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Chad Raven's Page

Chad writes many good articles to inform all of our special event races and 'How To' articles for those who want to know more of the hobby before starting out.

The Christmas Tree

The starting lights/device on all drag strips is called the Christmas tree. It is called a Christmas tree because it looks like one, with the clear (usually) staging lights at the top, 3 amber/yellow lights (one under the next) for each lane, a green “go” light for each lane and a red light for each lane. 

At the start of a drag race, once both vehicles have brought on their stage lights, the ambers count down to the green go lights. If a vehicle leaves before the green light comes on then the red foul light will come on in their lane. 

There are two methods for the Christmas tree counting down to the green. There is the full tree or compression tree (the ambers count down one at a time, 0.400 seconds apart, to the green light) and the pro tree (all of the ambers come on at once then the green light comes on 0.400 seconds later). There is also the 0.500 tree (where all of the lights count down with intervals of 0.500 seconds) but the 0.400 tree is the most common in competition. 

In handicapped races a full tree is used and the tree is programmed to count down on each side/in each lane at an interval that is equal to the handicap given. There is still 0.400 seconds between each light. 

Reaction time is the time it takes for a vehicle to move from its starting position, within the staging beam(s), to breaking the dragstrip starting beam. The timing of a run is not started until the starting line beam is broken. Reaction time is crucial in any drag race and can be measured in two ways in relation to the Christmas tree. It can be measured after the final amber(s) (this is where the term “ a perfect 0.400 light” comes from) or, the most common method used today, measured after the green light (in which case a perfect light would be 0.000 seconds). 

Styles of Racing Explained 

Drag Racing, in simple terms, is the race between two cars down a long straight! The racer who’s vehicle crosses the finish line first is usually declared the winner. Slot car drag racing has little differences.

One of the biggest rules in drag racing is the first or worst rule. Basically whoever commits a foul is disqualified but if both racers commit a foul then the racer who commits the foul first or worst (by the biggest margin) is declared the loser and the other racer reinstated as the winner.

Another one of the biggest things to get your head around is the different styles or formats of racing. I will now give you information on the four different formats that can be used. 

1.     Index racing 

Indexing is a form of handicapping. A time (or index) is set for both competitors and they cannot run quicker than that time or they are given a foul. If both racers commit a foul by running quicker than the index time, then the racer who broke the index time by the least margin is reinstated as the winner (first or worst). Racers are given even starting lights so you see it is a race between who has the best reaction time (time between the green starting light and when the competitor breaks the starting timer) and runs closest to the index time.

Index racing allows freedom of having little or no vehicle specifications. Competitors can build a vehicle however they like, as long as it meets the rules (if any) and does not out-perform its index time.

Some popular index times for racing brackets are 1.500 seconds (for slower vehicles, sometimes without wheelie bars, or for trucks or busses, etc), 0.990 seconds (for semi-quick race vehicles), 0.750 seconds (for seriously quick vehicles). Index racing can be done on either a full tree (the ambers count down one at a time to the green) or a pro tree (all the ambers come on at once before the green light).

2.     DYO (Dial-Your-Own) bracket racing 

DYO racing is the most popular form of handicap racing and most recommended for beginners. DYO racing is similar to index racing with the difference being that each competitor may set their own index or dial in time as it is known. As in index racing, if a competitors vehicle runs quicker than their own elected dial in time then the competitor is given a foul and disqualified. If both competitors run quicker than their dial in then the racer who broke their dial in time by the least margin is reinstated as the winner (first or worst). The dial in times are fed into the race computer which programs the Christmas tree to give the green light, to go, to the slower vehicle by the exact margin of difference between the two dial ins. This is, in effect, a handicap for the faster vehicle, making it “run down” it’s opponent.

For example, Racer 1 dials in at 1.00 seconds and racer 2 dials in at 1.10 seconds. The Christmas tree therefore gives racer 2 a 0.10 second head start. If racer 1 runs a 1.00 second pass and racer 2 runs a 1.10 second pass then they should be equal crossing the finish line, but it all then comes down to reaction time (who left the start line first). If your car runs a little bit off it’s dial-in, you can usually make up for it with a super quick reaction time.

DYO racing allows competitors the freedom of building or having a vehicle that is as slow or as quick as they like.

Sometimes DYO races are raced all together in the one bracket, sometimes they are split into hard bodied and lexan bodied brackets, or beginner and novice brackets, etc. 

3.     Group 2 bracket racing 

Group 2 racing is a high intensity form of handicap racing. It is basically the same as DYO racing except there are no breakouts (you are not given a foul for running quicker than you handicap time) and your handicap time is set from the class record for that vehicle. Group 2 racing is versatile in that it allows for any number of classes to be run within the bracket but vehicles must thoroughly comply with their class specifications. Rules must be stringent and exact.

Group 2 racing is perfect for racers who are skilled slot drag racers, want to compete professionally and want to compete in classes that are not well populated.

4.     Group 1 professional racing 

Professional racing is the ultimate form of competition when it comes to drag racing. In pro racing, racers compete in a heads-up (even leave) start, on a pro tree, with no break outs.

Pro racing usually only allows for 1 class to compete per bracket or eliminator as it is known.

Super DYO Fridays 

We have been running the Super DYO drag meets, on Friday nights, for over 4 years now and it has been a huge success!

The Dial-Your-Own handicap system we use is great for beginners starting out in the sport, great for people experimenting with “different” vehicles, and is described as enjoyable by all involved. The hardest part, for people to come to grips with, has been the DYO system itself!

It is fairly simple. Based on ANDRA’s (the Australian National Drag Racing Association’s) Group 3 Brackets (comprising Modified eliminator, Mod Bike eliminator, Super Sedan eliminator, Super Street eliminator, and Junior Dragster eliminator), we combine all of our classes (and more) to make one big SUPER eliminator.

The concept is to, basically, equalize the performance of each vehicle. Before each race a competitor gives a time (dial-in) for their vehicle, based on previous passes made (usually) and expected performance. The information is fed into the race computer which programs the Christmas tree to give the green light, to go, to the slower vehicle by the exact margin that it is expected to be out-performed by the faster vehicle in the race. This is, in effect, handi-capping the faster vehicle, making it “run down” it’s opponent. The catch is, a competitor is pressured not to give a too slow performance for their vehicle because if it runs quicker than the time (dial-in) given, their vehicle may be disqualified! 

For Super DYO meets, a competing vehicle does not necessarily have to be raced in an XDRA (Xtreme Drag Racing Association) class. There are an array of different classes for vehicles to comply with, giving direct comparisons of performance and allowing records to be set. However, a vehicle is allowed to race, under the banner of “Experimental”, if it is deemed “roadworthy” (IE, not liable to come out of it’s slot, potentially damaging other cars and the track).

For example, Racer 1 dials in at 1.00 seconds and racer 2 dials in at 1.10 seconds. The Christmas tree therefore gives racer 2 a 0.10 second head start. If racer 1 runs a 1.00 second pass and racer 2 runs a 1.10 second pass then they should be equal crossing the finish line, but it all then comes down to reaction time (who left the start line first). If your car runs a little bit off it’s dial-in, you can usually make up for it with a super quick reaction time. A “breakout” (if you run quicker than your dial in time) is an automatic disqualification. If both racers breakout, then the first or worst rule is applied and the racer who breaks out by the least margin is reinstated as the winner. 

Hopefully Super DYO Friday nights will remain a night of fun for a long time to come and provide our racers with a solid starting block in the sport of slot car drag racing. 

Slotcar Drag Racing formats of racing Explained

Drag Racing, in simple terms, is the race between two vehicles down a long strait! The racer whose vehicle crosses the finish line first is usually declared the winner. Slot car drag racing has little differences.

One of the biggest rules in drag racing is the first or worst rule. Basically whoever commits a foul is disqualified but if both racers commit a foul then the racer who commits the foul first or worst (by the biggest margin) is declared the loser and the other racer reinstated as the winner.

Another one of the biggest things to get your head around is the different styles and formats of racing. I will now give you information on some of the different formats that can be used. 

