What Ever Happened to Run what you Brung [Archive]

MarauderTJA

04-05-2006, 05:43 PM

I love this website. I have learned a tremendous amount here and participate in various discussions within different vendors forums. I personally like high performance discussions on superchargers (all of them) and other modifications to make our cars go faster.

But lately there seems to be an abundant amount of points and threads on things like:

One power adder
$200. for anyone hitting the 11's
Fastest S/C'd car without nitrous
Forged vs stock internals, gear ratios, torque converters and more
and the list goes on and onI really enjoy these discussions, but I begin to wonder where we are all going and what are the points we are all trying to make.

With our cars a lot of us want them to go faster. Are we heading in a direction of my car is faster than yours. because, of the above modifications and it doesn't count? I have dragged raced with various cars since my 20's. A type of car against the same type of a car was always:

You run what you brung!

With us go fast guys, the hell with the mods you have, whether you use nitrous or not, forged or not. Let's just go fast.....Your mods are yours, my mods are mine. It just seems we are all so preoccupied with each others mods, S/C's and more that it seems we are always trying to defend ourselves or our brother members.

Is it just me realizing this or does anyone else feel the same way. Love to hear and discuss EVERYONES comments.

Because at Marauderville IV at Gainesville Drag Day, we are having two classes. N/A or S/C'd for trophies. Nothing else is going to matter.

03MERCMARAUDER

04-05-2006, 05:46 PM

You run what you brung!

Ame brotha

Joe

Smokie

04-05-2006, 05:51 PM

Hey Tom, how are you?:) Not sure this is what you are looking for but here goes.

I will never have the fastest car and my funds are quite limited, will never use nitrous, will never remove the OEM gears. I am always analyzing results looking for the best results for the least amount of money; within what I am willing to do to my car.:D

Tallboy

04-05-2006, 05:56 PM

My take has always been "faster is faster". I don't care what you have or what I have, one of us is faster, and that's all that matters. [In this case, Tom, you are clearly faster, and in a league I'll never be in.]

The other thing I find particularly amusing, is folks who babble on incessantly about dyno sheets, and how much power they're making, then go to the track and run mid-to high 13s. :lol: Hysterical!!!

If you can't put the power to the ground, or don't know how to drive, the power is useles in your hands.

Great thread, Tom! Thanks for putting the focus back where it should be.:up:

jimlam56

04-05-2006, 06:03 PM

Don't forget Turbos...

MM2004

04-05-2006, 06:04 PM

You beat me to the post.

This site is becoming more and more divided as the days pass. :alone:

11 second club.
Trilogy club.
F.I.T. club.
Vortec club.
No2 club.

Bla, bla, bla,...

My hat's off to the guys blistering the 1320 in their 4,200 lb. sedans. ;)

Will mine ever each the 11's? More than likely not. :nono:

And you know what? I don't care.

I love the car. I love driving the car. :burnout:

That's what matters to me. That's what used to matter to everyone when I joined.

Times change as do the people, and I understand that.

But has anyone noticed all the b!tching going on lately?

Mines better than yours,... :puke:

Anyone wanna buy an Excal. and a CAI and hand me an additional $20.00 so I can break into the 16's?

Carry on.

Mike.

MarauderTJA

04-05-2006, 06:08 PM

Hey Tom, how are you?:) Not sure is this is what you are looking for but here goes.

I will never have the fastest car and my funds are quite limited, will never use nitrous, will never remove the OEM gears. I am always analyzing results looking for the best results for the least amount of money; within what I am willing to do to my car.:D

Javier, doing well here in Texas this week, thanks. Hey man, the intent of the thread is not to be-little anyones car, mods or how fast it is. We love our cars and if you are happy with how fast your car is great. And I am happy for you. And yes, the amount of funds you put in should be in direct response to how fast you want to go. I am personally proud of all of our SSM brothers and sisters for being as you called it, the SuperCharged State. As long as you are happy with your car that is all that counts. It is kick AZZ and will smoke (no pun intented) most cars out there. Now that it cool.

The most fun I have with our Marauders so far was at SSHS5 at Atlanta. You know why, we all were the MARAUDER RACE TEAM there. We were all respected, we all had t-shirts on that made us have class and that was continually commented on there by the bowtie group. It wasn't what supercharger we had or even N/A against the Chevy boys. That is what it is all about in my opinion.

