What are your thoughts? I somehow landed myself in a debate on another board about bracket racers hitting the brakes at top end.

Some people feel as though you are a bad bracket racer if you have to hit the brakes at the top end because you improperly dialed your car in. If you are any good, you will know exactly what your car is going to run. They went as far as saying it's cheating.

I believe that a good bracket racer hits the brakes at top end when necessary. Why would you stay in it if you knew you were taking too much stripe and risking a break-out??

Let's hear what you think...

 

IMO, I feel that you should do what it takes to win. If it was cheating then it would be banned in the rule books. I think people just get mad when they lose.

Later
Matt

 

If a good bracket racer is defined as a racer who is successful and plays fair, then there is nothing wrong with using the brakes. There is a huge difference between pure form and winning a race.

The rules allow/disallow what a racer can do. A racer who fails to use those rules to maximum advantage is probably not going to win as many races. As a competitor, my job is to win as many rounds as possible and one of the ways to do that is to make as few mistakes as possible.

I came out ahead last weekend a couple of times on double breakouts, and yes, I used the brakes at the appropriate time. The competition is way too tight at the top not to use any possible legal advantage.

 

... to play the game! As TnT says, as long as you are within the rules, anything goes. Hitting the brakes because you are ahead or dialed soft is legle. You sometimes have to compensate for slippery track conditions and you do this by choosing a different dialin. NOT using the brakes if you are far enough ahead is just plain "STUPID". You have just given the catching car ANOTHER advantage!

What do I mean By the 'Catching car having an advantage?' Well... actually they have quite a few.

1) First car to leave has first/possibly only chance, to REDLIGHT.
2) Some tracks the fast car has lane choice.
3) Fast car can see you and judge you the whole way.
4) Fast car has a better chance of YOU not making the right decision on the top end.
5) Fast car has more options to play off of what you do.

Me, myself and I would all rather be the "Catching Car". I like to come from behind, too many advantages not to!

But anyway, tell those 'Bracket Racers' who say hitting brakes is CHEATING! That is pure BS! Play the game to win WHATEVER it takes. Thats why alot of people don't like bracket racing... you have to use your head, have a plan, etc.

 

That's the thing...
People think they can just put a number on the window and floor it - there's just a bit more to bracket racing than that.

 

I think they don't know the concept of bracket racing. Hitting the breaks is just part of the race. It takes tallent to win, not just having a fast car. You got to cut a good light and put the car on the numbers any way you can. Getting your opponent to break out by dumping them at the end isn't pretty but it sometimes works and a win is a win. I feel that for the most part good bracket races dial pretty hard, maybe give themselves a .020. It's pretty hard to tell if I'm +.020 or -.020 on my dial at the end of the track. If I'm ahead or behind I tap the brakes. If its too close to call I stay and try to take the stripe. Learning yea or ney takes a lot of practice to learn. If you call that cheating then I guess I cheat. And for the record I haven't been very good at cheating this year.

 

The people who call it cheating are the ones that lose.

 

Around here if you are not within .01 of your dial-in chances are you are going home early. Just amazes me how many no-e type of cars can cut .50 to .51 lights.

I know this one race I won by .001 The guy hit the brakes right at the end.