OK, I need to make a little money. I want to start bracket racing to pay off some of my Maverick debts. Does anyone have any hints or suggestions to make this "endeavor" pay off for me? In other words, the wife took the checkbook away from me...
Here are a few: - Time trial are run “heads up” so if you want to run anybody in particular, just let the staging official know. - If you see the other car “redlight”, run your car out as hard as you can as you just received an automatic win and you can break out as much as you want without being disqualified . Running your car as fast as possible will let you know just how close you really are to your dial-in. - Bring a few tools, some shoe polish and a few of your buddies to cheer you on. - Run your own race – ignore the other driver. They may try to distract you or try any of many ways to trip you up. - Go race at the track often – poor reaction is caused by inexperience - Watch the successful racers and how they react to the tree. - After your time-trials, keep track of your slips, and if they change find out why. - Make a mental note of your opponents dial-in so you know who will leave first and how much of a head start or how much of a wait at the tree you’ll have. - Do everything exactly the same for each run. Consistency is the key, do the same burnout, stage the same, leave the same, shift at the same RPM, etc. - If the temperature changes as the race progresses you may pick up speed or suddenly have traction problems which could effect your E.T. - Vary your launch RPM. Some cars react better and run quicker with a higher RPM at launch, some run slower. Try yours. - Adjust your mirrors and seats so you can see your opponent in the corner of your eye and remain comfortable. - You are allowed to change your dial-in anytime you wish, unless the staging official has already entered you dial-in into the tower, in which case you’ll have to wait until next round to change your dial-in. - Tune up your ride. It’ll be quicker, more consistent and you’ll have a lot more fun as a result. - Good traction is the key to consistency. It’s better to overtire the car and lose a tenth or two than lose traction. - Make practice passes in both lane and compare the times. If your competitor makes you take a lane your not familiar with, it could be trouble. - During eliminations, if you leave first, keep an eye out for your opponent and if you are more than about a car length ahead just before the line, do not back off the throttle..but instead apply the brakes to slow you down to avoid breaking out.(Its tough to get you momentum back if you let off the gas to early and need to get back into it!) - Make sure your vehicle is running at the same temp each round. - HAVE FUN
Dang it Lance, that's what I was going to say. If your goal here is really to make a bunch of money, start an ebay business. The guys that consistently bring home money spend obscene amounts to do so. As far a racing advice, watch out for sneaky Canadian guys with blue Grabbers.
if you plan on trying to bracket race to pay off your debts, i have some oceanfront property in az. to sell you. when you find out how to do that please let us all know.
The best way to make a small fortune racing is to start with a big one! If you're bracket racing, weld the hood shut on the car so you can't mess with anything. This will save you countless cussing fits in the long run. Later,
Thanks guys. I really like the "weld the hood" information. I have a real problem with leaving it alone between runs. I have been told by many that I have the perfect bracket car. It consistently runs within .20 if I don't change anything. I could use a little practice to shrink that time. I will print this page out and take it with me... lots of good info.
to be consistant... thats the biggest thing...i have been told... if you have a kinda consistant driver... put the car in automatic.. and let it shift at the same point all the time... i am not sure how well this would work, but i think it would make ou consistant... which is the key,..
you CAN make a little money bracket racing, BUT you'll have to be really good and have a REALLY low budget. Weld the hood shut. Stuff the biggest tires you can under the rear quarters (they last a little longer). Then consistency. But, there aren't very many people who have actualy made a living doing it. Trying to do so usually ends up in disappointment and a racer with empty pockets. I've been there. EDIT: Figured I'd add a few tips as well. Been doing this a while now (bracket racing)....figured knowledge is worthless if it's not shared. Consistency is key. Launch the same RPM every time. Same tire temps. Same track temps. Same burnout (if you even use a burnout). Same tire pressures, oil & trans temp, rear end temp if possible. You ideally want everything the same, though you can't always have it all. Some things just change naturally and you have no control over them (weather being one). After you make a few race meets and start getting accustomed to how it all works, you then can decide which works best for you......there are 2 types of bracket racers. Top end racers and starting line racers. I'd have to say 90% of all bracket racers are top end racers...at least in the footbrake classes anyway. They are the guys that get average reaction times (.520-.550) and dial their car according to the other racer's dial-in. If the top end racer in question is running a slower car, he can let out of the throttle at the stripe and stay ahead of the slower car and usually win the race, so long as the reaction times are close to one another. Starting line racers are the guys that have excellent lights all day long....500-.520. They'll usually be the ones with the perfect lights and usually the ones with the win at the stripe, as long as they don't break out. Catch a good light and run close to the dial, and the race is won. You can divide a single run into 3 parts; reaction time, mid-run, and the stripe. Reaction time is BY FAR the most important. If you have a .800 light, you better hope & pray the the guy sitting next to you redlights or breaks out. On the other hand, if you have a GOOD light (.520 or better) you have an excellent chance to take the stripe. Good example, lets say I raced Rick Porter--he dials 6.00 and I dial 6.10. Lets say we both leave, he has a .500 light and I have a .600. He already has a full tenth advantage on me, so near the finish line, I'm behind him by approx a half car-length, and he can use the brakes to scrub off some ET...avoiding a break out, yet still taking the win. 99% of the time, reaction times win the race. Yes, you can win or lose the race before the car travels 1 foot out of the stage beam. Now, the top end racing techniques. Couple things you can do to "trick" the other racer. One is to