I'll be heading out to moroso (local track) in a few hours and ive never been there before.
Any advice for a 1st timer?
anything i should do in advance? prep the truck? specific ways i should drive before to make the tranny learn? tow/haul mode???:grd:

ill post up my slip later tonight..

Here is a good thread to get you started. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77157

Before you go to the track make sure you have some tools. You want a tire pressure gauge, something to do your torsion bars(and some antisieze for reinstall) white shoe polish is a good idea but not maditory. A jack too but you will probably be able to barrow one. Take a pen or pencil. Wash and clean out your truck! First you want it :bling: for the ladies :pimp: :D And second you want to make sure the underneath and bumpers arnt holding dirt. You leave the line and leave dirt you will piss people off and there is a possibility to hurt someone. Also along those lines......if your truck leaks anything get it fixed or dont go. I dont care if its a penny size dot of oil. If it leaks dont take it. Clean out your bed so there is nothing lose and its also a good idea to clean out your cab.

As soon as you pay at the gate SHUT OFF YOUR AIR CONDITIONING AND OR DEFROSTER. And I dont care how hot you get dont run it in staging. You roll into tech dripping water and they may bounce you out or atleast scrutinize you a bit more. First thing to do when you get to the track is go through tech(although you may go scope for some pals and or were you are going to pit at). First thing to keep in mind every tech inspection is different. Some will be very thurough, some wont. Depends on the track and the guys mood. DONT EVER ARGUE WITH A TECH OR SAY SUCH AND SUCH PLACE LET ME DO X. If your geting screwed be nice and polite and explain the rules but dont argue, the tech is like a cop, you want to be polite and on his good side. He is the law. Now.....things to keep in mind for a noob(other than the rules) Have your tech card ready and filled out, pop your hood(although they may not even look). Make sure your batter hold down is good. If your in need of a helmet then take one(and have it out and ready for em to look at. You tecnicly arnt supposed to run with the tailgate down or hubcaps. Some tracks dont mind......me I take em off(or leave the tailgate up)

Go work on your truck(or you can do this first and then go tech) Remove weight if you want(like tailgate and spare) air down the tires, drop the torsion bars etc. Truck is ready? Ok.....now go watch! Go watch a few passes. Watch how the officials waive people through, look were the exits are at the big end(see what people generaly use as there may be a few) Look how people leave the track! This is important. Generaly the guy that wins leaves first(alwasy keep the guy in your sights though......make sure you know what he is doing when you leave and also some cars like dragsters cant turn sharp so they may have to swing wide to make the turn off)

Ok.....so you have a feel for how things go and are ready to race. WRONG! Go take a piss;) It sucks to get stuck in staging for a long time with a full bladder :eek: Might also get a drink.

Make sure your truck is warm, dont go race unless your motor is up to temp and try to make all your runs with about the same trany temp. Ok.....into staging you go. Now since you were watching you know what staging lane you should probably be in.;) Sometimes they try to run just slick tired cars down one lane.....sometimes if there is a program going on certian classes will be in a specific bunch of staging lanes. If you notice lotsa slick cars are in one lane but they dont care what lane you go in go to were the slick cars are. Chances are its stickyer. Most people shut off thier rigs but remember we arnt driving race cars.....we have disel trucks. Keep her running, keep her warm(unless your not going to race for awhile) Be prepared to stick your helmet on or have it on. Watching a few races and watching what the other guys are doing will tell you what you should be doing. Also the anouncer will probably give you clues. dont stray far from your truck Matter of fact you should be in it. If staging starts moving and your holding up traffic you will piss everyone off. After you have been there and get a feel you will know better about when the lines will start moving and when you can be outa your truck BSing with other guys and outa your helmet etc. Ok.....the staging line person is moving you forward. Watch em! They may stop you or have you change lanes etc. Only move when they tell you. Next you move up to the water box(or right behind it) You have a 4x4 with AT tires, DRIVE AROUND THE WATER BOX NOT THROUGH IT. Watch the officials and only move when they tell you. Time to roll up your windows! When its your turn to do the burn out move forward and park yourself just infront of the water box and wait for the other guy to do his burn out(even if you dont do one) and wait for the official to call you to the line(now is when I put my truck in 4x4). Ok.....your called to the line. The otherguy may or may not be done doing his burnout. If he isnt just get close to the line(the line IS NOT at the tree) Wait till he is done doing his burnout and then go light your first bulb. DONT LIGHT EM BOTH! This is called curtesy staging. Now.....regardless if he has lit one or both this is how I stage. Its not the right or wrong way but I find it helpfull since we have turboed vehicles and sometimes the starting line guy or the other racer dosnt give us time. My first bulb is lit. I bring my truck up on boost, or RPM or what ever I'm going to launch at. Now if the other guy has lit his buld or both of em now is your turn to light your final bulb. Just ease off the brake and squeze back on it to creep forward. This is how I light my final bulb. I am on boost and ready to launch imediatly. Tree drops. Leave on the last yellow. You wait till its green and your RT will suck. You can play around with your RT latter though leaving at different times.

