Fall Lightning Gatherin in Oklahoma

[tliss]

This was posted on the old board, so I thought I'd transfer it here:

The time has come once again for the LOOK fall Lightning gathering. This is our 3rd annual event and we are looking for a spiffier name; if you’ve got any ideas let us know. The event will be held 6-7 November 2004 in Tulsa, OK. The rain date will be the following weekend, 13-14 November. Everyone is welcome to attend. The event will be geared towards Lightnings, but all SVT vehicles are encouraged to attend.

On the 6th we will be racing at Tulsa Raceway Park. We will not have the track to ourselves because it will be a regular test and tune day. For those of you who don’t know, our track has been sold and is currently being completely renovated. The racing surface is brand new and absolutely awesome. If there is sufficient interest we will have some sort of Lightning shootout. How the rules go is dependent on who wants to race. We’ll try to make it as fair as we can, maybe even make it a handicap event. It will be $10/truck (in addition to gate fees) to enter the shootout. Half of the money will go to charity, 30% will go to the winner and 20% will go to the runner up. We are working on getting some prizes together for this event, no guarantees. If there are enough Cobras and Foci we will do a class for them as well. All classes will have to be street tires only because that is the only way we will be able to pair up the cars to run against each other. A street tire is a regular radial or a drag radial. DOT slicks are usually not allowed in the street tire lanes, but it often depends on how many people are there.

On the 7th we will have a picnic at Haikey Creek Park. LOOK members will provide the food. I do ask that you try to RSVP for the picnic so we will know about how many mouths we will need to feed. There is no charge for this, but donations are welcome to help offset the cost because it is not cheap. In the event that the donations exceed the cost of the event, all extra will be donated to charity. If you would like to make a charitable donation in the name of this event, just tell us that’s what you want to do. The charity for the event will be the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Last year we had 25 trucks from 5 different states here. Hopefully we will have even more this year. I’m looking forward to seeing you here.

We currently have one sponsor. Quick Trip will be donating snack items for the picnic. If you are a supporting vendor and would like to sponsor this event in some way, we would love to have your support.

Tom

[SonicblueSVT2k4]

Hey I will be there! I will also be at Hallett Raceway Park here in a few weekends for the next Track Guys event. Can you say HOOKED!!!!

B

[oilwell1415]

Hi guys. I am the one promoting this event. We would love to have some TALON folks attend this year. We had one guy from Texas last year, but I don't know if he was a TALON member or not. I'll post updates as they are available. Hopefully I'll see some of you here in November.

[99WhiteBeast]

I think we need to get behind this and support it. They can in turn support our Fall Classic event- a win/win for everybody:tu:

[my2002lightning]

Joe,
Good to see you on TALON! :beer: It was good hanging out with the Tulsa/Lighting contingent last year at the 61st/Memorial Hooters.:banana:

We try to get up to Tulsa/Broken Arrow when we can and drive the L around the old "stomping grounds".

I just hope this doesn't conflict with blackpowder/rifle deer season in OK. :o

Ronald



Hi guys. I am the one promoting this event. We would love to have some TALON folks attend this year. We had one guy from Texas last year, but I don't know if he was a TALON member or not. I'll post updates as they are available. Hopefully I'll see some of you here in November.

[REXRENEGADE]

If im free that weekend count me in :tu:

[oilwell1415]

I would definitely be interested in coming to Hallsville in December. Our track doesn't have any scheduled TnT after November, so that would basically extend my racing season a little bit. I read a little bit about the Fall Classic you guys are putting on. It sounds a lot like our event. Maybe we should put together a racing series. We could hit Tulsa, OKC, Hallsville, Ennis, and maybe one or two other tracks that are within a day's drive for most of us.

Ronald, IIRC, rifle season starts Thanksgiving weekend, so we should be clear. I haven't hunted in years, so my knowledge of when the seasons start and end is a little rusty.

[oilwell1415]

I've got a few updates for you guys.

First, there will also be a cruise at a local Sonic on Saturday night. Should be fun rolling in a few dozen Lightnings strong to that. The Sonic is at 38th and Peoria if anyone would like to get their mapquest on.

