My first time ever racing at the track

[budguy1967]

Its official, I suck at racing. I have a 97' Cobra Coupe and decided to take the car to the track to see what I could do in it. The car is basically stock, except for K&N, and subframe connectors.

My first run was alone due to a couple of imports wanting to race each other. I was told beforehand that traction was not good at this track, so I decided to take off at idle. Well, no tire slippage on this run and my gear shifts were good, but I finished at 15.18 at 94.14 mph....reaction time .770 and 60 ft time 2.417...sucks! :bash: Kinda happy about my mph though.

My 2nd run actually put me up against a 68' Chevelle with headers and big back tires...sounded awesome, and thought he would demolish me. This time I decided to launch at 1800 rpms...again my reaction time sucked....522 to my opponents .062...but I launched without much tire spin, missed 2nd gear...grrrr....finished with a 15.22 @ 95.783mph. Again, I am pissed about my time, but the MPH is good. The Chevelle finished with a 14.542 @ 92.935, so my MPH is higher than his even though he beat me by 6 car lengths...strange.

1st Race-
15.188 ET
94.144 MPH
.770 Reaction
2.417 60 FT
9.934 660 FT

2nd Race -
15.220 ET
95.783 MPH
.522 Reaction
2.325 60 FT
9.953 660 FT


So, other than the fact that I suck at driving, I would think that the car has potential due to the MPH...correct? Other than practice, what suggestions can you give me? What mods should I go with next?

 

[USMCracing]

You are right you suck at racing. J/K I don't see how you can be happy about a trap speed of 94 and 95 mph. There has to be something wrong with you Cobra. Bone they should get around 99 to 101 range. With just a drop in K/N and in hot Az heat (110*) I ran a 14.2 at 101 with no traction. Get your car checked out. That MPH is really low for a 32V Cobra. Good Luck next time.

 

[USMCracing]

Get the car checked out and then go with the 4.30 and a set of DRs. Then you should be run atleast a low 13 in the 1/4. A offroad H or X pipe next too.

 

[budguy1967]

I think I will have the engine evaluated to make sure it is not low on power. The car has not been tuned since I bought it in January.

 

[94CobraPace]

Go back to the track again, after getting the car checked out. Now that you have been to the track once and saw how everthing was done, you will get better with more practice. I agree the times and MPH are low, but you would be surprise on what practice and some sticky tires will do for you.

 

[budguy1967]

Could a tuneup make up a 5 mph trap speed deficit? I have no idea how long it has been since the car was tuned up.

 

[SNK BITN]

Most definitely! Clogged oil and air filters, burned out spark plugs and bad wires can contribute to a poor running cobra.

 

[SnoracerX]

you probably have a imrc cable broken....... let me guess the car doesnt pull real strong about 4k rpm do a reach behind the intake when the engine is running and rev it up over 3250 rpm and see if the cables move and if the imrc plates open