MarauderTJA

04-05-2006, 06:13 PM

hitchhiker

04-05-2006, 06:35 PM

Tallboy

04-05-2006, 06:37 PM

Chuck, right on brother.

Thanks, Tom. I think you have it exactly right. No excuses. Faster is Faster.

By the way, when we schedule another track night in the fall, I'll get with you before we set a date to make sure you're available. :up:

MarauderTJA

04-05-2006, 06:41 PM

Yep. That's why I don't watch Pinks anymore. The whining about what the other guy has and the negotiation ruins the show, IMHO.

Show up and race, watch, or go home.

Ditto on PINKS. Bunch of cry babies and whinners...Before you know it, us Marauder guys will be giving 20 car lengths at the track:rofl: .

magindat

04-06-2006, 05:13 AM

Tom, I agree with where you are going, but I'm going to take it down another notch.

I believe most of us purchased this car mostly for the same reasons (in no particular order):

Rarity/collector/headturner uniqueness
go faster than average (pure stock)
good handling (for 4500#)
Room
Luxury
muscle-type car nostalgia

We pretty much bought a Cobra in Town-car trim. We discovered mods right here. Maybe some of us knew we would mod before the purchase. That's kind of irrelevant cuz I mod EVERYTHING.

The point is: this site exists and we all have comradery because we have THE CAR in common. Please, please, please let's keep it this way. Let's not go the way of the ricers and divide ourselves up.

Really, I'm not going to race Tom and expect to beat him, but on a night of gathering at the track, I'll run down the 1320 with him and be happy to see his taillights. Why? Cuz it's fun. Tom and I are building our cars for different purposes. I respect his. He respects mine. At the end of the day, THEY ARE BOTH MARAUDERS! The same holds true for everyone I have had the priveledge to meet and speak with....

So, you guys gonna flame me when I slam this car to the ground and lay frame? Why? It'll look cool, be the only one, and still ride as well or better than stock. It's just what I do. You don't have to like my paint, but you should repect that I do. You don't have to like my rims, but you should respect what it took to fit 'em. Hell, I'm still not sure I like the idea of a supercharger, but I'm helping a fellow member install one this weekend! I respect his decision.

It is for these reasons and more I lend my space to the team. Let's just revel in our diversity and share our experience.

Done ranting. Thanx for the thread, Tom. I hope it helps bring us all back to earth.
Rich

Smokie

04-06-2006, 05:57 AM

I agree with the above ^^^^ I race with my friends, not against them. I do have a competative spirit and I always do my best....I have never finished behind another Marauder and been upset about it. I have never finished ahead of a friend and bragged about it or rubbed it in.....however when I whooped that GTO in Atlanta, it shure did feel good.:D

94_302

04-06-2006, 06:52 AM

juno

04-06-2006, 06:59 AM

Yep, Run what you brung is great. I don't care if I lose heads up against someone.

But, I am with Smokie. We are not racing on the internet and unfortunately we don't race heads up a lot. When these guys are ripping off these awsome numbers I want to know how they got there.

Sure I would like to have a 10 second car and I know how to get there but my pockets are too low for that.

I committed to a turbo which may be here by the end of the month (the wait is killing me. Don't order a turbo kit unless you are patient. :( ) and I hope to get in the 11's with a stock motor between that, my Stallion, 3:73's and some drag radials (and a lot of help from Scott Beer). I want to hear how these other people got there, what mods they did, boost and fuel they were running so I can have an idea of where my best could be and what $$$ it will cost to get better.

I estimate it will cost me about 7500 to for all the mods to get there. Add in the 19k I paid for the car and for 26-27k I will have one hell of a luxury performance sedan that I never thought I could afford. :coolman:

Actually, that may be a good idea for the MVIV. Drag classes.

Fastest NA
Fastest Nitorus
Fastest Stock + 1
Fastest Trilogy
Fastest FIT
Fastest Vortech
Fastest Turbo

And just plain Fastest:banana2: :trophy: :bows:

Not to mention all the personal Call-outs. :poke:

MikesMerc

04-06-2006, 07:16 AM

but I begin to wonder where we are all going and what are the points we are all trying to make.

Is it just me realizing this or does anyone else feel the same way. Love to hear and discuss EVERYONES comments.

Nope, its not just you Tom. You're dead on point. Run what you brung...period.

