TERCEL1: 2009 Drag Racing Journal

[alfradio]

TERCEL1: 2009 Drag Racing Journal (NEW ENTRY)

I think, instead of making a thread every time I go to the track, I'll simply
update this thread (TERCEL1: 2009 Drag Racing Journal) all year long...

So with that in mind, I present to you...

TERCEL1: Opening Day, 2009 (03-01-2009)

And so, opening day of the 2009 drag racing season has arrived.... bringing
with it, the possibility of a foot of snow which has already started!

Me, Denys (boostjunkie), Joe (MD4e), Austin 1991tercelasdf),
Greg (Malibuguy) and possibly John (94Tercel) were to have
met at Capitol Raceway but, instead we were all met with disappointment...

Even my cat, "Turbo" was wondering, "WTF!?"

What makes me scratch my head is that in many parts of the
country, the weather is always conducive for outdoor activities (like drag
racing) yet very few TO.COM members (even those who've made the
jump to performance driven 4EFTEs and better) rarely go to the track...

Wonder who'll be the first to post leader board numbers for the 2009 season???

alf :homer:

PS: Because of my uncertain V0A work schedule, it'll be a hit or miss
thing trying to hook up with the usual suspects so, that'll have to be
played by ear.

I'll certainly go whenever I can but, will probably not be taking any more
days off to accommodate the track so, will just hope my irregular days off
will give me some track time...

I sure hope we bump into one another... once in a while...

 

[Spoonz]

sweet good luck mate i'l keep an eye on this thread

 

[alfradio]

TERCEL1: Opening Day (finally) 2009 Season...

Back when Capitol Raceway opened for its 2007 season, it
was newly built TERCEL1 which was part of the first pair down
the 1/4 mile... Earlier today, another (sort of) newly built
Tercel (actually a pair of them) launched the 2009 racing
season at Capitol and the Tercels belonged to none other
than our very own, Austin and Greg (better known as
1991tercelasdf and Malibuguy)

(The video collage at the end of this thread will show this pair in action...

Besides Greg and Austin, on hand and representing TO.COM
was ME and TERCEL1, Joe (MD4e) and Denys (boostjunkie)
who was a consultant today and the guy who trailered Joe's
car to the track...

THE TRAILER QUEEN...

...and the Dairy Queen...

On hand, as always, the usual (or in our case) the unUSUAL SUSPECTS:

Because Capitol Raceway has houses within earshot, racing
on Sunday mornings can't start until High Noon... So we wait...

I was very optimistic that I'd pick up this year where I left off
last year.... in the high 13 second ET range... I was almost
certain to do better because over the winter, I had a mandrel
bent exhaust system installed in TERCEL1 (minus the CAT)
and Greg (Malibuguy, who did the work) almost guaranteed
the Aero Turbine muffler he installed would get me into the
13.70 ET range...

Prior to hitting the track, I'd experienced several episodes of
fuel cut upon entering 2nd gear and just wrote that off to the
engine be able to breath much better with its new plumbing...
Because the weather was supposed to be on the warm side
for opening day, I wasn't too concerned as I hoped the
warmth would reduce the power a bit, in effect taking care of
the nasty fuel cut issue.

Just in case it didn't (and IT DIDN'T!!!), I stopped by my local
Lowes hardware store and picked up several special
cotter-pin do-hickeys which I used to replace the tiny 'C' clip
which holds the actuator rod in place on the lever controlling
the wastegate...

I'd recommend to anyone who has need to adjust the length
of their actuator rod, especially at the track, these clips are
INVALUABLE... If you've cursed and burnt your fingers with the
tiny 'C' clip, THIS IS THE WAY TO GO! Learned this little trick on
the Toyota GT Turbo board... Thanks chaps!

Below is the day's "report card" for TERCEL1...

...and here's a collage of OPENING DAY AT CAPITOL RACEWAY!

Enjoy! We did!

alf :waving:

 

[HYBRID]

excellent writeup alf!!

really looking forward to hearing from you this racing season!!

keep us posted
kon

 

[alfradio]

Photos from the trackside photographer...

The see all the photos taken by D & S Photographers
(official photographers at Capitol Raceway) click HERE!

