WannaGoFast Florida 1/2 mile review

[Ninjakris]

This is a long post, so I apologize. However, there is a lot of info to share that people would want to know.

This past weekend was the WannaGoFast Florida 1/2 mile event held in Ocala, Fl. I work for wannagofast on the side running the timing system, so I have a unique viewpoint on cars and the events in general. This was our first time at this location, and it has a lot of challenges that other locations don't. The first thing we dealt with was a huge rain storm that came through Friday night into Saturday morning. This delayed everything from track set-up, driver registration, and racing. We did finally get racing around 1030 and went straight through until 5:30, not taking a lunch break and staying open 30 minutes longer than scheduled. We did this because we wanted the racers to have the best opportunity to get lots of runs in. It makes the days even longer for us employees, but at the end of the day our main goal is to get cars down the track.

Saturday was full of action once the rain stopped. We had a world record broke by a underground racing TT lambo @233mph. A car caught on fire (I waved him off the track and got him out of the car before he or the car had any real damage). A classic Camaro went off roading and lost a wheel assembly. A lambo spun out at the finish line taking out one of our speed sensors (thankfully we had a spare). All the drivers were fine once they came to a stop.



Sunday was a full day with almost 400 passes completed (almost 700 individual cars went down the track). It was another full day of action as well. Top honors went to the same underground TT lambo at 225mph. After he crossed the finish, he blew a tire and started spinning to a stop. He spun at least 8 times, took out a couple runway lights, and stopped safely. The driver was alright. The other highlight was OB Prestige in their Hefner built TT lambo loosing traction and landing in a retention pond that was about 8" deep. This story is already all over the internet and even fox news did a story on it. OB has come to a few of our events and I have nothing but respect for those guys. They bring out amazing cars and sometimes when you push these monsters this hard, stuff happens. Please don't take anything away from the driver, I assure you he is one hell of a driver. http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/01/26/lamborghini-crashes-into-lake/?intcmp=features

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t589/Kristian_Ray/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstmclejpi.jpg (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Kristian_Ray/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstmclejpi.jpg.html)

Overall we have 4000+ spectators, a bunch of food trucks, a lot of the top builders of the country were there, and "Big Daddy" Don Garlits was there doing a couple demonstration passes in a old school dragster and lots of passes in new Dodge vehicles.

Ok on to the interesting stuff.

I literally got my Gen V last weekend, and was racing it a week later. I did put fresh oil in it before the event after all the horror stories I was reading. since I was working my ass off, I only got two opportunities to race my car (14' SRT). The first race was with traction control on. I left the line around 2500rpm and the traction control kicked on in 1st. I short shifted into second around 4K and never took my foot off the go pedal. I flat foot shifted through 5th with pretty clean shifts (Thanks to nineball for the advice). I crossed right at 150.00 I was pretty happy with that. I do believe the car could do 152 or possibly 153 with a really clean pass. My second run was against a new hellcat challenger with a manual. He actually stalled at the line when the tree turned green. So unfortunately it wasn't much of a race. Its too bad as that was going to be the first race of its kind. I turned all traction control stuff off on that run and got a little wild in first. After I straightened her out, I ended up crossing at 147.

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t589/Kristian_Ray/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsqzio9hf9.jpg (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Kristian_Ray/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsqzio9hf9.jpg.html)

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t589/Kristian_Ray/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsau03d8uo.jpg (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Kristian_Ray/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsau03d8uo.jpg.html)

(don't mind it said Georgia 1/2 mile, we didn't catch it was doing that until the end of Saturday)

OK, ready for corvette guys to get mad?

There was a new Z06 there (all stock). He did several passes throughout the weekend. All were 144-147. He appeared to be a good driver and I believe 147-148 is the best you will see out of that car. He best of the weekend was 147.xxx

Stock Manual hellcat Challenger was 142-147 all weekend (same one I raced)
Stock auto hellcat challenger did 152 a couple times. (Don Garlits driving).
Stock 14' Viper 150
Stock 15' Z06 147

From previous events, here's what I have seen with speeds

Stock Gen III 140-143
Stock Gen IV 144-147

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t589/Kristian_Ray/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsvae2oaka.jpg (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Kristian_Ray/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsvae2oaka.jpg.html)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa-JaddXmD0&feature=youtu.be


Sorry if anyone was there and I didn't get a chance to say hello. The two times I was able to get away from the finish line and the timing system was to sneak a race in.