Make your pass. You cross the strip click outa TH if you ran with it, let off the throttle, put her in 2wd if you were in 4. Apply the brake. Watch the other guy. Make the turn off. If you cant make the first one easily dont worry. You know about were the others will be remember;) Go pick up your time slip from the window and go park somewere and look at it.

Watch your speed on the return lane and in the pits. Remember some cars dont stop well and dont see well. Generaly always give the ROW to a dragster etc becasue of this. It helps to have someone there to watch you etc. Plus it makes things more fun :)

You know.....if we get some others to chime in this could be a good usefull sticky ;)

Coeurtesy staging?

LOL in a TURBO diesel?

Get prestaged first, stage 'shallow' and start building boost. If not, the trigger man might shoot everyone off too fast for you to build any meaningful boost.

YES, CURTESY STAGE IN A TURBO DIESEL! You go stage(light all your bulbs) with the other guy in the water box and your going to piss people off;)

Likewise......if someone lights both bulbs on you if you stage how I do you will be on boost when you light your second bulb and the light drops. Bewarned though.....if someone bumps both bulbs on you you dont have as much time as you want. Depending on the track they will start droping the tree after a certian amount of time after the first guy stages. This prevents someone from burning you down at the line.

Didnt I say that? Light your first bulb, get your boost or RPM were you want it, creep forward and light your final bulb.

a side note about being curteuous to other racers.....you think your toasty and misrable in your truck? Ever been in a altered with a full suit breathing alcohol fumes? Try not to hold up the show and dawdle......people dont want to be stuck in their cars longer than they need to ;)

As far as staging, here's what I do.

Light the first light, wait until he lights his/her first light, maybe his second if he does it right away.

Bring up the rpms with the brake on hard and bump into the second light.

Watch the tree. I won't light both lights until he has staged at least one, or you will build to much heat waiting. If the other guy lights both lights before I light my first(bad form) I just light the first and take my time building rpms until I like and then light the second. I've never had a starter start the tree when someone else full stages before I can stage.

It ended up raining 10 mins after i got there.Yay, nice little drive for nothing.
got to race a SS, a lightning, and a GMC dmax on the way back though..

talk to the guy running the lights, as he may not know how long it takes you to "get ready" i know at diesel days they give us 6 sec between the last yellow light lit and the first yellow on the tree. i believe its normally 3 sec?

Sorry you got rained out. I had to work today, I'll be up there tomorrow. I certainly hope there won't be much rain. I know they will try their best to run the event, and it might be super busy considering no one got to run today. Anything in the 13s is "supposed" to have helmets. And yes, courtesy stage because if everyone did it the world would be a better place.

talk to the guy running the lights, as he may not know how long it takes you to "get ready" i know at diesel days they give us 6 sec between the last yellow light lit and the first yellow on the tree. i believe its normally 3 sec?

