Why so much HATE from "real racers" (Page 1 of 3)

Tell us where to go and I'll signup.

Nothing against the p-car people in our midst but that's just kinda par for the course for the average p-car owner.

You shoulda seen the reactions when I called pelican parts (p-car supplier) to get some stuff for the Wartburg and they asked what kind of car it was for....I think they are still trying to figure it all out, or they just assumed I was on crack.

The "average" porsche owner has no desire to go anywhere near a race track with their cars.  To be quite honest, they have no desire to get on track at all.  I can only speak for the PCA de guys that I spend a lot of time with, but most of them were very supportive of my Lemons addiction, with a bunch of them actually getting ready to build a car.  Now, the club race and above seem to have a little different attitude about us.  They seem to look down on us.  All I can say is good, stay away.  I agree with richard wholeheartedly.  I love the overall attitude from everyone involved, the fact that everyone that I met was willing to help, and you didn't seem to need to know the secret handshake to get in.  Everyone was welcome.  Racing is dangerous, no matter how you slice it.  As long as you go in to the whole mess expecting to have fun first of all, you should be okay.  Leave the attitudes for NASA, SCCA, etc.  We are having too much fun without it.

Major pet peeve...

And with that out of my system.... fuck them! How do you think some BMW snobs felt about our car? Not only are we racing one of their esteemed cars, but our theme was specifically poking fun of those same snobs. Pissing them off is half the fun!

I used to go to the dirt track races by myself when I was a kid, and I found that most of the people at the track were asshats, and the rest of them were on-guard because so many people were asshats.

As I grew up I found the story was about the same regardless of the track, mostly jerks and anti-socials, or jerks and snobs. The only thing that varied was the level of snobbery. I eventually stopped trying to meet or talk to people because it was a major downer, everyone acted like they were the only knowledgeable person on earth, and everything was seen as some invisible threat to their status. 30-40 teams full of jerks with chips of their shoulders was more trouble than it was worth and at one point I was just going for the cars, then I quit going at all.

Many years passed and I found myself as a spectator at my first Lemons event at Altamont. I started the weekend with my usual defensive 1,000 yard stare and avoided interacting with people while taking photos of the rides. It wasn't long though before I got the feeling this was something different. Before the day was over I had met and laughed with members of several teams, and left with the impression this was where the "others" had gone.

At T-Hill our car had issues showing up, and we were taken in by another team, fed, entertained and made to feel completely welcome. I genuinely had more fun than I could ever remember. And I have seen this spirit at every race since.

We've met bunches of you, and though I'm slow to remember names, I recognize you, and feel like we are old friends. Indeed, several teams have become great friends, something that takes way too long at other venues. To me it's because Lemons is the greatest group of people in the world, and the fact we all like cars is just an insanely cool added bonus.

Sure the asshats and jerks will say what they will, but more importantly to me, when they stop by they stand a high chance of becoming converted. When the uninitiated talk down about Lemons it's really only because they have not yet tasted it. And you can rest assured no matter what is said, those who belong here will eventually find their way over...

My car and theme is designed to poke fun at the greatest race cars in the world of motorsports history.

The Gulf Ford GT40's and Porsche 917's.

I think it's hilarious and I love driving through the paddock during a DE prior to a race with people looking on in total disbelief. Jaws dropping.
It's awesome!!

When they point me by, it's even better!!

KT

It's funny you should post this.  Not 3 days before Sears Point we took our Shark Car out to Willow Springs for some track time and testing.  When we arrived there was but one other Team/Car there for the day.  One guess.......... a GT-3 team with their multi-million dollar rig.  It was great to see the look on their faces as we rolled up with our
beat up 83 BMW 528e Ghetto Charged Shark.  LOL (Surprised them when it did 115 down the straight.)
   Then while unloading the Tech walked over to me and "filled me in" on what they were doing.  Teaching a younger driver to drive before they put him a sequential gearboxed cup car.  Like we should watch out for them... Dick.  There were only 2 cars to run that day, ours and theirs.  But I really didn't think much about it.  But later I was filled in on some serious Ass comments they made to our wonderful lady driver, Antonia. Good thing I didn't hear them when they did say it.
   Apparently when Antonia got out of my truck with her fashionable winter attire, because it was COLD, one of the Tools said across the 50+ ft we were parked from them, "Did you miss the Mall?  The Mall is back down the road a mile."  Like I said, they are lucky, or I am, that I did not hear that fuck say that to our friend.  Then to top it off, and I don't want to make this political, later the tech read the HOPE Obama sticker in my back window and says, "Hope? Hah, HOPE he DIES!"   Prick!!

   Anyway, the real laugh was that the kid broke the shifter lever right off the mount around his 3rd lap.  Then once fixed they took it back out and the pressure plate started to act up and that was their day, done by 11.  LOL

    We don't want these rod up the butt tools racing with us.  But if they so choose to fully embrace what we have here, a family, then let them try.  Jay will boot them if they don't change their horsey colors.

The attitude comes from the early races where there was a lot more contact and it was more demo derby.  That was the first impression that people got and it has stuck.  Now that we are past that, we have an absolute gem of a series.

BushWhacker says: "Then to top it off, and I don't want to make this political, later the tech read the HOPE Obama sticker in my back window and says, "Hope? Hah, HOPE he DIES!"   Prick!!"

Perhaps BushWhacker does not mean Whack President Bush but if it does there is a great deal of irony in that quote.

+1 Well said, 100% in agreement

guys this thread is really the same problem some of those guys have.

this thread is no fun, and absolutely not about cars.

the moment we quit trying to have fun, and just purely enjoy cars, we have ego's, pissing matches, and all kinds of stuff to get jumbled in the mix.

please don't post over there.  please don't end with a smart comment, or be demeaning.  this whole industry was founded on two simple principles:

have fun with cars
compete against other people, while having fun with cars.

the moment you deviate from this, you lose site of #1, and ruin chances of #2.

lets have fun with automobiles guys, and if nothing else, enocurage others to.  some will enjoy them in different ways, some will not understand why some people do some things, but its your job, and my job as a car guy, to be car guys.

lets have fun yall.  this thread is no fun at all

Dean, i respect your accomplishments and your opinion.  not sure i agree entirely however.

the Porsche forum is no different than the BMW forum.  there is an air of arrogance regarding Lemons there also.  with the BMW forum i get a feeling that "Club Racers" are meant to be revered.  there opinions are supposedly worth more and their experiences are more noteworthy because they compete in club racing. 

there are however at least two teams at CMP that consist of Spec E30 guys and they "get it".

you mention racecraft.  while the level of racecraft may not be as consistent top to bottom in Lemons, i believe many teams have shown racing ability in setting up passing and controlling their track environment.  certainly many of us could run with NASA in mixed group racing thanks in part to Lemons experience.

i think what baffles me the most is when racer types say Lemons isn't real racing.  what exactly defines "real racing"?  if 30 dudes on trycycles decide to compete on a roadcourse for 2 hours; wouldn't that be considered a race?

i have personally been "lit up" by a "real racer" on a forum and the reasons he gave for Lemons being a lesser series were very telling as to why real racer types don't enjoy it or get it regarding Lemons.

1)  arbitrary and unjust penalties
2)  junk cars all over
3)  no driving SOBs
4)  their POS car broke 

the real issue is one of CONTROL, they can't buy their way to reliability, they have no control over the flow of the race, and they are just another no-driving SOB in the eyes of the powers that be.

feel sorry for them i say, Lemons bruises their egos.