[cashcorn]

Looks like Big Fun! How many miles on your car?

[Ninjakris]

Looks like Big Fun! How many miles on your car?

Just over 1000. I picked up the car new and drove it 800 miles home the first day.


I also forgot to add that I had the opportunity to play on the runway a little after the event and got the viper up to 175mph. Pretty fun.

[1.8t]

Looks like you had fun and good runs.

[99RT10]

What, no mention of the awesome camera work on your Gen V run?!


:D :D

I just wish I could have made the list and brought out the TT Viper...................... :(

[Timnineside]

I had a few friends from up here in Michigan make it down. They had NOTHING but great things to say about the event.

Regardless how good of a driver the red lambo had that was a huge mistake making a pass with the back bumper off.

Way to shut out the Z06's!

[98intrigue]

I had a blast out there on Saturday, even though my 2hr drive up was nerve-racking since I drove my Viper on drag radials in the rain for an hour and a half. I took a bunch of rolling shots, including your Viper. I'll get them posted soon enough.

[98intrigue]

What, no mention of the awesome camera work on your Gen V run?!


:D :D

I just wish I could have made the list and brought out the TT Viper...................... :(
Mike,

Do you know how the TT GTS did? Also, do you know what was done to the white Gen 3/4 vert? A guy I talked to said it was TT as well, but the only mph I heard him do was 135.

[98intrigue]

Only a few of the 184 pictures I took...haven't touched my camera in months.

http://i57.tinypic.com/2nuprhv.jpg

http://i57.tinypic.com/jk7wv7.jpg

http://i62.tinypic.com/9jenpk.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/24ch210.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/2hpj4ae.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/2ptndph.jpg

[FLATOUT]

Damn a stock auto hellcat went 152 lol it still blows me away something that heavy can move that well on the big end.

[Zybane]

Did the hell-cat have drag radials? Is so, wouldn't call it stock.

[Nine Ball]

152 Hellcat had a driver mod. LOL. Don Garlits is KING!

Poor C7Z06. Bet this recap doesn't get shared on CorvetteForum.

[Rapidrezults]

152 Hellcat had a driver mod. LOL. Don Garlits is KING!

Poor C7Z06. Bet this recap doesn't get shared on CorvetteForum.

I thank the viper gods every day for steering me away from the z06 and into a new TA.

Nineball, you should take the honors and share this with your buddies over at the corvetteforum. We all know they love you over there. :D

On a side note, I had a friend of mine come up to me that knows very little about cars telling me that he saw a video of a white viper beating a new z06. That's what you call going viral.

[FLATOUT]

152 Hellcat had a driver mod. LOL. Don Garlits is KING!

Poor C7Z06. Bet this recap doesn't get shared on CorvetteForum.

Well it was an auto with a tire so I'd call it more of a Ridermod lol. Good Press getting Garlits behind the wheel of some Dodge products at the event.

[IndyRon]

Nice writeup and it sounds like a good time was had by most all (except the retention pond guy). If the auto Hellcat is doing 152, I'd really like to see what a manual would do with a good driver. With the more efficient drivetrain, maybe 154? I'd also like to see what the Charger Hellcat could do. If I remember correctly, its about 150lbs lighter than the Challenger somehow.

[FrgMstr]

I was hoping to see a Hellcat at Texas Mile, none regged though.

[Zybane]

I thank the viper gods every day for steering me away from the z06 and into a new TA.


ME too. To think I was about ready to pay MSRP for a new Z07. I actually ended up with a TA2.0 on order for quite a bit less than what I had built my Z07 for. Ok, granted the Z07 is a pretty sweet car, but won't be in the same league as a TA2.0, especially with 900 HP lol.


Nice writeup and it sounds like a good time was had by most all (except the retention pond guy). If the auto Hellcat is doing 152, I'd really like to see what a manual would do with a good driver. With the more efficient drivetrain, maybe 154? I'd also like to see what the Charger Hellcat could do. If I remember correctly, its about 150lbs lighter than the Challenger somehow.

