Drag Racing Your R35: All You Need To Know About Andra

[domino_z]

i haven't done that yet

ill give it a go next time i head out

[Jonny_r35]

i haven't done that yet

ill give it a go next time i head out

Do you have any results from your Vbox, just how quick is an R35 with 422awkw?

[Speedah]

here is my 60-130mph data ..(7.99sec) ..this was during a run at WSID when it ran [email protected] was 400kw atws

[1q2w3e4r]

Awesome Kev thanks for posting, pretty much bang on what I'd expect for that trap speed.

Bit scary that you can't notice the gear changes in the chart!

[Martin Donnon]

The good thing about ANDRA being so restrictive about operation and setup of cars like the R35....is that there are SO many better things to do with a GTR than drag race it

[Nur33]

I agree with some of the guys here, Andra is killing the sport with there super strict rules and the arsehole check inspectors especially if you live where i do in north queensland, where everyone owns a V8 of some sort. The amount of bullshit i have put up with and the amount of hoops i have had to jump through is freaking ridiculous, depending on the day it seems like they make up there own bullshit rules, you pretty much gotta keep the rule book in your back pocket to check if they are correct, most of the time they are dribbling shit. They guys out there hate the fact that my R32 GTR running on 19inch rims with 30 profile street tyres and a manual gearbox can real off a low 10 nearly a 9 sec pass then just drive out the gate and drive home and the poor old XF Falcons and Torana's running big block or small block supercharged with slicks and front runners can only real off 11s and then put them on a trailer to take them home. They have nearly killed it for me i'm so close to telling them to jam there licence up there arse i'll turn the car into a track car or something its not worth the hassle.

Anyways enough of my problems, i would love to see some more 9sec R35's floating around running Alpha 9 and 12 kits would be awesome would love to race some in my old school R32 would be a fun race. If i was ever gonna build a another street/drag car you couldn't go past a tuned R35

[Martin Donnon]

FYI Nur there are plenty of small turbo upgrade R35 GTRs running in the 9s, big systems not required.

The stock turbo record is 10.01 or something crazy like that.

[Nur33]

Wow that's pretty damn good might have to invest in a 35

[N1GTR]

The stock turbo record is 10.01 or something crazy like that.

[Martin Donnon]

Wow that's pretty damn good might have to invest in a 35

We had/still have an 8 second R32 GTR and we invested in 35

[Nur33]

Yeah that's living the dream i'll be happy getting a 8sec out of my 32

[MrBlonde]

I agree with some of the guys here, Andra is killing the sport with there super strict rules and the arsehole check inspectors especially if you live where i do in north queensland, where everyone owns a V8 of some sort. The amount of bullshit i have put up with and the amount of hoops i have had to jump through is freaking ridiculous, depending on the day it seems like they make up there own bullshit rules, you pretty much gotta keep the rule book in your back pocket to check if they are correct, most of the time they are dribbling shit. They guys out there hate the fact that my R32 GTR running on 19inch rims with 30 profile street tyres and a manual gearbox can real off a low 10 nearly a 9 sec pass then just drive out the gate and drive home and the poor old XF Falcons and Torana's running big block or small block supercharged with slicks and front runners can only real off 11s and then put them on a trailer to take them home. They have nearly killed it for me i'm so close to telling them to jam there licence up there arse i'll turn the car into a track car or something its not worth the hassle.

Anyways enough of my problems, i would love to see some more 9sec R35's floating around running Alpha 9 and 12 kits would be awesome would love to race some in my old school R32 would be a fun race. If i was ever gonna build a another street/drag car you couldn't go past a tuned R35

That's it exactly. The knuckle draggers just HATE it when a high tech 6 cylinder turbo is quicker than their V8 pushrod cars. They flat out hate it.

[1320ft]

I'll be as nice about this as I can.

