Why drag race a road course car?
11-09-2013, 11:09 PM
#1
Why drag race a road course car?
Wasn't the C7 built for road course use (i.e., sophisticated handling features, differential coolers, brake vents, etc) yet it seems most people are drag racing them? These cars beg to slung around curves....I don't get it. IMO drag racing is about as boring as it gets.
11-09-2013, 11:29 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
Wasn't the C7 built for road course use (i.e., sophisticated handling features, differential coolers, brake vents, etc) yet it seems most people are drag racing them? These cars beg to slung around curves....I don't get it. IMO drag racing is about as boring as it gets.
Drag racing can be very interesting, try it with stock tires in 30 degree weather.
You can also make auto crossing very interesting too. It all depends upon whatever floats your boat. 
11-09-2013, 11:46 PM
#4
Yes they are a very good road racer but they are also great for drag racer and auto crossing. You can road race, drag race or autocross with a stock Corvette and have fun.
Drag racing can be very interesting, try it with stock tires in 30 degree weather. You can also make auto crossing very interesting too. It all depends upon whatever floats your boat.
Drag racing can be very interesting, try it with stock tires in 30 degree weather.
You can also make auto crossing very interesting too. It all depends upon whatever floats your boat.
11-09-2013, 11:53 PM
#5
In many road course HPDE's you get 3-4 30 minute sessions. You don't get that kind of seat time drag racing in an entire season.
Plus, isn't drag racing for hillbillies......ha ha ha....JK
11-09-2013, 11:57 PM
#6
Seriously? This is obvious. Price of entry and available free time.
An HPDE is a full day's worth of time. You're going to tear up your pads, rotors, and tires, possibly need to flush your brake fluid when you get home, and do an oil change. HPDEs are often available once or twice a month and cost a couple hundred bucks just to participate, before all the prep.
Drag racing? I can spend 20 bucks and make 3 test and tune passes after work with the only prep being dropping my rear tire pressure. I fill it back up after I'm done and I'm home in time to watch the 10pm news. If HPDEs were that accessible, PLENTY of people, myself included, would partake.
An HPDE is a full day's worth of time. You're going to tear up your pads, rotors, and tires, possibly need to flush your brake fluid when you get home, and do an oil change. HPDEs are often available once or twice a month and cost a couple hundred bucks just to participate, before all the prep.
Drag racing? I can spend 20 bucks and make 3 test and tune passes after work with the only prep being dropping my rear tire pressure. I fill it back up after I'm done and I'm home in time to watch the 10pm news. If HPDEs were that accessible, PLENTY of people, myself included, would partake.
11-10-2013, 12:00 AM
#7
Safety Car
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because you can??? LOL its whatever you like to do!! maybe for you drag racing is boring, but not at least 50% of the members here!
Last edited by walhan_qtr; 11-10-2013 at 02:39 AM.
11-10-2013, 12:09 AM
#9
Seriously? This is obvious. Price of entry and available free time.
An HPDE is a full day's worth of time. You're going to tear up your pads, rotors, and tires, possibly need to flush your brake fluid when you get home, and do an oil change. HPDEs are often available once or twice a month and cost a couple hundred bucks just to participate, before all the prep.
Drag racing? I can spend 20 bucks and make 3 test and tune passes after work with the only prep being dropping my rear tire pressure. I fill it back up after I'm done and I'm home in time to watch the 10pm news. If HPDEs were that accessible, PLENTY of people, myself included, would partake.
An HPDE is a full day's worth of time. You're going to tear up your pads, rotors, and tires, possibly need to flush your brake fluid when you get home, and do an oil change. HPDEs are often available once or twice a month and cost a couple hundred bucks just to participate, before all the prep.
Drag racing? I can spend 20 bucks and make 3 test and tune passes after work with the only prep being dropping my rear tire pressure. I fill it back up after I'm done and I'm home in time to watch the 10pm news. If HPDEs were that accessible, PLENTY of people, myself included, would partake.
There are plenty of HPDE's, I find them easily using tools like http://www.motorsportreg.com/
11-10-2013, 02:41 AM
#10
Race Director
11-10-2013, 03:27 AM
#11
Le Mans Master
Time is definitely an issue, but if you're worried about the cost of an HPDE you shouldn't be driving a C7 Corvette.
There are plenty of HPDE's, I find them easily using tools like http://www.motorsportreg.com/
There are plenty of HPDE's, I find them easily using tools like http://www.motorsportreg.com/
, corvette is a sports car(doesn't matter what year) along with many other sports cars that are on the market, I guess 10's of 1000's of people are idiots.Most people who buy sports cars haven't even been down a dragstrip, and even fewer people have been on a road coarse .
People who road race usually have a dedicated road race car, which is something they don't go to the grocery store with.
11-10-2013, 07:48 AM
#12
Scraping the splitter.
Seriously? This is obvious. Price of entry and available free time.
An HPDE is a full day's worth of time. You're going to tear up your pads, rotors, and tires, possibly need to flush your brake fluid when you get home, and do an oil change. HPDEs are often available once or twice a month and cost a couple hundred bucks just to participate, before all the prep.
