Let's go RACING!

PaulProe

PaulProe

TREASURER & Web Administrator, Member # 019
GCC Member
Location
Manchester
First Name
Paul
Last Name
Proefrock
Got an idea for club participation

Let's enter in the nearest 2012 24hrs of Lemons as a club.

We've got drivers, we've got mechanics, we've got support staff, we can come up with Track Groupies :p

Might make for some fun evenings and a weekend

Look at the site: 24hrs of Lemons

Paul
 
Sounds like a great time to me. No worry about swapping a little paint. Maybe we could raffle off the car afterwards to recoup some of the expenses. That is assuming there would be a car left afterwards.:rolleyes:
 
No but I do work half of them. I was thinking of the Autobahn weekend. I guess we would have to plan ahead for next year. I am interested.
 
So we have at least 5, w many drivers are needed? If 5 is too many, I will wrench on the car. Anyone else interested? Is this a 2012 event? Steve did this and had a blast, tell us more Steve :D
 
Update?

When I posted the origin of this, I was unaware we had an experienced Lemon Driver in our midst.

Might be helpful if those interested all got together and threw this around. I got part of the conversation with Steve but still have a bazillion questions.

Two quick questions come to mind and we won't have an answer for some time:
  1. Where are the nearest tracks ( I understand Putnam doesn't do this)
  2. What are the dates? (The 2012 schedule won't be leaked out unitl sometime in November)

Obviously, if we have to drive 2,000 miles on a holiday weekend, we won't get a lot of activity (or support) but if it were a couple hundred miles (Hallet?) and everyone knows far enough in advance . . .

Lot to kick around

How about a Snake n' Lemon-aid sometime


Paul
 
PaulProe said:
Two quick questions come to mind and we won't have an answer for some time:
  1. Where are the nearest tracks ( I understand Putnam doesn't do this)
  2. What are the dates? (The 2012 schedule won't be leaked out until sometime in November)
Paul
Click to expand...

Paul:

A quick look at this year's schedule for LeMons shows the closest track as Autobahn at Joliet, IL (300 miles). Mid-America and Gingerman are both 410 miles.

In addition to LeMons there is also the Chumpcar series. We should be able to run the same car in both series. Chumpcar ran at Hallett, Nashville and RoadAmerica.

Everyone else:

I'll post later a summary of my experience but right now I'll say it was a lot of fun and gave me a taste of what actual racing feels like from the pits to the track.

Steve
 
I am in, will drive or wrench or drink and watch. I believe this will be a lot of fun . Who has a $500 cobra!
 
Steve Fehr said:
I'll post later a summary of my experience....
Click to expand...

A few more comments about LeMons.

There's something for everyone

For those of you that enjoy "wrenching" there's
  1. stripping the interior of the car of everything
  2. removing the windows and installing a Lexan windshield
  3. removing the fuel tank and installing a fuel cell
  4. Installing a racing seat and safety harnesses
  5. replacing the stock brakes and suspension
  6. working on the motor to ensure a trouble free run

For those of you that are creative
  1. coming up with a humorous theme to win the favor of the event judges
  2. decorating the car accordingly

For the techies
  1. working on communication between the pit and driver
  2. working on telemetry to measure which of the drivers is fastest. A little good natured competition goes a long way toward having fun. :)

For the drivers
  1. put those skills you've been honing at the HPDEs to the test in wheel to wheel racing
  2. dive inside on a tight corner
  3. pull the guy in the straight, zip back in front of him and hit the brakes as you set up for the next turn

Saving the most important part for last....
Have a great time working together and competing as a team.

Everyone in the club has something to contribute. The more the merrier.

Steve
 
Ok, a few questions:
- How much TOTAL cost will go in to the car? I know you can't spend over $500 on the car itself, but safety improvements that are mentioned on the website, how much do those cost?
- You mentioned someone had an RV they rented, was there a reason? Hotel an option?

Just trying to gauge how much cost is involved here. As for 'decorating', we need our best smart a$$ to do that.....Steve, Jim, Mike Woley....others? :D
 
Purple Venom said:
- How much TOTAL cost will go in to the car?
Click to expand...

The "$500" car is misleading. To get a car running you're talking (and these are my guesses)

  1. roll cage - $500
  2. seat - $400
  3. harnesses - $150
  4. fuel cell - $400 (optional but recommended)
  5. lexan windshield - $300
  6. fire extinguisher - $50
  7. tires - $800
  8. pit / driver communication - $500
  9. misc support items - $500 (fuel jugs, fuel drum, etc)

Realistically I think your talking between $5,000 and $10,000 depending on how serious / often you want to compete.

Then there is the driver equipment - some of which can be shared.

  1. helmet - $300
  2. double layer fire suit - $400 or
  3. single layer with fireproof underwear
  4. gloves
  5. microphone / headset

I definitely don't want to rain on the parade; just don't want to have any surprises midway through.

Steve
 
Purple Venom said:
- You mentioned someone had an RV they rented, was there a reason? Hotel an option?
Click to expand...

We had 6 people on the team. We had 4 nights out.

Thursday - arrive
Friday - open track for test & tune
Saturday - race
Sunday - race
Monday - go home

The cost for the camper which slept 6 was $1300 which is $325 / night. A hotel room will run at least $100 / night, so if you put two people in a room the cost is about the same for three rooms.

However - they lock the gates (at Gingerman) at 10:00 pm - this limits your ability to work on the car if necessary. Plus doing a hotel means eating out. We BBQ'd a couple nights at the track.

If the event is a true 24 hour event then a camper is practically a given.

Steve
 
You guys can tell me if I'm wrong in my assessment - but based on the very limited response to this thread, I don't think there's enough support to pull the project off.

However -

I spoke with two of the guys that I ran with and they just purchased a car and will be working on it to have it ready to run in LeMons (and hopefully Chumpcar) next spring. They will be looking for drivers.

They offered up that if any of us wanted to meet them at the place where they're working to see the car, talk about LeMons or offer any advice we'd be welcome to come over. They're not looking for any help in the wrenching part of the project.

The car is in St. Charles near N and 94. I'm going to be busy for the next couple of weeks, but if anyone is interested I can coordinate a get together.

Steve
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top