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Drag racing...

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Old May 23, 2008 | 03:40 AM
  #11  
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2 of my mates do this. Doesn't really appeal to me.

However, one of them has a 700+ BHP capri (this car is a monster!) and you just try just flooring it an changing gear just at the right time, it's not that easy, esp when the car starts going sideways straight away due to the forces involved (the driveshaft goes round in one direction and everything starts to twist to the right!!).

However, for a standard car, yes you may go once just to try it but there the fun ends but clearly not for many that keep going....

Personally, I'm a trackday person, not a drag strip one.
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Old May 23, 2008 | 04:15 PM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by Dracoro,May 23 2008, 11:40 AM
Personally, I'm a trackday person, not a drag strip one.
Could you also see how track driving might be boring though?

Round and round and round the same corners. You know the track, you know the surface, you know where to brake, you know where to turn in, you have run-off zones.

Don't get me wrong, MILES more entertaining than Drag racing, but it is the same repetition.

Now racing, that introduces an unknown element - the other racer!

I'll waste hours watching small time racing (Clio Cup, Fiesta ST's, Ginettas etc etc) and it is just fantastic!

The only reason I don't go is because I get depressed that I can't afford to do it
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Old May 24, 2008 | 03:15 AM
  #13  
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[QUOTE=Hypersonik,May 24 2008, 01:15 AM]Could you also see how track driving might be boring though?

Round and round and round the same corners.
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Old May 27, 2008 | 02:36 AM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by ge2,May 24 2008, 11:15 AM
Sound theory but it doesn't really work like that in real life.

If you can get to the point where you know a track that well and can drive it that consistently without years of practice you should be doing it for a living.

Of course it's quite easy to get to that stage in your head
Don't you find trackdays a bit dull now Graham?

I do. Not so dull I won't ever do them, but not the same as they were before I started racing. The 'overtaking with consent' rule is there for a very good reason, but it makes trackdays a bit dull in comparison even to test days.
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Old May 27, 2008 | 05:49 AM
  #15  
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I've only done a couple since I started racing and they're definitely very different now, I find myself looking for ways through in braking zones etc., but I still find them very enjoyable.

That might change over time but I get very little pleasure from road driving these days and I think the track is the only place you can have any real fun in a car.

That said, I'm already getting less tolerant of the hassle involved in loading up and trailing 100s of miles when there's not a race at the end of it, hence the E30 M3 thread the other week.
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Old May 27, 2008 | 06:07 AM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by ge2,May 23 2008, 10:04 AM
I don't really get it myself, I'm also sceptical about the skill involved but at a professional level I suspect it's a different matter and it is a real spectacle.

I also thinking drifting is crap, it fact I'm starting to really hate the expression especially when it's used to describe a pathetic little wheelspin out of a T-junction.

However, I've got a certain amount of respect for anyone that goes out and competes in anything at properly organised events with proper timing rather than boasting in pubs and internet forums about their car's performance figures or ring lap time set by some racing driver with skills they can only dream of.
I get it Graham. I am planning to do it!
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Old May 27, 2008 | 06:12 AM
  #17  
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Drag racing?
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Old May 27, 2008 | 06:18 AM
  #18  
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Yes Graham. I've spent these last few years learning different circuits and going to the ring yearly just so I can spend my life 1 mile in a straight line at a time.

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Old May 27, 2008 | 06:25 AM
  #19  
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I didn't know what you meant by 'i get it'.

That post wasn't aimed at you
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Old May 27, 2008 | 06:27 AM
  #20  
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I went to Santa Pod several times in my FTO, partly because it's nearby and I had nothing better to do on a Sunday. There is skill in it. I know because I was crap, and would constantly get beaten off the line by people in identical machinery. It is kind of addictive too.

The worst thing is that you end up queuing for an hour and a half to drive for 15 seconds.

It doesn't really compare to a trackday for sure, but then it doesn't cost nearly as much, and doesn't come with the risk of smashing your car up.
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