posted
I figure now that Finals is wrapped up and the rules discussion is in full swing, maybe now would be a good time to get opinions on how this past year went and how you feel about DB Drag as a whole? Lets try and keep this positive as this is Waynes' game and we are the players. We need eachother to make things work and get better. Negativity only takes away from the sport in my opinion.
I think this year went well. I saw a decent amount of first timers in the lanes and made new friends as I do every year. I felt that the rules were out a little late and seemed to change throughout the year which caused serious issues both in and out of the lanes. A majority of the classes seemed to be decided by closer scores than ever. This was one of the best years from a spectators point of view. It seems that competitors have taken more time in the presentation of their vehicles and installs which is great. Wayne and others have helped get more media involvement than in years past. Incentive to spend thousands of dollars to be competitive is no existent. There were way too many multi point events and the excitement didn't seem to be present at most shows due to this. ASP seems to be a flop. Taking control of single point events from Retailers was a mistake. Mini Street was missed and would be warmly welcomed back in 05. We are losing alot of LEGENDS recently and I think someone should take the time to find out why. Manufacturers need to be more involved, regardless of how many people they sponsor...if any. Offer them ways to advertise at shows. Make DB Drag beneficial for them to be involved in and competitors will be rewarded with equipment support, discounts and sponsorships. Get local retailers more involved. Most shops in my area have forgotten about DB Drag. I think that involving the tuner cars at shows is a great idea. They bring new blood and a new look to the sport. There seemed to be confusion among judges througout the year and especially at Finals. This also caused confusion among competitors as to what was legal and illegal and why things had changed. I think that the judges are headed in the right direction by trying to get on the same page. Strictly inforcing rules is a great thing for DB Drag, but misinterperating them and not being consistent is a bad thing. This causes frustration and drives competitors away. The Extreme vehicles are less exiting than ever before. When you've seen one, you've seen them all. The only difference lately is the equipment, enclosure and paint being used. Let the Extreme competitors be imaginative again. That's what made that class exciting. Super Street is more exciting than ever. There are many different types of vehicles having success in these classes. Street Max had a great rookie year. The rules seemed very well thought out and scores reflected that. Street class still needs some fine tuning to eliminate the advantage of the Rex's and level the playing field. Although there have been some vehicles other than CRX's having success in the past few years, there's still not enough to make a difference. I know that there are alot of competitors that mentioned they were leaving DB Drag or taking a year off. Why not chime in and share your thoughts on what could make things better? I think this post could help Wayne and others directly invloved with the DBDRA make things better. Everyone has different opinions, experiences etc and by addressing these, things could only get better which is what everyone wants.
posted
ok far as street classes is to level the playing feild not eliminating vehicles, one is amp or power limitation ,just like what was done with batteries , street a has gottn out of hand seeing a $4800 amplifier enter at finals against $500-$1000 amplifiers, i guess if you wanna win, you spend no matter what the amount is ,but if your a local competitor no able to have access to that kind of equipement or cash , my two cents next season ill be in street a with a rex this one is kinda hard to get loud as it is ,lol,
-------------------- ear drums are very over rated
r.i.p. greg welch
2005 dbdrags bassrace world finalist 120-129.9 3rd place finish Posts: 1282 | From: somewere in time | Registered: Nov 2001
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quote:Originally posted by audiobuffru1: ok far as street classes is to level the playing feild not eliminating vehicles, one is amp or power limitation ,just like what was done with batteries , street a has gottn out of hand seeing a $4800 amplifier enter at finals against $500-$1000 amplifiers, i guess if you wanna win, you spend no matter what the amount is ,but if your a local competitor no able to have access to that kind of equipement or cash , my two cents next season ill be in street a with a rex this one is kinda hard to get loud as it is ,lol,
Power limiting is not a good idea, You can't trust the manufacturer to accurately give a power rating, I'm sure some of you guys remember what Orion did with there Concept amp, they had a 1000 watt + amp and rated at 1 watt and I'm sure Wayne and his staff does not have time to test every amp that has ever came to the market.
posted
I for one like the rules... I used to hate them... then I just said f-it and bought the winningest amps in Street Class history no matter what the cost was on them. I built for rules the way they were... leave Street alone... I think the rules as far as classes set-up are fine... however the rules about what you can and cannot do with the interior of your vehicle should be spelled out a little better.
