Can someone explain drag racing?

dazee · 6th-Apr-20, 12:18 AM

Not from the motorsport side - I kinda get that; but from the slot racing side.
I am trying to see what the challenges and techniques are that would make this appealing for slot car racing. To me with my limited imagination, I am thinking that surely this is just down to reaction time to just pin the throttle wide open. No deslotting or corners to worry about. Is it all about just building the car? If so, what are the types of rules that you build to?

Not trying to knock this type of racing, I am interested if this may be a possible build for me later.

woodcote · 6th-Apr-20, 08:13 AM

We've run a basic AutoWorld HO drag strip at WHO Racing a few times and had a lot of fun...

And we've also set the same strip at public events...

In those cases, it is all about the face-to-face combat, reaction time and the fun. The AW drag strip does not time the runs, it about who crosses the line first (or who makes a false start). When we run at the club, sometimes we use matched 'club' cars, sometimes we allow WHO-legal cars, so it is then about selecting - and perhaps tuning - one of your WHO race cars so it is good for a scale-quarter mile run.

I have also taken part in a couple of proxy HO drag races in the US. That was all about building a fast car to specific rules to run in a specific classes. Even the most basic classes see cars modified for the drag strip that would struggle to turn a lap on a circuit. These are two T-Jets and two Micro Scalextric cars I sent to a proxy in Kentucky...

They are sitting next to the start of my 1/8-ish mile AW strip. The orange Micro Scalextric Nissan (with the wheelie bar) made it to the semis in the Stock Inline class and the blue Georgia Shaker T-Jet managed to win its first round in the Stock T-Jet class...

The proxy group I raced with was this one: nitroslots.com - I am sure you can find similar groups for other scales with their own rules and formats. Most will be running the Track Mate drag timing system shown above. The Track Mate software is very versatile in that it allows you to set up bracket and handicap racing, so you can run different cars against each other - pretty much emulating all formats of 'real-life' drag racing from illegal street racing to NHRA Top Fuel formats.

For me, drag racing is about the fun, the community, the tongue-in-cheek smack-talk and building beautiful-looking cars that are very quick in a straight line.

dvd3500 · 6th-Apr-20, 08:46 AM

It's a type of racing where car set up takes up a major part.
For people who lover to tinker and tweak it is fun.
Plus if you combine it with an event like Woodcate says it adds to the fun.

dazee · 7th-Apr-20, 03:18 AM

Thank you for that. Definitely some food for thought there and some reading to do. I am surprised at the cost of the trackmate systems though. It seems a fair investment for one of their turn-key solutions. Not something I could invest in, but I think worthwhile for the software purchase - would help me get educated on the various formats too Thumbup

It looks like they also like to keep an accurate track scale for the distance too! Quite a space investment if my math is correct. A 1/4 mile strip in 1/32 scale, needs to be 12.5m long - without a shutdown space. Looks like if I make one it would need to be smaller scale or 1/8 mile. Thinking I like to keep at 1/32 scale cars though.

munter · 7th-Apr-20, 05:33 AM

When I visited Slotcar City in sin city Las Vegas they had two big road course tracks and a drag strip.
I drove on the two road type tracks but the drag strip was not being used.
I do remember a sign though that said,...."DO NOT LEAN ON THE DRAG STRIP"
When I looked closer I could see why, it was covered in traction goo and very greasy looking.
They take it seriously over there.

A friend on facebook who competes in California often boasts that he won the money.

dvd3500 · 7th-Apr-20, 12:41 PM

Scalextric's ARC system has a drag race mode. The power base is the finish line so itis more fun with ARC AIR or ARC PRO with the wireless controllers...

woodcote · 8th-Apr-20, 10:52 AM

For a top-notch 1/24 scale drag timing system, $1,000 is good value if drag racing is absolutely your #1 passion and you are running national or international-sanctioned events. The HO version is only $800 and the older DP2000 HO system a mere $550. However, for a bit of extra fun, that is an awful lot!

For serious home fun and plenty of room to really get deep into drag racing, there is the stand-alone Slot Dragon system (www.slotcardragon.com/id74) which is easy to set up and has a lot of features. Plenty of groups run races and proxies with it. You are looking at around $160 to $200 for the complete Slot Dragon system to add to sectional or routed track. The newer SD3 has an additional bracket racing mode and starts at $275.

The DS 200 Pro lap counter and DS 060 Drag Strip Tree can also be used as the basis for a good bespoke system on a routed drag strip with lots of amps. The DS 200 is very good standard lap counter too. Once you add up the cost of the components, a DS set-up will be a lot more pricey than the Slot Dragon kit. As it has a data output to PC, the DS system could also be used with software that offers more advanced features. Dave at Race Coordinator has been working on 'Drag Race Coordinator' which currently has an alpha release to play with: www.racecoordinator.net/dragrc

For a starting point, I do really like the HO-scale AutoWorld Drag Racing system as it's a very neat, good value and fun out-of-the-box introduction to drag racing. Sets - with start and finish gantries, two dragsters, track, power and controllers - start at around $100. There's a post in the News section here: slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1029 I haven't seen anything similar in the bigger scales. Both the Scalextric ARC Pro and ARC Air powerbases do offer a Drag Race mode. It's fun, but no more than that. If you have an ARC pb - get stuck in and have some fun. If not, the powerbases cost $125 (Air) and $215 (Pro) and you'll be limited to using Scalextric sectional track (which is rather lumpy) and the ARC power and controllers, which would stymie any seriously hopped-up dragsters.

For more inspiration and information, check out the rather excellent MrD's Slot Drag club in the SlotRacer Club Directory: slotracer.online/club-directory/mrd/

Scuderia_Turini · 8th-Apr-20, 02:47 PM

I think that to enjoy drag racing there needs to be the full set up with staging, reaction time, jump-start recording and terminal speed. We have all tried the simple blasting up the strip and that gets dull quickly, but the full experience requires more technique and strategy. Consistent and reliable timing is necessary for top competition dragsters and also for short strips.

Leo

dazee · 10th-Apr-20, 04:40 AM

That Slot Dragon setup looks like about the most I would invest in for now, and looks some good bit of fun and learning. Watching some of the videos from their site and liking one that got linked in from there. Some serious time and effort here in the tracks and cars.

Scuderia_Turini · 11th-Apr-20, 10:57 AM

Reference the video above.
I don't quite get the bracket times... In the final, one said ten, sixty, three and the other said nine, ninety-nine but the run takes about a second so are they actually meaning 1.063 and 0.999 ?
(it may have been that the same guy said his number and then changed his mind)

Are the tree lights shaded so that each competitor cannot see the other's?

Leo