Kind of a trade-off. The auto trans will shift faster and keep in boost more, but ya of course there is a little more driveline loss with the auto.

[Ninjakris]

The Gen III viper only had bolt-ons. He was trapping 143-144 all weekend. Thats very consistant with all Gen III's I have seen over the years. He has come to several events and is a good driver.

Auto Hellcat @ 152 is probably the best you will get out of it.
Manual Hellcat @ 147 could get a little more, but shoulda/woulda/coulda can be said all day long. Facts are facts
My Viper @ 150 is the standard for new viper as of now.

All the stock cars I talked about were completly stock, no DR's or anything like that. It wouldn't make sense to compare them if they had mod's.

Fun facts:

Full bolt-on new Z06 with DR's was running 160-162
Gen I Eagle talon did 213 (obviously modified)
Manual TT lambo did 222
15' stock 5.0 mustang is about 3mph slower than previous 5.0

I got word that the lambo who went swimming is fine. Just needs a bath and a rear bumper.


Thank you again to everyone who came out. Also thank you for all the pictures and videos. I wish I could do more photo taking, but there just isn't time. It takes a lot of effort to put these events on. Next event is May 2-3 in Virginia.

[Nine Ball]

Kris,

This guy (see reply #5) says he went 149.55 in his stock C7 Z06. Confirm?
http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-z06-discussion/3597539-vengance-half-mile.html

[ViperSmith]

213 mph in an eagle talon

no thank you!

[Ninjakris]

NineBall, I'll have to check the spreadsheet when it gets done in a couple weeks, but unless he shows a picture of his speed slip, I don't remember any stock z06 going over 147. I'm not saying he's a liar, but we give speed slips with speeds for a reason. I also saw around 1400 cars go by, so there is a chance I didn't catch a fast run. Even at 149... I stil l win :)

I also wanted to point out the speedo on the viper was within 1mph of the trap speeds recorded. I know for a fact that our system was on point as there were lots of people with Vbox's checking speeds and we didn't get one complain throughout the entire weekend.

[Nine Ball]

He was also mentioning his PDR (Performance Data Recorder). I wonder if that 149.55 was his max speed on the PDR, or what his timeslip says. Someone should ask him, I can't post there. :)

[yellowmz3]

I also read that on Corvette forum. He said 150mph for Z06 and Viper.

[viper04]

He was also mentioning his PDR (Performance Data Recorder). I wonder if that 149.55 was his max speed on the PDR, or what his timeslip says. Someone should ask him, I can't post there. :)

lol!! WHY???..... Just kidding... that funny. would also like to know.

[99RT10]

Mike,

Do you know how the TT GTS did? Also, do you know what was done to the white Gen 3/4 vert? A guy I talked to said it was TT as well, but the only mph I heard him do was 135.

I thought the white Gen 3 was stock due to his MPH. I did not look at it close. The GTS just could not get it down the track without spinning. I think he gave up and left early.

[98intrigue]

I thought the white Gen 3 was stock due to his MPH. I did not look at it close. The GTS just could not get it down the track without spinning. I think he gave up and left early.

Mike, good to meet you by the way.

I didn't think it was a TT, but of course everyone knows everything... the guy sitting next to me said the car was at his buddy's shop the day before having exhaust work done and it was for sure a TT car.

[Darius]

I would have thought the gen 5 would be faster than that. My old 07 Z06 was pushing 553rwhp and did 160mph in the half. Figured the Viper would be right up there considering it should be close to that hp. 10mph is a lot.

[Camfab]

Nice writeup and it sounds like a good time was had by most all (except the retention pond guy). If the auto Hellcat is doing 152, I'd really like to see what a manual would do with a good driver. With the more efficient drivetrain, maybe 154? I'd also like to see what the Charger Hellcat could do. If I remember correctly, its about 150lbs lighter than the Challenger somehow.

My guess is that the manual would be slower in the half as it's also slower in the qtr. it appears Garlits proved that. The Charger is the Heavier of the two cars.

[FLATOUT]

I would have thought the gen 5 would be faster than that. My old 07 Z06 was pushing 553rwhp and did 160mph in the half. Figured the Viper would be right up there considering it should be close to that hp. 10mph is a lot.

