YO-EL

Allright...

I really need to know if this is considered proper, improper, or a guy being a jerk, whatever.. Someone tell me.... Because I feel this happens to me ALOT...

Situation:
The other guy FULLY STAGING before I get even 1 light lit...

A. No problem with it...
B. Discourteous
C. Guy is an A-Hole

Whats the real deal w/ this..?
Thanks

Geneus

I vote A...it is, what it is.

boogieman

B. Discourteous

Or maybe the driver does not know any better....and then again it could be - B and C

jpee

It could be ignorance.. he don't know the proper proceedure... if it happens to me.. I take my tine lighting the top bulb..

However now that I have been DEEP staging I "TELL" him that I'll light BOTH bulbs before he gets in.. then I'll go DEEP before he lights the bottom bulb.. to prevent ME from getting "Quick Treed"

kazman

A. No problem unless he was staged while you were still doing your burnout. I wait for the other car to come up but don't even look at his light from that point on. If it take you more than 10 seconds to shallow stage then you need to quicken your routine. I deep stage and don't have any issues even if the other car is fully staged before I put my top bulb on even with the 10 second autostart.

Ellis, with all do respect I don't believe you need the super long burnout. It may be perceived by the other driver that your taking too long and are playing stageing games. I know your not. Just my .02

YO-EL

I burnout to 5...
I can drop it, but usually I'm second to stage NOT because of the burnout, but because I have to get the worker to put water down..

JP..
if one guy is fully staged, how long will they wait until the other guy stages, or when will they drop it?

What is a burn down, when both guys light 1 & WAIT...?

ralph

Ellis it could be any of the above.

A. No problem with it...I think the vast majority that we race with just dont know the proper proceedure. If i know the other driver, i'll explain why they shouldn't do it after the round. If i dont know them, i just ignor it.

B. Discourteous....some just don't give a damn. If i think that is the case, i'll look for that pen i lost in the car 5 years ago before i light the first bulb. There's no time limit for me to prestage and the other driver shouldn't be fully staged anyway. eventually the starter will wave you in.

C. Guy is an A-Hole....You'll see this more on in Pro (aka Heavy) where the drivers are generally more experienced and looking for a way to throw you off your game. Especially if you're a deep stager...they'll race you to the tree and make it difficult for you to get in if autostart is activated. Or they do just the opposite....they dont go in. They take the full 10-14 seconds before fully staging while you're on the converter staring at the tree, where 10-14 seconds seems like a lifetime. IMO that's a burn down.

QuikZilver

I have to admit that I am guilty of this sometimes. For me, it is a lot of inexperience on the track. I get too excited and rush to the line. I know this is discourteous, but once I have staged and realize, it is too late to put the car in reverse and back out of the lights. Luckily, the group I run with doesn't mind when I screw up like this, as I am getting better. But I would say, unless the driver has a lot of runs, it is probably due to inexperience on the track.

Turbo Bob

B. Discourteous.

I believe everyone that is an experienced drag racer should always courtesy stage. People that light both the prestage and stage bulbs either do not know what courtesy staging is and should learn or they are just plain stupid.

And you know the old saying, "You just can't fix stupid."

kazman

Ralph, you have been to MG.

QuikZilver, as long as the other car hasn't lit the prestage bulb you can back out and restage.

JPEE, if you do that at the Grove the other car is going to quick stage and the tree is going to drop before your fully deep staged.

Glensgages

E, get a helper, fellow-racer, wife/girlfriend (not both on the same race-day!!!!! ) to walk to the water-box as you approach and TELL the Track Worker that you are requesting fresh-water.


Yes, both racers (usually hard-headed ) light the Pre-Stage bulb, and try to force his opponent to Stage first, against their wishes, hoping to break the other's concentration.

BLOWNBLUEC5

Hey El. When I Race My Cts Its A Clutch So I Stage Right Away So I Can Be Ready For The Light. I Dont Due It To Be A Dick I Due It For That Reason.

Mike

Glennm27

It could very well be the other guy does not know the procedure or etiquete of staging.

I did that a couple times a few years back and Edgar brought it to my attention so I now know and I pre-stage and wait for the other guy to do the same before I proceed. I am usually the first to pre-stage since I do NOT do a burn out.
Lately it is nice that way becasue I am also then able to fully stage first so the quick lights don't affect me as much.

I like the Auto-Start

Glensgages

I used that same proceedure at Maple Grove for 4 years during Division One E.T. Finals competition, and never had a problem:
in-fact MGR Personnel suggested using that method, to ensure not getting quick-tree'd.