Full staged on both sides they can pull the trigger whenever.

Which is why too much curtesy can cost you a race. Depends on what boost you can build before the trigger is pulled.

First there, build what you need and hold it.

Racing is run whatcha brung. Curtesy is NOT TAKING SO DAMN LONG to get to the lights. Forget Superstock, prostock, and TADragster, where the mind games at the lights are for stakes of 100,000 or more.

This isn't even close.

I must respectivly disagree Juice;) I have found that curtesy staging the way I (and it seems a few others do close to me) gives me not only a way to stage the same way each time, it alows me plenty of time to build consistent boost, and is respectfull to anyone I line up with.

In the past when I was at a event and a guy lit both bulbs on me I have done a couple of different things. First was when we we running the DHRA and I knew the guy wasnt experienced. I just told him what curtesy staging was, explained how I staged and told him people would appreciate it if he did it, I didnt tell him what to do......I just told him about it and let him make up his own mind. The guy was just inexpereinced and didnt know the difference. Durring "fun" T&T racing after I had some guy do it to me and it seemed numerous people werent being curteuous(becasue they didnt know) I just calmly explained myself to the officials. They said they understood and if he does it and I dont feel I have enough time to not stage and let him take a pass by himself(with was what I was going to do anyway;) but I expressed myself politely and they "offered" for that) I havent ever had a guy that wanted to play games with me in comp though. Most racers I have found are curteous and respectfull. But if someone wants to play games I can do that;) Always know what the auto start time is;) Never had to play games though. Its all about being friendly and curteous.....I have walked up to a guy and appologized when I accidentaly jumped forward and bumped both bulbs.

If you light both bulbs on a guy while he is still back in the burnout box or by it you will be viewed as one of 2 things. A NOOB or a prick. JMO ;) :)

I must respectivly disagree Juice;) I have found that curtesy staging the way I (and it seems a few others do close to me) gives me not only a way to stage the same way each time, it alows me plenty of time to build consistent boost, and is respectfull to anyone I line up with.

In the past when I was at a event and a guy lit both bulbs on me I have done a couple of different things. First was when we we running the DHRA and I knew the guy wasnt experienced. I just told him what curtesy staging was, explained how I staged and told him people would appreciate it if he did it. Durring "fun" T&T racing after I had some guy do it to me I just calmly explained myself to the officials. They said they understood and if he does it and I dont feel I have enough time to not stage and let him take a pass by himself(with was what I was going to do anyway;) but I expressed myself politely and they "offered" for that) I havent ever had a guy that wanted to play games with me in comp though. Most racers I have found are curteous and respectfull. But if someone wants to play games I can do that;) Always know what the auto start time is;) Never had to play games though. Its all about being friendly and curteous.....I have walked up to a guy and appologized when I accidentaly jumped forward and bumped both bulbs.

'Resectfully Disagree?'):h

Bah! Tell it like it is!:ro) I have found when racing people some competitor will make you wait once staged, and building boost... nothing like heating your trans up while the other guy plays' the waiting game' on ya
Trigger man hates it too. You are at the line and flashed, 2 lights, and some D*ckhead Top Fuel wannabe is holding up the show.

I tend to get there as soon as possible and wait. No light games for me, other people want to race too. I see this typically on grudge matches especially agains gassers after the first 2 arse beatings you give them:rolleyes:

The cortesy thing works both ways IMHO, and since diesels have been getting a lot of street cred lately, the issue is exacerbated.

Just some observations of mine.:)

AWESOME thread, thanks guys

Yes it was a good thread. I didn't realize there was such a thing as "courtesy" staging, thanks Phil. Now I'll know for next time.(hopefully this weekend)

It sounds like this way would be easier to get a consistent launch, because you have more control over when the light drops.

:muahaha:

You men covered it all. Maybe the first timer will remember some of this.

