USFRA 130/150 club chat

[roadtrip]

"Running the number" is a cliched term used to describe bracket / index racing that some sanctioning bodies still insist on calling drag racing.

"Running the number" at USFRA's World of Speed 130 Club doesn't compare. Undoubtedly some people have shown up, 'run the number', (or more likely failed to), then went home to cross Bonneville off of their 'to do' list and never come back. Not typical. We've been there twice .... been denied twice and find ourselves hopelessly hooked, trapped, sucked in!  This isn't a line item on some list, it's a lifestyle, and so much more satisfying than the circuses with sideshows and clowns we're fed on commercial TV.

We'll be back this year with a different approach, but the same desire to see more, listen more and learn more .....  stepping stones to deeper involvement with more serious equipment.

Don't take the USFRA, their event or their participants lightly. They're as valid as any on the Salt.

DonS



 

[dwarner]

"We've been there twice .... been denied twice and find ourselves hopelessly hooked, trapped, sucked in! "

Don,

That is the intended purpose of the 130 club exercise. A am sure the USFRA appreciates your kind words and participation.

DW

[Wester]

saltfever obviously knows nothing about World of Speed.  The 130 Club was started to get folks a feel for salt flats racing.  There are several 2 Club members today who cut their salt racing teeth on the 130 Club.  There's folks who have run the Silver State races with times in the 145 mph category who were very surprised that they couldn't run over 130 on the salt.  Watch the TV show Wreckreation Nation on the 17th on the Discovery Channel to see Dave Mordal drive in the 130 Club in John Stahmann's Audi S4.  That's a 150 Club car complete with roll cage and other requirements including some safety extras that are not required by the rules.  It's not bracket racing or running against a time class, it's intended to give folks with a street legal car a chance to see just how fast their car is ... or isn't.  My brother-in-law couldn't break 130 in his 32 highboy coupe that was the quarter mile drag race winner in the Rod and Custom Magazine, Asphalt o Rama competition they had a few years back.  SB Chev, supercharged but the rear end gears were just too low.  He had a blast even without reaching the 130 mph speed..  He built the car in six months from ordering the frame rails in early January to entering it, finished and painted, in a car show on the July 4th weekend.  Don't disparage something or someone you know nothing about.  At least try it before you knock it.  You may be VERY surprised.

[Wester]

Many don't want to go to the trouble, or have the skill, time and money, to enter an SCTA event. That is why the USFRA exists. You can just rent a Corvette and run a number to put a piece of paper on your wall to feel good about yourself. For many the only labor or talent they apply is signing checks. SCTA "paper" stands for an entirely different culture that only a select few understand or enter.

This is a late reply but needs to be seen.
No rental cars at World of Speed in the 130 and 150 Clubs.  When you read the rules and attend a USFRA meet please contact me to make your apologies.  USFRA was started to save SCTA's Yewt when the BLM wanted to discontinue all racing on the salt due to low usage.  There are several years when the top speed at WoS was faster than Speedweek or World Finals.

[saltfever]

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I was on travel last week and was surprised to see the end result of this thread. We have all seen “thread drift” before. All it takes is a single word misunderstood or left out and the thread heads off in a different direction. In this case, I was amazed how fast it became negative and/or defensive. I hesitate to post this but hope it is clearer.  There were some very good counter-points made causing me to reflect on what I wrote. 

To be perfectly clear, I support all things LSR and all LSR organizations. Further, I volunteer my time and money. As pointed out, the USFRA has played a pivotal role interceding with the BLM in saving Bonneville for racing. They are great people and have helped me in the past. I clearly stated I am not demeaning USFRA. My biggest mistake was not clearly indicating I was talking about the 130 club in particular and not USFRA itself. See my edit in red below.

Many don't want to go to the trouble, or have the skill, time and money, to enter an SCTA event. That is why the USFRA 130 club exists (new edit) . . .

