Super Fast Matt's new Youtube video

[rockracer]

Filled the car with keychains as ballast and wore a hole in the bottom, spilling onto the course. 🤣

[racergeo]

  Thanks for the posts, I have a clearer understanding now. As someone that can hardly afford to race, all the expenses and only one run and sent home is ruff. Hopefully he can turn his luck around.

[TrickyDicky]

...

As far as Matt goes, 257 vs 175 is a big difference. The SCTA has people miss speed limits by not knowing the gearing in the trans or rear end. It's the competitor's job to follow the instructions, they need to figure it out. With all of the electronics Matt has there is no GPS speedo? Even I have one in my car.... 

If I understand the video correctly, he was using the average of three measurements to get the displayed speed but the GPS signal had failed (inputting speed = zero).

(257+257+0)/3 = 171.333

At the end Matt says he presented this info as part of an appeal, it was accepted and the penalty has been reduced to a more manageable level.

Will he be back?

[1leg]

I watched his video. My .02
This is all over key chains he is selling for $25.00ea.
He said he can't tell the difference between 200mph and 290mph in his car (he seemed to know what gear he was in)

The guy was not taking driving a car over 300mph serious enough. He now has too. Everything the SCTA did was justified.

[gowing]

In hindsight...
Even though it now doesn't seem like the smartest idea.
Nothing prevented him from carrying loose ballast in his racecar.

Expect to see a "No merch in a racecar" rule coming soon.

I suspect that the SCTA making a person re-license as a penalty
is kinda like having your stripes removed in the military.

Punitive? yes
Productive? I'm not sure.

The going too fast thing could have really been an electronic error,
 but it never would have occurred if he would have taken the steps necessary to make sure
that his keychains stayed inside of his vehicle.

Cudos to him for figuring out how to make a little $$$ LSR racing.
Some of his Videos are pretty good, some not... But people watch.

[desotoman]

IMO, Here is the good that comes out of this experience for everyone to think about.

Make sure any type of container in your vehicle can support the weight you put in it. Remember Bonneville has changed and is not smooth like it once was. So with bumps overbuild everything.

Onboard Fires. Do more damage than most realize, especially with all of the electronics that everyone runs now.
You must check every electronic device after a fire to make sure it still works correctly after you have rewired the area the fire was in. Both boxes and sensors can be affected and partially or completely become disabled.

When one has to do a run and stay between a certain speeds, use both you tachometer, and speedometer/GPS to verify your speed, and if they don't agree take your foot off the gas pedal and turn off. Go back to the pits and find out why they are not agreeing. SCTA is watching the run. Turning out will save you more time and grief than having the SCTA sanction you for not following rules.

Some food for thought.

I believe Matt will be back. 

[1leg]

IMO, Here is the good that comes out of this experience for everyone to think about.

Make sure any type of container in your vehicle can support the weight you put in it. Remember Bonneville has changed and is not smooth like it once was. So with bumps overbuild everything.

Onboard Fires. Do more damage than most realize, especially with all of the electronics that everyone runs now.
You must check every electronic device after a fire to make sure it still works correctly after you have rewired the area the fire was in. Both boxes and sensors can be affected and partially or completely become disabled.

When one has to do a run and stay between a certain speeds, use both you tachometer, and speedometer/GPS to verify your speed, and if they don't agree take your foot off the gas pedal and turn off. Go back to the pits and find out why they are not agreeing. SCTA is watching the run. Turning out will save you more time and grief than having the SCTA sanction you for not following rules.

Some food for thought.

I believe Matt will be back. 

I agree with all that.

[MRK]

It's club racing.

A small select clique makes and enforces the rules.
You are either part of their club... or you are not.

Seems like maybe someone with authority doesn't like superfastmatt.

Quite insightful. I've witnessed personal grievances cloud the judgement of SCTA officials and been on the sharp end of that stick myself. With that said, the rule broken at SW was a big deal and the penalty was fair in my opinion. His flippant attitude towards said penalty at WF is a bigger issue. Matt needed to make sure he stayed within the boundaries set and should have ensured by any means available that he did so. His excuses were pretty weak in my opinion and the BNI came down very hard on him for good reason. He is quite fortunate that someone championed his cause and he was allowed a reduced penalty. I don't know Matt but he seems like a nice person and he's proven that he's a skilled builder and driver. He should be bummed but not discouraged. I think by putting that rig away for a time is the best thing. He'll roll the situation around in his head, dissect it and put it back together, beat himself up and curse the SCTA/BNI but we all know he'll be back and he'll have a greater understanding of how things work or don't within the SCTA/BNI. The organization needs young, smart guys like Matt to keep this thing alive and hopefully someone within his club or the SCTA/BNI will talk to him and help him keep the flame lit.         

