Charlotte comments (2 Viewers)

[J. S.]

It was good to see they were able to get in all of the racing today, despite the rain delay.

It was also very good to see Pat Dakin back driving. Pat has got to be around 75 years old, and he has had Spencer Massey driving his race car recently while he recovered from cancer treatment. Pat did real good today and just fell short in the Semi-finals/Round #2.

And more stellar lights from Tony Stewart today (he didn't have quite as good of a light in the Final, though it was still respectable).

 

[James]

Soo. The top end flag guy..

How can he not see/judge that Hylton was going into the beach and stop kelly? That was almost reallllly bad.

I've noticed the median age for Safari guys is around 55ish also.

 

[James]

Also, where was Haddock and Paul Lee?

 

[NitroRichFire]

Also, where was Haddock and Paul Lee?

Have to wonder about these 4 wide races and the effect on the drivers?

 

[mgty3whlr]

Soo. The top end flag guy..

How can he not see/judge that Hylton was going into the beach and stop kelly? That was almost reallllly bad.

I've noticed the median age for Safari guys is around 55ish also.

uhhh yea? Where do they find these guys? Craigslist, Linkedin? No experience necessary, just hold a flag. It seems like a common occurence anymore and someone is going to get hurt!

 

[z28]

uhhh yea? Where do they find these guys? Craigslist, Linkedin? No experience necessary, just hold a flag. It seems like a common occurence anymore and someone is going to get hurt!

he seemed to be focussing on lanes 3 and 4. good thing that wasn't a TF or FC going 300. Maybe they should make lanes 3 and 4 wait to cross as a rule.

 

[James]

Also, Bujinga quick stages, rolls the beams, backs up and re-stages. Not one of the 57 officials on the starting line blinked an eye. Lol

Alam stated his bumper might of been too low, but I'm not buying it. I fully believe Manny wanted to stage asap.

 

[qualified17th]

Also, Bujinga quick stages, rolls the beams, backs up and re-stages. Not one of the 57 officials on the starting line blinked an eye. Lol

Alam stated his bumper might of been too low, but I'm not buying it. I fully believe Manny wanted to stage asap.

I was sitting right near the starting line. I definitely saw him stage, roll through the beam, back up, and then stage again. I have no idea why his red light didn't come on (doesn't really matter though, he lost anyway).

Wouldn't be the first time zMax has had timing system issues. Remember a few years ago when Hector Arana's stage bulb never came on and they had to rerun the quad. And then a year or two ago when they had several pairs in a row where the wrong win light came on.

 

[stitcherbob]

They said nobody had pre staged yet so backing up didn’t affect the start. Where was Stevie Fast?

 

[Huge]

I was really impressed with the performance of the McAttack funny car this weekend. Tony Shortall aka "Elvis" tuned that car to a 3.98 and then a 3.94. If Mikes light had been a little better they would have beaten Force's 3.96.

 

[twostep]

Soo. The top end flag guy..

How can he not see/judge that Hylton was going into the beach and stop kelly? That was almost reallllly bad.

I've noticed the median age for Safari guys is around 55ish also.

I don't understand how that happened at all. Hylton shut off way early and only trapped 100mph - yet he was still moving 40-45 mph or so 2500 feet later. Even with brake failure it looks like he could have geared down and gotten the bike stopped by that point.

 

[twostep]

Also, Bujinga quick stages, rolls the beams, backs up and re-stages. Not one of the 57 officials on the starting line blinked an eye. Lol

Alam stated his bumper might of been too low, but I'm not buying it. I fully believe Manny wanted to stage asap.

Lohnes said he never prestaged, staged or rolled the beams so it was all good. Not how it looked to me but I wasn't there. I am pleased to see PM being covered and not just the final.

 

[Scoe]

I don't understand how that happened at all. Hylton shut off way early and only trapped 100mph - yet he was still moving 40-45 mph or so 2500 feet later. Even with brake failure it looks like he could have geared down and gotten the bike stopped by that point.

Yeah his bike was creeping and then it seemed like it suddenly picked up speed.

 

[mgty3whlr]

Where was Stevie Fast?

He had surgery on his neck from an injury and has to completely heal before NHRA re-issues his license. He said he should be go to go by July.

 

[mgty3whlr]

Even with brake failure it looks like he could have geared down and gotten the bike stopped by that point.

Unfortunately, they can't downshift to slow down because the transmission gears and shift drum are modified for drag racing. This modification is called an "Override Transmission" where the shift drum and the dogs on the gears are modified. This allows them to shift under full throttle without using the clutch. If they were to try and downshift it would bend the forks and destroy the transmission. If they were to abort a run they have to pull the clutch in when they let off of the throttle. If they don't, it would force that gear out and bend the shift fork. They use that same concept in Pro Stock cars also. Here's a picture of a motorcycle Override transmission. notice how the dogs have ramps instead of being square?

Here's a picture of Matt Hartford changing gear sets in a Liberty transmission. Notice how the dogs are ramped also? Same concept but in a Pro Stock transmission. Thats why when they run you never hear them lift off the throttle when shifting. Hope this helps.

Here's a link to the video.

t

 

[Cliff]

This kinda reminds me of the old "slick shift" trannys from the 1960's. I think the Mopar guys did it first, but what they did was to grind down ever other tooth on the gears, so driver could shift w/o using the clutch. Ronnie Sox could "speed shift" the trans using the clutch to shift, but he was so good at it that other drivers thought he had an automatic.

 

[none]

If Manny rolled through the beams and backed up he should have been disqualified. By rule you can only cross the starting line once before staging. That's on the burnout.

I was speculating because where the announcer booth is positioned I can't see when the starting line is crowded. I'm lower level left of the left wall so my view is obstructed. All I could see was the stage and pre-stage lights blinking and when they didn't DQ him, that was the only thing that made sense to me.

Alan

 

[mick]

in the first round of PS, david cuadra received a NT (left before tree) ...... why isn't this just called a red light?
i don't have video of it, but remember watching it last night and wondering if he didn't have same deal that dq'd langdon in vegas? wasn't he last one to stage?

 

[qualified17th]

in the first round of PS, david cuadra received a NT (left before tree) ...... why isn't this just called a red light?
i don't have video of it, but remember watching it last night and wondering if he didn't have same deal that dq'd langdon in vegas? wasn't he last one to stage?

That wasn't anything like Langdon's deal. Just a classic case of the foot saying it was time to go before it should have.

I assume the difference in the way it's reported is because if you leave after the amber but before the green, it can still measure how much you missed it by and report that on the time slip. If you don't even wait for the tree to flash, it can't do that, so that's just what it says as a placeholder.

 

[mick]

That wasn't anything like Langdon's deal. Just a classic case of the foot saying it was time to go before it should have.

I assume the difference in the way it's reported is because if you leave after the amber but before the green, it can still measure how much you missed it by and report that on the time slip. If you don't even wait for the tree to flash, it can't do that, so that's just what it says as a placeholder.

that makes sense