I.E. the problems with "roof bracing" earlier in the season. Extreme cars and "Loading Walls" as center councils. The contraversy over CRX pannels at finals The "OEM SEAT" contraversy in Street Max The Headrests in street class no longer being removable.
Also the Colossus being banned didn't help many people at finals... we had all season to say the colossus wasn't legal then last minute they ban it...
I think a lot of people are quitting DB Drag because it's getting really political.
Maybe I'm wrong... afterall this is just the perspective of a street class rookie.
The rules work... Street Max was a success... no quads helped all the Super Street and Extreme cars....
I agree it shouldn't take a $4600 amp to win Street A, but look at who was right on his ass with a 9.0.
Just some random thoughts.
--------------------
Sound Mekanix SPL Design Team Held A World Record Street B 154.3 back in 2005.
Team "Soon to be forgotten HasBeen" Member #0001 Posts: 982 | From: Fond du Lac, WI | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: street a has gottn out of hand seeing a $4800 amplifier enter at finals against $500-$1000 amplifiers,
The way I see it is that this is a good equalizer for all those that complain about the CRX, you could never have that amp in a CRX with any real box. The current street rules are good, and they work. The only thing that I didn't like was the complete lack of shows in New York.
-------------------- Team T3Audio Team Cactus Sounds 2008 - Second in N. America 2009 - N. American Champion http://www.myspace.com/getlouddesigns Posts: 1236 | From: StreetMaxville, NY | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I said it before I will say it again Leave USACI out of DB Drag. It was a really bad thing to do I dont recall anything but bad things from all the shows that I attented. My car was never once inspected. At one of the shows I put a spacer behind the woofer to make it stick waaaay out past the B pillar to see if they would say anything, Nothing was said. This is why alot of people came to finals and were DQed. Also I do like the rules in Extreme just need to fine tune them. The dash needs to be More flexable in the rules. Let us play with it a little. Bring back Mini Street. Dont wait til the last min. to tell everyone that an amps is illegal. That will do nothing but drive people away. Run it all year then at the last min tell them they have to find something else.
-------------------- TEAM SOUNDSTREAM BASS RACE 06 World Finals Bass Race 6th IASCA World Champion, New World Record 170.1 04 2nd Springbreak Nationals 06 2nd DB Drag World Finals 04 2nd IASCA World Finals 03 9 Al ST. Records Posts: 7486 | From: Dothan Al. | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Here's my take on it. As a newbie I competed in DB Drag on the local level in '99-00. It was FUN. I did well for what I had ( 300 watts/3 12's 145.9 on AC) and was building on next year..but the rules changed,so there went the truck ( bronco II). I decided to do it again so I bought a CRX. I wanted to be competative on a local and regional level. After Alex set the record @ Audio Thunder I went to see him and his car. He showed me that boat anchor he used. So I made plans to use this amp..only to have it banned @ the finals. My point is that this is a sport...You will spend what your comfort level is to play. Its no diff than golf,darts,fishing,hunting etc. But don't redo the rules,just fine tune them. If there is major changes...we spend more $$$ to make the vehicles legal.
Some want mini street brough back...I think that If Wayne wants the sport to grow it has to start at the local level. Make it so that the retailers can see a jump in biz for doing such a show and that competitors dont have to drive 4-6 hrs one way for a show to get points. Make the rules such that there is lil room for interpitation. Remember the goal is to [B]have fun[/B.]
-------------------- Chuck Whitney Jr. '95 VW Jetta III 2008: World Finals:Street Stock A - 4th place Regional 2009: New Season..New Class..getting back to basics
posted
you can limit an amp by physical size, like you did with the battery in street and street max classes. say no more than 33.3% cuft(576 cu inches), this allows a 24x12x2 amp in, a 36x8x2" in, etc
posted
I like the last 2 post that seems like a good Ideas!!
