CARBURETOR SHOOT OUT 2012

by **Mike Croley** » Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:43 am

This has been a very illuminating contest and subsequent discussion . Thanks to everyone who participated in the Shootout , and to everyone who posted ideas , info , and questions on this and all of the other threads and sites . The information that's come out of this will be a giant help to the average racer . Probably even a few surprises for the experts .
Regarding the above post about fuels , an important thing to remember about race gas is the difference in Specific Gravity among different brands and octane ratings . When switching from one brand to another , or going up or down in octane rating , the Specific Gravity of the fuel will change . And as a rule of thumb , a change up or down of Specific Gravity ( Fuel Density ) of more than 2% will require a jet change . For instance , going from .705 SG to .710 SG won't require a change in jetting . But going from .705 to .725 ( or the reverse ) would require a jet change of one step . And you'll also need to check your float levels .

by **gmrocket** » Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:07 pm

Mike Croley wrote:This has been a very illuminating contest and subsequent discussion . Thanks to everyone who participated in the Shootout , and to everyone who posted ideas , info , and questions on this and all of the other threads and sites . The information that's come out of this will be a giant help to the average racer . Probably even a few surprises for the experts .
Regarding the above post about fuels , an important thing to remember about race gas is the difference in Specific Gravity among different brands and octane ratings . When switching from one brand to another , or going up or down in octane rating , the Specific Gravity of the fuel will change . And as a rule of thumb , a change up or down of Specific Gravity ( Fuel Density ) of more than 2% will require a jet change . For instance , going from .705 SG to .710 SG won't require a change in jetting . But going from .705 to .725 ( or the reverse ) would require a jet change of one step . And you'll also need to check your float levels .

good post&info,,thanks

by **PhilD** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:31 am

Thanks for this great event, guys.

I really enjoyed it-I watched most of the SB live and some BB parts.
What I would like to see next year is each contestant introducing themselves to the camera and telling a bit about their carburettor.
This event it seemed the live feed sound was sometimes treated as a nuisance, why not turn that around;what this event needed was a host who talked to the camera.
Anything for you Steve Zicht?

Phil

by **Mike Laws** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 7:41 am

We will definitely plan to have a moderator or "color analyst" with a remote camera for next year's shootout. Someone who knows the industry and will introduce each team, ask appropriate questions (at the appropriate time), etc. We agree that this would be valuable for the live-feed audience.

Mike

by **Steve Zicht** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 10:42 am

PhilD wrote:Thanks for this great event, guys.

I really enjoyed it-I watched most of the SB live and some BB parts.
What I would like to see next year is each contestant introducing themselves to the camera and telling a bit about their carburettor.
This event it seemed the live feed sound was sometimes treated as a nuisance, why not turn that around;what this event needed was a host who talked to the camera.
Anything for you Steve Zicht?

Phil

Actually, I thought everybody forgot about me by now and I was flattered to get a mention. I too thought Mike Laws was brilliant in putting my ' dream ' together in this carburetor olympics. For years most folks thought that this type of contest was simply impossible to pull off as to you could not have so many top notch carb guys competing at the same place at the same time. All I heard for years was ' youll never pull this one off ' after making my pitch to several people to help me organize such an event. Well, go figure ! Looks like everybody had a blast in Orlando and cant wait to do it again ! No need to tell you guys how much I wanted to be there myself and couldnt.

Phil, your insight suggesting a ' commentator / narrator ' at the Shoot Out was already thought of and I talked about this with Mike but budget constraints and limited time prevented this from happening. However, this should be a priority for next year as to many times more racers will ' tune in ' and would be gratefull to hear tech talk about race fuel systems and discussion from the builders themselves while watching each shop compete. LOTS OF POTENTIAL HERE !

As a matter of fact, I wouldnt mind doing that job myself. Having had a race carb shop myself in the recent past and had some of my work published in magazines and books, Id have a ball doing it and talk about several subjects relating to fuel and race car fuel systems during the competition. You all heard the phrase ' Inquiring Minds Want To Know ! ' Whether anybody actually took me serious or not is another matter ! LOL !!!

