Topic: Will I be able to race?

I am going to look at a Lemons car tomorrow. Thought I should ask an important question first. Will I be allowed to race?  I am blind in my right eye and have been since I was 10 years old. In the past I raced motocross on and off for over 15 years. Have taken classes at Hawaii International Raceway in formula fords and multiple times in SCCA spec racers where I was always the fastest driver. In Florida, I once raced a late model stock car on an asphalt oval with the FASCAR series. It was a class that ended in an actual race. They told my wife they did not know if they would allow me to race. After the hot laps they said no problem. Finished 8th of 15 even though I discovered I could not press the brake pedal hard enough with the seat setup. Practice is different than racing. A few years back, I raced a modified car on the asphalt oval at All American Speedway in Roseville, CA. Qualified 4th, and finished 3rd. Sorry if this is boring.

Will there be any issues with my racing in the Lemons events?

Regards,

Philip

Re: Will I be able to race?

The rules say that if you have a license, you are eligible, so starting there, if you have a normal license, you're likely ok to race.

That said, no one on this forum can give a final say on something like that. Email someone at HQ and start a conversation with them. They are the ones that will make the final judgement. https://24hoursoflemons.com/contact/



Lemons does require you to be able to watch what is going on around you in the car. There are ways to supplement blind spots. Take a look here to see the system we put in our car using backup cameras and screens so that we had a full 180°+ uninterrupted view of what was around our car. https://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/view … p?id=37738

20+ Time Loser FutilityMotorsport
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Re: Will I be able to race?

The only eligibility I see in the rules is you are over 18 and have a valid US or International drivers license and a Lemons license.  The only qualification for the Lemons license is you pay your $75 (or whatever it is).

Frankly, I don't see how they would know or care as long as you are safe on the track.   I have see people drive with missing legs and arms, I don't see why being blind in one eye would be treated any differently. 

Lemons people are some of the most accepting and helpful people on the planet.  It doesn't really matter to most of us how fast or slow you are, just that you are behave in a reasonable manner on and off the track.

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon

Re: Will I be able to race?

Thank you for your replies!

I have contact Lemons HQ and it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I never think about having vision in only one eye. Personally, I'm an avid mirror user and like to be aware of what is around me. Planning on installing the largest wink mirror I can find plus supplemental mirrors. It is understood that there are many cars of varying speed and capacity. Plus, I have been quite adamant with my team members that I'm not looking for heroes. The expectations are for good, smart, clean laps with no issues.  Brains over balls should always work best.

Regards,

Philip

5 (edited by bobnowoc 2020-10-06 06:19 PM)

Re: Will I be able to race?

A blind driver in Lemons? 
You will fit right in.
I dont see how this could be a problem.

You cant be any more a hazzard than the other guys I race with.

Welcome to the club.

The theme possibilities are endless.

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: Will I be able to race?

bobnowoc wrote:

A blind driver in Lemons? 
You will fit right in.
I dont see how this could be a problem.

You cant be any more a hazzard than the other guys I race with.

Welcome to the club.

The theme possibilities are endless.


what he said. get ready for 120+ cars on the track at one time.

"get up and get your grandma outta here"

Re: Will I be able to race?

I know of one other racer with one eye in the series.  You should be fine, by this point you certainly seem to have learned how to compensate.

Chris from 3 Pedal Mafia

Re: Will I be able to race?

my wife doesn't race but she drives with 1 and has learned to tell distance and has no real issues.

You should be good.

88 Festiva  -  Damn Tree!!!
"We Are Not Really From Iran" Festiva  -  Motor and Trans to be anounced

Re: Will I be able to race?

The running joke on our team is that it is all fun and games until someone loses an eye.  It is a bit of morbid humor since one of our team members lost an eye in a motorcycle accident.  He didn't race for a few years after the accident while he learned to compensate.  We spoke with Jay about his eligibility to race when it was time and it boiled down to the state drivers license requirement.  If the state says you can drive, Lemons says you can drive.

I did have to move the gauges to the left side of the dash area so he could see them without turning his head (he lost his right eye).  He also has to ensure his head and neck restraint allows enough head rotation to the right to see all of the pano mirror.  I didn't have to remount our pano, but I've seen some car setups where the mirror is pushed to the right a good bit and those just wouldn't work out for him.

I do most of the car work on our team.  I find myself evaluating cockpit changes by sitting in the drivers seat and closing my right eye for a while.  If a change is ok for me with only my left eye, odds are high it will be fine for him since I've not adapted at all.

And I just noticed your comment about a wink mirror.  Do not use a wink, they give you less visibility than a good pano mirror will.  As a benefit, there is also less area on a pano for your eye to sweep, but it gives you a great view of the rear and sides of the car.  A properly positioned pano will allow you to see everywhere from your driver door to your passenger door, minus the areas blocked by your helmet and the car pillars.

Apparently my name is really "Craigers".  Who knew?
We might be yellow, but at least we are slow
I'm a WINNER!

Re: Will I be able to race?

solman244,

Thank you for the mirror information! I will review the panoramic mirrors for sure. Kudos for making the adaptations to maximize the ability of your teammate with the blind right eye. Please share the following with your teammate. It took place when I raced the modified at All American Speedway. It happened at the end of the drivers meeting prior to the race. The official walked away, and I halted the other drives stating that I was sorry to inform them, but the official left out an important point that he had agreed upon. I told the other drivers that I was blind in my right eye. This was followed by stating the officials were concerned about everyone being equal on the track. As a result, every driver would be issued an eye patch to wear on their choice of eyes for the race. The result was mixed with confusion and laughter. It was funny at the time.

Regards,

Philip