Dry Lakes Racers Australia

Having just gone through some budget exercises for some friends interested in building and racing at the salt....we hit a snag ....who in their right mind would spend a small fortune in building a race car/bike, ( I agree completely) when they don't even know if its something they like before trying it first ie. driving or riding on the salt.

So I would like to see the run what ya brung / 130mph club considered again ....if memory serves me correct the main and possibly only reason for its demise was the drivers/riders over exuberance in exceeding the speed limit ....one suggestion (looking for more) would be for interested people to post an upfront fee of $1500 with the explicit instructions that if the driver /rider exceeded the limit /distance by more than a few mph, they automatically forfeit the $$$ and are sent home or cannot participate any more ....if they behave then the $$$$$ are refunded except for the usual racing fee......they could also be limited to run the short course.... these riders / drivers would also be required to assist in helping run and set up like other racers....becoming a member first could also be considered.

Looking for reasons why this is not possible /feasible to start again and if it has any support.

cheers

My personal view is I agree, there is a place for this class. Worth having the discussion again. Think you'll find it voted out for all the safety issues involved. Example Hans device won't work with lap/sash belts etc.

Thanks for the reply Chris ......I think we need to consider the USFRA 130 club idea and rules and look at that .....it would need to be minimum safety requirements ....something any person with a road registered vehicle could do without spending to much.....get a feel for it and come back with a rules compliant vehicle at a later date.

cheers

Hawk
I'm with you.
At the WoS they run a 130 club-- I haven't read the rules but from the look of the drivers this year all they had was a helmet, long sleeves , long pants and the seat belt
which came standard in the car.
Bikes also ran with helmet, leathers and boots.
They are limited to under 140mph and if they exceed that they are out.

Limit them to the GPS track and give them a sticker to identify them.
When they return the gps unit the time is recorded and if they have gone over the designated speed their sticker is removed-- and no more racing.
Maybe they could plead their case with the meeting director.

Bones

Its a good revenue raiser for the USFRA
i think its $200 for 4 runs and an extra $50 each run after that
some guys just keep shelling out the 50's and hot lap all week
others break in the first run ,
they run on a mile long track and turn over quick , its the same track as the short course but they have to turn off early

OK, so the guy behaves himself all week, then final run decides to go flat out, crashes, kills himself because of lack of proper safety equipment.....no more speedweeks or DLRA for any of us.
Pete Noy
DLRA 6
SATA 3

What's going to stop someone building a 300mph vehicle--- doing a couple of shake down runs and then trying for top speed and killing himself.

Bones

Pete I understand your point BUT...... where/when has this hypothetical possibility happened ?????? I suggest never, here or state side re the 130 club.......lets add to those hypothetical scenario's ........ member or visitor races down the access road to the pits and crashes killing them selves or others (against the advisory signs) ..... visitor decides to go racing off track and kills him/her self ..... push car or chase vehicle exceeds the speed limit and same scenario...... and blah blah blah .... lets all pack up and go home wrap ourselves in cotton wool.

cheers
Gary

OLDtimer wrote:OK, so the guy behaves himself all week, then final run decides to go flat out, crashes, kills himself because of lack of proper safety equipment.....no more speedweeks or DLRA for any of us.
Pete Noy
DLRA 6
SATA 3

If the guy (gal?) is made aware that any speed over the designated limit (+ or -, as per licensing runs) would NOT be recorded, would the thought of being a smart ass seem uninviting, no proof, no challenge ? ?
Why would someone want to start at the top before getting their teeth into the sport 1st?

All due respect but each step in our Licence class has a limit with further safety requirements beyond that limit.

We used to have an entry level. Now entry is about $3000.00 of safety gear then start building a car. We have scared ourselves into an expensive Motorsport
What Hawk said. Lots of cottonwool.

A huge bond and they won't blow it.

no excuse with a gps ,your speeds are accurate and visible , was harder to run to a speed before they were introduced

who would trailer all the way out there & pay all the costs associated to blow it intentionally
and as far as last run heros , bans can last more than one year ,

I am a newcomer who has yet to take to the salt but has at various times been involved in other Motorsport we ultimately make decisions ourselves about our own safety and how far we are prepared to go. We can never prepare for every eventuality, we know what we do is dangerous which is part of the attraction. I am building a bike hopefully for 2015 and have started a car for the longer term. Based around a na 2.0 jap car I would not expect that it would go over over 130 mph even after development. Have always felt safer on the track than the road particularly on a bike. If this is the sport we choose then the rules within reason should be the rules we choose.
The options put forward for a limited speed class make sense to me it how we manage it that's important
Cheers Brad

Of course, another option to consider would be to allow competition cars from circuit racing to compete in that 130mph class. So if someone had, for argument's sake, a Formula Vee or a Formula Ford they are already race ready and could be run on the salt with much better safety than any road car. Again, if they exceed 130mph, the run is disallowed. Vees rarely exceed 110mph. The next issue is, which track do they use? If they run the GPS track, they know how fast they went. If they run the long course, they don't and the speed is official. A few extra long course competitors wouldn't make any difference.

Cheers
Dave

USFRA also do a 150 club running from the same line, they are required to meet full LSR spec cages but i think more relaxed about fire suits etc, have to check that to be sure
may get too complicated but a cams spec car could possibly be allowed more than 130 ? but still a shorter track , 150 club run 2 miles not the 1 of a 130 club vehicle

Dave

The club is getting new timing gear for the course formerly known as the GPS course. This way it would be required that any car under 150mph or bike under 175mph be restricted to the GPS course and proper timing, and as an extension, records would be ratified for them. This will help speed up proceedings and potentially load balancing between courses coule be implemented.