The last I checked all you need to run the 130 club is a $23 driveshaft loop and a fire extinguisher. You can borrow a helmet, and street tires are legal. By design, the class was created to eliminate burdensome requirements and get you on the salt and that is a good thing.  Compare that with SCTA’s requirements of a full cage (about $5,000 pro installed) racing seat $1,000 and an SFI driver suit. In addition, many street cars may fit into a class where a 200 MPH record already exists and you therefore need $2,000 in tires even if you go 130 mph. Maybe you can get a dispensation from the tire requirement for licensing runs less than 200 mph but you would have to lobby hard for it. You may fudge the numbers up or down but $23 vs. $8,000 characterizes a different kind of commitment. You may quibble with a $5,000 cage and do it yourself for $350 in tubing but that requires welding skills, personal time, tools, and machines, etc. That is what I was talking about when I said about the 130 club; “many don't want to go to the trouble, or have the skill, time and money . . .”.   That is a true statement. If you think it is negative that is your judgment call. My ludicrous exaggerations should have been obvious when indicating you could rent a Corvette or a Lincoln Luxury car! I was making a point (and not a very good one) about the difference in racing venues (the 130 club vs. SCTA).

Call it what you want, the 130 club is a bracket race. It takes 27.692 seconds to run a 130 mph mile. And that is the bracket you are running on. The object is to get as close to that as possible. I’m not saying it is easy. In fact it is almost impossible! In the first place you must have enough horsepower in reserve to not only get to 130 but to slightly exceed it so you can make midcourse adjustments. I’m sure the precision needed, plus the always precarious salt conditions, makes it a lot of fun  (or even stressful) for many. But it is completely different from trying to set a maximum effort record. Whether it is a ¼ mile or 1 mile, running a bracket is different from a record attempt. I’m not saying it is not difficult. Even with rally clocks, or precision GPS, trying to get within .001 MPH is an extreme activity and requires total concentration.

Don (reply #30) I completely agree with you. The salt is difficult to drive on. It makes no difference what association is in attendance. Salt conditions are the determinant, not the club that collected your entry fee.

Debbie (reply #25) you make a good point.  I would be naive to think none of it exists. However, it is more common to see a loyal and hard working crew member get a ride. I remember seeing a team trying to break a record for 3 years. They finally did get a gas record by about 2 mph. They then bolted on a front air dam, covered the headlights and ran altered. The owner offered the car to a good friend, his long time crew member. He set an altered record and got a hat. You have never seen a smile so big. This person had no money invested, only years of his personal time, a good friendship, and a love for the sport. I can’t describe how happy I was to see him wear that hat.

There is an old document in the National Archive that states “. . .  among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.  We are all guaranteed the pursuit of happiness and that is why we are on the salt. Different strokes for different folks.   

PS: Wes: I have ridden in Tony's 32 coupe a few times. Nice car. 

[Stainless1]

Call it what you want, the 130 club is a bracket race. It takes 27.692 seconds to run a 130 mph mile. And that is the bracket you are running on. The object is to get as close to that as possible. I’m not saying it is easy. In fact it is almost impossible! In the first place you must have enough horsepower in reserve to not only get to 130 but to slightly exceed it so you can make midcourse adjustments. I’m sure the precision needed, plus the always precarious salt conditions, makes it a lot of fun  (or even stressful) for many. But it is completely different from trying to set a maximum effort record. Whether it is a ¼ mile or 1 mile, running a bracket is different from a record attempt. I’m not saying it is not difficult. Even with rally clocks, or precision GPS, trying to get within .001 MPH is an extreme activity and requires total concentration.

Saltf, I'm not sure we all understand the club races... it takes more than 27.692 seconds to run a 130 club mile... the trap speed at the end of the mile must be 130.  No VHT for traction like at the drag races and you can't go over 139.  130 club participants only get 1 mile, not 1 mile of timing.  They don't get push trucks and they must be street legal vehicles.  Think of all the vehicles that run the short course for LSR, a lot of them would not qualify for 130 club membership... speed wise... 
150 clubbers get 2 miles and the average from the 2 to the 2 1/4.   While these are low buck races in perspective, they are accomplishments for the participants and usually get them hooked.  If they are just working their life list, that is OK too, they are keeping the salt alive.

No, I have not run in any of the club races, but I know a lot of folks that have, and a lot of them are not in the clubs yet. 

Thread divergence is inevitable... Maybe the part of this one that deals with the club races should be moved to the USFRA board... Jon ?

[salt27]

To run the 150 club you also need an approved rollbar, harness, tires, and firesuit. The entry fee is the same for a regular class. Once successful, then many will step up to make their car legal for a class and try for a record.

For me the 130 club was more of a challenge than the 150 club. In the 130 club the GPS lag gets you because of the acceleration and not having time to stabilize.

