Ranger's DVD is coming. It's in post-production and scheduled for release via this site in 2010.
Massimiliano's music will be featured on the DVD.
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Audio of Ranger's 10.85 pass, then current record for a stock Corvette on drag radial. Listen here.
Burnout Without a Line-lock--The Procedure
Drag radial tires must be heated by a burnout or else they'll provide traction no better than a stock tire. I've found through experimentation that stock tires too benefit from some heat. This only matters once driving is dialed-in. But heating the stock tires by a burnout will improve traction on launch and shifts. Here is the procedure.
Step 1
Put car in Competitive Driving mode (C5 Corvette) or TC-Off (C6 Corvette). Other platforms should use the setting that disables traction-control but retains stability control.
Step 2
Drive around the water. Keep the front tires dry, Otherwise, your heated rears will drive through the water trail left by wet fronts on the way to the line.
Step 3
Back into the damp area, not the wet area. Back up enough to get 3/4 or more of the tire tread damp. Don't spin the tires in the water. You just want to get most of the tread with a sheen of water.
Step 4
Roll forward to the leading edge of the damp area. Start the burnout there. Do NOT roll so far as to put the rear wheels onto the heavy sticky rubber/VHT prepped area. The car should start and finish the burnout with no more that a foot or so of forward movement.
Step 5
Put the tranny in 2d gear. This will enable the tires to heat faster, because they’ll spin at a higher indicated mph. Since the tires are damp, they spin quite easily in 2d. Some owners prefer first gear. And that's OK.
Step 6
Rev the motor to 3500 and pop the clutch. Immediately lightly apply the brakes with your left foot. The brakes help keep the rear-end from walking sideways.
Step 7
Bring the rpm to about 5000 and hold it there until the drag radials smoke strongly and start to drag down the rpm. At that point, back out of the throttle and release the brakes. You'll roar forward. The tires are heated. For stock tires, spin them only to first smoke. It is helpful to adjust the driver’s outside mirror to view the left rear wheel/smoke.
Warning: if you botch the burn-out, don't retry it with dry tires. Doing that will likely glaze the clutch...or…break an axle. Instead, start again at Step 3, by rewetting the rear tires.
Practice will help get the synchronization of the foot movements.
You can practice in a level asphalt parking lot with water from a couple gallon jugs.Draw a couple lines with chalk to help establish an alignment guide. Pour out three or four gallons of water generally at the wheel points. Voila. You’ve got a pseudo water-box. An observer/spotter is a plus.
Don’t worry about brake wear. Five seconds on the brakes is like braking 60-10. You do that every time you drive the car.