Hot summer evenings, the sounds of engines revving and the smell of burning tires in the air….the drags are here! We had a very impressive turnout of ZCG customers and friends at the Wednesday Night Fun drags 6/26!  Our caravan from the shop was 8 cars strong including: Joe E’s Porsche 911 Turbo , David C’s R32 Skyline piloted by Josh C, Scott G’s Twin-Turbo AWD G37 Sedan, Ken S’s 300zx Twin-Turbo, Rob’s 300zx Twin-Turbo, Jeff V’s Vortech Mustang GT, Marco’s RWD(!) Honda CRX, and I drove the Yellow 4-door Datsun 510…

 

 

When we arrived at the dragstrip even more familiar faces had joined the fun: Juan F’s Vortech G35 Coupe, Jason D’s single turbo G35 Coupe, Trevor M’s sexy Z31 Turbo, and John T’s Z32 TT:

After everyone passed the tech inspection(yes, even the RWD CRX) we headed to the grid and started practice runs. If you are a first timer, these “test” runs allow one to learn the optimal launch/shifting strategy for consistent E.T.’s and reaction times. We got  lucky and everyone had 5-6  runs before eliminations. This is one of the most fun parts of the day where you can race your car down the strip, collect your timeslip and discuss with friends!  Also,  between runs comes the banter and virtual car show in the grids:

It was neat to see the little yellow 510 in midst of big-block muscle cars and fire-breathing boosted imports. I taped my first run and ran an embarrassing 16.2s at 87mph. Josh even rigged the MSD ignition’s two-step feature through the horn button, set at 4000rpm. Unfortunately this launch just spun the inside tire:

I gradually improved the launch with each practice run and got down to a 15.797 at 87.73mph before eliminations started.   It was still hot, 90 degrees but rapidly cooling.  Time for elims!  Everyone chose a dial-in time and marked it on the windows. I dialed in at 15.8s. With the adrenalin rushing it’s hard to focus completely on your launch. The countdown tree of lights becomes an over-analyzed feature. Once moving though many things come into play like temperature. Cooler weather means more power and if you feel like you are running faster than your dial-in, maybe letting off or even tapping the brakes could net you a win.

Almost all of us made it through the first round of eliminations!  I eventually lost to the modifed Focus ST pictured next to me as I broke out by running a 15.739 at 88mph. Josh and Jeff moved on and Rob even went to the third round in his 300! Here are some E.Ts for the cars:

 

Jeff V ran 12.06 at 117.94 mph in the Mustang
Rob ran 11.5 at 126.8mph in the 300zx Twin Turbo
Scott G ran 12.3 at 114mph in the G37 sedan
Joe E ran 12.0 at 117mph in the 911 Turbo
Josh C ran 13.6 at 104mph in the Skyline

Stay tuned for more in-car videos in HD.

Come out with us next time for the Wednesday Night Fun drags as it is certainly an experience that all enthusiasts can appreciate!

More pictures in the gallery!