Roll-on racing... What's the fascination?

[LukeP]

well, Clarkson loves light cars and says weight is the devil. So plus marks there, since the MS3 is a quarter of a ton lighter. However he hates insane FWD cars that just smoke their tires, understeer uncontrollably, and behave like lunatics - but the boost cap and engineering designs keep that under control. It would be an interesting test indeed.

FYI The time was 1:32.2 - Mazda 6 MPS, but I've seen other videos of the MS3 clearly beating the Golf R32 around other tracks on independant tests, and it scored a 1:30.4 - Volkswagen Golf R32 mk.V

The FWD Audi TT beat the RWD Mazda RX-8 around the track in an upset as well, so FWD isn't completely rubbish in a race situation. WRX STi was 1:30.1 - I don't think the MS3 has it in it to beat that time, and make it into the sub-1:30 range....I'd guess a 1:30.X time

 

[dkswim]

plays to the advanteges of certin cars.

 

[opt_ms3]

what the car traps at shows the HP. and we all know the ms3 isn't the fastest, but its no slouch either.

 

[PCspeed3]

i feel like dying

 

[Huligan]

Nurburg ring lap times;

Mazdaspeed3 8:39
Honda NSX 8:38
Lotus Exige 8:42
Porche 911 Carrera 8:28

Thats some pretty good company to hang with for a "slow" car.

where did you dig up these #s?

1 second slower than an NSX? sounds way too bogus... thats a bad driver in the NSX

 

[flipstylex]

(ughdance)

this shows u why roll racing is fun (headbang)

 

[speed3guy]

Its really all in what the person likes to do really. Whats fast to someone may not be fast to another person. Example.. some people think the NA mazda 3 is fast... me personally dont think so. Some people like to put huge wings body kits and vinyls on their car.. me personally.. not into that stuff really. Some people care about track times, 1/4 mile times... 0-60 times and all that.. some people dont. Plus roll racing is just another way to beat someone that you normally wouldnt be able to in their 40k+ car! And its much better on the drivetrain and other parts.

 

[Moxhair]

You being from the same area as I am should know there are some stupid fast cars around here.

Yep, I used to have an 11second SRT4 and there are a bunch of cars that are in the 10 to 11 second range in the Fort Myers area. When I would go to the Dyno my power range was Average for this town.

Quick and Fast are two different things. To me the MS3 is a quick car, I don't consider 13s to be fast or 0-60 in the 5s to be fast. Its quick, but definitely not fast.

But IMO straight line races are boring and a waste of time.

 

[boostdog]

I don't understand what the fascination is with racing someone else from a roll.
Isn't launching the car part of a drag race?

I guess starting from a roll is cool if you like NASCAR.

Because people with no drag racing skills go from a roll ( i am not saying that i have not raced from a roll as you do find yourself in those situations) but it takes skill to launch a car right esp. a fwd drive car like the ms3. all these guys talk about having a 12 sec from a roll is complete BS until they have a slip (LOL) to show me how they come to this conclusion. the ms3 is fast and can be from a dig if you do it right. i can see if your just cruising and stumble across someone and it becomes a race but to actually plan it that way like you see all the youtubers doing it takes all the skill out of the equation. my grandmother can row gears just as fast as anyone else but launching the car she'd crap her pants.(drive2)

 

[msp_rad]

shut up konrad

eric, that wasnt directed toward you........ or was it???? (shady)

 

[240ka]

Because people with no drag racing skills go from a roll ( i am not saying that i have not raced from a roll as you do find yourself in those situations) but it takes skill to launch a car right esp. a fwd drive car like the ms3. all these guys talk about having a 12 sec from a roll is complete BS until they have a slip (LOL) to show me how they come to this conclusion. the ms3 is fast and can be from a dig if you do it right. i can see if your just cruising and stumble across someone and it becomes a race but to actually plan it that way like you see all the youtubers doing it takes all the skill out of the equation. my grandmother can row gears just as fast as anyone else but launching the car she'd crap her pants.(drive2)

cant the same be said in a way when having a AWD as well...