I think the BLP CARBURETOR MASTERS CHALLENGE will now be a yearly event with something for everybody and could equal or surpass the Engine Masters Challenge. The Carb Shoot Outs will expand with more sponsors, prize money and there are limitless types of future challenges to organize. Ive got a feeling that now that the future Shoot Outs will be ' restricted ' to a certain number of contestants of perhaps 20 shops total to compete.

You just watch ! Next years docket will be completely full when BLP announces what type of ' carburetor class ' will be held next year. Now that the water temperature has been tested by those 2011 contestants, more shops will jump in next time. Well see some ' new players and faces ' next year and will perhaps crown some new champs.

Hopefully, well figure out a simple scoring system to silence the Shoot Out ' critics ' and be able to post more race results in greater detail. Who knows, perhaps webcast viewers will see scoring in ' real time ' on their PC at home and keep track of everything as it happens !

Lets move forward fellahs ! Start suggesting some ideas for another carburetor challenge to mlaws@blp.com. Were wide open for ideas ! SZ

by **raynorshine** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 3:06 pm

lots of GREAT idea's Steve! up,up and away to infinity.. =D>

by **Steve Zicht** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:36 am

Just heard from a very reliable source that the 2011 Carburetor Shoot Out event will be a feature article in the ' February 2012 ' issue of SpeedWay Illustrated magazine. Cant wait to see it ! SZ

by **SKeown** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:14 am

Maybe the'll divulge some imformation, sorry fellows, I couldn't resist....

SKeown

by **Steve Zicht** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:36 pm

Heres a short clip made at the PRI Show of the AED team with owner John Dicky and the carburetor builder for the company. Know what ? They almost did not attend the Shoot Out and was a late entry. John wasnt convinced that many shops would even show up but his staff insisted that they sign up and go to Orlando. Good thing they attended after all eh ?? I think theyll be there next year having won 3 trophies in the first Shoot Out.

Check out the video below if you havent seen it yet. SZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8jq61jE ... r_embedded

by **Steve Zicht** » Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:38 am

The Shoot Out 2011 story is officially out in the February issue of Speedway Illustrated. I've seen it and David Vizard wrote the story. I got my hands on a couple of issues from the publisher. Looks pretty good too with a few good pictures of some of the competitors. I'm not sure if Speedway Illustrated is sold at news stands however if you wanted a single copy. SZ

by **StanJ** » Fri May 04, 2012 5:55 pm

Any word yet on the dates and format for the 2012 Shootout? PRI being a week earlier this year throws a wrinkle in things, but I for one wouldn't mind the Shootout being held right after the trade show.

by **Steve Zicht** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 9:49 am

Its been 6 months since Ive said anything about the 2012 Shoot Out and I have pretty much kept quiet about the subject and have not talked lately with Mike Laws. So Im pretty much in the dark as to what kind of contest the next event will consist of and when it will be. Im hoping for another great turn out and I'll even try to make it to Orlando personally myself this year and see a few old friends. Hopefully, Mike Laws will make some announcements soon as to whats going on and what BLP has in mind. SZ

by **StanJ** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:21 pm

Agreed. Knowing at least the dates would be a big help in my case - and probably others as well.

by **Mike Laws** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:24 pm

The end of year trade show schedules don't leave us much room for the shootout - other than the same weekend as last year. Therefore the 2012 Carb Shootout will be from Nov. 24 to Nov. 27. More details coming soon.

Mike

by **StanJ** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:06 pm

Thanks Mike. I was going to have a big schedule conflict to deal with if one of the rumors recently floating around recently about the dates for this year's Shootout had been true. I feel a lot better now knowing that the actual dates aren't going to be a problem. We'll be there. Let me know when you decide on entry fees, and my very next phone call will be to Shirley with a card #.

Looking forward to seeing you guys again.