I'm not sure where all this slicing and dicing of the performance pool is leading either. It seems to me that most folks, performance wise, want to be closer to the top of the heap. Accordingly, I think the rationale is to slice and dice the field of contenders to the point that everyone can be number one in their category or simply nearer to the top.

I've also been involved with performance cars many years, and have had many different fast cars. But, never have I seen this slice and dice phenominon as greatly as I see it here in this group. That's not a criticism, just an observation that I made a while back which indicates you're definitely not alone in wondering what the point is.

I posted something similar a few months back when we were discussing the Timeslip page when a good many folks suggested a ranking system for various stages of mods. There were so many categories suggested it made my head spin.

You are right Tom. RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG should be the attitude. Power adder and no power adder classes should be the only distinction (as is the general rule for most sanctioned racing formats). If you start drawing too many lines and distinctions you'll never know where to stop. There is no fair way to draw the line. There will always be someone that would have ranked higher had you made one more class that fit their personal situation (and mods) better.

Not only that...but all the distinctions between mods only worsens the division amongst members.

magindat

04-06-2006, 07:20 AM

Why is it all about 1/4 mile speed?

How 'bout:

Plushest ride
Best looks (show style)
Best skidpad
Drifting
Fastest lap (closed circuit)
Best mileage

Some of these may sound ridiculous, but they are all being pursued on this site. I am in no way trying to degrade or make MV4 more difficult, but let's realize and support what our brothers (and sisters) are spending their time and money on!

I like to help and I love to watch you guys go fast, but I know I'll never be winning any 1/4 mile trophys. I may get 'Most unique', but that's about it!

I am proud to be an owner and member of such a great community.

Carry on, fast people!

Breadfan

04-06-2006, 07:27 AM

Ditto on PINKS. Bunch of cry babies and whinners...Before you know it, us Marauder guys will be giving 20 car lengths at the track:rofl: .

PINKS is bracket racing without the computer and sohpisticated timing devices. They try to match cars and invariably one is faster than the others, by negotiating for lengths it becomes a more driver-oriented race and less about who has the fastest car.

There are two types of racing - bracket (driver oriented) and heads-up (speed, engineering, and skills). Both have their place.

That show would last 10 minutes if they didn't negotiate, invariably there is always a clearly faster car on that show, it'd be done in 3 races every time.

Breadfan

04-06-2006, 07:40 AM

I agree with what has been stated. There is no reason for us to redefine classes. The NHRA and IHRA define classes, and they're pretty much on point. It puts strict class distinctions in place and also forces people to think smart about putting a power added on as it bumps them to a tougher class sometimes.

We shouldn't try to re-invent the wheel. The classes are in place to prevent the over-discussing of the topic.

What I saw, personally, was a friendly bet put out by one of the sponsors of this site to see if some of the folks with that power adder could make the 11's and in return get a bit of a trophy for it. After that, threads sprung up everywhere, some in mockery to that, and some trying to one up the other.

I sat back and wondered what the heck is the big deal? A friendly bet from a sponsor to his customers - hit the 11's with my kit and you get $200. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see anything wrong with that. Sounds like a neat business promotion to me.

But my oh my did it erupt into plenty of different discussions. But the plain fact remains, you can complain about someone having a forged motor, more boost, bigger exhaust, more tuning, slicks, etc., but if they WHOOP YOUR ASS in the 1320 you are not making a point you are whining because you're slow.

And this is coming from someone who is a LOSER in that respect. My best time is no where NEAR the top times on this site. I have VERY HIGH respect for those getting this big beasts into the very very very low 11's, high elevens, 12's, and heck even 13's.

I'm knocking on 12's door with stock tires and a stock Trilogy. I have not once considered complaining that it's unfair that others are in the 11's becuase they have forged motors, drag radials, and more boost than me. Personally I'm proud of the fact that my choice of mods has taken my car from a worst run of 15.2 in the quarter to 13.2. That's a 2 second improvement in about 1 year. And I expect there is more to come.

Run what you brung. Enjoy what you brung. Watch other runs, and enjoy and encourage their involvement in these cars.

Yes I did make a choice as to which power added I wanted. I weighed my options, and made it MY choice based on what I wanted out of my car, and the technical details behind it. I wasn't swayed by anyone. I'm very happy with my choice and whole heartedly respect others for their choices. I even believe "hey you know what, even though they don't have what I have, I guess they too can be happy."

