24 Hours of Hardships...

Amen Bill.  We had a hell of a time at NL, but I loved every minute of it.

I haven't done Lemons yet but I always say the same things to new BABE rally teams who think they need to have a perfectly reliable car for the rally.  It makes it very boring.
Its the hardships and the things that go wrong that become the best stories later, and really in the end I think most of us do this kind of stuff so we wont grow old without some good stories to tell.

Our normal 1 day trip home from the end of BABE took 4 days this year because our partner team's car wouldnt go more than 200 miles without breaking something new.  It was a long 4 days but every time things got really crappy and tensions were high we'd just find a hotel, break out the beer and laugh about it. 

This is why I like you Lemons folks, most of you seem to have the ability to laugh in the face of adversity.  That ability will ensure all of us live long enough to grow old and tell these great stories to generations to come.

Bill is right it's not 24 hours if you don't have everything thrown at you.

During our first race the team next to us blew their engine after about 20 laps.
We just looked over and said "man that really sucks" and moved on. Our car finished the race with major overheating issues through the whole race. The next race we Blew our motor during test and tune, the comment as other teams walked by was the same "man that really sucks". I know now that "yes" racing the 24 Hours of Lemons really sucks. I also know that no matter how much it sucks there is always someone else having a worse time of it, be it rain, snow, mud, heat, blown engines or just really crappy luck. It is also in my opinion  the funnest time you can have on four wheels. So when we are at the track and we don't suck, we will always try and help those that do!

Racing sucks! but it's worth every penny!

Our first race was Nelson Ledges. Our first problem was not starting the build until we were accepted. With my son doing BMX bike racing, I was out of town every other weekend, not to mention an infant at home. When we were trying to leave, the car trailer hitch broke off while on the truck. My son also broke my ignition key off in the door of my Suburban. On top of that, I pulled up to the PA turnpike tollbooth to a lane that was CLOSED, with a line of cars behind me, trailer and all. Mind you, I had no reverse in my Suburban at the time.

Once at the track, I could not find our pop up trailer that one of my team members had dropped off the day before. After circling the paddock for laps, I got totally soaked changing the receiver on the my son's Blazer in order to move the camper to a more suitable location, i.e out of the "lake", and then proceeded to set up camp. Nothing eventful happened the rest of Thursday.

Had a blast on Friday in the rain driving around the track, awaiting the arrival of the rest of my team. Until about 8:00 PM, when motor locked up in night practice. The next day is kind of a blur, with numerous wrenches and crankshafts strewn about the pit/paddock. After a botched drive to Summit with the incorrect parts, we finally got the right parts and welded everything back together. Had the van running just in time for the People's Curse.

Aside from all the troubles/setbacks, I had almost the most fun I have ever had in a vehicle. (Not counting high school of course) I would do it again in a heartbeat.  See you at Summit Point at the latest.

Dave

You guys who have only raced at plush joints like MSR and CMP can recreate the Lamest Day experience by parking your car in the middle of the gloopiest, muddiest, most poorly drained dirt lot you can find... and then replacing the bearings in your transmission by the light of a particle-board campfire at midnight, while washing down stale generic corn chips with flat Natty Light.

In other words, a wonderful time was had by (nearly) all!