Drag Racing Drag Racing - Gunnedah NSW

Effing windy in Melbourne this morning. I'm glad I'm not racing here. I'm going to need a few of these when I get there.

 

Didn't know you could buy beards at Aldi.
I've spent 40+ years growing mine.

 

Drag Racing: TDRA Gunnedah 11th & 12th of August 2018 - 1/8 mile

Saturday the 11th August. Test and Tune day
Well, here we are again; @Murdo and @Frankster representing Team 2fiftycc. It’s a sunny 23 degrees and there is a gale force wind blowing down the drag strip (it’s a headwind). 9 bikes testing today; 4 Harleys and 5 from the land of the rising sun. Times and speeds are terrible for the 2fiftycc guys as the headwind is just too strong, even on an 1/8 mile track.

Hopefully weather will be better on Sunday. A good night was had camping under the stars and talking about the bikes and going faster.

Sunday the 12th August. Qualifying and race day.
Very cold and the wind has only dropped a little. @GreyImport showed up to lend his motivational skills and many other talents to the team. Morning qualifying proved nothing except racing could be a bit of a lottery. Reaction times, 60ft and ET/Speed were all over the place. Top qualifier (Todd) had run a 6.48sec ET, but after a number of electrical issues he withdrew leaving 8 runners to face the starter. All the Harley riders lined up one behind the other, so it was HD versus the rest. There was much talk about knocking out all the Harleys in the 1st round, but this backfired in the worst possible way and all the Harleys went through to the next round.

Was there a highlight to this weekend…probably not. @Murdo, @GreyImport and @Frankster certainly enjoyed themselves, but being knocked out in the first round really sucks arse.

Best Reaction Time: Murdo .033sec
Best 60ft: Frankster 1.96sec
Best ET: Frankster 9.19sec
Best MPH: who cares…head wind made these useless.


Team 2fiftycc ready for battle (with the wind) on Saturday morning.

Gunnedah is very dry at the moment...but some campers thought an open fire would be okay. I guess there's not much to catch fire?

 

Hi Shane. Other Jap bikes were Todd's A/MB Suzuki, Greg's ZX7R with extended swingarm (7.82sec) and Mick's modified R1 (6.70sec). I'm still spewing about getting knocked out in the 1st round. I'm leaving my bike here in Tamworth for it to go up to Willowbank for the September 23rd "All Bike" event.

 

Yes, handicap racing lets everyone have a go. It's not heads up racing. Each lane has its own lights, so basically, you nominate how quick you're going to run and the person in the other lane does the same and they set the "handicap" into the tree. So, all things being equal, both riders should arrive at the finish line at the time. I raced a HD 1200 in the first round that was dialled in at 8.60sec, so I had a .70sec head start, but unfortunately I nailed the start (.068 R/T & 1.97sec 60ft) and the Harley rider fluffed the start. As I approached the line, I looked over into the other lane and, not seeing anyone, I shut off and coasted over the line 20kmh slower than my normal speed. I normally brake as well, but the headwind made me think I was okay, but... I still ran faster than my dial in (9.24sec on a 9.30sec dial in) and lost. The HD rider putted through oblivious to what had happened. So, when we got back to the pits someone calmly told me I broke out and lost. So, you can lose by red lighting, crossing the centre line or breaking out (going faster than your dial in).

The guy who won on the day, had never drag raced before and he had the slowest Harley, which he raced on a 8.80sec dial in. Going fast doesn't mean you'll win in handicap racing. Being consistent is much more essential. Murdo runs consistently and his reaction times are always razor sharp, so he has the handicap racing formula nailed down.

 

Thanks, saw that at sign in. Will that be the same weekend as the Moto GP at Phillip Island?

 

Just spoke to the good wife and I will probably be okay for the revised dates.

 

Someone took a slow motion video of some of us during qualifying. On this run, the wind pushed me towards the centreline and I had to lift my right foot out of the way to avoid hitting the 60ft timing block.

 

Well, it's nearly that time again...when all eyes turn to the Gunnedah airstrip for the last round of the 2018 drag racing series run by the Tamworth Drag Racing Association (TDRA). Word has it that at least 4 2fiftycc bikes will be in attendance, which is great news. The Tamworth locals know the TDRA has been trying to get the drags closer to their hometown and a recent article in the ANDRA magazine follows. You can read the online magazine at the following address.

https://view.joomag.com/andra-fastlane-andra-fastlane24/0812095001535680407?short

Any other 2fiftycc runners coming to have some fun?

 

Did it end up raining?