That's all that matters. Enjoy it.

And when you work your magic, show some engineering prowess and determination and get one of the top scores enjoy it and accept my respect. But don't rest on your laurels, becuase the other guy is invariably hot on your trail and will throw you off that pedestal quicker than you ran the 1320. It may not be me, but you can be damned sure I'll be watching, and cheering - both.

So enough BS, lets enjoy the cars, the hobby, and run what you brung, stick to classes, and bracket race. Yup, all three.

And I don't care if you're S/C'ed, NOS, or N/A, you damn well better be grinnin' when you hit that go-pedal.

juno

04-06-2006, 07:43 AM

I hear what your saying, but I don't think it is splitting people up. From my observations there is a lot of friendly competition between guys who have certain PA's and everyone wants to know who can perform better.
And everyone wants to know who's got the fastest d**n marauder!!!

We could post just 1 timeslip in the database. The one fastest marauder and no-one else need apply. :)

JMHO but I think most of the people want to run against people with similar mods for bragging rights. Their is plenty of time for grudge matches.

There is enough cars to make the "open" class very interesting and that would definitely be the highlight of the day.

Nope, its not just you Tom. You're dead on point. Run what you brung...period.

I'm not sure where all this slicing and dicing of the performance pool is leading either. It seems to me that most folks, performance wise, want to be closer to the top of the heap. Accordingly, I think the rationale is to slice and dice the field of contenders to the point that everyone can be number one in their category or simply nearer to the top.

I've also been involved with performance cars many years, and have had many different fast cars. But, never have I seen this slice and dice phenominon as greatly as I see it here in this group. That's not a criticism, just an observation that I made a while back which indicates you're definitely not alone in wondering what the point is.

I posted something similar a few months back when we were discussing the Timeslip page when a good many folks suggested a ranking system for various stages of mods. There were so many categories suggested it made my head spin.

You are right Tom. RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG should be the attitude. Power adder and no power adder classes should be the only distinction (as is the general rule for most sanctioned racing formats). If you start drawing too many lines and distinctions you'll never know where to stop. There is no fair way to draw the line. There will always be someone that would have ranked higher had you made one more class that fit their personal situation (and mods) better.

Not only that...but all the distinctions between mods only worsens the division amongst members.

ckadiddle

04-06-2006, 07:51 AM

Smokie

04-06-2006, 07:56 AM

Nope, its not just you Tom. You're dead on point. Run what you brung...period.

I'm not sure where all this slicing and dicing of the performance pool is leading either. It seems to me that most folks, performance wise, want to be closer to the top of the heap. Accordingly, I think the rationale is to slice and dice the field of contenders to the point that everyone can be number one in their category or simply nearer to the top.

I've also been involved with performance cars many years, and have had many different fast cars. But, never have I seen this slice and dice phenominon as greatly as I see it here in this group. That's not a criticism, just an observation that I made a while back which indicates you're definitely not alone in wondering what the point is.

I posted something similar a few months back when we were discussing the Timeslip page when a good many folks suggested a ranking system for various stages of mods. There were so many categories suggested it made my head spin.

You are right Tom. RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG should be the attitude. Power adder and no power adder classes should be the only distinction (as is the general rule for most sanctioned racing formats). If you start drawing too many lines and distinctions you'll never know where to stop. There is no fair way to draw the line. There will always be someone that would have ranked higher had you made one more class that fit their personal situation (and mods) better.

Not only that...but all the distinctions between mods only worsens the division amongst members.

I am probably one of the worse at "slicing and dicing" not to separate or create division, but because I enjoy anylyzing what went into a particular run or set of results, is a part of my nature.

Run what you brung is fine, there is only one fastest. So do you feel that it would be a more unifying force to put an end to mods. list, what kind of power adder is used and end all state clubs, go back to MM. NET national member??? All of the things that I just mentioned create separation, the timeslip page could simply read:

2003 Marauder, 11.08 @ 125 mph and nothing else.

Mike just food for thought ok, we are cool.:)

MikesMerc

04-06-2006, 08:03 AM

I hear what your saying, but I don't think it is splitting people up. From my observations there is a lot of friendly competition between guys who have certain PA's and everyone wants to know who can perform better.
And everyone wants to know who's got the fastest d**n marauder!!!

We could post just 1 timeslip in the database. The one fastest marauder and no-one else need apply. :)

JMHO but I think most of the people want to run against people with similar mods for bragging rights. Their is plenty of time for grudge matches.

