Pro ET with Throttle Stop ???

[Benni]

Hello DragHeads,

in the german rulebook for 2017, Throttle Stops are legal in P/ET.

Huh ?

When asked, one of the officials wrote that this change was done

to keep in tune with the UK and scandinavian rules.

What did I miss, are TS legal in UK drag racing, and if yes, since when ?

I think it dilutes the "feel of the pants" ethos that is a big part of ET racing.

[dont know]

Since the start of last year Bennie. But throttle stop have been permitted in super pro in FIA rules Any super pro European visitors to Pod have had to remove them. only about 2 that I know of. The use of TS in pro et at Pod and Shakey has never took off.

[Benni]

Thanks for the info, seems a bit weird to me that FIA cares about SP/ET,

I thought that they only care for the FIA classes ?

Is the removal of TS in Bracket classes listed in the "supplementary regulations" (WD?)

that are part of the entry form for SPR events ?

I hope that this will be handled by Hockenheim orga in a similar way.

[dont know]

Benni it is all in the Santa Pod 2016 rule book. the 2017 book has not been issued yet. Speak to Frans about the German rules. Are you visiting Pod for the Main Event? If so you are welcome to visit us at the Scrutineering buliding

[Benni]

I might come over for easter as starter/tow driver for a FB,

and will pop into tech, thank you for the offer, will also talk to Frans.

In the german forum, there has been info about "start line control" units

that look like throttle stops but aren´t, but this is something from the

"black magic" of advanced bracket racing where I barely understand the basics of.

[Tet]

People are going to hate it once they realise that a throttle stop makes it easier to win in the bracket classes, and everyone starts using them. There will no doubt be a chorus of "no it doesn't" and "but we've always had close qualifying and racing without them". To an extent they're right. However, that just makes it even more imperative for a racer chasing a championship to take every advantage they can get, and I'm pretty confident it will happen. But it's in the rules now (for IMHO justifiable reasons), so what will be will be.

[dont know]

Benni Startline control units? Are you referring to Bump boxes. There are a few in use in the UK. We are in the Big Grey Building if you want a Visit

[TheMighty]

What I think Benni is talking about Glenn, is a "Startline Enhancer". This uses a throttle-stop setup to control the engine rpm and power application by throttle opening on the startline rather than the low side limiter, or just the limiter alone at least. In the US where delay boxes are legal it allows you to stage, floor the throttle pedal and control the throttle opening by means of the air operated throttle-stop which is timed from the release of the transbrake button. This allows you to keep the motor off the limiter for longer than necessary, allows a bracket racer to only react to one bulb, taking away the need to time his throttle opening before transbrake release, and to a certain extent can control how the power is applied to the converter in the moments around transbrake release.

Edited by TheMighty on Monday 13th February 14:13

[Benni]

TheMighty :

Yes, that´s what I was referring to, these "start line enhancers" which I never really understood.

Tony Morris was giving a bit of info in the german forum, if you know your car and the track well,

there are some "advanced" interactive installments to get through rounds in a tough bracket field.

What I also do not understand : Delay boxes are not legal in UK but bump boxes are ?

I thought they were more or less the same thing, if you put your foot down on your opponent´s first light

and realize your RT was bad while your lights ran down, you could adjust the "launch moment" by bumping ?

I am not a racer, but I find it hard to understand why it is easier to react on one light

(first light in the opposite lane)instead of reacting to your own final yellow light,

you can get "into the rythm" better while the yellows run down ( I think) ?

Adding a T.S. to a car seems to be a science of it´s own, which type, when it´s activated,

and how the engine is cut off and put on again without being too rich or too lean.

[TheMighty]

Hi Benni: When Glen refers to a "bump box" he is talking about a transbrake interrupt which is used by turbo cars to allow the car to move forward (often quite violently)and light the stage bulb whilst already having the rpm up and making boost. This isn't related to the bump up and down feature in a modern delay box.

[Benni]

Ah, OK, thank you for the clarification.

Back to Topic :

Is there any UK racer of the P/ET ranks planning to go for Throttle Stop in 2017 ?

No names needed, just numbers or guesses.

[Camaro]

Been a year since it was legal, not a single person has used one in competition. Genuinely thought this was a thread from last year as all the hype about this rule change died about two weeks after Easter when no one really cared.

As far as I know, the rule was only added to make it easier for those who double enter between S/Pro and Pro ET into SG and SC.