Not pointing anyone in particular out, but some people need to pull your heads out of their asses. For those who dont know, this is Aaron, the ANDRA steward from SD. And wait for it, i own a starion, so i'm no knuckle dragger. The problem is, you cant make rules for some and then other rules for the rest. The rules have to be uniform. Also keep in mind, ANDRA has the highest safety record of all the drag sanctioning bodies internationally.

And NUR33, you divisional director has a twin turbo altered, so I wouldn't say that ANDRA in NQ are anti turbo cars.

The biggest problem that we get in sydney and the reason why we tend to be so blunt with people, is they rock up with their r35 (for example) with their chest pumped out and say we cant tell them what to do and they are better than us. You need to remember, we dont get paid to do what we do and do it for the love of the sport, so we dont need the attitudes and abuse.

Let me ask you this, how many have bothered to fill in their ANDRA DC voting forms, write proper rule proposals, voice their feelings and opinions properly to their divisional council to try and get things changed?

[MrBlonde]

Aaron, thanks for posting here to help everyone who is interested in drag racing their R35 at an ANDRA track understand things from the other side. Obviously not all ANDRA officials or local track officials are knuckle draggers or hostile to newcomers with R35s. Just the same as not all R35 newbies have their chest pumped out.

You raise an important point about doing something about rules that are frustrating by working the ANDRA system. I agree with that wholeheartedly.

So why don't we see much of that happening? Perhaps the reason is the systemic failure of ANDRA to engage at grassroots level with contemporary high performance vehicle owners?

In previous decades your performance street car would be capable of running a 15 second pass .. or a 14 second pass .. or maybe a real monster would run a 13 second pass. That meant you could take your street car to your local ANDRA track and give the sport a go. You could make dozens or even hundreds of passes, have a great time and all the while learning about how the track and how ANDRA works. You become familiar with the scrutineering, the various rules and the track officials who work at your local track. In short, while you are having a good time, you learn all about drag racing and how it works.

Now some people will be content with that, while some will want to modify or improve their street vehicle in order to go quicker and faster. And over time their ET and trap speed will improve bit by bit. When the time comes that they must log book their street car, they've been "in the game" for some time and they know how it all works. They've had time to think about what they might want to do with their street car. They've seen their mates take that next step and they know people who have done it that they can go to in order to ask questions. They've had the breathing space and time to consider things.

Now skip forward to 2012 and Joe Blow in his R35 is just like that first timer back in 1984. He doesn't know much about drag racing, ANDRA or his local track. He's prepared to give it a go and he thinks he might like it all. He's a potential ANDRA drag racer and valuable member of the drag racing family. He's got some money and he likes fast cars. All good.

So he rocks up to his local track and fumbles his way through scrutineering. He gets out on the track and has a first go. If his R35 is a 2012 model or if it's an earlier model with a simple tune, he's going to run a 10 second pass. Probbaly on his first or second pass EVER IN HIS LIFE.

He is then told by an official he cannot do any more passes that night, and he's not welcome back until he cuts up his $180K car to install a rollcage (etc), severely compromising the vehicle as a road car. On his first trip to a drag strip.

And there's the problem. Instead of a gradual progression over time where you become exposed to other people a bit further ahead of you, where you can see for yourself why going quicker and faster is more fun, where you know a few people who have done it, where you can get used to the idea and make up your own mind, instead of all that you're booted right then and there.

There is no mystery why very few people ever come back.

In order for people to pay to become an ANDRA member, get a race licence and become politically active in their division, they need to have motivation to do so. And again, if you've worked your way up piece by piece and become more and more involved in the sport, it's a reasonable path to take. But if your first trip out sees you leave the sport forever, then how would you ever become interested enough to take on the daunting task of trying to lobby ANDRA for rule changes?

I'm not proposing a solution here, I am trying to shed some light on what I think is the key issue starving the sport of fresh meat.

I'm very pleased that Aaron has put forward an different point of view so more of the full picture is painted.