1.    Random pairing elimination 

One of the easiest and most popular forms of racing is the random pairing elimination format. It is best to use this format with beginners, using the DYO bracket style of racing because there is no need to seed drivers, based on how quick there vehicles are, prior to racing. This is the format we use for our weekly racing and serves for fun/no stress racing. The way we do it is to write down, on separate pieces of paper, each drivers vehicles/entries. The pieces of paper are shuffled and two are then picked out to race each other. The losing vehicle is eliminated from further racing and the winner is kept in a separate pile to race the next round. This process is continued until all of the paired races for a round have been decided and there is only a pile of winners left. The process of shuffling the entries and picking two out to race then starts again. This is continued until there are only two vehicles left to race the final round. 

2.    Trophy elimination

One of the most commonly used formats is the trophy elimination system. This format requires all vehicles to qualify in order to seed them for the racing. The first round of racing is then made up of pairings placing the highest seeded vehicle left against the lowest seed vehicle left. In the case of an odd number of vehicles, the highest seeded vehicle (the top qualifier) receives a bye run. For example, in the case of 8 entries or qualifiers the pairings would go:

No. 1 Qualifier vs No. 8                                                                                   No. 1 - bye

No. 2 vs No. 7                                                                                                 No.2 vs No.5

No. 3 vs No. 6                                       OR, in the case of  5                        No.3 vs No.4

And No. 4 vs No. 5                                                                                        

For the first round of racing the seedings come from the qualifying position of the vehicle (No.1 qualifier is seeded No.1, No.2 qualifier is seed No.2, No.3 qualifier is seeded No.3 and so on). In the first round if a higher seeded vehicle is beaten then the lower seeded vehicle takes the seeding of the losing vehicle. For example, if No.7 beats No.2 then the formerly seeded No.7 vehicle takes the No.2 seeding.

In the second round of racing pairings are made up by placing the highest seeded vehicle left against the lowest. In the case of an odd number of vehicles for the round, then a bye run is awarded to the highest seeded vehicle that has not received a bye run previously. For example, for 8 entries:

No.1 vs No.4                                                                                       No.2 - bye

No.2 vs No.3                                       OR, for 5                                No.1 vs No.3

As can be seen, this format leaves the 2 highest seeded vehicles in the final race.

Ladder charts for this format can be found here.

 3. Chicago shootout

The Chicago shootout or round robin format is unique in that it allows the same amount of racing time for each competitor’s vehicle. Basically everybody races everybody in turn. In each round, every vehicle competes and no one is eliminated from competition. After every round has been completed, the wins are added up for each vehicle and the vehicle with the most wins is crowned the overall winner. In the case of a tie in the amount of wins a run-off between the two cars is run or the car that won in the normal pairings during racing is awarded the overall win. As you may imagine, this format of racing takes the longest to complete and is usually only used in racing with small amounts of vehicle entries. 

These are the most commonly used formats for drag racing. They can be used as described here in combination or with whatever alterations you like/suit your area.

Wheelie bars

Wheelie bars are essential for any quick slot car drag vehicle. For all quick vehicles wheelie bar wheels must be kept on or close to the track in order to keep the guide in the slot and to keep the vehicles braids in contact with the tracks braid at all times.

The play or closeness to the track for wheelie bar wheels is measure by placing the vehicle on the track (or on a block/tech board that imitates the track) and applying slight pressure over the nose/guide of the vehicle so that the vehicles braids are flat on the tracks braid.

As vehicles get quicker and are given more power the wheelie bars and position of them becomes more crucial. For example, a 16D can usually get away with as much as 1/16” (1.6mm) play whilst a G7/open vehicle must have the wheelie bar wheels on or very close to the racing surface.

The length of the wheelie bars is a big factor, usually. The longer the wheelie bar, the more stable a vehicle is, usually.

Wheelie bars can have a little bit of flex in them but on the whole must be kept fairly stiff.

Wheelie bar wheels are usually required to be made of rubber or have a rubber o-ring tire on them. They must be perfectly round and have a perfectly round hole in them, that is perfectly centred, for the wheelie bars axel to go through.

Chad Raven

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