DA still makes a difference, but who knows.

[Ninjakris]

Its easy to play the hp vs. hp in different cars. I'll continue to bring my car to future events and hopefully other people will bring other hellcats and Z06's as well. Facts are facts. I also want to point out that regardless of what a car showed on its speedo, the same speed system was used throughout the weekend, so its the standard being used (let them show the speed slip like I did). Altitude, DA, track surface, and wind all have effects on speeds in cars. Its all about going fast and having fun. I had a lot of fun.

[v10tt]

This is a UGR TT Viper, any idea of what it run? I think it has gone high 180s in other events.
http://i57.tinypic.com/2nuprhv.jpg

[345s-bspinnin]

Great synopsis of the results Kris. Thanks for sharing.

[Nine Ball]

lol!! WHY???..... Just kidding... that funny. would also like to know.

Hehe. Too many hurt feelings, possibly?

You guys would be proud to know that when Wannagofast came to TX last year, I had the fastest RWD car of the weekend. My Gen 3 Viper, at 187 mph. Those Corvette shops were all attending :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04RQ74UHFRk

[ViperDC]

Cool writeup thanks for sharing. Did the UGR Lambo have a lot of damage after the tire blew? How about the one that flew into the water? Didnt look very deep but had to be scary

[Ninjakris]

The UGR lambo had a little damage front taking out a couple runway lights but otherwise didn't look too bad. He was able to start it up and move it out of the way so we could continue to race.

The red lambo actually didn't really have any damage at all after taking a dip. The front end was facing the runway so it was easy to hook up the tow truck winch to the tow hook and get him out. OB prestige already stripped the interior to check everything and all is well. It just needs a new rear bumper from a previous run. It was absolutely scary for the driver. The water hit the passenger side causing the door to open. That resulted in a rush of water in the cabin. Thankfully he was alright and will be back.

The story about the lambo in the water is exploding. It was on road & track, fox news, and even BBC Top Grear did a post about it on their Facebook. I didn't think anything of it when it happened. I just wanted to get the racing going again. I take a lot of pride in keeping a fast pace with racing and that's usually the only thing on my mind.

[ViperDC]

Cool thanks for the details! Glad to hear the damage on both incidents was minimal other than a likely change of underwear ha

[v10tt]

Got this from the Vette forums:

162.5 Vengeance Stage 2 740rwhp .
159.9 Fasterproms Stage 1 which I believe makes 670rwhp

[EdwardETraylorIII]

When is the next event? I'll take my TT Gen V if I can get on the list.

[TrackAire]

The UGR lambo had a little damage front taking out a couple runway lights but otherwise didn't look too bad. He was able to start it up and move it out of the way so we could continue to race.

The red lambo actually didn't really have any damage at all after taking a dip. The front end was facing the runway so it was easy to hook up the tow truck winch to the tow hook and get him out. OB prestige already stripped the interior to check everything and all is well. It just needs a new rear bumper from a previous run. It was absolutely scary for the driver. The water hit the passenger side causing the door to open. That resulted in a rush of water in the cabin. Thankfully he was alright and will be back.

The story about the lambo in the water is exploding. It was on road & track, fox news, and even BBC Top Grear did a post about it on their Facebook. I didn't think anything of it when it happened. I just wanted to get the racing going again. I take a lot of pride in keeping a fast pace with racing and that's usually the only thing on my mind.

Ninjakris,

This is a little off topic but I love the 1/2 mile events and think overall it is way safer than the 1 mile runs and a lot easier on the car than doing 1/4 mile runs at a drag strip with a prepared pad, etc due to the hard launches.

My concern in a couple of races I've watched on the internet is spectators lining the "track" past the "go" point. I was a participant at a private 1 mile event where one of the drivers died in a wreck. Luckily, since it was private there were very few people there and the driver crashed at the end of the runway. (to this day I'm not sure what happened, but I believe it was a medical issue since he was a seasoned driver and should have had a lot of time to shut it down after the traps). He was crossing the speed traps right around 200 mph.

