I've always wondered why some crews at Bonneville and El Mirage hold an umbrella or jacket in front of the driver that has the sun in his face . . . and pull it away just before it leaves the line with his eyes are trying to adjust so he can see where he's going.
Throw in that most of those cars have been brought up to operating temp when they are three or four cars back in line and have no insulation as far as heat shield. I'll have to hunt that video down on Youtube on my tv as my computer is too slow to get them to work right.
I still think you're missing the point. He's talking about seconds before hitting the loud pedal, not the minutes or hours leading up to the go! signal. It's like standing out in the bright sun with a hood over your head then having it pulled off, it takes a bit for your eyes to adjust to the change in light. I think that's the point he's making.
Most people are wearing sun gl***es, tinted visors or both. Pulling the umbrella away at the line doesnt effect my eyes at all. Its not like i am going from pitch black to direct sun light. It is to keep the sun off the **** pit and driver for heat purposes. Its not that hard of a concept
That's funny because I think you're missing the point. It's typically very hot on the salt/desert and right before the run the drivers are wearing a lot of gear, it's hot in the car, and there is no airflow. If the eyes adjusting to light is an issue, the individual driver can discuss that with their crew and change their plan, just as they can do for protecting the driver from heat stroke, etc. The eyes adjusting to light is an individual thing, just as their tolerance to heat is. Someone else's approach won't always make sense to everyone else.
You can see why LSR at El Mirage is not a good spectator sport. If your lucky if 1 car every 10 minutes. Even with a breeze to move the dust it’s a **** shoot whether your engine will be even warm after a 2 hour wait in line after your group number is called up. Even Bonneville has gotten bad. To a racer waiting in line it seems the tower doesn’t call for a car until the last one has stopped on the return road and someone has driven over to ask it everything was ok. In the 70’s when I started, when a long course car got to the 5 a short course car was leaving the starting line.
Have you read the Rule Book on that? Do you know that we put big, black, circular discs on all corners. Never had a problem when it's been brought up. Clocks have caught it every time. When you surp*** our record count (7), ring in with some more knowledge and experience. As for starting with the sun directly in your face at Bonneville, you might have caught the sun at its lowest peak. We do it on purpose -- the air's better early. You've got to get out of Impound first (have you been there?) and do that by camping on the south side. You pull up the tapes and get right in front.
I am very familiar with the rule book, as I am an SCTA tech inspector, and have teched your car before. I have brought up that your car doesnt meet the rule book by not having a contrast color ( other than your small purple letters) and you have have whined your way through. But it is what it is. Dealing with you at bonneville is much like on here with your clear at***ude and self importance. But you do you and I will see you in the tech lines on the Salt
The rule hasn't changed for 20+ years -- so I'd like to know how you think it's different. Do you know the reason for it in the first place?
It doesnt matter, you will continue your talk of grandeur and how I dont know what I am talking about. Lets get back to the OP topic of the El Mirage live feed.
I do think you know what you're talking about. And you should be congratulated for getting in the number of runs to get thru all the requirements after a long trip to the dirt. I don't have the roadster anymore but am proud of what we did with it over the years. I'm sure you know the difference between running on the salt and running on the dirt. Both can be different every time you make a run there -- even on the same day. The "Catch 22" with cars, as you know, is that you sometimes have to add more weight to go faster, but then need more H.P. or lower gear to get there. I've seen your beautiful car and I wish you success. And I thank you for your work for the organization. I typeset and laid out all the programs for a dozen years or so for a couple of months each, trying to straighten out the entries, but I'm so old now I can't even imagine doing that chore anymore. As to the "White Rule", we never had a problem in all the years we raced it. The rule was p***ed, as I'm sure you know, pertaining to streamliners and other vehicles with enclosed wheels. It was deemed that we were (for 17 years) exempt from that because of the great areas of the car that included the black wheels, the radiator core, the roll cage, and the other color of the exposed ch***is. Our car's entry number and cl*** were also painted in another color to the size specifications in the Rule Book. And they were positioned to be easily seen by the starter when he had to radio that information. Never had a problem there. Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't make it to Elmer and see all of you run recently. I finally got a guy to fix my 90-year-old two-story roof that weekend -- I'm not allowed by the boss at 81 to do that. I hope to spectate again at the lake and salt -- but I think we're on the same team -- at least in supporting our organization which needs all of us active for the "cause".
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