2007 JDRL Thunder Year-In-Review

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2007 JDRL Thunder Year-In-Review

JDRL THUNDER YEAR-IN-REVIEW

The Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association JDRL Thunder Series for 2007 was one of the best ever. The first event of the year was cut short after only one round due to inclement weather. First round winners on March 31^st were Miranda Floyd, Dustin Day, and Austin Harmon.

April 14^th was the date of the second event in the series. Emily Mix took the win at this event. Runner-up was Bryan Santino.

emily mix.jpg

The third event, held April 28 was won by Dustin Day. He defeated Jessica Biscay by running 11.511 on an 11.51 dial-in.

Bryan Santino made it to the finals for the second time on May 12^th. This time he met the team car of Nicole Fluge/Holly Fields. Unfortuhnately for Bryan, he went too quick giving the win to the other car.

Seventeen drivers entered the event on May 27^th with Merranda Molinari defeating Sydney Schiffman in the finals. Emily Mix made it to the semi-finals and took a 10-point lead in the series total.

The event on June 2^nd saw Brooke Brown over Austin Harmon in the finals. Emily Mix again scored a semi-final finish and stretched her series point lead to 20 points.

Bryan Santino worked his way to his third final of the season, on June 16^th and emerged victorious over Dustin Day. It was over before it started as Dustin drew the red-light. Emily maintained her 10-point lead over Nicole/Holly with Dustin ten points behind them at this stage.

Bryan Santino took his second win in the series and vaulted into first place by defeating Tyler McMurry on June 30^th. It was a double-break-out final with Bryan going under his index by less. Bryan’s lead over Dustin and Emily is only 10 points.

Austin Harmon began making his move by winning the event on July 14^th. “A.J.” defeated Emily Mix with Bryan Santino achieving a semi-final finish. The point total shows Emily and Bryan tied for first with Austin only 10 points back.

austin harmon2.jpg

Dustin Day was the last one standing on August 5^th when he defeated the team of Nicole Fluge/Holly Fields in the finals. Austin earned a semi-final finish. He and Emily are now second in points, only 10 points behind Dustin.

Nineteen racers, the largest field of the series, met on September 2^nd with two Idaho racers meeting in the finals. Wesley Morris defeated Matt Burger to take the victory. The team of Holly Fields/Nicole Fluge scored a semi-final finish and really tightened-up the points race by earning a three-way tie for first with Austin and Dustin, with Emily only 10 points behind.

Dustin Day earned his 3^rd victory of the season by defeating Bryan Santino on September 22^nd. This was the race that determined the championship, as the final event was rained out leaving Dustin with a 30 point lead over Austin, with Bryan finishing in a tie for third with Nicole/Holly and Emily in fifth by only 10 points.

dustin day.jpg

Dustin Day is the 2007 JDRL Thunder Series Champion. Woodburn Dragstrip congratulates all of the excellent racers in this series.

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Drag Racing School - What is Bracket Racing?

Bracket, or ET, racing is a great way to get into the sport of drag racing. You don't need a lot of money or special equipment to get started, but it helps to know "the basics."

What is a Bracket Race?

A bracket drag race is a straight-line acceleration contest between two cars, usually starting at different times, from a standing start over a specified distance, usually a quarter mile or an eighth mile. Racers line up in front of a countdown device, called a Christmas Tree. When they leave the starting line, timers record how long it takes them to reach the finish line. This is called elapsed time, or ET for short. Top speed is also recorded.

Getting Started

The best way to get your feet wet is to go to a "test and tune" session (most tracks have them weekly). For a small fee, you can practice your starting line procedure, learn how the car reacts to tuning changes, and make passes down the track without the pressure of racing against someone.

You should also take time to watch how other racers do things, and most importantly, ask questions. Most racers will be happy to give you pointers on improving your technique.

Competing

When you're ready to race against other people, you can compete in your track's weekly series. Your car will be put in a category, or class, based on the elapsed time of your car. Top speed is not a factor in bracket racing.

You will need to determine how quick you think your car will be. This is called the dial-in. When you are matched up with another car, the dial-ins are compared and the slower car is given a head start equal to the difference between the two. To win, you want to run as close to your dial-in as possible without going faster, or "breaking out."

You can also win if both cars run faster than the dial-ins (called running under) and you are closest to your dial-in. If both of you get down the track exactly at your dial-in or have the same breakout, the driver who reacted quickest to the Christmas Tree - called reaction time, or RT - wins the race. Here are possible outcomes for a race betwen Car A with a 14.50 second dial-in and Car B with a 15.25 second dial-in:

Car A runs 14.55 seconds, Car B runs 15.35 seconds
Car A wins (runs closest to dial-in without breaking out)

Car A runs 14.40 seconds, Car B runs 15.20 seconds
Car B wins (both cars run under, Car B runs closest to dial-in)

Car A runs 14.50 seconds with .510 RT,
Car B runs 15.25 seconds with .505 RT
Car B wins (runs at dial-in, has better reaction time)

Where Can I Race?

Woodburn Dragstrip, of course!! Come on down!