Below are a few of my favorites (in no particular order)...

Malibuguy's '97 Hawk edition...

TERCEL1 giving the Pontiac all that he needs...

MD4e, hard chargin' off the line...

Austin's turbo powered 3E...

TERCEL1's final run of the day...

There are many other photos of the Tercels taken that day
but, above are a few of my favs!

alf :homer:

 

[GTdan]

love your posts alf!!

oh and how far from you are cumberland?? as i know there both in maryland...

 

[alfradio]

love your posts alf!!

oh and how far from you are cumberland?? as i know there both in maryland...

Cumberland, MD is about 140 miles/2 hours, 20 minutes away....
why does yee ask? Planning on visiting soon?

alf :homer:

 

[GTdan]

Cumberland, MD is about 140 miles/2 hours, 20 minutes away....
why does yee ask? Planning on visiting soon?

alf :homer:

yeah my aunt lives there and may be coming over in summer, so if theres some 1/4s while im there, ill borrow her car and pop down.

 

[alfradio]

TERCEL1: Another day in paradise!

Nobody wanted to come out and play today (Saturday,
March 21st) so I played with myself!!! (Wait a minute....
that didn't come out right)

TAKE II

Nobody wanted to come out and play today (Saturday,
March 21st) so I went to the track by myself! (Yeah!
That's better)

When I left the house at around 7:45 AM, there was frost on
the windshield and by the time I arrived at the track, it hadn't
warmed up much more... This I discovered, to my great HORROR,
when, during my first run, TERCEL1 experienced fuel-cut, pretty
much from the hit of the throttle and all the way down the
track... I coasted pretty much the final 1/8 mile...

After returning to the pit area and lengthening the actuator
rod, it was back out for another pass with a little LESS fuel-cut
this time and more lengthening and more testing and "tuning"
until, finally by the 4th time up, all was right with the world
and I could keep my foot in it all the way down the 1/4 mile!

Once again, I have to mention that if it were not for having
replaced the tiny "C" clip, which holds the actuator to the
wastegate lever, with THIS style clip...

... I'm sure I'd have suffered 3rd degree burns trying to make
the number of adjustments needed to get things "sorted out"!
(That's Brit-Speak)

There were an unusual amount of cars at Cecil County today...
probably due to several earlier dates being either rained out
or snowed out but, as in times past, Cecil gives you your
money's worth when it comes to the number of passes you
can make....

I made my first run at 9:44 AM and even with several time
consuming delays (due to oil-downs and other mishapes)
my 10th and final run came at, 2:12 PM.

The track closes at 4 PM and as I pulled out, heading for
home, there were all of about 20 cars in the staging lanes
and I'm quite confident I could have rattled off AT LEAST a half
dozen more passes!

For some strange reason, I chose the RIGHT lane for my first
6 passes... it wasn't until Run#013 that I switched to the LEFT
lane and immediately ran a 13.9!

I was back in the RIGHT lane and decided I would stay at the
track until I ran under 14 seconds in the RIGHT lane! Gotta
keep myself entertained somehow! (Ha-Ha-Ha)

My next run was a 14.000 ET and the following run was very
orgasmic!!! Here's some back story:

There's a guy at work who has a Dodge Charger/Hemi...
I dunno but, he's always on YouTube watch similar cars doing
wicked burnouts in the water box at various tracks...
I suggested that he come out to the track one day and see
what his car could do... (his car, from what he explained, runs
on only 4 cylinders until you need more power at which point
the other 4 kick in?) Anyway, he replies to my invitation with
something along the lines of, "Why beat my car when I can sit
here and watch others beat theirs!" BRILLIANT!

So every time he mentions something about his car and how
much power it has, I again, extend the invitation but, he ain't
buyin' into coming to the track...

So while it wasn't him at the track, I found myself in the next
lane over from this Hemi (an SRT?)

...and wouldn't you know it... fate was on my side and we
lined up for my Run#015!!! I figured TERCEL1 was gonna get
smoked BIG TIME... I was pretty certain this Charger
(or 300/Hemi) or whatever had all 8 cylinders available from
the start but, I gave it my best which resulted in a reaction
time of .065 seconds to his 1.449. He needed almost the
entire 1/4 mile to run me down... WHOO-HOO!!!!!