That part about the bed being clean is important.
Last year I did not see some deer corn underneath my bed liner at the track and
I left a little "debris" at the starting line......... :o:

Yeah, corn happens.):h

Your more likely to get burned down at the line if you light both bulbs ona guy if he takes his time staging(either becasue he is slow or is a ****) unless you wait till the last secodn to start building boost. You get to the line ASAP and get on boost and the other guy can let you sit there on boost for quite some time. Like I said.....if I talked to a guy politely and he said "run whatcha brung and if you dont like it then tough" when I mentioned curtesy staging to him politely I woulda said "OK" and kept the auto start time in mind and if we lined up again I'd let him race to the line and take my time getting there;) Still staging the same way I always do. First bulb(bring it on boost) and creep into the second on boost.

I may have been a bit vauge in how I stage exactly. I will get as close to the line as possible ASAP once I'm given the OK from the official. I will then wait there. Generaly I light my first bulb before the competitor since I dont do a burn out etc, sometimes not though. Once I see him approaching the line I will light my first bulb once he is close and start to bring her on boost. Generaly you dont sit on boost very long cuz the other guy will ussualy move quickly. For someone to jack with me they would need to know how I stage and be a **** and want to jack with me. Sitting with my first bulb lit and them hanging back there I can alwasy drop off boost and wait for them to then go light both bulbs and stage as I normaly do. But no one has ever played games with me. ;)

And correct Jeremy.....you can talk to the track officials and tell em it takes you a bit longer etc. Generaly they will be cool about things. Its not realy you have a diesel but you are launching a turboed auto vehicle. But personaly......I stage the way I do becasue they can drop the tree as soon as I get staged(light my final bulb) for all I care, I'm ready to rock and roll ;) If I always ran in the DHRA I would probably just haul on up to the line and not worry about it. I stage the way I do not only to be curteous to the other drivers so they dont feel rushed but also becasue I dont have to worry how the other guy stages or how the guy running the tree drops it.

that was good reading Phil, thanks...I had no idea about the courtesy staging thing...as for the track I went to...theres no safety inspection or helmet rules. :D (its canada, what do you expect? ):h )

First time I rolled up to the line I hadent the slightest idea what I was doing...the first staging light lit and I was like "holy crap I have no idea what to do!!" I tried to remember everything i'd read, so I built boost and waited but the second staging light never lit (duh)...I guess I kinda unconciously crept forward and then the second staging light lit. Tree came down and I went on green (another doh) but ended up running a 13.3 my first time ever and laughed and said "haha that wasnt that hard! I like this!!!" The hardest thing was to force myself to ignore the EGT gauge, as it was turning red (passing thru 1600*, my Nexus gauges turn all red when a set value is exceeded) about 200-300 feet before the end of the track...

I ran all times in regular mode...I just remember people saying tow/haul doesnt really make a difference. At the end of the run, i'd let off the pedal, then disengage 4wd and click on tow/haul so I could slow down more easilly without riding the brakes. The track in Canada doesnt have a lot of room to slow down, and if you dont slow down, you go into a corn field! :rolleyes:

were not racing for 100 grand darn all this work i was planning to do
and i thought i was going to get that purse):h

theres no safety inspection or helmet rules. :D (its canada, what do you expect? ):h )




No Beer>?:lol:

No Beer>?:lol:

no, but beleive it or not I did see two a$$holes waiting next to the line of people to race sitting in their car smoking weed.:mad:

frikkin pissed me off....idiots.

Does bring up a good point ;) Dont bring a cooler with beer and drink. Even 1 and you shouldnt be racing. If you go to get a beer at the concession they should cut off your armband so you shouldnt be able to race. But most of the time they never check your arm in staging. Also some concession places are big $$$ for stuff. Some refreshments might not be a bad idea.

Wish some of the other seasoned racers would chime in. I'm sure I forgot tones of small tips. This could be a realy good sticky ;)

I've found the most repeatable #'s are when you courtesy stage.