use the brakes to scrub some ET off....the car will recover quicker if you have to get back on the gas so to speak. If you just let off the throttle, then get back on it, you'll be losing a lot of time. Just use the brakes whenever possible...but don't over-do it. Locking up the brakes at 140 mph isn't exactly my idea of fun. Another thing you can do is move away from your opponent, which makes it appear that hes closer to the finish line, and many times you can make a top end racer break out like that. Top end racing isn't exactly as easy as it sounds, but neither is reaction time racing. What I usually do is make a couple time trials; then decide whether I'm "on" or "off"...meaning that if my time trial reaction times are acceptable, I can dial the car .01-.02 under what it will run and rely solely on reaction times to win the race. Other days, I'm not quite as sharp, so I just dial the car AT or a little slower than it'll run....and use top end techniques to win. But, as my luck goes...I'll be sharp as a needle, have reaction times no worse than .510 no better than .501, yet still can't win a round. Other days, I can take home some ca$h with really crappy lights....so it's just a lot of luck either way. Doesn't matter how you do it. Whatever you do, it is imperative that you can totally depend on your ride to do what you want it to do. Whether you're in an 18 second stocker or in a 6 second 200+ mph hotrod, you MUST be able to depend on it. Being afraid of crashing is not an option. If you think about that stuff, you're toast before you even get the pre-stage light on. There are enough things to be thinking about during a run besides worrying whether the dang car is going to do it's thing or not. Biggest tip I can give anyone even considering serious brackets; bracket racing is not for everyone. Bracket racing is a MENTAL race, there are thousands of things to think about all in a matter of a couple seconds or less. At the end of the day, if you don't win a round, sit down and be honest with yourself, why did you not win that round? What can you do to change that? It ain't as easy as it sounds, trust me. Bracket racers are CONSTANTLY second-guessing themselves! With heads-up racing, you'll want to have the faster car...period. Whatever it takes to get to the finish line first, which means the car is more important than the driver's reaction times and consistency. One last note, patience is the key. You have to know your limitations; if you're just wanting to jump into it and win rounds, you'd better stick with heads-up racing. A little patience with yourself and your equipment will reward you with a lot of round wins and ultimately some money in your pockets.
All great info. I can add one (edit: two) more tip(s) for consistancy. "Bump-in" To help get to that level of perfect consistancy, ideally, you'd like to leave from the same starting point on every launch (a few inches at the start will change your e.t. and mph by the time you get to the end of the track). "Bumping in" happens when you turn the pre-stage light on (top yellow), then idle slowly forward while holding your left foot on the brake, 'bumping' them (depressing, releasing) to barely turn the bottom yellow on (fully staged). Depending on tire size (see rollout), you actually have around 6" to play with in the 'fully staged' zone. Inching forward to barely turn the second yellow on will give you more control on where you are when you are fully staged. Practice at home. Draw a line on the drive way (or other area where there is a flat surface), open your door so you can see your front tire and pull the car up to that line. With the rpms raised to where you would normally launch at, 'bump' the car forward. The first time you bump your car (release and reapply the brakes), measure the distance (or have a buddy do it for you). You'll be surprised at how far your car has traveled the first time. Practice cutting that distance down to only two inches (or less) of travel on each bump. That will help you with your 'bumping in' at the track to turn the bottom yellow on and be leaving at 'close' to the same spot every time. Launch on a definitive: Okay, one more thing (I couldn't resist): Never try to time your launch 'between' lights. Try to always leave when either the second bulb goes OFF or the thrid comes ON. If you find your reaction times aren't good enough with either approach (you're either red-lighting or having a slow r/t), raise or lower you rpm's to correct your R/T. Like a golf swing, there's SO many things to consider. After your 100th Test and Tune, you'll start to see improvements on your r/t. Good luck, have fun, and don't quit your day job just yet.
great tips. one thing no one has mentioned yet (i think) is that if the car you are racing is ahead of you and you can't catch him stay in the throttle until the last second, then hit the brakes and dump. good chance he will brake out. a good racer will be watching the front of your car to see if you do this and will do it himself if he has the chance. just be careful to not lock the brakes up. they frown on that, but dumping is part of the game. also if you are in front, you might think about blipping the throttle once or a couple of times to scrub off a small amount. remember what the other guys dial in is so you know approximately what his top end speed will be. and remember every loss is an oppurtunity to learn. i should be a genius by now. last but not least. if you can't stand to lose, don't go bracket racing. 50% go home after the first round. i prefer to think of it as if i win the first round i already beat 1/2 the competition. AND most important "HAVE FUN".
My here, Rick Book gave me a very helpful hint when I first started, I've passed it on to others and it's served them well also. When the 3rd yellow comes up...close your eyes and punch it, done right you can't redlight and your R/T's will be consistently good, after awhile you'll get to a point where you won't have to do it to be consistent and your R/T's will get better still. Welding the hood shut is great advice, I would take it one step further, don't go making modifications to the car from week to week, do the things that keep you running the same times from week to week ie; maintenance, etc. Save the mods for the off season. Inspect your track, get your focal points in, develope your routine and stick to it from the time you arrive until the time you leave. Your going about this the right way by having a mild strip car to start with. The faster the car the more likely you lose..any little mistake, change in track condition or weather condition and not knowing how to adjust and your done for the day. I go to the track as much as possible to "learn" my car. The fact that I love to race is secondary to that right now. Good Luck