Of-course, if your competition wants to be a pr!ck, he can try lighting both-bulbs first, but I try to:

* get into the water-box before my opponent, chirp the tires clean, and set the line-lock AS my opponent gets into the water

* begin my burn-out as-quickly as possible, as-soon-as the car in-front of me leaves the starting-line, and I am sure no Track workers will be wiping-up any fluids

* do a short-but-deliberate burn-out . . . First Gear to 4500, Second Gear to 4500, hold it for 1-2-3, dis-engage the line-lock and POWER-out of the burn-out to with-in a few feet on the Pre-Stage beam while your victim..... err, 'opponent' is starting his burn-out

* light the Pre-Stage bulb, and the Stage bulb with-in a few seconds of each-other, AS the other car is coming out of the water-box:
he has been told what my routine will be and I have suggested that he not vary his proceedure, so shouldn't be surprised

* as he approaches the Pre-Stage beam, roll-forward, and knock-out the top (Pre-Stage ) bulb, leaving my Stage bulbs as the only-bulbs lit on the tree, taking the Auto-Start system out-of the equation

* as he lights his Pre-Stage bulb, give the gauges one last look/see, set the launch RPM by-eye, then stare-down your bottotm-bulb:
from that point onward, 'when' he stages is of no consequence.

This has worked well for me at many different tracks, and it may work for you, too!

Fuzzy Dice

Let's remember that courtesy staging is not optional anymore folks...it is a rule...if anyone lights both bulbs before the opponent has lit even one, the starter is required to back them out and warn them...a second offense requires a DQ...ignorance is not an excuse...

Deep stagers certainly can get around this rule by writing "deep" very conspicuosly on their windows and informing their opponents of their intention...obviously this is not an issue during test n tunes, more like a source of irritation at that time...

The NHRA knew that everyone would claim ignorance if they get called on quick staging so they put in the "first offense is a warning" deal...

This happened to me twice on Saturday night..once on a time shot so I said nothing...in my first round of elims my opponent did it...I stopped short of staging and called over the starter...I made him back the other guy out...sorry but nobody is going to rush me, ignorant or not...

Pete K

I vote B
I will always take my time staging when this happens.

Glensgages

I didn't know that Orlando used this policy, Dan:
of-course, I've only made 'TIME-ONLY' runs there, so it will be interesting when I begin racing there.....
:o

kazman

For big $$$ foot break and DIV 1 finals MG "slows" the tree. I have been using a new staging method which works very well. I can go from no lights on to full deep staged and ready to rock in 2-3 seconds. I stop in front of the prestage line, raise to launch RPM then heal toe the break pedel and stage in one motion. My 60' times using this method have be very consistant meaning that I'm always in the same spot. Deep staging lets me launch between 1500 and 1800 which means I can stand on the converter forever. In pro I ususlly go first having a slow 12 second car. I have to say this past weekend MG was very good in giving both cars the burnout thumbs up at the same time. I have found that even with a short burnout the deep car can't come up to the line first every time. I have been burnt on several occasions trying to be "nice" at the tree. I do wait until the other car is up to the prestage line but other than that I just do my own thing and stage. If the other car is fully staged same thing. I just do my own thing and stage. I don't play games at the tree but always do my normal routine. This method gives me control over the 10 second autostart.

Dave-T

We have gone over this issue time and time again. It seems to me that most people do whatever they feel like doing. When I drove a stick car I would try to get in as soon as I could. I needed the extra time to get my rpm's up and to get ready. As a result I was accused of going in too quick. When I got an auto I would strictly follow the rule of courteous staging. However I was also deep staging. As a result I was accused of going in too slow. At this point it seemed like I couldn't make anyone happy. So now I still deep stage. If my opponent is not in yet I will prestage and wait a bit until I am fully staged. Once he is prestaged or fully staged I will go in deep. If he is prestaged before I am in I will try to fully stage in all one motion and then go in deep after he is fully staged. Botom line is that I see that most people just don't give a chit. I race against many who are fully staged before I am even close to being prestaged. So I think you need to ignore this when it happens and just concentrate on your own game.

SpeedRacerGirl

To be quite honest in the beginning last year I ddint know any better.. but now.. I find that most of the opponents I run against are fully staged before I even get the top two lit... I dont complain cause in my opinion it makes my opponent at a disadvantage since he is sitting there longer and has more anticipation waiting for me to stage.

Part of the reason I wait to stage (which I find alot of other seasoned drivers do NOT do) is that I wait until the pair in front of me is actually done.. and then I wait to see that my correct dial in appears on the board before I roll up. I caught e-town once already this year misdialing me.