A/Fuel Funny Car

Boy, I guess you go through short term memory as fast as BAD's go through valve springs. You like to talk sh__(e.g. piss-boxes), but you also like to run from it. You and your buddy Lynch must be cowboys. Maybe not, cause I haven't how bad ass you are.................yet.

 

OK, probably should not have called Randy’s beloved TAFC a POS, but if he thinks something different would be so much cooler, than his current ride is un-cool. Believe me, many AFD guys think BAD’s are POS’s, so I don’t see much difference here.

Have had the whole blown vs. injected discussions on other boards quite some time ago, and quite frankly I did not care for Randy’s responses back then. We will never agree on the topic, which is fine, his take on a topic that he only knows from ‘hanging around with the AFD guys’, is his take. When he replied as he did to someone who was living the deal, I lost what respect I had for him. Keep in mind, he and I traded e-mails on a number of issues prior, and I respected him as a racer. That went away. No real big deal.

Is injected nitro cool? Damn straight it is. I think they are some of the coolest cars out there. Unfortunately, my preference is in blown alcohol, and though we had a significant amount of success with the combination, it cannot run with an injected nitro combination, with a few exceptions of severe weather. Have no interest in digging up the facts to prove that, but it is the case.

The TAD class has been screwed up for a number of years. It is not the AFD guys or the BAD guys fault. It is the fault of the sanctioning body that is allowing two very different combinations with little effort to keep the playing field level. Given the differences in the two, there will probably never be a level playing field, but over the years, it certainly could have been better. If there will never be parity, then it will forever be a mess. Why on earth should that be transferred to another class?

For the TAFC guys who would build a car in a heartbeat , would they still do so if the power’s at be said that 20% of the time their cars would be able to run with a blown car, and for the other 80% of the time they will be a tenth slower? They could still have the cool sound and the header flames, and valve springs that would last a year, but with that would come a guarantee that they have a slower car. I think it would be a nice turn around.

Randy’s point about the driver’s abilities, and that AFC would make them better drivers is so silly, I am surprised he said it. Should we also lower mountains to create better mountain climbers, shorten a marathon to make better runners, move the home run fence in to make better hitters? A large percentage of the Pro racers ran in the TA ranks. Would Scelzi, Cory Mac, Melanie, the Pedregon’s, etc, etc, etc, etc, all be better drivers today, if they did not learn how to drive a car that required the concentration to leave rev’d up and shift on time? If I was picking a driver for a Pro car, I would look to a driver who has shown that they can drive a BAD, or especially a TAFC. If they can do that, then I would expect that they drive a ‘point and shoot’ car, and be ready for the unexpected.

Reality is that other than getting fired up about this issue from time to time, usually when my medication is wearing off, I could care less about what is happening. The sanctioning body has shown again and again that they care little about the TA classes. When they started taking things away, National Events, qualifying runs because they were behind schedule, low qualifier money, etc., etc. I found other things to do.

 

Pat, let me help you.

Pat McGill, Quote (post #50)

"There is enough of those piss-boxes in TAD."

Those were your words, not mine.

 

The short answer was "hanging around the A/Fuel guys." The long answer is I have been doing quite a bit of homework on this over the last few years, and have discussed it with quite a few people who would be effected by it or have experience doing it.

I have concerns...concerns for the guys learning this stuff. Like many, I have witnessed the carnage after a pit explosion from improperly handling nitro and I feel like I would personally shoulder the responsibility if anyone got hurt if we screwed up and it happened to us. I talked with several teams about this issue and learned a lot about how to avoid it. I would be concerned for any team making the switch to a combination that could be dangerous that they know little about (like me).

I asked for comments and enjoy hearing both sides.

Sure would be nice to know who you are. Yours is a great post. I was asking for comments and you stepped up (without beating me up to badly!).

RG

 

See Post #58; those were your words.
And yes, I think injected nitro engines are piss-boxes. We don't need to ruin TAFC with them.

By the way, I can't take credit for coining the term piss-box. I stole it from a post from another ITA member.

 

Great point!

Look no further than Comp Eliminator for a similar situation. That class is hurting right now due to the excessive amount of classes. This was caused by people who politicked for new classes in order to be competitive. Please don't let TAFC go down the same road. There is little hope for parity (AFD vs BAD) in TAD; luckily, one doesn't have to worry about parity (everyone runs BA) in TAFC. At least, right now they don't.

 

Pat:

I used what are called "quotation marks." That means I was quoting you (your post #50) in my post #58 where you first told us that A/FD were "piss-boxes."

Just in case it mysteriously disappears...here is post #50.

 

Again, I'm not denying the fact that I think injected nitro engines are piss-boxes. I'm just wondering why you would even be thinking about walking up to those guys and calling the car they run for Duane a piss-box?

