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FAQs
Mojave Mile Shootout Q & A
Q. What exactly is a mile shootout?
A. Technically, it’s a one-mile standing-start speed trial. You drive your car/bike from a standing start and try to get to the highest speed you can in exactly one mile.
Q. So it’s just a drag race, only one mile long?
A. Not really. Unlike a drag race, there is only one car on the track. And we do not measure elapsed time, only top speed. Because there is no E.T., burnouts and hot starts are not needed, making it easier on your equipment.
Q. Sounds like fun. Who can enter?
A. Pretty much anybody 18 years or older, with a current valid driver’s license and insurance and a safe machine with good tires. Please note, however, that you must have permission of the vehicle’s owner to race it, and NO RENTAL CARS are allowed.
Q. What are the car equipment requirements?
A. There are quite a few safety rules, but, for cars, you can start with a basic street legal car, a small fire extinguisher, a decent helmet, and simple non-synthetic (100% cotton, for example) full-coverage clothing, leather gloves and leather shoes with no holes. See the rule book for more details.
Q. What are the motorcycle equipment requirements?
A. Due to their more-exposed nature, we do require more safety equipment for bikes. Mainly: 1) you must wear at least full zip-together leathers, boots, gloves and an approved full face helmet; 2) your bike must have a tethered kill switch installed; 3) several items must be safety-wired; 4) all lights, turn signals and mirrors must be taped or removed; and 5) your tires must be at least S rated for stock bikes, Z rated for modified, and W rated for unlimited speeds. These are only the high points; see the rule book for details.
Q. Do I need to pre-enter, or can I just show up on the day of the event?
A. You should pre-enter if at all possible. If you wait too long, you may be shut out, because there is a limit to the number of entries. There is also a higher entry fee for a late entry.
Q. So, can I bring any car or bike and go as fast as I want?
A. Well, not quite. There are speed limits that we impose, and they are based on your experience, and on the safety equipment and tires on your machine. Brand-new inexperienced novices can go up to 150 MPH (if their tires are good enough). That’s fast enough for a large majority of street-legal cars, and quite a few bikes too. With more experience under you belt, and better safety equipment and tires, you can go well over 200 MPH if your vehicle is fast enough! Please note that separate speed limits apply to both you and your vehicle; see the rule book.
Q. What if my car is a convertible?
A. There are special rules for convertibles or cars that don’t have a real metal roof structure. If the car has some kind of rollover protection behind the driver (like pop-up roll bars, for example), it can probably run. If it doesn’t, it probably can’t run, unless you add a roll bar to it.
Q. Can I just bring my stock bike and run it as is?
A. Sorry, but probably not. We feel that for safety reasons, our required basic modifications must be done. However, they are relatively low-cost and not that hard to do. We don’t allow certain bike types such as scooters, 3 wheelers, dirt bikes, and choppers, due to their unsuitability for high speeds.
Q. What kind of helmet do I need?
A. First of all, we don’t accept any helmet that is only rated DOT. We require other ratings such as Snell SA2000 & up for cars; or for bikes, Snell M2000 & up, or ECE22-05, or certain others. (See the rule book.) For bikes, all helmets must be full face with shield (i.e. not a motocross type), and clamshell front-opening types are only allowed in the Street division (165 MPH max). For cars, the slower categories allow an open face helmet but we would much rather see you wearing a full-face model. These slower categories also allow using a motorcycle helmet, but if you do, you must also wear a fireproof racing head sock. The higher car categories (above 165 MPH) do require a real SA2000 (or later) full face auto racing helmet with shield. (Please don’t go out and buy a new SA2000 or M2000 helmet! They won’t be accepted next year. Get at least a 2005 model.)
Q. Can my spouse/kid/parent/buddy ride along with me in the car?
A. No. We’re sorry, but no passengers are allowed.
Q. Can I bring someone else and share a car/bike?
A. Yes, but this is limited to two people total per vehicle. The second person will pay full entry fee minus $40. He/she must meet the same equipment requirements as the first driver/rider.
Q. Can I bring two vehicles and drive/ride them both?
A. Yes, but this is limited to two vehicles and they can’t both be in the same racing division. Two full entry fees are required.
Q. So, how much do I have to do to my car to raise its speed limit in your event?
A. This is oversimplified, but: Up to 165 MPH, just the basic requirements mentioned above (helmet, clothing, and extinguisher) are needed. To jump up to 190 MPH, you need to have a roll bar and racing harnesses, and wear a Nomex driving suit, racing shoes and gloves, and a full face SA helmet. Above 190, you also need a roll cage, a fire system, a fuel cell, a real racing seat, a head and neck restraint system, a full face SA helmet, and a better driving suit. In some cases you may also need a parachute. In all cases your tires may further limit your speed and you must have the experience to obtain the proper MKM speed license. This is a very superficial snapshot of the requirements and you need to read the rulebook for full details.
