The BMW events are in Ayer. I don't know how far that is from you.

As I also understand, an R/T of .500 is perfect. And that's the way it's handled in New York State and at Englishtown in NJ, which are they only tracks I've run.

I solicited a lot of opinions as to when to hit the loud pedal and leave the line. Consensus seemed to key off the last yellow light:from there it was leave when the last yellow either illuminates or extinguishes. I started by leaving when the light went out; eventually I got it so I was leaving when the yellow had just come on, and I managed 2 runs in the high .5 RT range, but don't think I had one over maybe a .65.

All the years of stoplight dragging may have paid off!

And lastly, don't forget to turn off the A/C and any non-essential acccessories before you run! And if you run a V-8, if your temp's getting up there, turn on your heater full-blast hot...it'll bring temps down a bit, and quickly.

__________________
"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo

If there's anyone out here interested in going to the NH open night drag on Wed. 8/8 & 8/15 5:30 @ New England Dragway, Dean, Shane, and I (mercedes300ce & nudubs) will definitely be there (well, weather permitting).

It is located in the SE corner of NH near Portsmouth, all you need is $15. Let's see how many of us we can convene there and show up them rice grinders and pansypony cars...

Hope to see some of you there

__________________

Paul

'02 ML320 3rd row - wife's
'01 //S8 Alumi*****
'87 930 Sport Seats / LSD
'58 TR3A commuter

previous

'95 //S6 6gang
'87 190E 2.3-16
'88 ///M5
'98 ML320
'93 300E 2.8
'90 300E 3.0

http://blogs.europeancarweb.com/index.html (Sgt. Schultz)
http://randomstupidity.tumblr.com/
http://www.sfest.com/gallery/

Hmmm...I think I can make that. I'm gonna try for next week...Paul, are you going 8/8? We could convoy...bet we'd make good time!

__________________
"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo

Well, we made it to New England Dragway for the 8/8 and 8/15 events. Shane (nodubs) and Dean (mercedes300CE) joined me 8/8. Needless to say the few MB's there stood way out of the crowd of muscle cars and riceburners.

I left the day a bit dismayed, my seat-of-the-pants-ometer felt faster than the low 16's I ran. Shane was somewhere in the mid 15's I believe, and Dean didn't run his CE (running hot on this 98 degree day!). That blistering temp made many of our cars run pretty crappy. I did mangage to give a pair of older 5.no's a good run, only bested in the last few feet, as well as a tuned Rabbit GTi and a Mitsu Galant VR4

8/15 was fun too, Jim (jims500E) and Michael made the voyage up in their 500E's, and got to run against e/o, which was cool. They were around 14.0 @ 100. Not too shabby indeed. Jim beat a Mitsu VR4 Spyder by a few tenths. My best was down to a 15.9 @ 87.03, with a .613 R/T (perfect is .500, and I did manage a .499, whoops!). My bro in his '93 300SE (picture that one) was around 16.6 @ 84, not bad for 2 tons and 6 cyl's. Many Benzes for sure, and as one of my buds poked fun "an upper class assault on a decidedly under class event" (no we're not elitists, just havin some laughs).

The announcer had some fun with all of us each time we staged, comments like "Jeeves, please pass the Grey Poupon", or "if I had THAT car, I'd retire" were common.

Nonetheless, a fun time to try out your iron against the clock. I see some other posts about blackmercedes running his C36 out there too, kudos! Keep up the fun, drive fast.

__________________

Paul

'02 ML320 3rd row - wife's
'01 //S8 Alumi*****
'87 930 Sport Seats / LSD
'58 TR3A commuter

previous

'95 //S6 6gang
'87 190E 2.3-16
'88 ///M5
'98 ML320
'93 300E 2.8
'90 300E 3.0

http://blogs.europeancarweb.com/index.html (Sgt. Schultz)
http://randomstupidity.tumblr.com/
http://www.sfest.com/gallery/

We go out to Desota raceway in Manatee county, FL. Most cars on Thurs nights are Japanese screamers. Civics running 10's. It is pretty sick. A guy was out there in a 600SEL running with A/C and ran 14.9-15.1's all night. I want to run my wifes 420 but have not brought it yet. I ran my vette and it was fun, have to rebuild the carb though. Doubt I will EVER run the ML320. If anyone is in this area, E-mail me and we'll drag!

Being a Mass. native son with a motorcycle drag-racing brother, I remember those Wednesday nights at Epping. Don't they call it "grudge racing?" They once did the same thing here in So. Cal. (I moved here in '75), at the Orange County International Raceway, before the wise property owners decided we needed more condos instead of a world-class race track.

I read recently that the Fontana Speedway is building a drag strip for grudge racing. Check their website (I haven't yet). maybe we can organize a grass-roots Mercedes night to show our beloved manufacturer that we "begrudge" them pulling out of CART racing!

__________________
Mark Stetson
1995 E320 Wagon Moonstone Grey/Parchment 106K mi.
2007 E63 AMG Graphite/designo 75K mi

Hey Mark, the Fontana Speedway is already open, the local news station did a story on it. I oppened 2 days ago. Whats the address for the website?

Two clicks on Yahoo got me this:

http://www.californiaspeedway.com/

And away we go!

__________________
Mark Stetson
1995 E320 Wagon Moonstone Grey/Parchment 106K mi.
2007 E63 AMG Graphite/designo 75K mi

Raced my 420SEL at the Tulsa International Speedway tonight(how is it international, i don't get that at all??!). I raced against my friend with a 4cyl. 2.2L honda accord(semi-riced), and beat him by over a second every time.

My best run was a month or two ago, it was a 16.7 with i think a .600 reaction time. My best tonight was a 16.9, worst was 17.1 out of four runs. Reaction from .60, to .30.

When I pulled up to the line the first time, the announcer said "and now we have a Honda, and a Mercedes. It's the 'Fast and the Ridiculous' (parodying the movie 'Fast and the Furious' about rice rockets, in case you haven't heard of it).

Another friend of mine brought his 91' Chevy Corvette ZR1. Alot of people have never seen a ZR1 before, and everyone was drooling over his car, while looking at me like "what a dumb@$$!". Not a single other European car there.