Matt Moore Records the First 4-Second Pass in the Rowdy Radial Class at Rocky Mountain Race Week 1.0
With more series and tracks seeing action in the small tire area, the focus for some has turned to seeing how quick they can go on a 235 series tire.
The equivalent of a 26-inch-tall x 8.5-inch width slick, some competitors are finding out quickly that the tire demands a different approach, tune-up or in some cases more!
The drag-and-drive contingent is also hip to the small tire, as the Rocky Mountain Race Week (RMRW) Rowdy Radial class has been showcasing the talent on the eighth-mile standard for a while now.
Coming into the 2023 season, time slips in the low 5-second range would put you at the top of the RMRW Rowdy Radial class. That all changed on day four of the event at Pueblo Motorsports Park.
Matt Moore, who earlier this year carded a top ten finish at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in the Rowdy Radial class, came into RMRW looking to make a statement in his single turbo Mustang on the tiny tire. On day four he did just that, but it didn’t come easy.
“We struggled first pass,” Matt said. “Huge pedal fest. Then the second pass we went a bit faster, but the car hiccupped in the first 60 feet.
We knew the density altitude (DA) was getting better, and the track had cooled off. Being at 5000 feet DA (above sea level conditions), I know this turbo is a bit slow to respond.
So, I put in my no boost curve tune and left the turbo make what it could as fast as it could. Plus (the tune was changed for) less timing retard on the line.”
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It was his third pass of the day, and by the 60-foot mark, Matt knew the LS-powered Mustang was on a heater. “I thought for sure it was going to spin,” he said. “But I had my traction control plot pretty tight. So maybe I'd catch it.
Well, it did ride the dots for a bit from 30-60 feet (the edge of traction before spinning). But after that it was smooth sailing.”
The scoreboard lit up 4.954 at 145.50 mph, the first 4-second pass ever in Rowdy Radial at RMRW, and a new record. For Matt, the moment was solidified by Adam Dorey exclaiming on the mic “you were making history on that pass.”
“I know there has been faster passes in Rowdy Radial at other events,” Matt admitted. “With better (track) prep. And less (street) driving. But to run this number at altitude and on a track that saw 146 degrees today, plus the sand that blows over it all day, it’s enough to toot my own horn.”
After four days of racing and over 700 street miles traveled, Matt currently leads the Rowdy Radial class with a 5.08 average. RMRW will make the 425-mile trek back to its starting point, Kearney Raceway Park in Nebraska, on a drive day today. Then competitors get their final shot at the track on Friday.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Motion Raceworks and Matt Moore.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com