So, there was my sub 14 second run in the RIGHT LANE and I
should have packed it in but, 'cuz TERCEL1 seemed to be
running well, I though the LEFT lane deserved one more shot...
and what car should I be lined up next to...? THIS ONE:

This car, by the way, was the car in the other lane for my very
first (fuel-cut filled) run of the day... As we waited in line, I
asked him what he was running today (he ran a less than
stellar 14.1 ET to my 15.0 ET in our first encounter). He said
his best ET was a 12 something and that in that first run
his coil wire connector had fallen off and that's why such a
poor ET... I wished him luck, the lanes started moving and
there we were... side by side...

Ain't no way TERCEL1 is gonna out run a 12 second car... even
if it does have a wing and a body kit...

Amber lights tumble down the tree and as the last amber light
fades to GREEN, TERCEL1 is outta the hole in .039 seconds to
his BIG FAT RED LIGHT!!!!

He must have had trouble again because it wasn't until I
crossed the finish line at 99.34 MPH in 13.824 seconds, that
I looked in the rear view mirror to see him several hundred
feet behind me...

GAWD! I love Cecil County Dragway.... epper:

Here's the report card from today's RUNZZZZZZZzzzzzz:

Sometimes it's nice to just go off by yourself and enjoy the day...

alf :love:

 

[drew-turbo]

cool you cant half right stories love em:rockon:

 

[finx]

nice results alf. good to see those ets falling. bit more trap speed there too!
i take it your running an lsd to get those mammoth 60ft times? you deffinatly know how to cut a light by the looks of it too :shoot:

what kind of boost pressures are you running? and with what supporting mods?



ryan

 

[alfradio]

nice results alf. good to see those ets falling. bit more trap speed there too!

i take it your running an lsd to get those mammoth 60ft times? you definitely
know how to cut a light by the looks of it too :shoot:

what kind of boost pressures are you running? and with what supporting mods?

ryan

Boost is around 12.5 - 13 psi... no real supporting mods? (like FCD etc) basically a stock EP91 motor with FMIC and Speedvision manifold/downpipe... 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust (no CAT) that's about it...

Running C52 5 speed tranny with 4.312 final drive gear/LSD.

glad ya like it!

alf :homer:

 

[alfradio]

TERCEL1: Contrasting DAZE in paradise...

It's always somewhat disappointing when you return to your
home track (in my case, Capitol Raceway) after setting a
personal best elsewhere (yesterday at Cecil County Dragway)
and then have a lackluster performance at home (UGH!) but,
that's the way it went today...

While TERCEL1 continues to be a very popular car at the track
with everyone who sees it run...

...it's disappointing to me when it doesn't run as strong as I
know it's capable of running. Oh well, such is life!

Because Denys (boostjunkie) worked late last night on his car
(to make it go even FASTER, no doubt) I got his answering
machine this morning at 9:15 when I was getting ready to hit
the track. I left him a message saying that if he got this
message before I left for Capitol (my home track) before I
departed, he should call me and I'd travel down to his home
track (MIR) and if I didn't hear from him, I'd go to Capitol as
planned and we'd hoook up later on in the week...

So towards the end of the day, while I'm in the staging lanes
at Capitol, someone comes up to me and starts asking me
about TERCEL1 and what does it have done to it and did I do
the work....?

I told him the Escoto Brothers did the work and even though
we'd had a falling out, I'd highly recommend them to anyone...
He then replied that he'd heard of them and knew them from
when they worked at SRT (Swift Racing Technologies) to
which I replied, "Yes! That's the same place where my friend
Denys works and his Tercel is considerably quicker than
mine!"

He said, "The little RED Tercel...?" Yes, I responded to which
he said, "That's him over there!"

Talk about a small world... or was it, perhaps, because he
couldn't stand TERCEL1 being in the number #1 position on
the TO.COM 1/4 Mile Leader Board :haha::haha::haha:

About 5 minutes after he'd gotten in line to run, the staging
lanes were closed down for the day... and it should come as
no surprise to followers of the PERUVIAN PRINCE of POWER's
exploits, that one run was all it took to put him back on top!