1) Turn on Tow Haul
2) Turn on 4WD HIGH
3) Drive around the water
4) Creep up in a perfectly straight line centered in the rubber stains.
5) Trip top prestage light, but not the second prestage light.
6) Wait for the other guy to trip their top prestage, if they have not already.
7) Spool up to 2100rpm by holding the brake down hard and giving it some fuel.
8) Keep your throttle foot in the same position, but ease the brake to creep forward.
9) Creep until you light the second prestage and hold the brake. Stay at 2100.
10) Stare HARD at the 3rd yellow. Nothing else in the universe exists. Try to turn it on with your mind.
11) The INSTANT the third yellow comes on, mat the throttle, and release the brake.
12) If it goes into wheelhop, back down to 1/2 throttle and nail it again. On the next pass leave at 100rpm less. If it bogs, go up 100rpm.
13) Watch your gauges. Watch loose crap fly around the cabin.
14) At half track push 2WD so you don't forget. It will not disengage until you lift.
15) Keep the pedal buried until you are past the last set of beams. You have plenty of room, so it's better to stay in it than lift too early.
16) Hit the brakes, reduce your speed down to 20mph.
17) The driver that is in the lane where the turnout roads are has RIGHT OF WAY. If you are not in that lane, wait for them to turn out. DO NOT CROSS ACROSS ANOTHER RACER'S LANE UNLESS YOU KNOW THEY HAVE LEFT THE TRACK!!
18) Drive slow on the return road. This does 2 things. It keeps you from getting banned from the track, and it cools your turbo.
19) Pick up your slip and stick it in your console. Do not read it while driving.
20) Rinse and repeat.

;)

that easy huh, rinse and repeat):h

that easy huh, rinse and repeat):h

If it is not easy, you're thinking too much! :D
My biggest problem is overthinking. Best passes are when you are on "autopilot".

That video I posted today in the comp section shows the way I usually stage. Just the way Pat posted is what I try to do everytime.

Good post Pat :D GREAT POINT about lining yourself up in the center of the rubber.

JMO but I would try to leave softer and work up to breaking traction........ok.....I recomend that but in practice I go by the give her hell approach. :D Lifting? Are you recomending lifting? Let her eat and :grd: Going by this approach has resulted in me geting outa shape and a lil closer to the wall than I shoulda so I duno if I would try that. No wheel hop but a lil :rolleyes: bit of tire spin. Learned spraying outa the hole can get her a bit squirly:eek: shoulda probably lifted though instead of riding her out :o:

I would try playing around with a few runs of TH being on and off. Seeing if there is any difference on your truck.

On cleaning tires! I would try to pull out and check your tires over to make sure you dont have any stones in them. I would also at least do a burnout before your first pass. In 2wd, drive around the waterbox, back into it(just get your rear tires into the edge of the water) Make sure your in D and do a quick burnout. QUICK, not john force style. Just enough to get a quick wisp of smoke is more than sufficient. Your more cleaning off your rear tires than heating them up. Also check tire pressure regularly! It will change throughout the day!

Turn some tunes on in the staging lanes to get your head right. Something like Metalica, or Tesla works for me.:banghead: Turn them off when you pass the water box and you will be ready to go. Have a good time, and don’t even worry about the EGT gauge, that’s just for towing.:rockit:

Turn some tunes on in the staging lanes to get your head right. Something like Metalica, or Tesla works for me.

That works for me also, but my choice is Disturbed. Except I leave the music on the whole time. Cool having the feature where the music gets louder as speed goes up(forgot what thats called) I make sure thats on the highest setting:ro)

That works for me also, but my choice is Disturbed. Except I leave the music on the whole time.

X2

Drowning Pool X2


Rammstein X2


Joe Satriani X2

McRat......

13) Watch your gauges. Watch loose crap fly around cab.


:clap: :lol2: