Unfair Advantage

[LS14gezr]

I read with interest the thread re: ?no more blockers?. Contained in that thread was a reference to infrared tree readers and optical matty boxes. Do such devices actually exist? I have heard of Matty boxes but optical? Can anyone explain how these devices would be actuated and what should I be looking for if I suspect a competitor has an unfair advantage. Also, any reference to further published information would be appreciated.

[John Kelley]

Originally Posted by LS14gezr

I read with interest the thread re: “no more blockers”. Contained in that thread was a reference to infrared tree readers and optical matty boxes. Do such devices actually exist?

Go to Summit's Drag Central and check out the Moroso Five Day. Check out the reaction times.....nobody is consistently that good !! There are "tree readers"..................

[The Hawk]

Well John,I disagree with you. I`ve had days in the dragster I drive,where I`ve gone 7 rounds and only had 2 lights that weren`t double oh,and they were in the teens and I don`t have any of that fancy high tech ****,just a cheap cross over delay box. It is posible,and those guy`s are a hell of a lot better high dollar racers than I am. A lot of those racers are at those races are there because it`s their job,and they have to be good. With delay boxes,it`s quite a bit easier to string together double oh after double oh,it all just depends on what you`re willing to risk with going red. Lane

[LouisJeffery]

Where can I buy this equipment? Sounds great. Can you hide it on a Stocker? Does it require a trans brake?

[Michael Beard]

>> Check out the reaction times.....nobody is consistently that good !!

I averaged an .017 light, double-entered for three days at Piedmont's Footbrake Nationals, and it was worthless against the competition. I should HOPE that someone with a delay box would be better than that.

Concentrating on improving your reaction times and finish line driving are going to get you a lot further than worrying about somebody cheating.

[John Kelley]

Too many lights from .000-.008..........at Moroso.........

[Michael Beard]

I understand that there's a difference between a practice tree and real life, but there's also a big difference between bottom-bulbing and a delay box. I've held a .007 average for 100 runs on a practice tree before, off the bottom. I should HOPE that a group of the best racers in the country should be able to do it for a handful of runs with a delay box!

[tgriffith]

...

[Keith 944]

i have photo cells and sensors attached to the front end of my car, the photocells are great for nighttime but if someone takes a picture of my car it will take off! the track sensors tell me when to hit the brakes at what point on the track, i can also have this attached to my throttle stop when activated at half track to slow me down or pick me up a few if needed. shoot i don't even drive the car anymore, i just wave to all my freinds in the bleachers as i am going down track. can't tell ya how much it cost cause i built it all myself from old microwaves and radioshack parts. and i will not sell them, why would i want anyone to beat me with my own stuff? unless.... we split all the $ beforehand.
Honestly, i do believe some cheat, but i also believe anyone can be beat!
myself, i have a full sized tree at home, practice . and i also judge cars going down the highway just pick a point, see if ya can close it up. not drastic, but i do lift or speed up. oh yea, seat time! some of these guys race 3 times a week or more, and they still screw up every now and then, we all do! i was at moroso this year, there was a drastic dropoff of the car count. but if you don't go you have NO chance of winning!

[Tony Curcio]

The Matty box has nothing to do with reaction times. It was used to avoid breaking out. Photo cells or lasers are feasible, but countermeasures are equally feasible, such as flooding the tree with light, regular or infrared. If you really want to know more, start by Googling "Matty box" and follow the threads from there. Below is the summary from the actual US Patent for the original Matty box, which has been posted on this forum and others many times.



Drag Race Analyzer United States Patent # 5,051,935 - Date Awarded: 9/24/91

An apparatus for automatically and continuously projecting an elapsed time in which a vehicle traveling over a racecourse will complete the course, wherein a difference between the projected elapsed time and a predicted time is continuously displayed to a driver of the vehicle, so that the driver can adjust the speed of the vehicle as needed during a race to approximate the predicted time. A plurality of magnets are mounted on a drive shaft of the vehicle in a circumferentially spaced relationship. A pickup coil is mounted adjacent to the magnets to detect movement of the magnets past the coil for measuring the distance traveled by the vehicle. A computer is electrically connected to the pickup coil and collects data from the coil for continuously calculating a difference between the projected elapsed time and the predicted time during a race. A motion switch is electrically connected to the computer and detects forward movement of the vehicle at the start of a race for automatically actuating the computer. A light gage is electrically connected to the computer and includes a set of red lights and a set of green lights which, when illuminated, indicate that the projected elapsed time is faster or slower, respectively, than the predicted time in 0.01 second increments. When one or more of the red or green lights are illuminated, the driver can decrease or increase the speed of the vehicle, respectively, so that the elapsed time approximates the predicted time at the end of a race. Inventors: Matty; Richard D. (xxxxx Xxxxxx Rd., Marshallville, OH xxxxx) Appl. No.: 356845 Filed: May 25, 1989