Timing beams on 1/4 mile track
Turbo Mini Forums

I put a lot of research into this today........
Back in the 70's the finish beam was 12" off the ground, meaning a longer overhang gave an advantage. Later a "beam breaker" was fitted to all dragsters, like on hill climbers, but this didnt help as people fitted them in different positions giving different amounts of advantage, this was banned and then they moved the finish beams to 3" above the ground to try to make the wheel break the beam. If you do have a splitter which breaks the beam first, it is now accepted as a racing mod as there is no way of policeing overhang advantage.

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Edited by paul wiginton on 5th Sep, 2007.

I seriously doubt it!

if the splitter stops the lightt reflection at the start it must therefore brake the beam at the other end,

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How about a pinnochio nose arrangement, that extends out the front as you're racing?

Or maybe a rocket that fires out of the grill at the 1/8th and breaks the beam?

Whatever you do - surely Gav will also do the same - but knowing Gav, he'll make his a little bit longer LOL

The starting beams are under the splitter at ground level, so that they can be either side of the wheel, At the finish line the beam is 3" above the ground and the splitter breaks the beam 10" before the wheel has crossed the line, effectively making the 1/4 mile 10" shorter.

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

I seriously doubt it!

You are assuming that the timing stops as the wheel/splitter breaks the beam at the end of the quarter.

As the timing starts when the 2nd stage beam makes when the car moves of the line, it is logical that the timing at the end stops when the beam makes rather than breaks.

Hence whatever splitter you add will not have any affect.

I was a regular at the Pod in the seventies when the changes were made to stop this kind of cheating. I'm sure it can't be done.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

It is as the beam breaks as opposed to makes. If a doorslammer with less than 3" ground clearance races then it wont stop timing until the whole car has passed the beam, so a shorter overall length car would get a quicker ET.

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

It is as the beam breaks as opposed to makes. If a doorslammer with less than 3" ground clearance races then it wont stop timing until the whole car has passed the beam, so a shorter overall length car would get a quicker ET.

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

I thought the timing starts when the last green lights up hence the figure given for a reaction time and hence how you can red light if you break the beam before the green? Hey that rhymes!?

I seriously doubt it!

I don't think anyone has taken offence?

it never even crosed my mind paul,
but i still think youv'e got the wrong end of the stick re trigger methods.

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Isn't there a guy at the end with a stopwatch?

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

OK. So where does the reaction time come from?

I think the reaction time is purely when 2 cars go head to head in an actual race. You could win the race with a slower car if your reaction time was quickenough.

Look at 60ft times, I got a reaction of 0.6 and a 60ft of 2.5 one go, and a reaction of 0.9 and a 60ft of 2.3 on another. If reaction was taken into account on those 60fts (i.e. subtracted)my head would have come off!!

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

You never know, most 60 foots for fairly powerful but heavy RWD cars on sticky tires is in the 1.5 second zone.

I've got that sorted now, the timer starts when the last amber goes out, the green comes on .5 a second later so a reaction time quicker than 0.5 means you've red lighted. 0.5 is theoretically perfect. Thats the yanky way of doing it anyway!

Edited by Jay#2 on 6th Sep, 2007.

So carls twinny isnt that fast its coz of the splitter!

ba$t3rd!

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


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I seriously doubt it!

i cant remember who did the calcs, but 0.06+ seconds to do 10" at 105mph is WAY off. Were talking factor 10 at least

i calculate it to be more like 0.005seconds! Which as someones already suggested is really really nothing.

S=D/T, therefore T=D/S (Time, distance, speed)

D = 10", which is 0.254 m
S = 105mph, which is 46.93 m/s

0.254/46.93 = 0.0054

Edited by andeh on 6th Sep, 2007.

I've seen the future and tbh its Pie

I seriously doubt it!

OK boys,l i have it on very good authority that whatever part of your car starts the clock running will stop it at the other end, baring crossing the line sideways, backwards or on its roof,lol.


carl

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9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will