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DRAG RACING

Very few things in this world are as exciting as tearing down a drag strip in a blaze of glory. Whether banging powershifts like a madman or turning on the win light during a national event, there is a place in this sport for everyone.

With the rise in popularity of illegal street racing, you may wonder why you need to bother going to all the trouble of participating at a sanctioned strip. Yes, it can be exciting, but sometimes for all the wrong reasons. Many people get killed in street racing every year, including a lot of innocent bystanders. Do you really need to worry about the prospect of facing manslaughter charges? Besides, even if you wreck and only hurt yourself, do you want to be laying injured on the side of the road without an ambulance around for miles? At the track, there are precautions taken to help ensure your safety and that of your competition.

Getting Started

If you've read this or any other car magazine for any length of time, you probably know there are two basic types of drag racing, bracket (or handicap) and heads-up. The former begins with a handicapped start, with the slower car launching first, while in the latter the cars leave at the same time and the first one to the finish line wins.

But, before most get to that stage, the beginner will want to cut his teeth running time-shots in a non-competitive test-and-tune environment. Most tracks have time-only classes even on regular race days. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the starting system and give you a feel for how to handle a car on the race track, which can be quite different than how it feels on the street. That quarter-mile can seem awfully long to a novice. You'll gain invaluable information on how to launch your car especially if you're running on normal street radials.

For the first-time racer, the fun actually begins with admission into the pits. With the run card in hand, you first stop at the tech booth to prove the legality of your racing machine. Most tracks will check under the hood and inside the vehicle, looking for loose batteries, coolant-overflow containers, the proper safety gear, and so on. If you are competing with your 15-second daily driver, chances are you won't need more than a helmet and a valid driver's license.

According to the Motorsport SA (MSA) Drag Racing rulebook, any driver who competes at an MSA sanctioned track needs a valid competitor license and has to join a MSA affiliated Drag racing club.

Safety rules are important and helmets are mandatory regardless of elapsed time.

With tech card signed off (Scrutineering) and helmet in hand, it's time to make your journey to the staging lanes. Once there, track officials will guide you to your position. When the call comes out for your particular lane, you will fasten your seatbelt, slap on your helmet, and pull into the burnout box for the beginning of the pass.

If you are running on normal radial tires, a massive burnout is nothing more than a waste of rubber, although a quick hazing to clean debris off the tread surface is a good idea. The burnout process is extremely important to the overall result of the run. Its purpose is to wear away the outside dead rubber from the slick and to instill them with a slight amount of heat, making them sticky and less prone to spinning. Follow the instructions of the starter. He'll let you know when to start (and sometimes) stop your burnout.

With the smoke ritual completed, you need to stage your ride. This is done by creeping up to the Tree with the nose of the car. It will display two beams on top, one for the pre-stage portion and the other for staging. Your front tires will break an invisible beam of light directed across the track. With the stage beam interrupted by the front tires the car is set and the starter will send down the Tree. For the record, the staging procedure is the same for all styles of racing.

Watch what you are doing and do not stage with your rear tires. You'll never get a kiss from the trophy girl by doing that, and your friends will tease you mercilessly.)

If you are running racing tires, at the green you mash down the gas pedal and keep it depressed until you cross the finish line. On street rubber, it is smarter to squeeze down on the throttle to prevent wheelspin. On a full Tree (the three amber lights illuminate individually) it's critical to react when the third yellow light comes on. If you wait until the green light shines it will be way too late and your overall reaction time will be horrible.

One quick note: if you're just getting familiar with racing and performing time shots (as opposed to competing) the reaction time is not important right away. Once you gain valuable on-track experience and are ready to compete, the reaction time will become something to concern yourself with. For now, the main objective for the beginner is seat time.

After you cross the finish line, the run is over, roll out of the throttle and begin braking. You generally have a good quarter to one-half mile to slow down, but we've seen inexperienced racers never lift and end up going off the end of the track. Very bad mistake. For safety's sake, never unbuckle your helmet or seatbelt(s) until you are back in your pit spot. Even though you may have finished your run, your opponent may not have and the possibility exists he could still go out of control in the shutdown area--so could you for that matter. Always look out for the other car before turning across the track to the return road.

With the first run under your belt you will be itching to do it again and again. Before long, with practice, careful planning and experience, you will be pumping out killer reaction times and will, no doubt, in short order be crowned king of Drag Racing.

Picking a Class Before you decide to whip out the credit card and order a host of go-fast components for your street-driven steed, you must first determine what class best suits your budget and skill level.

Please refer to the MSA Drag Racing Rules to determine in which class you would qualify to compete in. The rulebook is available on the MSA website to download:

motorsport.co.za

LICENSING

Before anyone enters into any motorsport event in South Africa, a competitor needs to obtain a competition licence. All motorsport in South Africa is governed by a body called Motorsport South Africa – referred to as MSA which has many functions. MSA is the licensing authority for competition licences and application has to be made via them.

In turn, all motorsport in South Africa runs under the international guidelines laid down by one of two international bodies and MSA is the sole affiliate to these bodies as well as the SA Sports Council. These are:

The FIA. (Federation de Internationale de l’Automobile) This is the body that controls all car racing.

The FIM. (Federation de Internationale de Motocyclisme) This is the body that controls all two-wheeled racing.

The licence can be applied for via online at msaonline.co.za.

When applying for your licence you will need proof of club membership. You can download the club list from the MSA website and contact any one of the Drag Racing clubs. Once you have joined a club, ask them to send you a letter as proof of membership which you will need when you apply online. Secondly you would need to take out one of the Medical Insurance options with MSA.

There are three types of licences that can be applied for and these are:

Club licence – This licence is a restricted licence that allows competition in club events and provincial events although no points can be scored in any regional championship with a club licence.

Regional Licence – This licence is also a restricted licence and allows competition in all club and provincial championship events although points can only be scored in the provincial championship in the province in which the competitor resides. No competition is allowed in any national championship events with a regional licence, other than if a regional championship event is combined with a national championship.

National licence – This licence allows competition in any event in South Africa as well as Lesotho and Swaziland which fall under MSA.

Once you have obtained your licence you need to download the General Competition Rules as well as the category specific rules (in this case Drag Racing) from the MSA website. Make sure that you read through these books and familiarize yourself with all the rules and regulations of the competition. The SSR handbook will contain most of the information you need for your vehicle/motorcycle and general rules.

The concept is for the competitor to find their feet first in club events and use them to gain confidence and skills. Once you have mastered the club events, you can then move onto regional events. Similarly, keep on at your regional events until you think you’re experienced enough and fit enough to enter into a national.

Our advice to all new competitors is to not rush into higher levels regional or national too soon. By gradually getting into club events one can gain confidence and skill and will be able to cope with the very physical demands of the sport. If a new competitor moves into regionals too quickly they’ll find the going tough and may get a little disillusioned.

Before you attempt to become the next Nico van Rensburg or Wayne Heasman, there are a few key elements that need to be taken into account. In bracket racing any driver and car has the possibility of winning, but heads up competition usually requires gobs of horsepower, tons of money, and extreme dedication.

You now see not all classes are created equal. With high horsepower being the key element in heads-up racing, having the proper components is a must. This is one reason why bracket racing is the wise choice for the budget racer.

Whether you are an 16-year-old high school kid or a 65-year-old retiree, the thrill of blasting down a race track is equally rewarding. And, at the conclusion of the racing day, maybe you'll even luck out and make a few extra bucks. So get out there and have some fun.

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