[Lilhigbee]

Anyone remember Johnny Hotnuts??  Unsecured ballast (and his attitude) got him a five-year ban from the salt.  He wasn't even allowed on the salt as a spectator.

[gowing]

Legit Question:

Is there a official rule in the book about losing 2 licenses for dropping "debris" on the course?
A lug nut?
a dzus fastener?
chunks of your oil pan?

Will losing one of them automatically get you dropped down 2 spots?
Or is it only unsecured ballast that carries that penalty?

[bob sav]

maybe a key fob is what punctured my left front tire in my streamliner at 180 mph and sent me hard left unsteerable and wacked a quarter mile marker . ruined my week.  going over your assigned speed is one thing , dropping unsecured ballast on the track is a life thing. .   ya I remember hot nuts and what he did . 

[Dynoroom]

2026 SCTA Rule Book 1.A, last paragraph:

 Under penalty of disqualification, expulsion or permanent ban, no modifications (additions, deletions, or changes) are permitted to either vehicle equipment or driver/rider gear after passing Technical Inspection unless coordinated with the Event Director and Chief Technical Inspector. This includes any changes in vehicle condition due to breakdowns or failures, flat or damaged tires, spins, fires or any other reason. It is the entrant's or driver's/rider's responsibility to resubmit the vehicle to Technical Inspection for approval of any changes.

[MRK]

Legit Question:

Is there a official rule in the book about losing 2 licenses for dropping "debris" on the course?
A lug nut?
a dzus fastener?
chunks of your oil pan?

Will losing one of them automatically get you dropped down 2 spots?
Or is it only unsecured ballast that carries that penalty?

There is no standard when it comes to sanctioning a competitor for breaking a rule.
In my experience, all sanctions are levied at the discretion of the SCTA/BNI board. They act upon recommendations from the committee's that are assigned to investigate the incident(s). In Matt's case, he was hit hard but I've seen other cases that I would consider equally as bad or maybe even worse where no penalty was levied. One would hope that there would be no bias when these types of penalties are handed out but from time to time, bias and favoritism do come in to play.   

[SPARKY]

I had a similar experience in my journey, I left the track at above 200 not at and exit twice  once because I was hit by what we call a dust devil in Texas left track but came back on the track before the next mile marker finished the run---was called a spin sent through inspection had to listen to Dietz lecture about proper parachute procedures.

 Next year I had a rear pannel pop lose and I left the track due to "AERO STEERING".  Over the winter I over lapped "fish scaled" all panels.
  Wasn't told that I lost my lisc. but I had to make to controlled passes 1 under 225. 1 under 275 to prove I could control my car and knew how fast I was going and where I was on the track.. Same results just different label.

[racergeo]

  After a 4 and a half year build during which time I spent every dollar I could make on a Bonneville car, I was determined to build I was finally at the starting line. The previous day I had to make a few repairs after going through tech the first time and being told by every tech guy that front wheel drive didn't work or to be sure I had toe-in I was now ready for my rooky run. So I thought. After sitting all day in line the previous day (one course only) I left my car on the salt and was about 20 cars back in the morning.

  The starter reached over me and tightened my right shoulder belt and then my left arthritic shoulder harness.I yelled out in pain and said that was too tight. He said he would loosen it but only slightly. It was latter that I learned that I didn't have arthritis but a torn rotator cuff. I was suddenly pinned against my seat more tightly then any of the 100 times I had sat in the seat and pretended to be going down the salt. I was wreathing in pain and when I looked forward I could no longer look down and see my low mounted tach. A wise person would have aborted the run and went back to the drawing board. Not me.  I had waited too long for this moment.

   Suddenly I felt the jerk of the push truck and I'm surpenteningly going down the salt looking past a hood scoop in my field of vision and fighting to tell where I'm at on the track. This was the first year without the black line down the center of the track.I'm totally discombobulated , I can't see my tach and I'm in bad pain and I shift the car way to soon. The sea level carb jetting doesn't like the lug put on the engine and the car acts like it is bucking to a stop. I let off on the throttle , resigning myself to total embarrassment when the car starts picking up cylinders and slightly excellerating. Now I'm totally distracted by the unexpected difficulty of finding the race course and keeping the engine running and I totally forget what my purpose was, going between 125 and 150 mph. About that time the engine cleans up and I hear my favorite sound, a sweet SBC revving it's brains out. Then ahead I see the 3 mile marker, and I'm suddenly brought back to reality. I had just made a run with so many distractions that I had no awareness of speed. No fence post of telephone posts, nothing to go on. No tach and experience to fall back on. The rest of this story upsets me a LOT. SO I'M GOING TO REGROUP AND POST AGAIN LATER