Easter Pro Fields looking thin
Discussion
With Easter not far away i looked at the entry list published so far. The "Pro Fields" seem to be a bit thin. 3 Pro Mods, 6 Alcohol, 2 funnies and 1 solitary fuel. Entries further down seem to be good...Super Pro and Pro etc. Has the downturn in the economy finally hit home or is everyone still waiting parts? What say you??
The Pro-Modified field at 7 cars seems to be missing just 2 British cars from Mr Bishop and Mr Moore, I don't remember any other British cars over the past couple of years. Is there any chance of the old Appleton Camaro coming out in PM or is it just gathering dust and awaiting a motor to run in one of the sportsman categories? It would be great to have a full 8 car elimination field.
The NFAA field looks strong. There is no Mob entry but the other 3 Fuel cars are there and it will be great to see the return of Dirty Harry.
The NFAA field looks strong. There is no Mob entry but the other 3 Fuel cars are there and it will be great to see the return of Dirty Harry.
Andrew I know alot of guys are taking some time out this year. Obviously we are, Nigel Payne, Tim Mugridge I believe won't be out for the first two or three meets, Simon Farmer had everything for sale, and Paul Mander is time restricted now. Having said that I know of two, possibly three new cars, that we may well see enter as the season progress's.
Who knows............fingers crossed!
The class still provides the closest side by side all doorslammer racing, and considering the constraints with the rules, to see the likes of Nigel and Fred running 7.30's is awesome! It's a shame the class doesn't get better supported in other area's, it might help lure other people into the class if there were a higher profile to it like Street Eliminator for instance. Ok I can see one of the obvious attractions of Street Eliminator, but to me there is nothing greater than getting to the top end of the track, and seeing the other car in the other line virtually crossing the line at the same time, and neither of you knowing who won! Plus surely it's got to be good for spectators to see two cars going at it side by side, instead of one running a seven and the other running a nine or ten, and being 8 car lengths behind? I think one of the issues with SuperMod, when I talk to people is that they don't really understand the rules, and because of the rules, what it takes to get one of these cars to run the numbers they do.
I bet if you spoke to the Street Eliminator guys and asked them honestly, I bet SuperMod is a cheaper class to run as well. Especially when you consider that you could probably put together an all singing all dancing SuperMod motor for probably around £12-15K if you were starting from scratch? Most SuperPro, Super Comp cars already have the basis for one of these motors, so would probably cost alot less than that to build something competetive. I bet some of the street eliminator guys have got upwards of £20-25K, and in some instances much much much more invested.
I remember we spoke to Reher Morrison in the states when we first looked at the class, with the view of them putting together our engine, as they had supplied one to us before. When we faxed them the rules they thought we were crazy, and suggested that there was no way any combination could run any faster than mid eights. Well look at the class now. In reality as you know Lee, the rules are simple, and as with everything, the best way of finding out what something is like, is to jump in with both feet and give it a go.
Having raced in SuperGas, Super Pro and SuperMod, I can honestly say, SuperMod for me has been the most enjoyable. No time limits, just heads up balls out racing built around a set of rules that make it competetive. Come on Lee, I know it's where your heart is still!
Ok.....stand back and be prepared to be shot!
;);)
Who knows............fingers crossed!
The class still provides the closest side by side all doorslammer racing, and considering the constraints with the rules, to see the likes of Nigel and Fred running 7.30's is awesome! It's a shame the class doesn't get better supported in other area's, it might help lure other people into the class if there were a higher profile to it like Street Eliminator for instance. Ok I can see one of the obvious attractions of Street Eliminator, but to me there is nothing greater than getting to the top end of the track, and seeing the other car in the other line virtually crossing the line at the same time, and neither of you knowing who won! Plus surely it's got to be good for spectators to see two cars going at it side by side, instead of one running a seven and the other running a nine or ten, and being 8 car lengths behind? I think one of the issues with SuperMod, when I talk to people is that they don't really understand the rules, and because of the rules, what it takes to get one of these cars to run the numbers they do.
I bet if you spoke to the Street Eliminator guys and asked them honestly, I bet SuperMod is a cheaper class to run as well. Especially when you consider that you could probably put together an all singing all dancing SuperMod motor for probably around £12-15K if you were starting from scratch? Most SuperPro, Super Comp cars already have the basis for one of these motors, so would probably cost alot less than that to build something competetive. I bet some of the street eliminator guys have got upwards of £20-25K, and in some instances much much much more invested.
I remember we spoke to Reher Morrison in the states when we first looked at the class, with the view of them putting together our engine, as they had supplied one to us before. When we faxed them the rules they thought we were crazy, and suggested that there was no way any combination could run any faster than mid eights. Well look at the class now. In reality as you know Lee, the rules are simple, and as with everything, the best way of finding out what something is like, is to jump in with both feet and give it a go.
Having raced in SuperGas, Super Pro and SuperMod, I can honestly say, SuperMod for me has been the most enjoyable. No time limits, just heads up balls out racing built around a set of rules that make it competetive. Come on Lee, I know it's where your heart is still!
Ok.....stand back and be prepared to be shot!
;);)All too true Craig! I've had many a conversation myself with people where they've dismissed the class as being overly complicated and I don't doubt for a second it has put people off; the disappointing thing is that as you know, if you actually sit and take the time to examine the rules there's nothing complex about it at all! There's no need for anyone to be put off, especially now the class is well established and there are so many people to turn to should anything need explaining further or clearing up. Even the big name engine builders in this country are now more than experienced enough to point someone in the right direction of a proven combination. It's a real thinking class though, something I've always considered to require almost Pro Stock like levels of fine tuning and innovation to succeed.....we also went through numerous conversations with companies in the States and had them tell us it'd never work; in fact at Gainesville one of the big cheeses from Crane Cams virtually burst out laughing when we told him the ET's we were aiming for. There are so many racers around that would probably relish the challenge of building and refining a combination and working towards being competitive in the class; the feeling of satisfaction when you "run a number" is pretty tough to beat. It's just a shame more people don't embrace the class and just give it a try.
I don't doubt for a second either that the price to be competitive must be well shy of the equivalent Street Eliminator package. I guess the fact that there is such a variety of different combinations available works against the class in this country, must be a similar reason why comp eliminator has never taken off over here. It's a shame the numbers are so low, I hope there is an upturn in entries soon so it doesn't tarnish the class.
You're right mate yeah, my heart will always be with Super Mod, as will the rest of the family's, we had such a good time and got to race with some really good people and the challenge of trying to get 2840lbs worth of ignorant pig iron to run the times and speeds she did is something I still miss 2 years after our last pass......ultimately it's drag racing in it's purest form; heads-up, first to the finish line wins....and we all know real race cars have doors too (we'll paint some on the funny car ha ha) ;-)
I don't doubt for a second either that the price to be competitive must be well shy of the equivalent Street Eliminator package. I guess the fact that there is such a variety of different combinations available works against the class in this country, must be a similar reason why comp eliminator has never taken off over here. It's a shame the numbers are so low, I hope there is an upturn in entries soon so it doesn't tarnish the class.
You're right mate yeah, my heart will always be with Super Mod, as will the rest of the family's, we had such a good time and got to race with some really good people and the challenge of trying to get 2840lbs worth of ignorant pig iron to run the times and speeds she did is something I still miss 2 years after our last pass......ultimately it's drag racing in it's purest form; heads-up, first to the finish line wins....and we all know real race cars have doors too (we'll paint some on the funny car ha ha) ;-)
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 18th March 21:42
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