24-hours of LeMons

[Tricky Mike]

They're having one at Stafford Springs.
I *really* want to do it.

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/




NASTY. BRUTISH. NOT SHORT ENOUGH.
The crowd. The spectacle. The pall of blue smoke and roasted clutch discs. In all motorsport, no event captures the universal human need to whale on old crapcans and hoover down greasy barbecue like the 24 Hours of LeMons.

Each LeMons race is for cars purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total of 500 dollars or less. But before reaching the grid, you'll have to survive trials like the Personal-Injury-Lawyer Anti-Slalom, the Marxist-Valet Parking Challenge, and the Wide Open Throttle Rodthrowapalooza. Twelve hours into the race, the car voted People’s Choice is called in and awarded a cash prize; simultaneously, the car voted People’s Curse is called in and summarily destroyed. At the end of 24 hours, a gala awards ceremony plies the survivors with trophies, plaques, and four-figure purses in canvas bags full of nickels. What's not to like?

[Paul_E_D]

Do you have a car in mind? I'd be in.

[csmutty]

BoRn is doing it too. See ya there

[Tricky Mike]

Just heard about it this AM. A car-racing buddy from NYC is looking for a team, but I doubt I'd be much help in Boston, and don't intend to drive to Brooklyn on the regular to get a car ready.

Reading the rules now. Car prep is pretty extensive (for a $500 car). The roll cage alone will probably set you back three times the car value (OK, maybe not quite that much). All of that said, though, I guess they usually get more applications than the track can handle, so first step would be to secure a spot:

"WILL MY TEAM GET ACCEPTED?

Maybe. Maybe not. We usually get more applications than each racetrack can handle, so we have to pick and choose. Boring applications like "We are four guys who love to race, and we have done (blah blah blah) driving before" don't give us too much to work with: You might get in, and you might not. Applications like "Choose us, because we'll wear beaver costumes in the paddock and our car is entirely coated in birch bark" give you much better odds. "


Here's the section on the cage:


3.1: Rollbar and Structure: Professionally made full roll cage required. A poorly built, improperly mounted, or badly engineered rollcage can keep you from racing: Don't show up with crap! At minimum, cage must include: Full front and rear hoop, appropriately braced to each other along the roofline; two drivers-side door bars (X-design is acceptable); appropriate main-hoop backstays with no bends, located as close to 45 degrees from horizontal as practical; one main-hoop diagonal; appropriate spreader plates and gussets; complete 360-degree welds at all joints. Each major load-bearing member must be formed from its own single, continuous tube. Shoulder-harness bars strongly encouraged, and virtually necessary for proper shoulder-harness mounting in some applications (the attachment point of all shoulder harnesses must be between zero and 15 degrees lower than the seat-entry point); dash bars very strongly encouraged.
3.1.1: Rollbar Tubing and Padding: Minimum tubing size for cars weighing under 3000 pounds as raced is 1.50" x .120" or 1.75" x .095". Cars weighing over 3000 pounds as raced must use a minimum tubing size of 1.75" x .120". Properly-bent, racecar-grade and -quality tubing is mandatory: no stretched or crushed bends allowed. DOM mild steel is very strongly recommended over ERW (seamed) tubing.
3.1.2: Don't understand any of the above? See where it states "professionally made." You shouldn't be doing this yourself.
3.1.3: All roll cage tubing must be padded with high density roll bar padding wherever a driver may contact the tube.
3.1.4: All attachment points on the vehicle must be selected and reinforced as necessary so that, in an accident, the cage will not punch through, tear, or grossly distort the attachment point. Spreader plates, backing panels, gussets, and/or other reinforcing elements are generally required to meet this goal. Cages mounted to rusty, thin, under-supported, or otherwise stupid attachment points will flunk tech immediately.
3.1.5: Waivers: Previously entered LeMons cars that don't meet the above specs must upgrade their equipment or apply for an individual grandfather waiver before showing up for the race. Be warned: Waivers aren't automatically granted.

[Tricky Mike]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-3...#ht_500wt_1182

[GixerJockey]

I'll be there... Keep an eye out for an old, red, Audi 4000 #123...

[Qfactor]

Tricky, I think we can show with Scott's car...

It can't be worth more than $352.99.

Q

[Tricky Mike]

sweet. Wonder if the have a diesel class?

[catch2otwo]

thats great

[DuncanMoto]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.297 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.1.20.06.3.1.20.0)

I'll be there... Keep an eye out for an old, red, Audi 4000 #123...

Need any teammates?

[Wanderer]

This seems like a wonderfully terrible idea - I've been reading their forums all morning

[scottieducati]

Let's do it.

[Sheppo]

OK I can 'borrow' us a tubing bender and can get us the correct DOM rollbar tubing. What are you looking for in a car? I can put feelers out I know people that own junkyards. I've also prepped cars before and know a thing or two about this kind of stuff.
( PLUS I have a car trailer )

[drinkingmymilk]

OK I can 'borrow' us a tubing bender and can get us the correct DOM rollbar tubing. What are you looking for in a car? I can put feelers out I know people that own junkyards. I've also prepped cars before and know a thing or two about this kind of stuff.
( PLUS I have a car trailer )

Care to help us out with our cage?



We already have a waiting list for drivers though... But a cage could fast track you.

[Tricky Mike]

OK I can 'borrow' us a tubing bender and can get us the correct DOM rollbar tubing. What are you looking for in a car? I can put feelers out I know people that own junkyards. I've also prepped cars before and know a thing or two about this kind of stuff.
( PLUS I have a car trailer )

Doug is the first official member of team (yet to be named).

[lrrs699]

need another driver? its an hour north of my new place.

[Kurlon]

That BMW is SCREAMING for dual leaf blower supercharging.

[Sheppo]

Care to help us out with our cage?



We already have a waiting list for drivers though... But a cage could fast track you.

If you only lived closer...

[Sheppo]

Doug is the first official member of team (yet to be named).

What do you want in a car?

[Tricky Mike]

What do you want in a car?

something pissa?

[drinkingmymilk]

If you only lived closer...

I could get the car to you for a cage at the right price. I need to rent a hauler to bring it to what ever shop anyway. Tugging it along is no big deal.

[Sheppo]

I could get the car to you for a cage at the right price. I need to rent a hauler to bring it to what ever shop anyway. Tugging it along is no big deal.

Here also lies my issue. I wouldn't trust my welding. I can set you up with the guy with the bender, he does great work. He does mine, but I would borrow the bender,etc and let trickymike weld for us.

[e30addict]

sweet. Wonder if the have a diesel class?

No diesel class - but you're almost guaranteed to get in and will sail through BS tech. NESR peeps are gonna be there! This is gonna be classic.

[e30addict]

That BMW is SCREAMING for dual leaf blower supercharging.

That's a Volvo.

This is a BMW. If it doesn't blow up in the 2 prior races it will be at Stafford too.

[csmutty]

That's a Volvo.

This is a BMW. If it doesn't blow up in the 2 prior races it will be at Stafford too.

And Volvos are worse??