New Design Rocket?

[drich24]

Mark Richards mentioned in a post Prairie Dirt Classic article on DOD that they were working on a new design with an engineer, but they were so busy racing they hadn’t had time to work on it. Something to that effect. Anyone know anything about this?

Are the new XR1s being built now a different design?

[billetbirdcage]

It was designed back in mid 2021 and was supposed to be tested in 2022 and for sale in 2023. However all that got put on the back burner and the car really hasn't been tested per say. They did test a STD car with the rear changes (pretty radical changes) but don't think its gone much farther then that.

That is the jest of the story. Pretty sure the engineer that designed it, is no longer involved and may have several other engineers doing work on a version of it or a whole new design

[drich24]

Thanks. I have wondered when we would see a new design considering the changes Longhorn has made and how they seem to turn better (excluding Madden).

[Josh Bayko]

It’s hard to test enough while simultaneously attempting to run a full national touring schedule. Perhaps it’s time to hire a guy that is exclusively a test driver and have set of tracks of various layouts and lengths and test at em weekly with actual data acquisition installed.

[billetbirdcage]

Whats funny is per the rule book the changes they did the back are not legal, so we'll see if they get that changed to be legal if they go on to production with the design. I doubt that configuration will ever see production though

[Tireguy17]

Demand for the XR1 seems to be holding steady according to their welder who has posted milestones on Facebook.

Chassis 1 off the jig on 10/5/2015
Chassis 1000 on 12/14/2020
Chassis 1200 on 11/4/2021
Chassis 1400 on 12/13/2022

Averaging 200 chassis a year

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Demand for the XR1 seems to be holding steady according to their welder who has posted milestones on Facebook.

Chassis 1 off the jig on 10/5/2015
Chassis 1000 on 12/14/2020
Chassis 1200 on 11/4/2021
Chassis 1400 on 12/13/2022

Averaging 200 chassis a year

There used to be multiple brands with that kind of output. Now we only have 1.

[fastford]

your right MSR , I wander if any one has any stats like that on long horn going back to there beginning , either way those two have pretty much taken the market ......

[Barbecueboy]

Longhorn first car was around 2010 and they were about as competitive as the rocket cars are now…..give them the same amount of time and revisit the numbers in a few years.

[zyoung25]

^ they have came a long way since that clipped masterbilt car

[Barbecueboy]

I was around, it’s what made me the fan of Epj that I really am today……He could have walked away from all that when it was crappy, but didn’t. Same with some of the longtime longhorners. It’s a cool business story, happy for all of them.

I guess the same can be said about all successful chassis builders and small business owners in general……when you believe in something strong enough and are smart enough and work hard enough dreams really do come true…..I’m sure Mark,Cj and the rest of chassibuilders Mount Rushmore put out a few boat anchors early on.

[ZERO25]

Brucebilt made a post about an XR2 coming out this year!

[over4T]

Am I understanding correctly that one guy has welded all of their chassis from day one to present? At a couple of hundred a year he must be hellacious fast as well as very good. Wonder if he wears the helmet to bed and to eat and do other necessary chores in life. Sounds like a robot like the Gm, Ford and other factories use.

[bleedblue55]

Am I understanding correctly that one guy has welded all of their chassis from day one to present? At a couple of hundred a year he must be hellacious fast as well as very good. Wonder if he wears the helmet to bed and to eat and do other necessary chores in life. Sounds like a robot like the Gm, Ford and other factories use.

Scott Purkey has worked at Rocket since day one. He has been going to some races lately as his cousin C J Johnson owns the car that Jacob Hawkins drives.

[Southern dirt]

There isn’t a new design rocket , as of to date. Trust me.

[Drop Shock]

Thanks. I have wondered when we would see a new design considering the changes Longhorn has made and how they seem to turn better (excluding Madden).

What changes have longhorn made?

[stempy]

Scott Purkey has worked at Rocket since day one. He has been going to some races lately as his cousin C J Johnson owns the car that Jacob Hawkins drives C J and Scott i don't think are related. But Scott's now deceased uncle Jim originally bought the car and engine. His part is now owned by his brother Joe . C J came onboard almost immediately .

[Runnin Rebel]

Rocket has 2023 updates for the XR1 that include RF shock placement, new RF spindle, new RF upper and lower control arms. It requires a new RF tie rod and modification to the rack & pinion as well. They also have added an alternate location for the LR traction shock. Saw this first hand at Volusia as most of the Rocket guys were running the new RF stuff.

[Flathead]

Just because you have engineers working with you on chassis design doesn’t mean success. GRT built some chassis that were designed by an engineer with a racing background in the early 90’s and they were pretty much a bust, but it didn’t hurt their success back in the day.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Rocket has 2023 updates for the XR1 that include RF shock placement, new RF spindle, new RF upper and lower control arms. It requires a new RF tie rod and modification to the rack & pinion as well. They also have added an alternate location for the LR traction shock. Saw this first hand at Volusia as most of the Rocket guys were running the new RF stuff.

The traction shock was relocated on the house car last year. Most of that front end stuff is a real head scratcher. Lol

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

An engineer is only as good as the path he's asked to take.

