On the right course, EEKs are reasonably competitive. Unlikely to win first place if there are more than a few cars....I'd put my money on any number of more modern cars. But midpack or a bit better is reasonable to expect.

Maybe it's also my style/abilities, but I don't think EEKs really shine on technical courses, where you have to twitch the wheel or stab the gas at a particular moment. The responses are just too slow, both throttle (TBI *and* turbo, unless you keep it spooled), and suspension.

On the other hand, unlike sharp-handling cars, you have the luxury of being able to relax and think about what you're doing, rather than making minor immediate changes all the time. I like open sweeping course like a few weeks back, as opposed to the very tight and technical course I ran this Sunday (got introduced to the "Chicago box", ugh). You'd think that a 2.5/auto wagon would be underpowered in a big open course, but lemme tell you, peg it for a few seconds and you'll be going plenty fast enough. It's not drag racing.

You should ask around for local clubs. They run club events as opposed to some big sanctioned and/or sponsored series. The pressure is less, and the cost should be less. There are gazillions of clubs to choose from where I live, but then Toronto is 2.3 million people, and the outer burbs are another 2 million.

Individual clubs may have idiosyncratic house rules about classes. I would say you are *best* to stay in the meekest stock FWD class. This usually means you can upgrade wheels/tires (no racing compounds), maybe shocks, definitely brakes. No engine modifications, no spring changes, no all-urethane bushings, etc.

It's probably much better to learn in a K-car than in say a Integra Type R. Smoothness is important, and you wind up simply *having* to be smooth in a K car, because twitching the wheel won't do much in the short term anyway.

I was rather perturbed Sunday when it came to fun runs. I took off the 205/50-15 Gatorbacks and put on the 195/70-14 low-line Motomaster tires (Canadian Tire tires, made cheap). The Gatorbacks have much better response to inputs, and at street pressures anyway hold on way past the point where, on the Motomasters, I'd have plowed off the outside of the curve, tires shrieking madly. And, like I said, it was a pretty technical, tight course. I hadn't done very well, 61.5 seconds was my fastest (clean) run. On the Motomasters, I ran 58.5, clean. Sheesh! I don't quite know what to conclude, except that: 1) with really bad tires, you REALLY have to be smooth; 2) tires with very quick response may not be good for cars with mushy suspensions.

Most clubs will have loaner helmets. Automotive (SA) helmets are pretty expensive, though most places will let you run Snell motorcycle helmets of some designation.

You will want to bring along a pressure gauge and some way of pumping up the tires. Going with a typical 185/70-14, you'd want something like 43-45 PSI in the front, and the usual 35 in the back. Make sure your battery is held down and the suspension is solid (including rear wheel bearings). If you break something, either 1) it was going to break anyway; or 2) it wasn't going to break because you always drive like the stereotypical K-car driver, i.e. sloooowly. :-)

The neatest thing about running an EEK--especially a "real" K car--is that people have some kind of expectation that on the first turn you'll tip over and explode in flames. K cars actually hang on pretty good (better than the archenemy Tempo/Topaz I feel) so when you finish your run without blowing up, and with a decent time too, they'll really be agog.

After some runs I figured out the launch technique for a 2.5/auto:

• Do not brake torque. Brake with left foot, keep right over gas pedal.
• Wait for the second yellow.
• Part way through second yellow (not too soon, not too late) tromp gas while releasing brake.
• Collect .520-.610 reaction time. Traction is NOT a problem.

I would think this setup would work even better with a heavier car and a 2.2, since I figure it wouldn't quite leap off the line like a Mighty Two Five. The real trick is to wait the appropriate length of time--it's quite easy to get a .440 or .470 redlight if you're anxious. The less judgement involved--i.e. the less you have to judge what "partway through the yellow" actually takes, the better. My reactions times were as follows: .877, .835, .779, .570 (figured it out!), .440 (too quick), .523, .543, .576, .458, .472, .603, .610. Obviously getting that just-right delay on the second yellow will take more practice.

I staged as shallowly as possible.

Best results WITH jack, spare tire, tent, sleeping bag, backpack, water bottles, etc etc in car was 19.025@70.95 (and my last run of the day). Best result overall was the previous run without the stuff in the car: 18.931@71.64.

I tried to implement this at a pretty major meet on Sunday at a different track (Grand Bend). Only had one test n' tune run: 19.265@69.94, and my fastest run of the day! For some reason the car ran significantly slower at this track, and I kept expecting it to run faster. Portentious voice: This Was My Ultimate Downfall.

