Question for Jeff Foster and Dave Kommel

[novassdude]

Originally Posted by Toby Lang

I wonder what they will ban next when it happens again.

Good question Toby, and we know it will happen again. Probably no more video of the run by your crew. Then no more chrome wheels, then no chrome at all on the car.

As we all know it is not an issue with the timing system!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Dave Kommel

NHRA has now "fixed" the problem by banning all flash photography at all times and anywhere from the water box to the 225' photographers limit.

[CycloneFE]

Well I don't have the answer either, but I will say that flashes can do weird things. I have taken hundreds of pic at the track and this is the only time it has ever happened and I have pics of the same car when I did not have a flash that were just fine. I used a medium grade Vivatar always set to manual mode. The panels on the car WERE reflective tape. Why it came out this way is still a mystery to me, even 30 years later.

[chevy620]

The only reason I have not heard yet...........and I feel it is THE REAL ANSWER, is DeFrank's car moved. I do not mean forward or rearward roll; I mean when his top bulb came on he went to the chip and it "shook the front tires" enough to let the infra-red beam to get to the receiver cell. I owned a track and watched A LOT of races on the starting line.
If Jimmy staged really shallow all was good...then when it hit the chip or just went to the mat...it could have caused enough tire movement to bite him.

He was lucky...he got a rerun. Why didn't Mike Cotten get one? It looked like he was .05 on the tree but it went red....must have been a camera or a spaceship sending infra-red signals.

WOW! I would have been so mad if I was Cotten I wouldn't have to worry about pre-entries, I would probably be banned after that "hose-job" he took. Win the WinterNationals and then get the news your opponent "didn't really red light"!!!

Sad day for Compulink if that can happen; maybe nobody has ever "really red-lighted"?? That would change some big race final rounds wouldn't it.

I owned a Compulink System. They were state of the art, but they have been surpassed by the drivers and cars the last 10 years.

I think it is time for a timing equipment overhaul, at least get it as accurate as some of the cell phones and data recorders being used by racers today.

C'mon Jeff; we know you are reading this. Let's hear the official reason on how a camera can start the tree.

Jok