[Jking24]

An engineer is only as good as the path he's asked to take. everybody thinks because rumley is an engineer that be an engineer is the answer. What most don't realize. Kevin rumley is a man born and bread into latemodel racing that baced his how education and career around doing what he loved. He understood the cars long before he learned the math that's what makes him dangerous

[Barbecueboy]

everybody thinks because rumley is an engineer that be an engineer is the answer. What most don't realize. Kevin rumley is a man born and bread into latemodel racing that baced his how education and career around doing what he loved. He understood the cars long before he learned the math that's what makes him dangerous

This is a great post. The rumley cars have been solid and fast for a very long time.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

everybody thinks because rumley is an engineer that be an engineer is the answer. What most don't realize. Kevin rumley is a man born and bread into latemodel racing that baced his how education and career around doing what he loved. He understood the cars long before he learned the math that's what makes him dangerous

Exactly. You ask an engineer that's only familiar with suspension in general, he's going to take all the excessive anti squat out of the car. It will race really flat and probably be fast at Macon on a rough night. But, ignoring aero will make it slow as hell.

[bleedblue55]

Scott Purkey has worked at Rocket since day one. He has been going to some races lately as his cousin C J Johnson owns the car that Jacob Hawkins drives C J and Scott i don't think are related. But Scott's now deceased uncle Jim originally bought the car and engine. His part is now owned by his brother Joe . C J came onboard almost immediately .

Thought I heard Scott was related to one of them. I miss Jim, heckuva nice guy.

[fastford]

all these " new and improved parts " make me think of a chassis builder I dealt with years ago that tried to sell me a new and improved front lower control arm , it looked different at first glance , but after really looking at it , I could not find an advantage , so I ask him strait up what that advantage was , he laughed and said none , but we have to have something to sell , lol , this happens more than folks think .....

[stempy]

Rocket did this some years ago on the blue front cars. It was successful enough they were told to stop . Now that nobody checks wheelbase anymore, someone else is doing it. although not just added on. Hard to spot if not really looking. So rocket drug the idea back out.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Rocket did this some years ago on the blue front cars. It was successful enough they were told to stop . Now that nobody checks wheelbase anymore, someone else is doing it. although not just added on. Hard to spot if not really looking. So rocket drug the idea back out.

These parts lengthen the right side wheelbase. Wheelbase is typically shortened in an attempt to gain weight transfer.

[stempy]

Don't know what it's supposed to do . Put one on a couple weeks ago moves rf forward 1 1/2 to 2 inches i didn't measure. possibly 12 or 13 years since they used it on the house car I think they were told it couldn't be used so quickly it might not have been on any other cars.

[riddle28]

everybody thinks because rumley is an engineer that be an engineer is the answer. What most don't realize. Kevin rumley is a man born and bread into latemodel racing that baced his how education and career around doing what he loved. He understood the cars long before he learned the math that's what makes him dangerous

100 %. i work with aerospace engineers daily and theres some grade DA's out there with a title lol. Like him or not but scotts cars have been built from the seat of his pants mostly. Theres 4 tires and a million ways to get there

[Raceready]

If I owned Rocket or any chassis builder for that matter, the first thing I would do is have someone go buy a Longhorn, bring it to my shop and figure out exactly what they were doing to win so many races.I would not be a bit surprised if that hasn't been secretly done already !

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Well I don't think I am the only one on the planet with that idea but it should have been done a few years ago and by now you would think a competing chassis builder would have something better by now.. if that makes sense.

Did you see the old Fast49 car Kryptonite had for sale last year?

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

No I did not.

They did. And now their new cars have the engine sitting in them just the way it does in a Longhorn.

[mab475]

At one point there was a Swatrz Extreme sitting at the rocket shop.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

So I guess you agree with me in studying what is kicking your rear end and see if you can take that knowledge and make your design faster.

It always worth having a look. Sometimes you can see all you need to apply it, sometimes you can't. It might at least get you thinking of something that can help.

[grt74]

i always get a kick out of the word engineer,
while they are numbers and physics guys, you can work on your stuff threw experience too, i laugh when the young guys say, "you cant cut that with out jigging it"
mad respect to all the engineers out there, but just because you dont have a degree doesnt mean your not a smart guy, i fix engineers mistakes everyday, they finally started to listen to my input because after building what was on the print, then it didnt work, they would ask, hey can we make it work ??? i would say ya, but can we work threw it before we build it next time???

the mis conception that you cant build your own car and win is just wrong, all a chassis is , is a platform to bolt parts on, and make it easy to change set ups fast
now if you build a car and it works great, now is the time for the jig, so its done the same every time
just hate todays world of saying you have to be an engineer, what happened to imagination and experience, most of the time the first guy to do it wasnt an engineer, he just did it

i hope there is some young person reading this thats a great welder and fab guy (or gal) and builds one to kick there ass, it can and should be done

[MLR19]

The traction shock was relocated on the house car last year. Most of that front end stuff is a real head scratcher. Lol

If nothing else it generated revenue from the sale of parts,,,,

[fastford]

So I guess you agree with me in studying what is kicking your rear end and see if you can take that knowledge and make your design faster.

this has been going on since racing began , and there is no telling how many small chassis builders have had LH,s and XR1,s on there jig ......