When I ran, the GPS was reading in the mid 130's [probabily 140,s due to lag], being greedy I pushed a little harder and the next readout I saw was 151, I immediately took my foot off and coasted through at 145. I dutifully received my reprimand, paid my entry fee again, and after half a dozen more runs I finally hit that narrow window between 130 and 140 twice.

Saltfever, thank you for explaining yourself; yes, it is less expensive to run in the 130/150 club, but still some of the successful cars are impressive and many are owner built. 

Don

[Ro Yale]

This thread should have a different title if your gonna talk about all this other crap!

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I dunno if I can move part of a thread -- to, in this instance, the USFRA-specific WoS thread.  How about this:  if you folks want to keep talking about the 130 (and 150) MPH Clubs -- start a nice new thread and let this one either morph back to Monster Garage -- or die.  How's that? 

[salt27]

Jon,
That would work for me.
Sorry about the hijack.

Don

[DahMurf]

I dunno if I can move part of a thread -- to, in this instance, the USFRA-specific WoS thread.  How about this:  if you folks want to keep talking about the 130 (and 150) MPH Clubs -- start a nice new thread and let this one either morph back to Monster Garage -- or die.  How's that? 

Yes you can!
First you do a Split Topic (button on the right side of the post where you want to start the split for Mods & Owner only).
Then you do a Move Topic (Button at the bottom of the page Mods & owner only).

I did this one for you! Feel free to rename it! I don't always do so good picking a new name for a split topic!

Debbie

[saltfever]

Also, very sorry about the hijack. But thank you all for your experience and understanding. I'll be moving onto other topics.   

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Thanks, Deb.  I wonder if I'll remember that.  I guess, in retrospect, that I have succeeded in splitting topics before -- but could I remember the trick last night?  Noo-oo-ooooo.

I think the title you've appended is dandy enough.  Best regards to what's his name, too.

[redcatch]

I attented the WOS last year on a fact finding mission.  Didn't want to show up this year not prepared. As a new guy to LSR, it was my intent to start slow, try to not make mistakes, and have fun. I have been involved in motorsports since the early 60s, except for a 28 year period that involved flying for Uncle Sam. Since retirement, I have slowly been drawn back into going fast on the ground. After watching the WOS last year and asking 10,000 questions, I returned to Florida and made a commitment to do the 130 club. So I took my SCCA 1988 Camaro, and the 2008 rule book, and told myself that this car would have to become a LSR/Road racing car. It already did 160 on paved roads and corner at more than 1 G.  So, we completely tore this Camaro apart. After $1000's of dollars to make this car street legal, registered, and insured, we were on our way. We spent 100 of hours working all new body panels and installing them so that there were zero vortex generators forward of the doors.  I installed new doors (with Windows) and had to completely wire, with the help of Ron Francis, the entire car.  We changed anything on the car that was even remotely questionable.  SCCA and SCTA rules are different. When conflicts appeared, I went with the stiffer requirement.  I have full halo seats.  A full roll cage. Full fire system and all the safety gear. I have more suspension mods than ever should be done to a car. We have spent hubdreds of hours ducting and moving coolers around, and I could go on for pages. Car has just been painted and it looks great. Tomorrow it will go to race tech and spend this week on the suspension dyno and the chassie Dyno to establish base lines and altitude compensations. To date, I have spent approximately $25,000 to run and participate in the 130 club. So myself, and 2 of my best friends, will try to all get into the club. Not sure if we will make it, but we're sure going to have fun trying. I know my drag ratio, my cofficient of drag, and friction. I know my frontial area and have tufted this car many times this month, but still don't know for certain if we will make it. I have done this build with the idea that just maybe we will swap engines and transmission next year and add a chute and buy some of those really expensive tires and try to lay down some bigger numbers.  I am a new guy, but in all fairness, I feel that I am coming with a car that is better preparded than some "real" racers I observed at the WOS.  So in 52 days I am off to the road racing season. But in Sept my friends and I will be at the WOS. You can't miss us as we will be  in a big black 40-foot trailer with Recatcher Motorsports on the side and three grease covered old guys. Please come by, we are friendly and enjoy all racers. We have worked very hard to participate so I think some of these remarks on this thread were not very well thought out.

[RichFox]

It sounds as though you should be thinking about the 150 club. You didn't need all that safty stuff for the 130 club but it sure won't hurt. Now that you have it I think you should shoot higher.