 

66 vette,
I am sure Randy's comment on making a driver better would be explained this way.
"with an A/FC, you don't have to shift or hold a clutch or rev to the moon, the drvier can concentrate on leaving the starting line when he is supposed to and then once he leaves the starting he he can concentrate on getting from point a to b in a relatively straight line without the worry of shake and shifting at the right time etc etc. I think his point is that it would make it easier to become a good driver (in an A/FC). Everyone knows the TAFC (including Randy) is the toughest car out there (maybe Pro Mod is #2) to drive.
That is likely why he made the statement that there are only 5 or so great drivers in the class, because they can do those things over 95% of the time.
Manzo, Payne, Hough, V. Smith, Miner and Marc White (how did I do Randy, I know you said only 5 but.............)

 

compra me dos taco de carne asada? con horchata!

This post started as a cruise on the beach (Huntington/Hermosa) with the cool ocean breeze and know it took a 180 turn to Fontana on 4 flats with no air conditioning. Lets relax and not try to be drama queens, we allready have Brittney Spears for that and dont need anymore. I miss Kevin Browns postings, he would of calmed you guys down. Where you at KBIZZLE?

 

I had this going on Nitromater, too. Both he and Marshall Topping perked up about it.

 

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I say bring it on. Are you saying it doesn't take skill to drive an AFD? The driver doesn't matter in an AFD? Cody, young lad, be careful. Someone might take offense to what you say.

Yours truly,
No driving, no leaving AFD driver

 

re: reality check

it would be bitchin. my dad would flip if i had a funny car in the garage to do this. he would hit his head on the body too much. why would the powers that be want another parody ache on their hands. we could only wish and dream, but i would really think about making that switch. so, what do we all think a a/fool funny car would run?

 

I wouldn't say no skill, but much less than a blown car.

much less.

Thanks for asking.

 

using current TAD rules, a popular 421 brad 6 combo and 2.90. accepting the fact that these bodys would more resemble the blown fuel than blown alcohol, i could say that 5.30's @ 270 wouldn't be a problem with in a year.
of course the mph leap would be more than the e.t.
driving one would present a whole new set of challanges. say dropping a hole or two as the dragsters are prone to do, or shaking the tires, would no doubt give a push, or rattel your brains out just the same. there are a lot of guys that switched to the funnys just to avoid the nitro cars, and i'm sure they would be the ones that scream the loudest. at the same time there have been a lot of guys that have stuck it out and have been very successful.
i say why not, it would be good for the sport. no one forces you to run the combo you run. if you would get off the computer and into the shop, you might find something and not be worried about this.

 

Hello Randy
I have never posted here, But with all the interest in a/f FC I could not resist.
I would build one in a minute, Just to be running Nitro again. The TAD is fun and my experience is more consistance, but Nitro is the ultimate. Going to the high side and leaving at an idle really sets you back in the seat. Being able to see the flames would just add the the experience. I see match racing these at night. The crowd goes wild.

Dennis Swearingen
Nitro Cowboy now drinking Alcohol

 

..Amen Dennis,..Nitro ROCKS

If you build it,.....You will run.


Vic

 

And you know from experience? I guess it is tougher hitting the right/left-up/down buttons on your keyboard, isn' it?

Thanks for replying.

 

Would be interesting to see where Brian Hough, Wayne Morris, Jeff Wilson, Jay Payne, Don Hudson, Sean O'Bannon, Lee Callaway, and Mick Snyder stand on this subject.

On that note, there must be some reason a current TAFC owner would risk ruining one of the best classes in drag racing? There must be some reason a current TAFC owner would consider switching all of his stuff to AFFC? Is it about cost or competitiveness or is it a combination of both? Is AF really that exciting to some people? Those cars sound like $hit to me; I assume that is why the piss-box term was coined.

Would we gain some new TAFC racers if AF was added? Probably. Would we lose some current TAFC racers? Definitely, the proof is in the pudding.

 

First things first, I don't own or drive (If only I had the $) Though I do have plans in the next year or so to gain my TAD License.
I can see what Randy is saying, and I respect you Randy, first heard about you when you went up against our (Australian) at the time quickest TAFC driver Alan Dobson in Japan, fun times huh Randy?
Anyway you can put me in the I don't agree with having A/Fuel in the TAFC class category. If I want nitro I will go watch, TF or NFC. My favorite class to watch is TAFC and the blown TAD's. When I do make it out to the states, I have to make sure that I go to national events where the alcohol guys are running, I remember my first time in the states I was baffled why majority of the fans left the stands when alcohol was up. So would A Fuel in TAFC draw much of a fan base? I don't think so, the A Fuel Dragsters don't keep the people in the stands, so therefore if it was to attract more fans, then I don't think it would work. Would it be cheaper for the racer? I'd say yes, I can't remember seeing an A/Fuel dragster do much damage. Would it make the class better? No, no, NO! It would make it unfair on the blown guys and IMO would kill the class, like a few have said I think the number of the racers would drop off. I get pretty bored at times watching TAD because most of the field is A Fullers, unless Bill goes out and runs a mid to low teen, I find A Fuel a little boring, not always, but I prefer the BAD's and I just love listening to the note of a blown alcohol engine. Well that's my view. And I am enjoying anyone who's not bagging anyone out making some interesting comments, it's good to read and you're giving a young guy a lot of information/ knowledge, thank you.

Mike