There is enough cars to make the "open" class very interesting and that would definitely be the highlight of the day.

In return, I fully understand what you are saying as well. I think we'd get more participation by having more classes where folks have a better chance of being competitive with the guy in the next lane....no doubt. But, at the same time, its gonna be a crap shoot as to what classes to have and where to draw the line. Accordingly, if the "forged motor guys", or "single power adder guys" or "stock internal guys" want to race, I'd beleive this could be accomplished much easier through simple grudge matches. This not only keeps things from being too segregated and the fields to small, but also helps those running the evetn from being overwhelmed with detials.

BTW, what I mentioned about dividing the members was more in relation to blower brands, tuners, and other vendor related classes which would seem exclusionary. That all said, I won't lose any sleep. Whatever is decided upon works for me:)

Drag racing at MVIV aside, Tom still points out an interesting observation here on mm.net.

MikesMerc

04-06-2006, 08:16 AM

I am probably one of the worse at "slicing and dicing" not to separate or create division, but because I enjoy anylyzing what went into a particular run or set of results, is a part of my nature.

Mike just food for thought ok, we are cool.:)

Indeed we are cool my friend!!

I respect your opinions and your approach!

Don't get me wrong...slicing and dicing for comparision purposes to analyze performance is AWESOME! Heck, I wish the timeslip page had even more info. Having all the details as to what mods resulted in what performance is very interesting to me...and many others I suspect.

What I am referring to, and what I think Tom is referring to, is the slicing and dicing for individuals to "lay claim" to the "fastest XX marauder with XXX mods". That's where things get a bit silly. And I am not talking about you, or others asking "what is the fastest NOS marauder" or "what is the fastest stock block marauder"....those are relevant and interesting questions and the answers help others assemble potent combinations.

What I am referring to are the individuals that want to self proclaim an achievement in a class by dismissing others with disimilar mods. For example, "yeah Bob, that's fast and all, but you have a forged motor so it doesn't count", or "you have NOS so you're cheating", or "you have 4.56 gears and a big stall converter" so its not fair...and so on.

Perhaps being able to analyze the differences without getting into silly claims of performance (I have the fastest marauder with 4.10 gears, one power adder, stock converter, on Tuesdays, after 3pm, when its dry, and my dog is fed) is difficult. Perhaps I'm just splitting hairs. But I see a difference.

Your analyzing performance based on mods and I do the exact same thing :)

SergntMac

04-06-2006, 08:16 AM

The air of competition between us has been present for a very long time and it has an unfriendly aroma. I have spoken out about this negative force before, and it seemed no one was listening. Now, I hear y'all are getting tired of it too. Bravo! We should be more team like, Marauders vs. the rest of the world, and not pitched against each other in some kind of foolish race of egos.

This most recent round appears the worst yet, I hope we are not degenerating as a National club. In contrast to this aroma is our recent regional meet in Looseville, KY. It was sheer joy from beginning to end, and with very little said, or, staged around the car we mutually own. Yes, there is a place for racing and some frendly competition, but it should be in scale with other events and entertainment we share.

Now the timeslip database has been brought up again, most likely because someone didn't get their own way. However, it is remarkable as something we put together, something we did as a team. It's not perfect, and some could look at it as a scale of who is great and who is a loser. But, that's wasn't the intent. It was meant to be a tool folks can use to judge what mods deliver what performance. Again, a tool in scale with other things.

When I post specs on my mods, I am intending to share what worked and how I got it done, and nothing more. When I post about my own performance, I'm offering 411 as a tool for others to take as advice. When I ask for specs, or, how something works, it's because I want to learn something, maybe re-learn something I misunderstood. All of this works because we are all dealing with the same car. Turning it into a pizzing match of who's smarter, faster, or, got more power and spent less money, is foolish time wasted among us as friends. Hell, I just posted a request for specification on tires and wheels, and I am suddenly contradicting something I may have said in another post last year. Because I asked for tire sizes? What is the point of this nit-picking?

Here's hoping for the best, that we get back to the basics we enjoyed a long time ago, before a meet had to be the best ever. Dayum, every meet is a good meet when friends meet up. The atmosphere here is what makes us want to drive out and meet (and make) our friends, and enjoy their friendship. If the air here has a stench, no one will want to go.

