaint is if your bike is running a consistant 3.7 (using john connors time or boners time of 3.65) how is it far that you have to race a guy that is dialed in at lets say the max of a 5.15 now if my math is correct then that is a 1.5 sec head start how are you expecting to run that guy down. Which brings me to the other issue im not pointing any fingers but there are people that dial a time higher than what there bikes are capable of and that i feel is poor sportmanship i have seen there bikes run the times needed to get into the prior times. I'm sure all this probably doesnt matter i just felt the need to vent. Looks like ill race in heads up class only next year.

 

[BRSD_OWNERS]

I understand what you are saying 100% and please do not take this the wrong way, but when you are racing et you are really in reality racing the tree and yourself, no matter what you or the other guy is dialed in at. That is why u dial in at what u r running, not to beat the other guy. But we understand completely, look at what jason was doing in his class, he won but they were dialed in lower than him (most of the time) he had to cut an awesome light and make sure that he was running on his time, and really in reality not worry about the other guy at all. That is what ET racing is all about, racing yourself, doesnt sound fun at all, but that is what it really is. And keep one thing in mind when you have 10 racers in your class you are bringing home about 100.00 or under, the more racers in your class the more money. When we started racing 12 years ago, it was nothing for first and top to take home 500.00. That is another advantage to having more people in your class. Although I do respect the fact that you will only race the fast 16 class, I hope that you will reconsider after reading this. Hope to see you all soon, and please keep all of this in mind for next year. Becuase that has been preached to me for 12 years is not to worry about the other racer or dial in, they have just told me to be on my stuff. Good Luck.
Christi

 

[ravenous 2]

I agree to what you are saying a little. I understand it is et/bracket racing. I know what my bike is capable of as i am sure others know what theres are. On that same note if some one has that much of a lead on the start they should be out past the tree or dam close to 100feet out. Now lets go back to et yes you are racing against yourself and the clock on which you dialed in at, but you also have to cross the line before them to win aslo. It just doesn't motivate a guy to go up against someone that he knows that is going to be hard to do. Yes i remember when the pot was around 500.00 but the year before the times were changed we had the same amount of racers i dont remember payouts being that good. either way ill be there to race just not sure in what class.

 

[Dan Wies]

Take this into consideration...

Say you have a guy who is dialed in at the fastest time (3.7) who is racing a person dialed in at the slowest time allowable (5.15) (=1.45s dif) Yes, that seems like a big difference in time. As far as i'm concerned the faster guy has the advantage. Why? B/c he/she will be able to race better to the line and have a better view of what is going on. The person who is dialed in at a 5.15 will not have as good of an outlook of what they need to do b/c they are going to have a 75+ MPH vehicle getting ready to buzz by them. My opinion the faster guy has the advantage. There are always limits on this though. Will the faster vehicle be as consistent as the 5.15 vehicle? maybe, maybe not.

Back to the second part of your first post. is dialing in slower than what you're capable of right? well it is not right or wrong (i am not here to judge) but I feel that it is a less consistent way of racing. is the person who is dialed in slower than what they're capable of going to be able to repeat letting off the throttle and running right on that number every time? They might get lucky a few nights but the odds will be against them over time (same principle the casino's play off of).

Basically a person could be consumed with worrying about what "the other guy" is doing. I would focus on yourself and on your own program and run your own race. You cannot control what "they" are doing. so why fret it? focus on cutting a good light and runnin 'em to the stripe, that's how a race is won. Not by playing games...

Just my opinion, which doesn't really mean a whole lot...

 

[BRSD_OWNERS]

also

Another way to look at this is to think to jason, he was one of the fastest bikes in his class, he had to run them all down and he only lost 3 or 4 races this year and they were red lights. I know that might not sound like a good example but in reality it is. He had to run down almost every racer that he raced this year. It really wasnt fair for him to be in that class in mine and his opinion, but that is where he was put, so like daniel said, that person that is coming from behind can see everything that is going on. Hope this all helps you and everyone else understand, when we first started racing, we had stock polaris' that ran 7's and we were running against jimmy dale (if you remember him he had the lay down bikes running in the 3's) and he would woop us everytime, we had to pray for a break out or a red light LOL.
Thanks
Christi

 

[BRSDBoy]

How did they tell time before there were sundials?

Just imagine how it must feel to be a JR ATV racer dialed in at an 8.80, facing someone dialed in at 12.80 seconds or slower.
But even the Juniors know which side of the tree is theirs. LOL!

Valid points have been made (IMHO) by Daniel and Christi. I wouldn't be too worried. The faster bike always has the advantage. For instance... say that person running a 5.17 cuts a red light. They're nailed with the infraction, and loss, regardless of your reaction time. I've seen, on numerous occasions, the faster bike actually cutting a bigger redlight, but still getting the win. (BTW,
95%* of the races I've sent down the track were won on the starting line.)

Not only that, but (as previously noted), the driver of the 3 second bike will have a much better position, coming from behind their opponent, and will be able to dictate whether or not to let off. All you have to do is be patient and wait for the green.

And, I know I'm not a driver, so my opinion on this is probably null -- but as far as consistency is concerned -- it seems to me to be up to the driver and what they're piloting. I've seen a mass of talented racers, throughout the entire spectrum of classes and cars, from 3.5 seconds to 15 seconds, be consistent not only throughout the night, but throughout the season. Hell, Tim Dee turned in his dial-in time only ONCE the entire season, until he changed the motor in his car. His dial-in stayed in the system and wasn't changed until the last couple weeks.

As far as I'm concerned, the 'unable to be consistent in the sand' argument died the day Bill Skaggs left.

But back to my original argument: Whether it's an Open 4x4 getting a 125' spot (like back in the old days... when we had 4x4's), or a Junior ATV getting a 5 second head-start, or a superpro bike getting a 1.5 second head-start; the bigger the handicap, the more entertaining (and tension-building) the race.

Just my two ever-decreasing-in-value cents.

-Nick



*that number is in no way scientific or accurate. it's what i call a "guesstimation", taking into consideration the racers are experienced and reasonably consistent, and excludes those races actually won at the finish line, or lost by breaking out.