OK, here's the deal. UTI (Universal Technical Institute) has rented the drag strip at HMP like they do occasionally, from 10am to 4pm. They do this every now and then and get all the students, families, friends, ETC to spend a day at the track.

http://www.houstonmotorsportspark.com/

I am very good friends with Jim Jenkins--he was the tranny instructor there and has been recently been promoted into mgmt. As always, he has extended an invitation to me and said I could invite some of my thirdgen buddies to go out and join in the fun.

So, it's Freeeeeeee track time--free tech card--this Sunday- HMP-10 to 4pm!!!!!

If they do what they have done in the past, they will have time to get in a couple practice runs and then do a bracket racing (dial your own time) elimination program open to everybody!

In the past, when they have done this at the Sealy (which is now closed--last I heard), there was nobody at the admission gate--U just drove in and got a tech card and signed in. Just in case there is somebody at the admission booth, U need to remember his name to tell them U were invited by him!

If U do go--I REALLY THINK U SHOULD FIND HIM, AND GO UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND SAY "THANKS"!!!!

Jim has a red S-10 pickup "Grumpiers Toy" (bad *** little truck on NOZ)

C U there!

 

#%$@%

I hate working weekends. I don't get off until 4.

 

I made it out for UTI day--got there right at 10 and was #2 out of 192 cars to tech in.

After a couple hours of practice, they did a dial your own time bracket elimination race. About 80 or 90 cars participated in that. To make a long story short:

I WON!!! NO...really I did!!! First place!!! Well kinda! (read on for details)

I was running my street tires instead of the Nittos, so my launch was different, and my reaction times were way off. I was either real late, or redlighting. My last practice run I figured it out. By the way, my first 2 runs, while the track was still fresh and it was still cool air, was an 8.47 + a 8.52. After it started heating up I was in the 8.6's + 8.7's the rest of the day.

I ran and won 6 rounds of eliminations--ran on an 8.65 dial in --all of my runs had reaction times of .5's on a .500 tree--2 of the runs were in the .6's. My best light of the day was a .5197 along with a .5709, .5411, .5382.

Well, when it got down to the final 4, Jim Jenkins (my good friend from UTI) came over and told me that the trophies and the cash, they were awarding, were only for the UTI students or employees and that he had no control over it. He said I had no idea U would make it this far into the eliminations.

They awarded 3rd place to the guy that I would have run, that lost 3rd gear in the previous round, but won his round, and he got third by default, and they ran the remaining 2 cars for 1st + 2nd.

I didn't really care about the money or the trophy, but I went and told Jim that just for "bragging rights", that they should at least let me run the winner, if not both of them--i did and I beat them--forced the "winner" to break out to beat me, on the last "bragging rights" run.

So, even though I was not the winner of record, as far as I'm concerned, (and Jim), I won the bracket elimination race, at the UTI day at HMP!

So, U guys be the judge, does this count as a clean kill?

 

bad *** man! I'd give it a for sure, glad to hear you're out there schoolin' people in a 3G! Hate to hear that I missed that, I really gotta find time in my schedule to hang out more.

 

Naw, not really. You got the official win, but you didn't really beat him. Winning on a red light/"forcing him to break-out" is sort of like getting a french-kiss from your grandmother. Still counts as a kiss, but not the kind that really counts!








Congrats !!!

 

That is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life!!! I surely hope that was stated jokingly. If not, you've got alot to learn.

A win is a win regardless of how you got it. We'd ALL love to have a green light race with a .0005 MOV at the stripe, but it's not gonna happen all the time. Redlight, break out...whats the difference if the guy had a terrible R/T and lost, is it still not a "real win"?? Bracket racing is all about and solely based upto the motto-"who screws up the least will win" the other guy broke out-if he was that good to be the "real" winner he would've dropped a .50? light on Zap and dumped him at the stripe. Fact is the other guy dropped the ball...and he lost. Would a win in a close football game where the losing team picked up an intersepction and ran it back with no time left for a touch down not be considered a win?? becaue the other team screwed up by throwing the interseption?

Great job Zap!! I have many wins in many different events/venues and all are not going to be the big deal highlights of your career, but you came out on top so everybody that was there-KNOWS who the man is. Bask in it my freind At our track all you get if you win is money, so ther is nothing to concrete your effort anywhere. Other tracks at least give out the $3 trophey for lasting evidence of what you did along with the check. This event was different since it was sponsored, but at least the "trophy winners" were ballsy enough to lay it on the line with ya.

 

You definitely won bragging rights, and earned a good story to go with it. Not many folks would have let the cash and trophy go without reverting to an adolescent state of hissy fit.
Good Show!

 

Didn't you see the smilies (ROFLMAO) and congrats I gave him? Of course I was kidding!!!

 

Yankees have no since humor.

 

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Way to go ZZZZZAAAAAAAAPPPPPP
had to have some one from TGO go over there and show them how its done !!!!

^5

Sounds like the we fellas owe you a couple rounds at Hooters screw the cash & trophy......lol



Rob

 

My bad, you know how typed perception is sometimes misconstrude

 

Yeah, no problem here, so don't worry about it!

 

So, I guess, based on everybodies comments, I can mark this one in the book as a CLEAN KILL!!!

Not bad for an old guy, even if I do say so myself!

 

Seasoned Vet....

 

Props to ya!

And you got a new personal best ET !

 

I got out there about 5:30, i must have missed ya. My wife ran her car and i ran mine. She tree'd me by 3 tenths , but i went 2 tenths quicker............still equals getting drug by my wife

 

U let your wife beat U? Shame Shame!--LOL

We must have just missed each other--when I left they were still holding the cars at the front gate--they were lined up to the wrought iron gates, and just about to start letting them in.

So, what kind of times were U tuning? Was this with the new LS-1 conversion car?

 

yep, my ls1 iroc vs. her blown ls1 99 formula