See (and HEAR) for yourself HERE!

Later this evening when I called Denys to get the numbers
from his lone run, he informed me, "We gotta go to Cecil
County Dragway!" (I'd only been suggesting THAT for over a
year and always the same teasing reply from him, dismissing
my good ETs with the comment, " "Oh, the DOWN HILL TRACK!")
but, as soon as someone ELSE suggests it.... it's like, "Yeah,
we gotta go to Cecil County Dragway!"

Sorta feelin' like Rodney Dangerfield... "I get no respect!"

alf

 

[finx]

you basically covered what i meant when i said supporting mods. fmic exhaust etc.
often the most simple and under rated set ups are the best. the old less is more kind of thing.
you certainly have an excellent car, i love it.

for an "off day" you still managed to cut some verry good times! low low 14s is still impressive for a ct9.
im fairly certain im the only one currently doing similar times over here (NZ) on the stock turbo. (going by the starletcentral leader board). my pb to date is 14.2sec, im in the hunt for the 13s.... a good track is hard to come by over here thou so that may be some time away yet.

 

[alfradio]

TERCEL1: Historical memories... NOT!!!

Originally posted by alfradio on 04-04-09
Probably hittin' up this re-opened, historic track tomorrow...?

alf :dunno:

Well, I just got back about 2 hours ago... and talk about a
historic track!! By the time I got there at around 10:30 AM
(expecting the gates to open at 11 AM), they were already
open! Whoo-Hoo!!

I got teched in and found a place in the pits...

... to do my pre-race ritual (remove side mirror, windshield
wiper, afix number to windshield and side window, inflate rear
tires, deflate front tires and drop the front coil overs)

Racing was to have started at 12 Noon but, it was around
12:30 PM before the first pair were sent off...

The tower announcer kept talking about what a historic
occasion this was and all the memories that were a part of
Maryland 75-80 Dragway. The track, by the way, is called
"75-80" because it's at the intersection of Maryland Routes 75
and 80! (Clever, eh!?)

If you look real carefully between the big tree and the big sign,
you can see the traffic lights of the intersection:

I'd always heard this track was not very friendly towards front
wheel drive cars and today I understood why:

In the photo above, you can see the timing tower and a bit of
the bleachers on the right... well, the 5 lanes of staged cars
(out of the frame) are just along side the bleachers and today
(dunno if they do it this way all the time) they first, pulled
2 cars from lane#1 until ALL THE CARS were pulled from lane
#1, then they moved to lane #2 and so on...

So imagine: Along side the bleachers, there are 5 lanes (5 cars
abreast) but, the entrance to the track can only accommodate
one car at a time so, the first of the pair called, always winds
up in lane #2, while the second car always gets lane #1.

The reason for this (less than perfect) method is because, once
you turn the corner from the staging lane(s) onto the track,
you are in the water box... in fact to do a proper burn out, you
must first back into where they hose down the box... AND that
section is about 5 or 6 feet from a fence making it next to
impossible for a front wheel drive car to back into that area
for a tire heating burn out!

This CLIP (which I took from directly in back of the fence) will
better illustrate what I mean!

Here's TERCEL1 waiting for it's first time up to bat:

...and as you can see from the above photo, TERCEL1 is lead
car in staging lane #2 so I will get the far lane of the track,
while the car behind me (the orange Hemi) gets the tower
side...


While we were waiting in the lanes, the driver of the Hemi told me it
was his first time out the track (can't recall if it was, first time
EVER or just first time ever with the Charger) but, the previous
weekend at Capitol, there was a guy there who, for whatever reason,
kept blazin' the tires off the car... I never got to line up against him
but, would have beat him on several runs (HaHaHa) I was
sorta hoping this guy was going to do the same and give me
the win but, he managed a good launch so, while I had him
for about the first 330 feet (as you can tell by the spectator's
surprise), he eventually ran me down, beating me by about
a half a second (.494 sec)

The time of my first run (remember, ALL THE CARS in lane #1
had to be run 1st) was at 1:10 PM... and YOU ARE THERE!

Here's TERCEL1 waiting for its second run of the afternoon...

After the second run which didn't get underway until 3:47 PM
(2.5 hours after my first run), I called it an END to a less than
memorable day for me!