Second, I've been working on prizes. There will be a prize for whoever travels the farthest to get here. I don't know what it will be, but there will be one. I've also got an Amsoil oil change that we will be selling chances on. The chances will be $1 each or 6 for $5. Proceeds will benefit Victory Junction Gang Camp. The oil change is 6 qts of 5w30 and a filter for a gen 2. If a gen 1 owner wins it, we'll work something out. If there is enough interest from the gen 1 owners I might pick up the stuff for a gen 1. If I give away two oil changes the money will be split up to be half for the VJGC and half to help with the cost of the oil.

[oilwell1415]

Is anyone interested in a hotel? I've had a request from an NLOC forum for hotel information. If there are a few interested I can check on blocking out some rooms

[oilwell1415]

The event hotel will be the Best Western Kenosha Inn here in Broken Arrow. It looks like a nice place, there are several places to eat near it, it's in a safe part of town, and it's pretty easy to get to. It is at 1200 E. Lansing St. and the phone number is 918-251-2795. Their base rate for a single king bed room is $72.50/night, but they offer discounts for AAA, AARP, and the other usual suspects. I did not reserve a block of rooms because I don't know how many we might need.

[my2002lightning]

Joe,

We'll do our best to make it. I need to have Elaine make a spreadsheet of events, etc. to keep track.

One thing to keep in mind TALON, is that even S. Central OK. gets MUCH cooler temps. than the DFW area and Tulsa is EVEN COOLER in the Nov./Dec. time-frame.

And Tulsa's only 4+ hours away. Something to think about.

Ronald

[oilwell1415]

It looks like there will probably be enough trucks to have a shootout, so here are the rules I'm proposing. I might make small tweaks later depending on the trucks we have show up. If there is something I've missed or that you think should be added or deleted speak up. I want this to be fun for everyone and want everyone to have a shot to win in their class. I really need help with the gen 1 rules because I'm not that familiar with what people are doing with them. I've basically tried to set up classes that are separated by about a second.

All classes are heads up. No bracket crap if possible. If there aren't enough trucks to run all the classes, we will have to do a bracket style race or something.

Track entry is $15 to race, $10 to watch

Race entry is an additional $10. Half of the money will go to charity. 60% of the remaining money will go to the winner, 40% will go to the runner up. In other words, if there is an 8 truck field $40 will go to charity, $24 to the winner, and $16 to the runner up. I know it's not much of a payout, but my goal with this isn't to make anyone rich. It's to have fun and help some sick kids.

All classes will be street radial only unless we have several that want to race on slicks. The reasoning for the radial only rule is two fold. First, it serves to level the playing field for everyone racing. Second, it makes it much easier to get people paired up with the staging procedures used at TRP.

Gen 2 classes:

Stock: Stock tune, stock pullies, stock blower, no nitrous, no weight reduction, bolt on traction devices only.

Modified: Stock blower, no nitrous, bolt on traction devices only, weight reduction OK.

Pro: Driver's choice of power adder: either stock blower with nitrous or aftermarket blower without nitrous.

Gen 1 classes:

Stock: no power adder, stock headers, no part that touches engine oil may be of non-stock specification, no weight reduction. Bolt on traction devices only

Modified: no power adder, stock displacement, bolt on traction devices only, no wieght reduction,

Pro: choice of power adder or stroker, weight reduction OK, bolt on traction devices only

Super Pro: gen 1 or gen 2, run what you brung and hope you brung enough.

Let me know what you think.

[tliss]

.... I want this to be fun for everyone and want everyone to have a shot to win in their class....

All classes are heads up. No bracket crap if possible.....
Big contradiction there. If you want everyone to be able to win their class, bracket is about the only way you can go for anything over a stock truck. In a heads up race, the guy with the most money wins, period. Stock trucks are pretty evenly matched, but when you start adding chips and pullies and whatnot, it all goes to hell from there. If I were to run in a heads up class for all 12 second trucks, I would get killed by anything that runs mid to low 12s, period. Not much fun to me, because as I roll through the gates I know I have no chance (unless all other trucks there are stock!). Bracket will be the only way to go for the "slower classes". Now trucks that can run 11s and under might be a little different, because if you can make a truck go 11s you've got more of a chance to do well. It's a fine line.

Good luck with it.

Tom

[oilwell1415]

The street tires only clause will even the playing field a bunch. My truck would be in the stock class and has run fender to fender with a truck that has a chip, 6lb pulley, open fitler, etc. We ran 3 or 4 times and the largest margin was about a tenth.