Redlighted the first round (.480), paid $20 and bought back in. This made sense because my class, "Modified Street" (14.00 and up dial-in), was actually pretty empty, and if you were in the last 16 you were in the money. Kind of a shame, though: his reaction time was 1.120 (!) and he ran a 15.962 on an optimistic 15.20 dial-in (!!). Needless to say, if I had launched .020 seconds later, my 19.302 on a 19.15 dial would have beaten him utterly and without mercy.

I won the next round because the Mustang broke out by .010 second--he was probably kicking himself for not getting on the brake harder. I ran a real slow 19.384 on a 19.20 dial-in. Had him beat on reaction time, .610 to .744. I didn't want to redlight again....

Sadly, I didn't revise my dial-in up sufficiently, so I lost on the third round by running 19.340 on a 19.250 dial-in. THAT Mustang beat me by .030 at the finish line--had my dial-in been 19.30, *I* would have beaten *him* by .020. He ran 14.272 on his 14.24 dial-in. I had him by a bit on reaction, .562 vs .590, but lemme tell ya it was REAL close at the line.

Biggest *advantage* of bracket racing a TBI/auto EEK is that traction is no big concern.

Two *disadvantages*:

1) Probably want engine at consistent temp, but unlike V8s which warm up slowly and have a belt-driven fan, the temp varies a lot on our cars. Lack of consistent engine temp (I try to be at "operating temp", but the fan doesn't kick in until the gauge is pretty high) probably is the biggest reason for variance in times.

2) Real hard to judge if a 14-second car is gonna catch you or not at the end, especially if it's close. Getting on the brakes to avoid breaking out is pretty risky. The car chasing you probably has a better sense if she will catch up or not.

I was rather surprised at a couple of other cars there. One was a faded maroon 4-door P-body with T1/auto. He said his mods were "valve job, 15 PSI, Mopar performance distributor cap". He was running low 15s, and the last dial-in of his that I saw was 15.00, and that was a few round in! That's awfully quick for a T1/auto with the specified mods I would think. BTW he said he'd bought the car for $300, and put another $300 into it to "fix it up".

There was also a N/A 3800 Grand Prix of recent/current vintage, and it was dialing in in the upper 15s--something like 15.7 or 15.8. It made it a number of rounds. 15s are QUICK. Forget what you hear about "the glory days of musclecars"--many muscle cars, and most pony cars, stock, probably would be struggling to outrun this car. And here we have boring ol' four-door sedan running mid-15s.

All in all, I spent $40 to enter and $20 to buy back in, and got $25 for being in the first money round, and chicken breast on a bun, fries, and pop ("racer's meal"). Kinda okay, but the faster cars--the lower level of Super Pro was 7.5, and there were a few vehicles in the mid 7s--were NOISY AND LOUD. I must remember to bring my earplugs.

A day at the drag strip is okay I guess. I wouldn't want to make a habit of it....unless I can figure out how to make a Reliant a bracket-race killer. It ain't the Thrill of Speed with this car, lemme tell ya!

Jeff Chojnacki wrote:

(In response to another post)

First remember to have fun and try really hard not to be nervous. First runs of the seasons are usually pretty bad. Usually at most tracks you first have to pass tech inspection. You'll pass, I doubt they'll pop the hood. Then they write some numbers on your windshield and back window. Now your ready to go.

As for setting up the car before racing, here are some suggestions. Try to arrive at the track with a little more gas than needed to get to the nearest gas station. Maybe bring a gas can. This can be a horrid guessing game, but gas weighs little more than 6 lb a gallon, obviously don't go with a full tank. This is also a good opportunity to clean all the junk out of your car to remove unnecessary weight. You can remove the spare tire and jack in the pit area. Don't worry about removing little things. ( pens, paper, tire pressure gage, wallet, etc ).

If you haven't done general maintenance on your Daytona for a long while, now is time to replace spark plugs, filters, etc - simple stuff. Bring a tire pressure gauge to the track. Set the rear tires to near their max and set the fronts lower, like start at 25psi. This generally helps traction. I know I can get the tries to spin nicely on my brother's '90 Daytona 2.5/5sp. But I don't know really how to launch his car. I'd say practice on the street, or better in a large flat clear parking lot. Find the rpm to that doesn't spin the tires violently and doesn't bog the car down. Popping the clutch isn't a good idea - quick release is better. There are many people on this list who know how to drag a 2.5/5sp Daytona many times better than I. I don't even know what is a good shift point. 5000-5500?? :< So, I'll stop suggesting things before I get flamed.