[domino_z]

there are more issues to deal with than just the outdated rules for these official off-street events

what about the guys who get reamed by the police waiting outside the gates for when they leave at night..... seen this happen every time ive attended

also isn't there new laws now in NSW about modifiying cars to begin with?

vbox and a private road... sometimes it's better to fly under the radar

Edited February 7, 2012 by domino_z

[Nur33]

Well said MrBlonde

[g35me]

Now skip forward to 2012 and Joe Blow in his R35 is just like that first timer back in 1984. He doesn't know much about drag racing, ANDRA or his local track. He's prepared to give it a go and he thinks he might like it all. He's a potential ANDRA drag racer and valuable member of the drag racing family. He's got some money and he likes fast cars. All good.

So he rocks up to his local track and fumbles his way through scrutineering. He gets out on the track and has a first go. If his R35 is a 2012 model or if it's an earlier model with a simple tune, he's going to run a 10 second pass. Probbaly on his first or second pass EVER IN HIS LIFE.

He is then told by an official he cannot do any more passes that night, and he's not welcome back until he cuts up his $180K car to install a rollcage (etc), severely compromising the vehicle as a road car. On his first trip to a drag strip.

This is a perfect statement, I know that I will only get literally one 1/4 run in my car then I will be booted forever unless I hack the car up which I am not prepared to do. All they need to do is have a seperate set of rules for cars built from 2000 onwards where the cutoff is dropped by 1sec.

[LSX-438]

I wish i could be optimistic but i don't see this being addressed to everyones satisfaction anytime within the next decade. Reality has shown that cars are faster and safer vs what they once were (obviously) however the rules still have to cater for the lowest common denominator / worst case scenario too. Coupled with certain attitudes running the show i think it's a practically impossible situation. Unfortunately i think you're pushing shit uphill Kenny. That's just my $0.02

[R31Nismoid]

^ Indeed Duncan, spot on.

He is then told by an official he cannot do any more passes that night, and he's not welcome back until he cuts up his $180K car to install a rollcage (etc), severely compromising the vehicle as a road car. On his first trip to a drag strip.

And there's the problem. Instead of a gradual progression over time where you become exposed to other people a bit further ahead of you, where you can see for yourself why going quicker and faster is more fun, where you know a few people who have done it, where you can get used to the idea and make up your own mind, instead of all that you're booted right then and there.

There is no mystery why very few people ever come back.

Further to this, at least in Victoria... you pay what, $70 for 2 passes, 3 if you are lucky.

So 30 seconds of racing in 6 hours.

Go to a track day for $200-$250 and you'll get 4-5 sessions of 10-12 mins duration at the very least.

The ironic part is at said track days, you can do 240km/h (150mp/h) down the main straight... No chute, no cage, no harness, no fire proof suit and so on.

Aaron, it is indeed fair to say say: why don't you submit rule proposals

But then why would the casual punter really give that much of a stuff about it? Go there, run a pass, get told to go home - never worry about it again.

Different for those who are building cars to compete in a class/competition and so on.

It's a case point of get with the times, or be left behind and as cars become faster, if it's less viable for people to go and run a 1/4 mil, patronage will see a decline in the casual user space.

[1320ft]

Dont get me wrong guys, i'm not saying the rules are right, I just want you to see the other side of the coin.

If you delve into the rule book even further, factory 11 sec convertables (C6 corvette's etc) cant race because cars without fixed steel roofs need a roll bar faster than 12.99. Traction control is banned even in super street and so on.

The problem is, because no one ever puts their hand up for DC nomination or their money where their mouth is and put in a rule proposal, it will never change.

Things are changing though,

The new ANDRA technical officer is trying to get it allowed that street rego'd cars with cams/fia certified cages can race without requiring a seperate ANDRA tech & log book etc.

Over the years though, I have seen alot of cars that I have kicked out (and there are lot) that the owners said to me, "I dont want to cage it", but then 12 mths/2 years later I have seen the car at EC or wakefield with a cage in it etc etc. I have never understood that.