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Frodo · 09-29-2007, 04:52 AM

I can relate to that. Here's an excerpt of an email I sent an old friend a month or so ago, about my son's first experience at a dragstrip:

He’s also into cars. (How many 19 year old boys aren’t, I suppose, especially after his otherwise fairly uncool dad goes out and buys a Porsche). Took his car (a 2000 Celica GT-S) to the DRAGSTRIP on Saturday. “Dragway 42”, located about 45 minutes SE of here. They have a couple nights per week they let amateurs bring their machines in to see what they can do. He’s gotten kind of nutso with the Celica, doing a few performance mods (different air intake, HEADERS) but, on the established principle of Lighter is Faster, mostly has put her on a diet: Has removed the back seats, the passenger seat (which he will soon be putting back in), the spare and jack, essentially ALL the trim in back and the interior door panels (you can watch the windows going up and down INSIDE THE DOOR), plus some stuff under the hood I won’t go into. Out of curiosity, on level ground (in the garage) I tried to get it rolling in neutral pushing only with my right index finger. It worked.

Anyway, other than a pitiful first run (nervous as hell, overshot the starting line, as he was backing up the “Christmas tree” starting lights went through their rapid sequence, he realized it as he was still rolling backward, jammed it into first which turned out to be third, BOGGED DOWN bigtime---150 yards down the track he’s still doin’ about 25 mph, 1.8 litre engine sputtering and groaning. Don’t even ask what his first ET was. But, he did (with practice) get his time down to 15.02 seconds, not half bad for a beginner in a Celica. Despite goading from some of his friends, I elected NOT to run the Boxster.

(I hope he doesn't read this!)

09-29-2007, 04:52 AM	#2
Frodo Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,999	I can relate to that. Here's an excerpt of an email I sent an old friend a month or so ago, about my son's first experience at a dragstrip: He’s also into cars. (How many 19 year old boys aren’t, I suppose, especially after his otherwise fairly uncool dad goes out and buys a Porsche). Took his car (a 2000 Celica GT-S) to the DRAGSTRIP on Saturday. “Dragway 42”, located about 45 minutes SE of here. They have a couple nights per week they let amateurs bring their machines in to see what they can do. He’s gotten kind of nutso with the Celica, doing a few performance mods (different air intake, HEADERS) but, on the established principle of Lighter is Faster, mostly has put her on a diet: Has removed the back seats, the passenger seat (which he will soon be putting back in), the spare and jack, essentially ALL the trim in back and the interior door panels (you can watch the windows going up and down INSIDE THE DOOR), plus some stuff under the hood I won’t go into. Out of curiosity, on level ground (in the garage) I tried to get it rolling in neutral pushing only with my right index finger. It worked. Anyway, other than a pitiful first run (nervous as hell, overshot the starting line, as he was backing up the “Christmas tree” starting lights went through their rapid sequence, he realized it as he was still rolling backward, jammed it into first which turned out to be third, BOGGED DOWN bigtime---150 yards down the track he’s still doin’ about 25 mph, 1.8 litre engine sputtering and groaning. Don’t even ask what his first ET was. But, he did (with practice) get his time down to 15.02 seconds, not half bad for a beginner in a Celica. Despite goading from some of his friends, I elected NOT to run the Boxster. (I hope he doesn't read this!)