\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ PMANNERS Getting out of the groove
End of the braking area
Most drag racing runs go by the book. A vehicle will make a pass straight down the middle of the lane. But particularly with higher powered, low downforce cars a run can be anything but straight. The groove is an area in the middle of the track where traction is at its peak. You can see it at most tracks as a dark matte grey through the middle, while the outside of the lane will be shinier or lighter in colour. The groove is where most runs happen, thus the most rubber builds up and the most traction is found. When a racer gets ‘out of the groove’ it means the vehicle is outside that area of good traction. This puts your vehicle more at risk of losing traction. This can be particularly nasty right on the border, where one wheel gets more traction than the other and thus your vehicle will spear in a particular direction. The etiquette here is simple, if you get out of the groove, get out of the throttle. Many racers have crashed through staying into the throttle just a moment too long. Don’t let speed fool you. Low downforce Super Sedans can be much more susceptible to crashing when they get out of the groove than a Top Fuel car. A Top Fuel car has a big wing creating down force and therefore additional traction. And if the tyres do spin, that wing continues to function and push down on the chassis, helping to keep control. If your Super Sedan with very little downforce starts spinning the tyres or losing lateral grip then that’s it, you don’t have any additional source of traction other than to get off the throttle. It’s not worth being a hero – discretion is the better part of valour.
You’ve made your run and the adrenaline is pumping, now it’s time to slow down! Fortunately most tracks in Australia have very adequate braking areas so this doesn’t have to be a stressful process. At the end of the track the right of way typically goes to the ‘inside’ lane, ie the lane closest to the turn off. Many tracks have staff to assist racers at the turn off. Cutting across the inside lane is risky, you never know what kind of drama your opponent might be in. Bear in mind many vehicles will be dragging a parachute along as well and you don’t want to risk getting each other entangled in that. Although it sounds basic, remember to scrub off enough speed to make the turn. More than a few racers, even experienced ones, have been caught out where they think they can make the turn, only to end up rolling over. If you are tossing up between making the turn or going for the sand trap – go for the sand trap. Your perception of speed will be different after making a pass; you will think you are moving slowly when you might be speeding along. This is particularly important for young Junior Dragster drivers who may not have the same experience of what speed is appropriate to use in a turn. Roll overs are surprisingly common among junior drivers and needless to say can be upsetting for both them and the family. Every track has slightly different cultures in the shut down area where vehicles park up and wait to be picked up. As with turning off, keep your parachute in mind as you navigate officials and other vehicles. Once you’ve shut down and got out of your vehicle, roll up the parachute so it is out of the way and can’t get caught up in any other race vehicles coming off the track. When your crew arrives to pick you up celebration is certainly acceptable, but don’t hang around too long talking over a pass as when the number of teams builds up it does get congested and this can make the situation more dangerous for fellow racers turning off the track and officials.
FASTLANE I 19