Drag racing? I can spend 20 bucks and make 3 test and tune passes after work with the only prep being dropping my rear tire pressure. I fill it back up after I'm done and I'm home in time to watch the 10pm news. If HPDEs were that accessible, PLENTY of people, myself included, would partake.
An HPDE is a full day's worth of time. You're going to tear up your pads, rotors, and tires, possibly need to flush your brake fluid when you get home, and do an oil change. HPDEs are often available once or twice a month and cost a couple hundred bucks just to participate, before all the prep.
Drag racing? I can spend 20 bucks and make 3 test and tune passes after work with the only prep being dropping my rear tire pressure. I fill it back up after I'm done and I'm home in time to watch the 10pm news. If HPDEs were that accessible, PLENTY of people, myself included, would partake.
S.
11-10-2013, 08:25 AM
#13
Le Mans Master
A aerodynamic design torque filled V8 is perfect for drag racing. Contrary to popular belief drag racing is not easy. A lot can go wrong in those few seconds. I like road course and drag racing but if I had to give up one it would be road course. Matte of fact I like all types of auto racing. Do you honestly think GM is adding Launch Control to be used on a road course?
11-10-2013, 10:22 AM
#16
I have friends with lambos porsches turbos, gt2's gt3's and they have all tried getting me into road course racing. I went twice to watch and wanted to shoot myself. Sat there for 3-4 hours waiting for the next session...(VERY BORING) and annoying since I dont have time to sit around. and then once everything happens and they race, they come back to tell me what happened out there cause I didnt see a damn thing. I can see why it would be fun if you have entire weekends to burn. But since I dont, it actually pissed me off instead of making me happy. Not to mention the people at that track were just too worried about what my profession was rather than know anything about cars. Most were just bought. If you want to talk to someone about cars that actually built there car then I go to Atco. If I want to talk about how much money I have or dont have and the mpgs or msrps of my car I go to millville. Just my experience and preference at this point in time.
11-10-2013, 11:00 AM
#17
^^^ great point! I don't own a c7 but have a c5z and I'd love to take it to a road course but idk where the closest one even is. And it really seems like a lot of wear and tear. I enjoy autox but my blood is in drag racing. And I agree on going to the drag strip to really meet gear heads. That's who goes. It's a fun and enjoyable experience. If it really costs that much to do an event I'll never go. That's way too much time and money. I'd rather invest that $1000 in parts and go race it for $20 or street race haha
11-10-2013, 11:15 AM
#19
Le Mans Master
^^^ great point! I don't own a c7 but have a c5z and I'd love to take it to a road course but idk where the closest one even is. And it really seems like a lot of wear and tear. I enjoy autox but my blood is in drag racing. And I agree on going to the drag strip to really meet gear heads. That's who goes. It's a fun and enjoyable experience. If it really costs that much to do an event I'll never go. That's way too much time and money. I'd rather invest that $1000 in parts and go race it for $20 or street race haha
11-10-2013, 11:22 AM
#20
Le Mans Master
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Because it is much easier to push the gas down for 10-12 seconds than it is to lap a road course for 20-30 minutes at a time without balling up your car.
Your typical Corvette driver is not a racer and will probably hurt himself in a road course. That's why they buy automatics and hold the wheel straight at the drag strip. Hell even that's a stretch, most Corvettes are never raced in the first place.
I've personally done both. I thought drag racing was boring as hell; a typical night at Englishtown NJ involves waiting 3 hours for all the Honda Civic boys to blow up and oil down the track and maybe getting one or two runs in. Then they kicked me out for running faster than 11.5 without a cage. What a monumental waste of time.
Road racing was a lot more fun but the wear and tear on the vehicle is massive; I wasted tires and brakes very quickly and the oil wanted to run *HOT*. Then you always have to worry about the consequences of going off the track; at Grattan the little cafe has a memento to the last guy that hit a wall there and died.
Nowadays I usually autocross the corvette and track my BMW. My 335XI is cheaper on tires and brakes to road race, as well as being more forgiving. I road race my C6 about once a year.
I haven't been to a drag strip since the last time I showed up when the gates opened and didn't get a single run in because so many crappy cars were blowing up.
Your typical Corvette driver is not a racer and will probably hurt himself in a road course. That's why they buy automatics and hold the wheel straight at the drag strip. Hell even that's a stretch, most Corvettes are never raced in the first place.
I've personally done both. I thought drag racing was boring as hell; a typical night at Englishtown NJ involves waiting 3 hours for all the Honda Civic boys to blow up and oil down the track and maybe getting one or two runs in. Then they kicked me out for running faster than 11.5 without a cage. What a monumental waste of time.
Road racing was a lot more fun but the wear and tear on the vehicle is massive; I wasted tires and brakes very quickly and the oil wanted to run *HOT*. Then you always have to worry about the consequences of going off the track; at Grattan the little cafe has a memento to the last guy that hit a wall there and died.
Nowadays I usually autocross the corvette and track my BMW. My 335XI is cheaper on tires and brakes to road race, as well as being more forgiving. I road race my C6 about once a year.
I haven't been to a drag strip since the last time I showed up when the gates opened and didn't get a single run in because so many crappy cars were blowing up.
Last edited by PowerLabs; 11-10-2013 at 11:29 AM.