Andrew,
> I agree with you about the deep staging. Nobody deep stages in Pro Solo.
> The technique, as you have stated, is to stage a shallow as possible. So
> if nobody deep stages, then the PS light is really not neccesary...right?
Well, probably not entirely necessary, but surely is a big convenience.
I know the few times that I have rolled into the staging beam too
deeply, it has been a real bite to put the car in reverse, back just out
of the beam and then re-enter the beam. Upsets the whole flow. All
this when I really need to be in the zone and concentrating on the
launch. There is something to be said for simplifying the staging
procedure, whether it is the way the system is laid out or the things
you do in your car as you are getting ready to run. The fewer things
you have to do, the better you will be prepared to make a consistent
run.
> For those who haven't done Pro's, I feel reaction time is even more
> critical in Pro Solo that at the strip (although we all know it is critical
> there too). Why? Because unlike at the strip, your time starts when the
> light goes green, not when you break the start beam.
So, in effect, this is exactly like a dragrace. The only difference is
that you don't get a reaction time in a Pro Solo run...it's included in
the run time and that blows in my opinion. The nice thing about the
timing system in dragracing is that with the separate reaction time, you
can see exactly how the car performed on the track. It all still boils
down to the total time from when the green light is activated until you
cross the finish line. First one to the other end wins. This is what
gives the 'true win' number. The reaction time just lets you compare
vehicle (and driver) performance a little more objectively. I can't
even remember the number of races I have either won or lost by less than
a hundredth of a second due to the reaction time alone. It's a way of
life in short sprint-style events where there is no time to make up for
little mistakes. It also lets a great driver excel when his vehicle's
performance is a little lacking.
BTW, we have even taken time to break it down further by testing the
drag car with a sensor on the car that cuts the total reaction time into
a DRT (driver reaction time) and VRT (vehicle reaction time) so that we
can work on both the driver and the car. Doesn't make much sense to
work on the car if it is the driver that is causing the slow reaction
times ;^). Painful pill to swallow as a driver.
It sounds to me that Pro Solo is very akin to dragracing and a lot of
the same techniques apply to running the car. The actual event is quite
short, requires extreme precision, and you can lose by thousandths of a
second. Something to think about. Hope I get the chance to try Pro
Solo some time next year. Sounds like a blast.
Later dates.
--
Scott Knight mailto:sknight@mich.com
http://www.mich.com/~sknight IRC:SS396man
'95 Black Impala SS
'94 Ducati 900SS CR
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