Topic: Racing and fuel price.

[Don R]

 I'm wondering if fuel prices will affect your racing? We'll probably take the car to fewer races and try to stay closer to home. The Dually gets 8mpg towing and the drag car Q16 is close to $20 a gallon. We already tow back after a run, once the engine is heat soaked we'll probably keep it under a blanket and tow to the starting line too.
 Cordova Dragway has a new owner who is a sportsman and exhibition racer. He also has former customer friendly personnel re-hired, it's our closest track at an hour drive each way. We want to support the business, our association has four days of racing scheduled.
  I may attempt an entry into bike drag racing there also. A few of the best bike racers in the country live near here so going rounds will require a deadly consistent bike and a plan. 

[dragracer]

Under the current circumstances in the world affecting fuel prices,  I've temporarily shutdown our full schedule racing program. There are other considerations besides fuel prices but if we do make an event it will be a lical day trip and nothing where we have to pay for overnight accommodations.  Cutting hotel fees out of the budget will allow us do limited events. Since I've been racing, this type situation has happened before.  I made adjustments then and got through it all, we'll get past it now.


 To put this in prospective as a minor disruption to my life, I'm just grateful I don't have fully armed tanks and infantry passing through the streets of my town.

[dusterdude]

Oh hell frank,grab a tank and take a run down the strip.lol

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[Don R]

 When we were younger, a trip to the track, race, drink a few beers, sleep in the car trailer and race again Sunday was easier. Now days grandkids and spouses want to tag along and that makes a motel or dragging the camper along a thing.
 It's just harder to be a "track skank" to quote my driver. She coined the term once when we unexpectedly got rained out and drove to another state to race the next day with no toothbrushes or clean clothes.

[NitroHunter]

Yes Don the new ownership at Cordova was indeed good news. Having pals there I always looked forward to flying in for our Nitro Jam events - oh and being in the winner circle at the World Series of Drag Racing wasn't bad either.  Good times by the Mississippi.
Next week we're taking my pals blown TF bike to the Western Pro Extreme (WPX) opener in Bakersfield, a 600 mile round trip. We'll be camping at the track, there's fold down bunks built into the trailer. We all know fuel's gone up about 30% in the last two weeks BUT the price of our nitro is still only ~$30 a gallon... 

[Don R]

 The World Series was double points on Sunday for the points racers. We seemed to have good luck Friday and Sunday. We could enter 4 or 5 races in a weekend.

[BenelliSEI]

Don….. Our MR2 used over $1000 of gas at the last Endurance race weekend. This year will be insane! We are probably going to migrate down a class to something less thirsty!

[Don R]

 Holy wow! I'm considering switching to E85 on the dragster. The efi will tolerate it and tune for it.

[BenelliSEI]

We just hit $2/ litre!

[simon#42]

we are now paying more than that for normal diesel never mind race fuel

[Don R]

  The covid seasons helped this old Dad's Honda budget quite a bit but the car eats even when it's parked. The certs continue to expire every day even in the trailer. Chassis, seat belts, hans device, trans shield, flywheel shield, balancer, flexplate, tires are now 3 years old with hardly any runs on them, probably 60 to 80 quarter miles.

[Don R]

 I got a $.50 discount on 20 gallons of fuel today but my former thousand dollar weekend has blossomed into probably $1300. We may be forced to change classes and run one day bracket races closer to home.
 I'm just kind of bummed out the last couple days over the cost of everything. I did get 16 NGK plugs shipped from Rock Auto for the cost of 10 of them in town. These plugs have been it a long time, nice and tan after a warm-up but I'd like to read a few of them. It's also nice to have a couple sets to index with.

[dragracer]

Die hard racers will generally do whatever it takes to go racing. I've regularly heard of car guys that have taken lines of credit against their homes to buy a new motor to make a race the next weekend.  In fact I know one dragbike racer that did the same thing, umm not me.

Racing is a hobby for me and if I was really motivated right now, I'd be making plans to attend an event this weekend.  It's local but I'm just not in the state of mind to wrench on a bike or go participate. There's an off chance we might go to act as pit crew for some of the guys but I'm not going out of my way to go.

[Don R]

 That sums up how I feel, I'm a one man show with a show up driver. I love her to pieces but always hoped there would be a son in law to take over this deal someday. There is one but he's into other things.

[dragracer]

That sums up how I feel, I'm a one man show with a show up driver. I love her to pieces but always hoped there would be a son in law to take over this deal someday. There is one but he's into other things.

I get what you're saying Don. Although both the wife and I race, none of the younger generation in the family have an interest in learning. I'm certain if anything happens to me,  all the bikes will get parked and begin to collect dust. One day, maybe a new forum member will post something about "a barn find of Honda dragbikes" that he bought from a former racer.  Maybe that person will restore them and put it to work again on the track.

[BenelliSEI]

+1 to the above. Both my sons loved to come along to the races when they were kids. I’m convinced my wife never objected to me competing because of this! 7-12 quiet weekends every year.....

They brought along friends and everyone had a good time. But they also witnessed first hand how much effort it takes. Neither one ever took the first step.

On fuel prices; we’re off again this weekend with both race cars, eight drivers/ crew. Double header weekend at Mosport (2x8 hour races). Last tim we set out with 650 litres of fuel and had to get more. Super is just about $2/ litre here, so we will all be consuming less pizza and beer!! Works for me and I’ve lost a few pounds.

[Don R]

  We missed both days this weekend. I don't feel heartbroken. The next class race is 3 hours away and two days. I get the chassis inspection Tuesday morning at 8am then maybe we'll go to the closest track and bracket race.