The next regional meet is a few weeks away, and last year we included racing. We showed up at a local track and left some serious impressions behind, all the while supporting each other as team mates. I had three people helping me change into my slicks, where do you see that at race tracks? Can't wait to do this again this year, and hopefully without a "bounty" being along with us.

It's all in our hands, folks. We run it. Not the vendors, not any single regional club, whether organized or not. This is our home, and we should treat each other the way we want to be treated. Get this done and it's all good.

Just my .02C, carry on...

Breadfan

04-06-2006, 08:28 AM

BTW I think this is a very constructive thread.

magindat

04-06-2006, 08:33 AM

MY wife and I are lookng forward to racing with you guys in Gainesville. It'll likely be a new experience for us unless we get to a local track before then. I know I'll be one of the slower Marauders, I'll have to pick on only guys with completely bone stock cars. LOL

Dude trust me. It's fun as hell even if you're 'slow' cuz a stock Marauder ain't exactly slow to start with. I didn't need my helmet for my time. I needed it to keep my face from cracking from my huge grin!!!!

Bluerauder

04-06-2006, 08:41 AM

I know I'll be one of the slower Marauders, I'll have to pick on only guys with completely bone stock cars. LOL
:poke: :poke: :poke: ....not if I get to the bottom first !!! :rofl:

ctrlraven

04-06-2006, 08:44 AM

I totally agree, RUN WHAT YOU BRING! Last month several CAM members including myself met up at Capitol Raceway to run eachother and other cars. Joe Walsh and Merc had their duel and I ran Breadfan with his trilogy and I only had a k&n drop-in filter and h-pipe back exhaust delete. I knew he was going to beat me without a problem but the point is that it was hella fun!:banana2: Racing against Breadfan actually helped me focus more on my launch and stuff and I got my best time of 14.62 @ 95.51mph against him where as all my other runs are 14.7-14.8's with basically a stock car. I mean I think its fine if they have an award for fastest N/A and S/C Marauder but we should all run together, Turbo vs. N/A sprayed, S/C vs Turbo, etc etc. When drag racing it should always be about the love of the sport and friendly comp between friends and strangers. Granted it's fun to race against ppl with some mods cause then it comes down to the driver but in this world nowadays ANYONE CAN BEAT ANYONE ON ANYDAY and THEIR WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE FASTER. (not yelling :D) JMHO ;)

94_302

04-06-2006, 09:14 AM

I am probably one of the worse at "slicing and dicing" not to separate or create division, but because I enjoy anylyzing what went into a particular run or set of results, is a part of my nature.

Run what you brung is fine, there is only one fastest. So do you feel that it would be a more unifying force to put an end to mods. list, what kind of power adder is used and end all state clubs, go back to MM. NET national member??? All of the things that I just mentioned create separation, the timeslip page could simply read:

2003 Marauder, 11.08 @ 125 mph and nothing else.

Mike just food for thought ok, we are cool.:)

I agree I like the slicing and dicing because it's fun to analyze. There are many routes you can go with the Marauder. I think it's fun to see the results of people who have gone those routes.

Here is some minor slice and dice. 94-95 Mustang (http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=382654)
It might even be easier to just have on giant thread with everyones times. You list the times and then right below each user every mod that was on the car or being used at that time. Then someone like me, who likes to look at the breakdown, could do that on my own time.

Just as an example below is Martyo's details. Seeing this I wonder what shot was he using, how much boost, what is the whole bunch of stuff, what gears, is it a built tranny? I have seen his site and really enjoyed the information I found. But wouldnt it be easier to have just one sticky that is locked, and only a mod can add or remove information. That gives all the details.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td>Ride:
2003 Mercury Marauder </td> </tr><tr> <td> Engine type and displacement:
4.6L 4v </td> </tr><tr> <td> Induction:
S/C + Nitrous </td> </tr><tr> <td> Major modifications:
A whole bunch of stuff! </td> </tr><tr> <td> Tranny type:
Automatic </td> </tr><tr> <td> Tires:
Slicks </td> </tr><tr> <td> Race weight:
4800 lbs. </td> </tr><tr> <td> Horsepower:
597.3 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 60 foot time:
1.665 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 330 foot time:
4.647 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 1,000 foot time:
9.271 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 1/8 Mile ET:
7.118 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 1/8 Mile MPH:
98.90 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 1/4 Mile ET:
11.088 </td> </tr><tr> <td> 1/4 Mile MPH:
124.51 </td> </tr><tr> <td> Track Name:
Atlanta Dragway</td></tr></tbody></table>

Tallboy

04-06-2006, 09:35 AM

Lemme tell ya something, folks. If you can't drag race with your friends without someone's feelings getting hurt, I've got some news for ya...They're not your friends! Down here we usually don't race anyone but each other. I've been drag racing with plenty of Marauder guys. I've never seen or heard of any hurt feelings. In fact, some of us even drag race each other in each other's cars!

