Yesterday was my first day at the track and I ran a 13.2 at 106mph and with the mods I have I was hoping high 12s but maybe thats expecting too much. What my question is how did you guys settle down and start improving your times?

When im driving down the track I noticed I was trying to shift very hard because I was trying to shift very fast. Is it best to just not think about what you are going to run and just run and try to shift somewhat normal? Yesterday was my first time

 

were u in the blue evo yesterday?

after watching a few of your passes, suggestions from me would be dont go through the water box! lol

slip the clutch more when u launch to net a better 60ft.. what were your 60's yesterday?

i really dont think about much, the more seat time u get the easier everything gets, just keep at it.

as far as shifting goes, rip that thing like u never have before. my clutch pedal doesnt even reach the floor and im already in the next gear. but i couldnt do much yesterday since my tranny was already crap to begin with, but i still was netting 11.6's

 

My Advice:

People that are new to the track are usually that excited and pumped up that they really have no game plan when they are pulling up to the box and they often even don't remember anything about their run because they were that excited. After driving drag cars for many years I come up with alittle mental checklist of things I need to do to get the car off the line. The key is not what you do personally as a routine but consistently doing the same routine pass after pass. Once you leave the line it is all hand/eye cordination and "feel" the rest of the way. The tough part for alot of new people to the track is being able to monitor the vitals while concentrating on shift points, etc. Alot of this comes with just plain experience/seat time. And honestly it is tough for someone who has never been to the track and to go out with a car that drives through the RPM range quickly.

Things to remember:

1. Skip the waterbox
2. Don't fully stage the competitor untill they at least pre-stage a bulb, it is not nice.
3. Before you even go back to the track get a real good feel to where the clutch engagement point is. This will help you launch the car consistently.
4. Don't lock your eyes in on one part of your dash, like the tach. Force yourself to look down the track to stay in the groove and move your eyes across your vital gauges also.


Just a few tips to get you started. The more you showup to the track the more you will learn. Have fun .

 

Practice,practice ,and more practice.

 

Haha yes I was the one in the blue evo that day at the track. That was my first time ever going to the track and ever launching a car period. Since I started my new job traveling back and forth made it hard but I was invited a few days before so I said what the hell and went for it.

I didnt even know there was a water box until your friend laughed at me lol

my best 60ft time was 1.8

i plan to practice more because i really had a blast that day so im actually in the market for a trailer now so taht i can cruise around and not run up the mileage having to drive to and from the track plus i dont like the idea of driving an hour and runnin the crap outta the car and driving back an hour lol

thanks for the tips guys ill try to mentally prepare myself and not get so excited

my first run was absolutely terrible but like you said i was so excited that after iw ent down the track i didnt even really remember what happend haha