Depending on the track's format, you simply get in line to race. Drive around the burnout box (water box) 'up there' - they usually don't like FWDs dragging water on their rear tires up to the track. If this isn't a bracket race - just fun racing - then let the other person stage their car so you can see where the darn line is! Creep up until the top set of double amber lights comes on. Then slowly creep until the second set of double amber lights. You are now shallow staged which is best for Elapsed Time. Get ready (bring the rpms up) and the middle 3 amber lights will light up in a 1/2 second sequence. Launch right before the bottom green light comes on. It's better to have a bad reaction time than it is to red light. Red lighting is going across the starting line, which should be about 12 inches in front of you, before the green light comes on. Then just go straight until the end of the track and hit the breaks. This is the general idea. Watch a bunch of people race before you go and this will make a lot more sense. And have your friend explain more!!

Remember to relax up there and have fun. Hopefully this helps. First time I went to the track, my 'friends' never told me anything to do. So, I staged and got kicked off the track for not passing tech inspection. DUH. You can see why I don't want anything like that to happen to other first timers.

Mike Wms wrote:

If it's bracket racing, how fast or slow you are is not important. Here is how I do it. I may not know everything but I do race every weekend.

When you get in the staging lanes make sure that you are ready to race, no changing tire pressure or cooling off the engine. Watch the track official to tell you when to pull on to the track. If your car has street tires drive around the water if you can and don't do a burnout. Just chirp the tires to clean them off. It will be tempting to burn them down but with street tires this just cost money and makes them greasy and slick.

Watch the track official that's in charge of the bleach box to motion for you to pull to the starting line. Pull the car down pointing straight down the track. Watch the top amber light on the xmas tree, this is the pre-stage light. When your front tire breaks the starting line beam the pre-stage light will come on. You're now about 4" from the next beam.

Watch the 2nd amber light, this is the staged light. Just barely roll forward until the staged light comes on. You're now ready to race.

Look down the tree to the bottom amber light. When this light comes on take off. Try to leave as the green light comes on. If you wait until you see green you will be late and loose. Foot on the floor and through the gears to the finish line. Look to see where the other car is and slow down. Make the turn off road go to the timing booth to get your time slip.

Congratulations! You've just made your first run. If it is a bracket race you will get around 3 time runs. Take a look at your times, I hope they were all close to each other. Now pick out your dial. I usually go 3 hundredths under my quickest time, but everybody has their own system. Write this time on your windows so that it can be read from the tower. When you are called to race do everything just like you did in your time runs. The slower car will get a head start. This means that one side of the tree will light before the other, don't worry about the other guy just watch your side. This will get you started.

Don't worry about winning, just have fun.

Jeff Chojnacki wrote:

1. get familiar with the track, their policies, etc.

2. get there earily and before you do anything watch a few people race and be observant.

3. Take your car through tech inspection, there you will get your number that they write on with shoe polish

4. Setup your car for racing. i.e. raise the rear tire pressure, lower the fronts (or put on the slicks), remove everything from the car.

5. Go get into the staging lanes. Where I drag race you kind of have to be careful which lanes you're in.

6. Unless you have slicks, drive around the water box. driving through the water box can seriously piss off some people.

6.5 if you hear people laughing at you for having a Shadow, ignore them. They will probably be cheering you by the time you finish the 1/4 mile.

7. The guy running the line will guide you up to the line. At this time make sure your windows are rolled up and your seat belt is on. Don't worry if something is wrong the guy will certainly tell (yell at) you. :)

8. The tree has 2 sets of double amber bulbs. Slowly creap up your car until the first (top) set of amber bulbs is lit. Then slowly creap up until the second set is lit. Then stop. This type of staging will give you a better ET. The other method is creaping up until the second set becomes unlit. This will give you a better reaction time. If you are just going for the best possible ET then do the first type of staging.

9. As soon as both of you are staged, the center ambers will be coming down. You usually want to leave when the amber bulb (flood light) is lit to get the best reaction time. If you are not bracket racing and just going for best ET/MPH, then your reaction time means absoulely NOTHING.

10. Once you get going, its full throttle all the way down. Sometimes it's hard to see the markings for the end of the track, esp. at night. But if you watched enough people race before you race, then all the above won't seem so difficult.

The reason I write so much is because I had to learn most of this the really hard way. First time I went down was with a group of Rustang freaks. They asked me to race, but didn't tell me anything about the track. LOL. The first time I staged I got kicked off the track for not going through tech inspection first.

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