I'd like to see roll racing grow, but if a car loses it at the start or once it gets down the track and goes sideways into the crowd, the insurance for these events will get astronomical and possibly be the end of this type of racing. I noticed you did not have spectators lining the track enjoying the cars fly by....that is good. I'm sure you talk with other organizations and or event organizers that do this sort of racing and hopefully it can be emphasized how important it is to keep the crowds away from the side of the tracks. (even a hundred yards back is too close for safety). Just a little heads up from somebody that saw what happened after a car wrecked and a person died and he didn't even hit any spectators....the aftermath was long and ugly.

Your event looked great, keep up the good work and let me know if you ever want to do any west coast runs.

[Ninjakris]

Edward, the next event is May 2-3 at the Virginia 1/2 Mile Shootout at Ingalls Field Airport, Hot Springs, VA. Keep an eye on the Virginia section, I made a post and will update it when information comes available.

TrackAire, I completely agree with you that safety is the first priority. Each venue we work at has unique challenges and the biggest one is where the spectators will be. We always have full emergency services on site, and do our best to keep people a safe distance away with also being able to enjoy the show. There has been several times where we have actually paused racing until the spectators get back to a safe distance. They get a little upset, but its our show to run and we won't send a car down if its not safe. "knock on wood", by staying on the over cautious side of things, all our events have gone pretty smooth on the safety side of things. In a perfect world, we would put up concrete barriers and 15' fence between the cars and the spectators. However, its a active runway and its just not a possibility.

[EdwardETraylorIII]

Oh darn, was hoping we'd have another down here. VA is a bit too far of a hike for me.

[Mamba52]

The Gen III viper only had bolt-ons. He was trapping 143-144 all weekend. Thats very consistant with all Gen III's I have seen over the years. He has come to several events and is a good driver.

Auto Hellcat @ 152 is probably the best you will get out of it.
Manual Hellcat @ 147 could get a little more, but shoulda/woulda/coulda can be said all day long. Facts are facts
My Viper @ 150 is the standard for new viper as of now.

All the stock cars I talked about were completly stock, no DR's or anything like that. It wouldn't make sense to compare them if they had mod's.

Fun facts:

Full bolt-on new Z06 with DR's was running 160-162
Gen I Eagle talon did 213 (obviously modified)
Manual TT lambo did 222
15' stock 5.0 mustang is about 3mph slower than previous 5.0

I got word that the lambo who went swimming is fine. Just needs a bath and a rear bumper.


Thank you again to everyone who came out. Also thank you for all the pictures and videos. I wish I could do more photo taking, but there just isn't time. It takes a lot of effort to put these events on. Next event is May 2-3 in Virginia.

Nice seeing you Ninjakris. And love your new ride. I believe my best run was 146 MPH with my Gen3 with 355 gears.

My C7 Supercharged Vette went 155 MPH and blew a oil seal.

[Nine Ball]

Just like I thought, the guy was quoting his C7Z's PDR/speedometer reading 152, not his timeslip. I guess he doesn't understand how "trap speed" works. It is an average across a distance at the end, not max velocity.

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-z06-discussion/3597539-vengance-half-mile-2.html#post1588832558

[Ninjakris]

Just like I thought, the guy was quoting his C7Z's PDR/speedometer reading 152, not his timeslip. I guess he doesn't understand how "trap speed" works. It is an average across a distance at the end, not max velocity.

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-z06-discussion/3597539-vengance-half-mile-2.html#post1588832558


It's too bad he isn't showing the slips. Most people can agree that vehicle speedometers have more and more error as the speed increases. That's why we use things like expensive speed systems and Vbox's. The lambo that went 233 on our system was less than a 1mph from the Vbox data. That's pretty accurate if you ask me. Even with that, the lambo's are going off the slips, not the Vbox data. If I had only gone 144 or 164, I would have posted it because a lot of people are interested in real world speeds of these new cars.

Mamba, good seeing you too. What mod's do you have other than gears, I couldn't remember? Sorry I couldn't chat more, we were slammed all weekend.

The Auto Hellcat is a car to watch out for. With his 152 trap, its going to take a really good viper driver to beat a average joe in that auto car. Unfortunately I wasn't a good viper driver last weekend. I have some time before the next event to get better at shifting and learning the limits of the tires better.

I also plan on installing go fast parts in 6 months or so, once I feel comfortable nothing big is going to break that needs warrantee work. I'll keep a log of mods and speeds for each.