 

[boostdog]

cant the same be said in a way when having a AWD as well...

sort of...if you ever have or get the the chance to launch and awd vehicle you'll see that there's a fine line between bogging the car and burning the clutch which neither get you anywhere very fast. it still takes skill...i dare say not as much skill as a high powered fwd car though..that in itself is difficult.

 

[mckraut]

kneedragger, people are offering up pretty good explanations as to why certain folks find amusement in roll racing, which you seem to be shooting down left & right. Just because you can't find enjoyment in racing from a roll doesn't mean other people don't. To each his own.

 

[LukeP]

kid: "You want to race me?"
me: "Alright but from a roll"
kid: "Why?"
me: "I'm not doing a clutch drop and smearing expensive rubber and alarming the populace to get my plate # just for 'cool points' with you."


I once rac...'engaged in mutual spirited driving' with a guy in a modified prelude. It was late at night and I knew something was gonna happen because there was no one around and we just happened to both have to stop at a stoplight, you know, one of those ones on a straight wide road that has no business even turning red on a night like this.

Neither of us wanted be a dink and send howling screams of tortured rubber into the night, waking people in the suburbs and having the police home in on our position, so we soft launched out of first and then planted it. I won by like 17 car lengths. I got a smile and wave - probably didn't know what the hell I was driving.

 

[GiJoe]

the only reason I race from a roll is cuz i roll with a bunch of big blocks that are torque monsters, from a roll I have a chance, but im dead in the water from a dig no matter how well I launch...

 

[240ka]

yeah, i mos def got to see how its either you launch the car right or you dont with AWD. not as many variables as FWD or RWD but its not easy as alot of people would think to launch a AWD

 

[ZyrehT]

Monster, hardly. I think people give these cars a little too much credit sometimes. They are decently quick and fun to drive but I would never use the word "fast" to describe my car or any other MS3 that I've seen.

Yeah, the car is as fast as a Vette from a few years back but it's not fast, are you retarded?

 

[kneedragger241]

kneedragger, people are offering up pretty good explanations as to why certain folks find amusement in roll racing, which you seem to be shooting down left & right. Just because you can't find enjoyment in racing from a roll doesn't mean other people don't. To each his own.

As far as the "fun" factor goes, I get it. Really, I do!
While I'm the guy that usually says "racing on the street is stupid, take it to the track", I can't say that I've never found myself involved in a friendly game of tag on a public roadway. I might even say that I had fun.

I get not wanting to abuse the car, too. Tires and clutches are expensive!
Personally, I rather enjoy the challenge of trying to get a good launch out of the MS3. For me, that shows an improvement in my abilities as a driver and I find that very satisfying.
Parts are replaceable and broken parts are an excuse to upgrade

Outside of the "fun" factor of roll-on racing, I don't get making claims about a car's potential (i.e., starting from a roll makes the MS3 a 12 second monster) based on speculation.
I guess I'm old fashioned and pretty cut and dry when it comes to racing. I need a start line, a finish line and a concrete standard for measuring results. Roll-on racing doesn't really provide those things for me.

I tend to be a "run what you brung" kind of guy, but I also understand the need to provide a "handicap" to try to balance the playing field.
Handicaps are a funny thing, though. For example, the SCCA has what's called "PAX Index", which is a numerical calculation that they use to equalize cars from different classes. This usually works pretty well, but in other cases it's grossly wrong.
At one autocross event, I set FTD (fastest time of the day) in my CSP Miata. At the end of the day, and after the PAX Index was applied, I was beat by a guy in an older Audi Quattro who had put in much slower raw times than me.
The caveat here is that it was raining that day and the Audi driver had a clear advantage with his all-wheel drive. While my raw FTD in a lightweight, RWD car was impressive, it didn't bring home the trophy thanks to the handicap involved. (notcool)

 

[Rotus8]

Sorry, but this thread is walking too close to the line on street racing, so closed.