Voxxer's New Test Starting Gate

Jon's test rig got me curious whether or not it matters if a flip up gate is 'snapped' up quickly. Whether or not the lower car would leave earlier...

https://youtu.be/t_5EzFFpFVk

I ran my GT Corvette against a '55 Chevy...and you can see, it does look like the Corvette left first (if you are curious, the '55 still won the race).

But, the next question is, 'What about drop pin gates?' Wouldn't the opposite type of car then be best? Would a Gasser style car have an advantage on a drop pin track?

I think for a drop pin release a car like a 55 Chev it would get off the line sooner than a lower bodied car.  Voxxer's test gate is very interesting and does address things to consider.  With all the different starting gates which are a little different in themselves his set-up could come into play if the data for the release gates is provided for each race.  Maybe one day there will be a gate set-up which proves to be the best release and is used by everyone.  Another important factor is the angle/degree of the hill, which Voxxer's set-up also address's, because they vary between tracks.  All that being said Voxxer is at the tip of the spear and I think that is great.

All parts are from Lowes ( Not at Home Depot ) .  Erector " set" parts are the grey drawers.  Protractor is from Kroger, in school supplies.  cost about $20

I do not have a track of my own, so I created the most important aspects, to test out cars.

The gate, is for one purpose, to represent a flip gate start.  If I have several cars I wish to make the final cut - to be modified - I see which will do better in the test gate.   I might seem like a very small gain, but add up all the .000 seconds, it could just be the deciding factor. 

It does not matter what the car is, JUST what part of the car touches the glass. 

The higher - more angle, of the start gate, the bigger the advantage. 

Yes, the opposite formula, is true for drop pin gates. However, you MUST know the height of the pin.   

Do all the flip gates used here go down across the complete front end of the cars? 

here at myth busters we need c10 to give us some super slo-mo of the contact surfaces between the cars and lexan at launch... go c10 go !

Here's a little closer look at the start gate...

https://youtu.be/x-GPPafPulk

ok,

   i see that the lane closest to the release pin seems to have more stress when staged... it sort of bows the lexan...when released the latched side seemed to let the lexan straighten before it gets out of the way...

[for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction],

 so when the latched side lets go the other lane's lexan may push back ever so slightly... this may give the latched lane the advantage

we need the myth busters crew to take a quick look...

 ...........  great video C10, thank you !

future sloppy starters may have a center mounted release pin ...

C10, that is a great video, the slow mo is really good.  What I see when I look at it is the gasser in the right looks not to be against the gate and the vet looks to be closer to the gate.  It might just be the angle of the video, anyway to jump the Vet get off the starting line is really something.  I agree it would seem a starter with a center release would help in making sure both gate release at the same time.  How does the release gate which the LJLRC uses compare?

Here is another angle, with the cars coming at the camera...

https://youtu.be/S5esqbImaD8

I don't really think the gate is distorting...in this video, the cars are leaving pretty close.

Combine a flip gate with a pin drop in each lane for the release.