Topic: New Rules 6/2009 PLEASE READ
Complete new rules are viewable here:
http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/rules/
A strikethrough version that shows the updates can be downloaded here: http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/LMRulesA … KETHRU.pdf
These changes will take effect for the Buttonwillow race in August--if you are building a car for a race prior to Buttonwillow, you are strongly advised to build your car to the new specs where applicable.
All of the changes (some major, some minor) are as follows:
1.7: Right of Publicity: You and your brilliant, pithy utterances may be
photographed, recorded, or otherwise reproduced and re-used whenever
and wherever the heck the organizers like (including but not limited to
television, internet, magazines, radio, biblical apocrypha, CinemaScope
epics, and cave paintings). You won't get a penny unless somebody sees
it and buys you a coffee. If you're not comfortable with that, wear a
Mexican wrestler mask and/or stay home.
2.2: Driver Eligibility: All drivers must have a valid US or International driver's
license and a valid competition license or Lemons Competition
Membership card. (Club memberships, rally licenses, and instructional
licenses are not accepted.) The ONLY acceptable competition licenses are: ARCA, Barber Comp, BBORR, BCRA, CASA, CRA, CSRG, FIA, Grand Am, HMSA, HSR, ICSCC, Legends/600, NASA, NASCAR, NCMA, MMRA, SCCA, SRL, SVRA, USAC, VMC and WestCar.
2.2.2: No Passengers Allowed: Due to the strident insistence of the Fun
Police, no passengers are allowed.
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 hoop and bar must be formed from its
own single, continuous tube. Dash bars very strongly encouraged.
Properly-bent, racecar-grade and -quality is mandatory: no stretched or crushed bends allowed. DOM mild steel is very strongly recommended over ERW (seamed) tubing.
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.
3.2: Driver's Seat: All seats must be very securely mounted to the floor or cage
to avoid separation during a crash. All seatbacks must be securely
attached to the seat base and braced or otherwise restrained against
rearward failure.
3.4: Driver's Helmet: Undamaged, full-face Type SA helmet, Snell SA2000 or
better, mandatory. FIA 8860-2000 certification is acceptable. No open-
face helmets allowed, ever, period, finito.
3.5.2: Anti-submarine belt(s) should be mounted vertically. If this requires cutting a hole in the seat squab, don't route the belt(s) in a way that allows them to fray on a seat spring. If vertical mounting is impractical, the mounting point should be
located behind, not ahead of, the belt buckle.
3.6: Coolant: Coolant must be plain water only--no antifreeze, antiboil, water-wetter, or other additives allowed. (That stuff is slippery--when your car pukes its guts all over the track, we don't want to be sliding around in it.) A functional catch tank is mandatory.
3.7: Fire-Retardant Clothing: Full SFI 3.2/A- or FIA 8856-2000-certified fire-retardant driving suits must be worn by all drivers at all times while inside the car. IF USING A SINGLE-LAYER SFI 3.2/A1 or 3.2/A3 SUIT, DRIVER MUST ALSO WEAR FIRE-RETARDANT SFI- OR FIA- CERTIFIED LONGJOHNS. Multilayer suits rated SFI 3.2/A5 or higher are highly recommended and may be worn without longjohns. Fire-retardant FIA or SFI-rated racing gloves and shoes are required. And yeah, while they may very well be superior, military-spec or firefighter suits are not SFI rated, so we can't accept them.
3.7.1: Socks and Other Undergarments: Socks, shirts, and other
undergarments made of synthetic material (including nylon, orlon,
Spandex, etc.) will melt to the skin in a fire and are strictly forbidden.
Nomex socks are very strongly encouraged. While cotton or wool socks
are allowed, be aware that cotton and wool provide no protection and may
increase the severity of burns.
3.8: Glass, Headlights, and Taillights: Each racetrack has its own requirements for glass, headlights, taillights, etc. Please see that race's specific Event Page for details. It's your job to know the spec for the race that you've entered.
3.8.2: Headlights for Night Racing: In the rare case of a night race,
headlights may be required. See the Event Page of the race that
you've entered for details.
3.10: Window Nets and Driver Egress: Window nets are not mandatory. While a window net can provide hand and arm protection in a rollover, it can also contribute to injury or death in a fire. If you decide to use one, it is critical that all of your drivers are well practiced at removing the net. It is also critical that they are well practiced at releasing belts, cooling tubes, radio wires, and any other attachments quickly. All drivers must be able to exit the car rapidly under potentially life-threatening conditions. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT EVERY TEAM MEMBER PRACTICE EMERGENCY CAR ESCAPES BEFORE RACING!
3.11: Zero Tolerance for Fuel Leaks: Get your fuel system in good working
order! If any track staff see a suspect leak you will be immediately black-
flagged and sent to the tech shed. You will have ONLY ONE CHANCE to
completely repair any fuel leak. If the track staff detects a second instance of leakage, regardless of cause, your car must be permanently removed from the race. No exceptions.
3.14: Battery Tie-Downs: All batteries must be fully secured via proper, purpose-
built battery brackets, battery frames, or sealed battery boxes. Zip ties,
bungee cords, duct tape, macrame plant holders, and other lame
workarounds won't cut it. Positive ("hot") terminals must be in a sealed
battery box or covered with insulating material.
3.17: Car Numbers: Numbers must be shown on both sides, and also the hood
or roof.
3.18: Fuel Bulkhead: The fuel-tank area must be totally separated from the
driving compartment. For example, if the fuel tank is in the trunk area, any
openings between the trunk and the cockpit must be permanently sealed
with bolted, riveted, or welded metal panels. OE fuel tanks that are
separate from, and located completely below, the trunk floor or rear-cabin
floor are acceptable. If the fuel tank can't be completely separated from
the cockpit by metal panels, a metal-encased, FIA-certified fuel
cell with all related compliant fittings must be used.
3.24: Cockpit De-Scuzzification: Anything loose in the cockpit can be a deadly
missile in a crash; remove or secure any loose items. Loose wiring can
cause fires and interfere with the driver; remove or secure all wiring,
hoses, and cables. Carpets, insulation, and plastics will burn quickly and
release poisonous fumes; strip as much of these out of the cockpit as
practical.
3.25: Fuel Tanks/Fuel Cells: All fuel systems, including OE fuel tanks and
aftermarket fuel cells, must be sound and in good working order.
3.25.1: Aftermarket Fuel Cells Versus OE Fuel Tanks. Fuel cells are
allowed, but they are NOT mandatory. Don't make the rookie mistake of
assuming that anything billed as a "fuel cell" is safer than a sound OE
fuel tank. High-quality, professionally constructed, correctly installed
fuel cells tend to be safer than OE tanks; cheap and/or poorly installed
fuel cells tend to be less safe than OE tanks.
3.25.2: Fuel Cell Installation: If you decide to install a fuel cell, it must be
securely mounted in a professional manner and must be installed in a
safe location where it won't be damaged in an impact or drag on the
ground if the car leaves the track. All aftermarket fuel components must
use threaded fittings and appropriate hose types, and must include all
appropriate racecar-quality vents, valves, and other safety features.
Fuel-cell installations will be judged on their overall execution and
apparent safety. Cars whose fuel cells do not feature internal foam, a
puncture-resistant bladder, and/or metal encasement are considerably
more likely to fail tech inspection.
3.26: Exhaust System: A professional-quality exhaust system is required.
Exhaust outlets and tubing must be designed, routed, and maintained
to avoid heating the fuel tank(s) and/or fuel-system components. FUEL
HEATING IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND MUST BE AVOIDED
AT ALL TIMES.
3.26.1: Exhaust system may not dump ahead of the driver, and must not allow
undue levels of exhaust to reach the driver's compartment.
3.26.2: All teams must maintain their exhaust in good condition, without leaks,
throughout the event.
3.26.3: Exhaust system must include at least two professional-quality flexible
exhaust hangers (ie, not baling wire or plumber's tape) aft of the
collector. All exhaust joints must be properly slip-jointed, properly bolted
or welded, and must not leak.
3.27: Floor Jack and Jackstands at Tech: All teams must bring at least one
sturdy floor jack, and at least two sturdy jackstands, to tech inspection.
You will be responsible for safely raising your car off the ground during
tech.
4.2: Safety Equipment DOES NOT Count Toward $500 Total: Safety
equipment described in Section 3 DOES NOT count toward the $500 total. "Safety" refers to things that can save the driver--not things that can save the car.
4.2.1: Besides the items and processes listed in Section 3, the following
are considered safety-related and therefore exempt:
• Wheels, tires, and brake components
• Exhaust systems downstream of the header/exhaust manifold
(NOTE: Turbos and related components are NOT exempt from
the $500 limit. Nice try.)
• Windshields and wipers. (Stock windshields, true Lexan, or
circle-track mesh are acceptable; non-Lexan plastic is not
acceptable.)
• Driver comfort & information (steering wheel, shifter, gauges,
pedals, cool suits, vents, heaters, radio)
• All fuel hoses, fuel fittings, fuel filters, and related mounts
• All fuel-system components upstream of the fuel pump,
including tanks/cells, mounts, fillers, vents, etc. (NOTE: Fuel
pumps, carburetors, injection pumps, computers, and individual
injectors are NOT exempt from the $500 limit.)
4.8: Residual Value: Dumb enough to bring the same pile back for another race?
Either do the whole BS process again (bring all your papers and evidence-
-we ain't gonna remember your sad-sack story from last time), or email the
Chief Perp to beg a residual value. Include clear post-race pix of the car
and list any major mechanical stuff that needs fixing.
5.1: Definition of Team: Each team must consist of one car and four to six
drivers. (That means four drivers minimum, six drivers maximum.
Seriously: Why do you chumps keep on asking?)
6.3: Why Am I Upside-Down? Rule: You're upside-down because you have no
business being out on a racetrack. Any driver who puts a car on its roof is
out for the rest of the season, beginning immediately. Any car that rolls during a race will be removed from the race.
