This's a good point regarding my preference for manuals. You really are racing the man/machine combination, not just matching up machinery. It's also one of my two primary reasons for building in the HA/GR class, getting the driver back into the race. And now; actually, if your pedals are arranged effectively you can do it with the normal compliment of feet. We called it "heel & toeing" and it took a bit of practice but was definately masterable (the road racing boys were even better at it). Handling the pedals was one of the big keys to the game when these cars were running. Eventually slush pumps made it do-able for the twice left footed. That said, the hand brake does indeed make it far easier. Rather wish I'd thought of that earlier, like, say at 15 or so ......
It might be of interest to you guys that the Red Barons 60ft times of high 1.70s of last year , have risen to just over 2.0 . this was after they made the front end solid and spent a ton on the the engine for more HP .THE 6 INCH TIRE RULE WORKS .Ofcourse it pulls like mad on the other end
As I read the comments above a smile came across my face, and I realized just how much all of us seem to be enjoying these cars. The frustration of destroyed clutches, getting screwed by parts suppliers, more horsepower resulting in worse 60' times and 218 flathead Dodge vs 302 GMC's don't appear to chase any of us away. Lets hope the class grows so there are more smiles....from the winners, and the losers. Ron
That'swhat I need to do is go to 5.20's on the back and then I could be like willy Borsch in the Winged Express, sideways the whole track.Roy
with all of these reasons listed above is why we all run every round in Tulsa, even if you loose. You still get to run as many times as the winners, and we run as many times as it takes to declare a winner. This way we all win. And smile a lot because my slow car is not on the trailor after the first run. We all come to have fun, and this works real well. Joe
That is right, it is a lot of fun and I wouldn't throw in the towel just because I'm having problems. The SDRA has got the fun factor on a high plain because they do have a race after you lose the first time. Like when I used to play high school basketball if you lost you went to the other bracket. Anyway I'll get this solved and be back to Tulsa to see if I can make a full throttle run all the way. This time I'll have 320 cubes and 11 to 1 compression with a different setup in the transmission department. Solving problems is part of racing. Roy
Thats a great concept, Joe. The racers are having more fun, which is what the class is for, and the folks in the stands get more exposure to the cars and what we are all about. When Dick and Russ, (team Geezerspeed), raced Rocky and Lee, (team Twirlin'), at Famoso, after every run, people would follow them into the pits and ask about the cars. The idea that you can build one of these at home and race for fun has a lot of appeal to the guys sitting in the stands, and the guys in the pits too.
The Jalopy Journal