Someone else will have to get me a couple of track stickers for
TERCEL1 'cuz I doubt I'll be returning anytime soon...

Along with the absurd length of time between passes (we did
have a passing shower, which didn't help)

The entire day reminded my of a piece of Bill Gates software
which is hurried to market before all the bugs have worked
out of it... Case in point:

There wasn't enough time to iron out the glitch in the printer
which was in the timing slip booth so, instead of getting the
slip as you came back down the return lane.... you had to
park your car and walk to the tower to claim your timing slip
and they would only hold them for an hour, after which it was
in the trash!

Another tiny surprise; The Christmas tree! It was a PRO TREE
starting system (3 simultaneous ambers followed by the
GREEN) as opposed to the ambers tumbling down to the
green! Glad I noticed that...

I was also given a "warning" that, because I had a racing
seat, my lap/chest seat belt was not legal... In the future, I'd
either need an OEM seat or a 5 point harness seat belt!

The track leaves a bit to be desired (especially for really
FAST CARS) The shut off area, studded with lots of potholes,
is very SHORT and you run out of real estate before you know it!

:twocents: In my opinion, Maryland 75-80 Dragway is much more
suited for an 1/8 mile track then a 1/4 mile...

Greg (Malibuguy) we'll have to find another place to have our
'grudge race'... sorry...

alf :blah:

PS: Here are a few more photos for yee old scrap book to help
recall another set of memories...

As you may (or may not) know, TERCEL1's mascot is Looney
Tune's Wile E. Coyote, the cartoon character who's always
trying to catch the Roadrunner... well, that little speedster
was a couple car behind me today and I doubt very much if I
could have caught him...

This next photo illustrates how the end of the track heads for
the sky... sort of like a ski jump ramp... and it veers to the left
as well... on the other side of that hill is a garden of pot
(holes, that is)

...and in the end...

 

[alfradio]

TERCEL1: Beaver Springs Dragway

Where to start...? Perhaps at 5 AM when my alarm
clock woke me from a fitful sleep!

I drove up there, rattled off 11 runs within 66 minutes after
which I took a break, ate a couple dogs and did one more
pass before heading home. It was a 3 hour ride and along the
way I took a bunch of pictures:

Departing Maryland...

DejaVu all over again...

I've seen these signs ONLY in PA...

...quite honestly, they make absolutely no sense whatsoever...
I mean, how would you know if someone was DUI?

Once above Harrisburg (the PA State capitol) the main road(s)
are peppered with stands, selling fireworks and these items...

I kept wondering if there are any connection? :dunno:

I could've probably made it to the track a bit quicker but I
routed my travel so I could stop by and see the Fab Four:

I suspected I was getting close when I saw:

My suspicions where confirmed when I saw other travelers
along the road...

Arrival at around 9:35 AM

...and who is there to great me... Beaver BOB, himself!!!

This historic moment must be captured!!

...and now, for the reason I came, click this photo:


This next video shows me completing my burn out and staging
when I notice the timer walking towards me and motioning
me to roll down the window... "YOU'VE GOT OIL POURING OUT
OF YOUR ENGINE!", is what I imagined him telling me but, to
hear the message he gave me, click HERE!

Kinda choked me up...

Here's a couple shots from the best seat in the house!

Gotta love this sign:

...and of course, to try to get into my hometown newspaper, I
had someone take this photo!

I close this entry with THE DAY'S REPORT CARD! Enjoy:

 

[Aga]

nice going alf! why dont you spare your self from being burnt adjusting your actuator and fit an electronic boost controller?

 

[Idrees]

Nice thread Alf, good going.

 

[alfradio]

nice going alf! why dont you spare your self from being burnt adjusting your
actuator and fit an electronic boost controller?

If by 'being burnt', you mean on the hot manifold when I shorten/lengthen the
actuator rod, I found a tip on TGTT... I've replaced the "C" clip with this:

This type clip makes adjustment so quick and easy! Takes all of about 30
seconds to adjust... Try it!

alf :homer:

 

[finx]

good going alf, another awesome write up.
how is your camera mounted for the in car vids? i want to try something similar for next season and could do with a few ideas.

cheers
ryan