Q. 165 mph seems to be pretty easy to reach with today’s sports cars. I know my (Corvette/Mustang/Viper/Porsche/whatever) has a top speed in excess of 165, so this doesn’t sound like much fun if I have to back off at the end. Is this true?
A. Actually, 165 mph is pretty hard to get to in a standing mile. We know from experience that recent stock Z06 Corvettes are right about there, and they have ~500 horsepower. If you have less than that, you probably won’t see 165 mph. So, we believe that with most stock sports cars, you will be able to run flat out.
Q. I have an exotic car that I think can go really fast. It is very expensive and I do not want to modify it. What can I do?
A. We have a special category called Z Division that might be just the thing. Basically, the car must be a US model, year 1990 or newer, street legal and insured, made by a certified new vehicle manufacturer for the US market, must meet US DOT/NHTSA standards, must still be in stock, unmodified form, just as it was manufactured, and must have originally come with tires speed-rated ZR or higher. It then qualifies for a speed limit of 175 MPH or more, depending on the exact original tire rating, which you must document. The speeds are capped at 190 MPH, but very few showroom-stock cars can go that fast in one mile. (For example, a new stock 638-hp Corvette ZR1 can almost get there.) Please see the rule book for full details about what’s allowed in this category. If you modify the car at all, even with just a computer re-tune, you may find yourself outside this category and saddled with a lower limit. Also, no kit cars or grey-market imports are allowed in Z Division. There is one small modification you must make, which is mounting a 2.5 lb fire extinguisher.
Q. I would like to use nitrous oxide injection. Can I?
A. Yes, subject to our rules regarding Power Adders. The system must be properly installed, plumbed, and wired. See the rule book. In a car, using nitrous (or adding a blower or turbo) puts you into (at least) our Super Sport category which means you will need a roll bar, harnesses, and a driving suit, among other things. If that doesn’t suit you, you can remove the bottle and run without.
Q. Equipment-wise, what do I have to watch out for? What are you not going to allow?
A. First please realize that if we state that a certain item is not allowed, we are doing it for a good reason, usually safety-related. Having said that, we’ll warn you now that the following will not pass Tech Inspection: Wheels (on cars) over 20 inches in diameter, unless they are factory original for that car, or approved for racing; helmets that are only rated DOT and nothing else; tires not at least “S” speed rated; 2-inch 4-point harnesses (“tuner belts”, “show belts”); worn-out, undersized or mismatched tires; tires that are more than 6 years old. Bike riders all have to wear a full leather racing suit, and that doesn’t mean just leather pants and a separate jacket. And, two things that a lot of people tend to forget, but are required: metal tire valve stem caps, and, for every car, a 2.5 lb. BC fire extinguisher. This is certainly not a complete list; see the rule book for more details.
Q. I have a Land Speed/Bonneville car or bike that I would like to run. Is that possible?
A. We have in the works a possible special dispensation so that these cars and bikes (except streamliners) can run in our event but mostly under their own usual rules. Stay tuned for further developments!
One thing needs mentioning – the particulars of running at Mojave mean that we can’t have any push vehicles or crew members at the starting line. We’re really sorry about this, but for now, it’s not up for discussion. All vehicles must come to the line on their own, stop, then start, complete their run, and exit the runway, all under their own power.
Q. What is the altitude at Mojave? Which runway will we be using?
A. We will be running on the 12,500 foot Runway 30, starting near the southeast end and running northwest. The start line is at approximately 2700 feet altitude. The runway runs slightly (1% grade) uphill, so the finish line is about 50 feet higher than that.
Q. I looked at the Mojave airport on Google Earth. No way is that runway 12500 feet long. What gives?
A. Look again! The photo on Google Earth used to be way out of date, but has now been updated so that you can see the airport as it is today. We will have plenty of room.
Q. Mojave Airport? Isn’t that where Burt Rutan builds and tests those exotic aircraft?
A. Yes it is! The company is called Scaled Composites. They have recently (December 2009) unveiled the SpaceShipTwo civilian space plane, built for Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic venture. (It’s been christened the VSS Enterprise!) For the low, low price of about $200K, you too can sign up for a ride into space, sometime in the not-too-distant future.
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