-------------------- TEAM SOUNDSTREAM BASS RACE 06 World Finals Bass Race 6th IASCA World Champion, New World Record 170.1 04 2nd Springbreak Nationals 06 2nd DB Drag World Finals 04 2nd IASCA World Finals 03 9 Al ST. Records Posts: 7486 | From: Dothan Al. | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by jarfunkz: you can limit an amp by physical size, like you did with the battery in street and street max classes. say no more than 33.3% cuft(576 cu inches), this allows a 24x12x2 amp in, a 36x8x2" in, etc
quote:Originally posted by jarfunkz: you can limit an amp by physical size, like you did with the battery in street and street max classes. say no more than 33.3% cuft(576 cu inches), this allows a 24x12x2 amp in, a 36x8x2" in, etc
^^^
-------------------- The Peoples Mod/Champ
2006 Bass Race World Finals 130-139.9 Champion Using Crunch Sub Woofers! 2007 Bass Race Indy Regionals 130-139.9 3rd Place 2008 Bass Race Indy Regionals 130-139.9 2nd Place
If you ain't down with the Iggster and his sounds, I got 2 words for ya: Bass Race Posts: 29853 | From: Tinley Park, Illinoize | Registered: Jul 1999
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quote:Originally posted by loud_aurora: The only thing that I didn't like was the complete lack of shows in New York.
I absolutely f'ing agree. "Whassup wit dat"?
-------------------- Get loud daily... not burping. From Finals 2005:
quote: It's World Finals. A certified event. A 4x scoring event. It's the "pinnacle" of the "sport".
If I showed up to Game 7 of the World Series and was found to have a Corked Bat in pre game warm-ups, what would happen to me? Even if I said that I 'didnt see it in the rulebook, my bad'.
From Finals 2004:
quote:Originally posted by dBSteve: Everybody in the top 8 in every class bent the rules.
quote:Originally posted by jarfunkz: you can limit an amp by physical size, like you did with the battery in street and street max classes. say no more than 33.3% cuft(576 cu inches), this allows a 24x12x2 amp in, a 36x8x2" in, etc
not bad idea... def will bring technology along... which is another goal here (correct me if im wrong).
-------------------- Get loud daily... not burping. From Finals 2005:
quote: It's World Finals. A certified event. A 4x scoring event. It's the "pinnacle" of the "sport".
If I showed up to Game 7 of the World Series and was found to have a Corked Bat in pre game warm-ups, what would happen to me? Even if I said that I 'didnt see it in the rulebook, my bad'.
From Finals 2004:
quote:Originally posted by dBSteve: Everybody in the top 8 in every class bent the rules.
posted
cool so the amp I just bought cant be used... awesome, I love how this is going.... [/sarcasm]
-------------------- Dave Yearick Jr. -- '03 Ford Expedition FX4 Kicker SS 5.25 Comp's Front Kicker SSMB8 Midbass Front Kicker RS 5.25 Comp's Rear Kicker ZX650.4 & HK398 Hifonics Goliath Sub Amp 2 Fi BTL 18"s My Explorer Posts: 601 | From: State College, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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street A= 576 cu inches of amps, this means you can run more than 1 amp if they are less than 576 cuin... this means people who can not afford a 4000d or some other $1000+ amp can buy 2 d2s @ $300 each and be very competable.
street B= 1152 cu inches of amp= blah blah blah blah= 2 4000d vs 4 d2s
street c= 2304 cu inches of amp= 4 4000d vs 8 d2s
street max 1-2= 1152 cu inches of amps street max 3-4= 2304 cu inches of amps
posted
Thank you for your input. We will SERIOUSLY consider constructive posts such as this.
The amplifier dimension concept was discussed last year. (It would be appreciated if one of the mods would find this particular thread.) One of the arguments against amp size was that some of the "cheap" amps are in very large heatsinks to give an appearance of value. We can re-evaluate this issue for 2005.
I hope any changes to the rules (if any) will be minimal. I believe more pictues and better explanations and examples in the rule book could be beneficial. We must address officiating quality here in the US.