Case in point: I can't tell you how many times I've lined-up against Carfixer, only to have him beat me badly enough I have time to read his ET on the board. Sumb!tch beats me every time. Except last time. After his burnout, he left his car in second gear at the line, and I crushed him on takeoff. He was gaining as we flew past the beams, but I finally crossed the finish line before he did!

Think he'll hear the end of that anytime soon? Not likely. I told him: "I don't care if you were pulling your camper, I tripped the beams first!" Finally! If you can't have the outcome of Drag Day wind up something like this, you shouldn't be there in the first place.

The guys who show up for track night on the 21st will see what I'm talking about.

MarauderTJA

04-06-2006, 02:48 PM

Like others said you can't forget turbo so it really should be na and power adder at Marauderville. Yes, everyone does race as Marauders however a little friendly competition never hurt anyone. As long as people remember the key word, friendly. There will always be the crown for fastest and quickest Marauder no mod restriction. But after that why not have a fastest and quickest break down of n/a, n2o, fit, vortech, trilogy, slicks, street tires, drag radials, gears, exhaust, e.t.c. Having a lot of categories will promote some good competition that should be fun for everyone to follow.
Just remember keep it friendly and have fun. :beer: :burnout:

And yes, fun with our cars and individual tastes make it all cool. I love any Marauder and respect what each owner has done to their car. I am a horsepower junky, Rich is a car show type of guy. And I am proud to race with any of my friends any time. It is not beating them (expect for Shakes26 who I have to personally beat his best time;) ), it is having fun.

Good idea on an N/A class and Power Adder class (S/C, turbo, nitrous). [Smokie, make a note please] We would love to add more breakdowns like you indicated, but logisitically and fiancially we won't be able to do that this time around and keep the fee down.

MarauderTJA

04-06-2006, 03:02 PM

Nope, its not just you Tom. You're dead on point. Run what you brung...period.

I'm not sure where all this slicing and dicing of the performance pool is leading either. It seems to me that most folks, performance wise, want to be closer to the top of the heap. Accordingly, I think the rationale is to slice and dice the field of contenders to the point that everyone can be number one in their category or simply nearer to the top.

I've also been involved with performance cars many years, and have had many different fast cars. But, never have I seen this slice and dice phenominon as greatly as I see it here in this group. That's not a criticism, just an observation that I made a while back which indicates you're definitely not alone in wondering what the point is.

I posted something similar a few months back when we were discussing the Timeslip page when a good many folks suggested a ranking system for various stages of mods. There were so many categories suggested it made my head spin.

You are right Tom. RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG should be the attitude. Power adder and no power adder classes should be the only distinction (as is the general rule for most sanctioned racing formats). If you start drawing too many lines and distinctions you'll never know where to stop. There is no fair way to draw the line. There will always be someone that would have ranked higher had you made one more class that fit their personal situation (and mods) better.

Not only that...but all the distinctions between mods only worsens the division amongst members.

Thanks Mike:up: . I was beginning to think that I was the only one observing all of these issues. In fact, it was almost starting to get depressing reading and having to respond, or, not respond to prevent yourself to be looked at like an idiot, one of "those guys" or just another
S/C'd aZZhole. But N/A and Power Adders classes should be the only two classes to make everything fun and competitive.

I am building a new forged motor and hope to get in the mid 11's. And before that happens I will get into the high 11's with my current mods. That's MY GOAL. I will probably never have a car to beat Marty, Jerry or some of you other fast guys out there. But I'll do my best and strive to give that person something to think about when they line up side by side with me. And maybe, maybe just beat you, sometime, somewhere with the right luck and right run. That is incredible fun for ME. I drive my car every day. Their cars are race cars. And thats cool too.

I just really love this stuff. I am just glad to see that all of your responses are putting everything in perspective. It is comforting. Thanks.:beer: