You know, that long list of ways to lose a bracket race... (apologies in advance for the length...)

Tonight was a rain-out make-up for "Club Clash", the series I runner'd up last season - 2004 season finale. Typically 400+ cars show up any given night, takes 9 rounds to win. This year, I've stunk - after 5 race dates, I had a grand total of 5 round wins - and I won four the night of that 5th race.

Last week, still coming down off the cloud after Topeka, I win first two rounds handily, even with poor lights (but better than theirs). 3rd round, I tree'd the other guy good, got on the brakes too hard and let him take .015 stripe. Still moved up from 38th place to 34th.

Forecast for tonight - cold & rain. Sure enough, starts raining Thursday night, continues through noon. I'm calling the track hotline to make sure they cancel, prerecorded message doesn't even mention tonight's race, so I quit calling after 1 o'clock. At 3:35 p.m., 25 minutes before quitting time, on a whim I call again and hear, "We're racing tonight ... gates open at 3 p.m....!" Of course, the boss wants to finish up a few things b/4 the weekend, I finally extract myself at 4:45 and head home to get the car ready.

Only about 150 cars show up. My TT R/T's are .001 and .019, both ET's 13.86. Yes, we're on tonight. They give us a 3rd TT because of the light turn-out, I'm staged when they shut us down - track wet. After drying, cooling, re-burn-out, I'm prestaged - Oops, where're my shades? Never mind, just go - Ouch, -.084, but it runs a 13.83.

They call 1st round right after that. I dial the 13.83, slips bad at line, lose .09 in 60' - but other guy has poor light, goes too fast, I back off to a 13.99 - 1 down. 2nd round, dial a 13.85 in case it slips again - wait to stage until previous pair's run times go off & my dial comes up. It slips again, but only lose .05; he also runs too fast on a worse light, I back off to a 13.96. 2 down.

They're calling winners back to the staging lanes b/4 I get my timeslip. Stop by the pit for a drink of water, head to staging lanes - everybody's in the right lane, where I like to run. Since I'm one of the last ones in, they pull me over to the left lane. My opponent is heading under the tower b/4 I can check tire pressure & re-do my dial-in. Finish tires, put on a 13.90 in case it slips again, they're pulling her into the burnout area b/4 I even get to the tower. They wave me in, I back into the burnout box, she's already staged - not prestaged, staged. I do the burnout, try to stage as normal as possible. She's dialed almost a second slower so takes off 1st - my lights come down, I get a green, take off after her, minor slip off line. I'm not catching up as fast as I expected, look up at my dial board - 13.40! Can't do anything about it now, run it out & hope - nope, her win light comes on.

Note to self: Always check your posted dial-in before you stage.

Remember: Always check your posted dial-in before you stage.

News Flash: It's your responsiblity to check your posted dial-in before you stage.

Oh, well...


(One bright side: On that last run, it ran a 13.817, fastest run ever at altitude - and the 60' was still .02 off what it pulled in TT's...)

 

I've only lost one race by not checking my dial in on the board and that was when I was still racing my truck.

I'm going to put a big reminder sign on my dash. Things to put on it.

Check your dial in
Playback tach armed?
Delay box turned on?
Are you in first gear?
If you lose, you're an idiot!

I tried launching in high gear once during a time trial. I forgot to pull the shifter back into first after the burnout. The transbrake doesn't work in high gear. It was a terrible launch but at least the guy in the other lane was worse. We both launched before the tree activated. The staff in the tower must have been laughing at us. Nothing else we could do except continue off the track. They won't let you back up and try again. Good thing I was in the right lane and could pull a right hand u-turn and drive back to the pits instead of driving down to the 1/4 mile mark where there's an emergency entrence or quick turn off.

 

Earlier this year, when the weather was warmer and we had a head wind, the car was running 14.1x's. It was starting to get quicker after the first two rounds (typical), so in the staging lanes I wiped off the numbers after the decimal, intending to put ".08" on before going under the tower. I forgot, realized it as I pulled up to the burnout, but track rule is you can't change your dial after going under the tower (unless there is a delay of at least 15 minutes). So, no choice but to run it.

The other guy gave back a tenth on the line, and a tenth at the top end, so that one didn't cost me.

Half a second is a little harder to make up, though...

 

Just don't forget to check the list...

I know of a couple tranny brakers who didn't have it in first when they staged. Really embarrassing. I'm pure foot brake, though.

Fellow racer has a note on his dash:
Step 1 - Win the race.
Step 2 - See Step 1.

At Topeka, the Bandimere track operator had a team meeting on Friday. He said, "The first round is the most important. And, the most important thing about the first round is to make the other guy race you - in other words, get a green light." As far as I know, all 38 of us got a green 1st round. 20 made it to 2nd round.

 

I had a similar situtaion this year. I was racing the GTA against the guy who turned out to be class champion. I was dialed a 15.15 to his 13.15. At the top end I had him by way way more than I should have so I lifted.....and then hit the brakes.....and then hit the brakes some more. Turns out I cut a .020 light to his .060 but ran a 15.49 on a 15.50 dial in. I guess someone at the top of the staging lanes must have radioed it up to the tower instead of it being read by the guying in the tower entering them.

I usually check but sometimes in the right lane its hard to see because there are light posts in the line of vision ands it hard to tell what exactly the numbers are.