We all agree that the entry level classes are the most important segment of dB Drag Racing with regards to future growth and success. I believe that veteran competitors will continue to enter our entry level classes as long as those classes are offered at the World Finals. The only solution is to come up with some classes that will not count towards the World Finals invitations.
We must also address "Teams" and "Points Chaser" vehicles.
Finally, we must have more contestants at the Finals. We cannot have a World Finals with only 100 vehicles. There are serious financial realities that must be taken into account. Especially when 1st-8th place trophies are given out in 13 classes. We need to get the number of contestants up into the 300+ range. I think we need to seriously address the points requirement / certified score requirement for a World Finals invitation.
-------------------- "Keep it Loud and Make me Proud!"
quote:Originally posted by Wayne Harris: Thank you for your input. We will SERIOUSLY consider constructive posts such as this....
...We all agree that the entry level classes are the most important segment of dB Drag Racing with regards to future growth and success. I believe that veteran competitors will continue to enter our entry level classes as long as those classes are offered at the World Finals. The only solution is to come up with some classes that will not count towards the World Finals invitations. ....
This is basically what the "regional" thread is referring to. I think it would be a great way to help growth and combat "ringers" in "entry" classes.
-------------------- Get loud daily... not burping. From Finals 2005:
quote: It's World Finals. A certified event. A 4x scoring event. It's the "pinnacle" of the "sport".
If I showed up to Game 7 of the World Series and was found to have a Corked Bat in pre game warm-ups, what would happen to me? Even if I said that I 'didnt see it in the rulebook, my bad'.
From Finals 2004:
quote:Originally posted by dBSteve: Everybody in the top 8 in every class bent the rules.
quote:Originally posted by Wayne Harris: I hope any changes to the rules (if any) will be minimal. I believe more pictues and better explanations and examples in the rule book could be beneficial. We must address officiating quality here in the US.
We all agree that the entry level classes are the most important segment of dB Drag Racing with regards to future growth and success. I believe that veteran competitors will continue to enter our entry level classes as long as those classes are offered at the World Finals. The only solution is to come up with some classes that will not count towards the World Finals invitations.
We must also address "Teams" and "Points Chaser" vehicles.
Finally, we must have more contestants at the Finals. We cannot have a World Finals with only 100 vehicles. There are serious financial realities that must be taken into account. Especially when 1st-8th place trophies are given out in 13 classes. We need to get the number of contestants up into the 300+ range. I think we need to seriously address the points requirement / certified score requirement for a World Finals invitation.
i suggest moving finals to a more central location, or perhaps this could be the year where we could have regional world finals at the same time and have everyone compete in the area's prospective judges termlabs against each other in multiple locations? this might not yet be a reality, but here is my arguement anyways...
west coast has driven more than anyone else has in the US to finals, be nice to have a fair share. keep in mind we leave on tuesday night before finals and do not get back until tuesday(sometimes wednesday). that is over 1 week of work lost for most of us. most of the west coasters do not care about world finals, because this makes it not a reality for them. they can not make a 4500 mile round trip with their vehicle, take that much time off work, and pay this much money in gas, finals fees, hotel, etc.
more cars on the west coast than anywhere else in the US, especially in the socal area. if you want dbdrag to continue, you need to tap into this population. you did once, and at 1 time you had quite a following out here, hell a certain team at one time had over 17 vehicles that did go to finals.
posted
Multiple World finals link via Termlab.net (via private network, etc, if possible) is not a bad idea. But... that kinda destroys the Big Gala event atmosphere... making it tougher on the retailers to get behind it and whatnot. Dont think that one would pan out.
-------------------- Get loud daily... not burping. From Finals 2005:
quote: It's World Finals. A certified event. A 4x scoring event. It's the "pinnacle" of the "sport".
If I showed up to Game 7 of the World Series and was found to have a Corked Bat in pre game warm-ups, what would happen to me? Even if I said that I 'didnt see it in the rulebook, my bad'.
From Finals 2004:
quote:Originally posted by dBSteve: Everybody in the top 8 in every class bent the rules.
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