In talking with people at LFest nobody is interested in racing brackets. If that's what we have to do that's what we'll do, but it seems like nobody likes it.

There is one big problem with brackets: The track won't help and seems to have very little interest in this event. They won't even return my emails. With no cooperation from the event it is very difficult, if not impossible, to run a bracket program. I've thought of a few ways to do it, but none of them are easy.

This is the first time we'll have organized racing, so it's still an experiment right now. If it doesn't work we'll do something different.

[oilwell1415]

Here's another update. A friend of mine has a dyno shop here in town. The rate is $40 for 3 pulls with air/fuel on the last 2 pulls. I am not planning to schedule a "dyno day" because of the time that must be invested, but the opportunity is there. He will even come in on Sunday if there are a few people that want to dyno then. If we start at 8 am we can probably get about 8-10 trucks done before the track opens if everything goes smoothly. If you are 100% sure you want to do this we can schedule the date, it just takes a lot away from the other stuff. Who's interested?

[oilwell1415]

Is anybody planning on coming? It looks like there's 6 or 8 from ARLOC and 8 or 10 from MKLO. You guys aren't going to let them show you up with the biggest turnout are you?

[Racingki]

Hey all, I'm new to the TALON club, just bought a 99 Lightning (with 28,000 miles on it) last month. And it just so happens I will be driving to visit my grandfather in tulsa next weekend and this event it there. Count me in. Although i will only have my Volant intake. so 99% stock

Also I am a Manager at QuikTrip here in Dallas, TX. Glad that we could donate the snacks.

[my2002lightning]

Joe,

We're a "maybe" at the moment - I'm thinking so since the in-laws live in BA... that shouldn't be a hard-sell with Elaine.:D

I really like the long road-trips through the OK. countryside.

TALON convoy?

Ronald




Is anybody planning on coming? It looks like there's 6 or 8 from ARLOC and 8 or 10 from MKLO. You guys aren't going to let them show you up with the biggest turnout are you?

[Tobbun]

Sounds like a lot of fun, but I won't be able to make it...

My son's last soccer game of the season is on the 6th... and I am the coach. :)

Best of luck with the event.

[my2002lightning]

David,

Are you the Red Gen. 2 L owner I met a while back at the Park/Midway QT in Plano/Carollton who picked up his L from some guy in Chicago?

You sound like the same one.

Make the next meet! knana

Ronald




Hey all, I'm new to the TALON club, just bought a 99 Lightning (with 28,000 miles on it) last month. And it just so happens I will be driving to visit my grandfather in tulsa next weekend and this event it there. Count me in. Although i will only have my Volant intake. so 99% stock

Also I am a Manager at QuikTrip here in Dallas, TX. Glad that we could donate the snacks.

[98Cobra]

What time does the racing start on Saturday?

[Racingki]

David,

Are you the Red Gen. 2 L owner I met a while back at the Park/Midway QT in Plano/Carollton who picked up his L from some guy in Chicago?

You sound like the same one.

Make the next meet! knana

Ronald

Yea thats me, how ya been? the only problem I've noticed with most the meets around here is that they are on thursdays and i work 2-12. But i will be in Oklahoma for this one. DT

[oilwell1415]

The racing starts at 1, but we are planning to meet at a gas station 2 miles south of the track (corner of Pine and Garnett) at 12:30 and caravan to the track. The weather is looking awesome. Temps in the mid 60's and it looks like the barometer might be up around 30.3. Getting close to sea level conditions.

It looks like the shootout isn't popular enough to have, but you never know. Even if there aren't enough to have it there will still be some excellent grudge racing and there is usually a winner take all bracket race at TnT.

Hope to see a few Texas plates in the pits.

[99WhiteBeast]

Anyone still planning on going for this one?

I'm a maybe at this point and it would have to be a single day trip for me.

Its going to be a nice day tomorrow for a convoy.

[Avalanche]

I would like to go but tomorrow is the LAST race of the TMCC event this year at Redline so I will be there.

[my2002lightning]

We're out for this weekend, as much as I'd like to get out of DFW and "unplug".

But we'll be in Tulsa for the Christmas holidays in the L, though.:banana:

Even cooler weather then... :tu: