Topic: Entry Acceptance

Here's a newbie question. We have a team. We even have a web site. Go figure.

We don't have a car. Our plan is to buy the car once we get accepted. Is that possible? Or, do we need the car when we send in our entry form?

Do many people actually get turned down?

Richard Newton
Intervention Motorsports

2 (edited by bongle 2009-09-11 08:31 AM)

Re: Entry Acceptance

Disclaimer: Nothing below is official, it is just what I've gathered reading the forums and entering races.  It is possible that the organizers dislike everything I'm about to suggest.

To get an idea of how difficult it will be to get into a given race, you can look at the entry forms list for that race (go to the "team select" page) and count them.  Usually races have about 100 cars, so once there are more than 100 entries, you need to really start working on your entry.

Assuming you're planning on entering Thunderhill, you probably will need a pretty decent theme.  There's a big base of well-decorated teams in California, so getting into Thunderhill seems to get more difficult each year.  I think [vaguely remember] there were 160 entries for 100 grid spaces last year.

Ideas for an entry without a car:
-Pictures of mockups, sketches, etc
-Lots of specificity:  make it looks like you've got it very well planned, you just don't want to spend money without getting a grid spot first
-Have your roster filled out so it looks like you've got a committed team and will likely make the race

All that said, both races I've entered we've actually purchased and decorated the car and started installing the rollcage by the time the accept/reject deadline passes.

Car to Pit telemetry (OBD2, GPS, and analog inputs) with little more than a phone, router, and laptop.  It's not MacGuyver, it's WifiLapper (forum | facebook)

Re: Entry Acceptance

Actually we're planning on South Carolina next April. If Jay can't get that track then it's going to be Louisiana.

Richard Newton

Re: Entry Acceptance

bongle wrote:

here's a big base of well-decorated teams in California AND OREGON, so getting into Thunderhill seems to get more difficult each year.

There, fixed that quote for ya.. smile

Last I looked, there were 134 applicants for Thunderhill with a couple days until it closes.  Knowing most gearheads are inherently lazy.. that means at least 20% are sitting on their thumbs waiting to enter.  Expect another 160 team application pool again.

Go big or go home.. that's how you get in to Lemons

5 (edited by Troy 2009-09-12 06:42 AM)

Re: Entry Acceptance

While all this is possible.

Lots of teams that already have cars have a very hard time making it to the race.

The lack of a car may look like a lack of commitment.

Even if you are committed, you are in for a seriously time consuming uphill battle in 10 weeks.

Troy

#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z

Re: Entry Acceptance

Troy makes a very good point. There's a lot of "it's so crazy, it just might work" to Lemons. So you have to be committed to that philosophy (my wife would say wedded to that philosophy). If your team is uncomfortable at throwing $5k into a black hole for the first race, then maybe you should reconsider. Or find a new band of idiots. smile

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.

7 (edited by Richardnew 2009-09-12 08:51 AM)

Re: Entry Acceptance

We decided to take the advice offered here.

We're just going to buy a da*n car. Some of the people on this team have spent more money on dinner than we're asking for here. H*ll, everyone one on this team has spent more money on dinner. 

If anyone on the team has an issue with this they're out.

Richard Newton
Intervention Motorsports

Re: Entry Acceptance

Richardnew wrote:

H*ll, everyone one on this team has spent more money on dinner.

Good to know... So you have deep pockets... get ready.. $500 is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sons of STIG
Judge Jonny, "So, what's the next formerly thought to be immune from winning that will steal the nickels?An MR2? A Fierro (ha ha ha)? A Datsun/Nissan Z? A Camaro?"

Re: Entry Acceptance

The slope is long and slippery.

Richard Newton
http://www.racecars360.com/Intervention … ports.html

10

Re: Entry Acceptance

I'm pretty much in the same spot as you with my team.  We are looking at running our first race next year but don't want to sink money into a car if we don't know if we are going to get in.   Our plan is to buy a car, and hold off on the stripping of the car and roll cage until we get accepted.  That way we could only be out a few hundred dollars at most.(actually should be able to break even by selling it again). 

Of course once we get the car I have a feeling we won't actually follow that plan and start modifying it right away, which comes in the second justification which is, although we might not get in the first race we enter we will keep applying to races that aren't to far (becasue frankly there really aren't any races that close, most being 15+ hours away) until we get in one.

Racing 4 Nickels - 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
2011 SHOWROOM-SCHLOCK SHOOTOUT  IOE Winner
2012 The Chubba Cheddar Enduro Class C winner
Facebook Page

Re: Entry Acceptance

We have the distance problem too. When you live in south Florida everything s a long ways away. Of course I'm two hours from Sebring and Homestead. 2 1/2 hours  from Moroso. That make it great for track events. Lemons will probably never run Sebring or Homestead. Moroso would be fun though.

Richard Newton

Re: Entry Acceptance

BoB wrote:

I'm pretty much in the same spot as you with my team.  We are looking at running our first race next year but don't want to sink money into a car if we don't know if we are going to get in.   Our plan is to buy a car, and hold off on the stripping of the car and roll cage until we get accepted.

If that is your plan I hope you and your team works fast.  We decided to gamble by buying and building the whole car with the exception of the big ticket items (roll cage, tires, brakes, seat, etc) before we were accepted.  Once we were accepted we proceeded with the more costly stuff and were still rushed to get it all done.

Captain
Team Super Westerfield Bros.
'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

Re: Entry Acceptance

If you plan to run a late model car that is currently on the road, you can wait, but we chose to race a 35 year old car that has been dead for decades.  We bought the car ahead of the deadline, but held off working on it until the fees were collected.  We are working our asses off to get it done on time and as long as we don't have any big problems, we might be done on time.  The dreams of finishing with weeks to spare so we can take it to a local track and shake it down are long gone.  We'll be happy to drive it onto the trailer before we head to Ohio.

BRE Datsun (Broke Racing Effluence) formerly Dawn of the Zed Racing
'74 260Z
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/editpicture.php … 2559430584

14

Re: Entry Acceptance

I'm pretty sure we will get anxious to start working on it, but the we won't touch the car until we are in is mostly for the guys who have wives.  Being the single guy with a drive way the car will end up living by me so they won't get yelled at for wasting money on some stupid car race every morning.

Racing 4 Nickels - 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
2011 SHOWROOM-SCHLOCK SHOOTOUT  IOE Winner
2012 The Chubba Cheddar Enduro Class C winner
Facebook Page

Re: Entry Acceptance

We broke down and bought a car. Now we just have to resist the temptation to clean it up. Considering that we have about six months we probably totally craxy or well organized. I think crazy may be the truth.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rfn026/Cama … Dn0ZJqckg#

Here's our web site.

http://www.racecars360.com/Intervention … ports.html

Send us the link to your page and we'll post it.

Richard Newton

Re: Entry Acceptance

Why wait to prep it?  I approached it this way - I like going on the track, so I built a (crappy) track car.  It was mostly gutted when I got it, but I finished the job and installed the cage and seat MONTHS before the first Lemons race I planned to enter (almost a year, actually).

So I took that car to Summit Point last October to shake it down (got all of 40 minutes out of it before a caliper fell off and I had to switch to my back up car).  We fixed the caliper carnage and went over the entire suspension before a major MR2 meet in Canada where it had its second outing.  Since one of my co-driver's an I are large supporters of this meet, we worked it out with the event organizers that we could run the track day as an all-day enduro, staying out while the run groups shuffled in an out.  Car lasted 3.5 hours before having a catastrophic strut failure (nothing like getting your tire coated in strut oil every time you bend it into a left hand turn).  So we dragged it home and fixed that - just in time for CMP Fall.

If you are going to use the car only for Lemons, it can be hard to justify the investment in time and money before you're accepted for a race.  I intend to use mine as a (crappy) all-purpose track car until it dies.  It's slower than my preferred track weapon (MR2 Spyder with hard top and 2ZZ engine), but it's MUCH safer than that car if something goes horribly amiss.  The more we do with it, the less there is to work out before an event and the more time we have to consider themes (which is currently horribly lacking, much to my embarrassment).

Mod Squad Racing
http://twosrus.com

Re: Entry Acceptance

David Hawkins wrote:

If you are going to use the car only for Lemons, it can be hard to justify the investment in time and money before you're accepted for a race.  I intend to use mine as a (crappy) all-purpose track car until it dies.  It's slower than my preferred track weapon (MR2 Spyder with hard top and 2ZZ engine), but it's MUCH safer than that car if something goes horribly amiss.  The more we do with it, the less there is to work out before an event and the more time we have to consider themes (which is currently horribly lacking, much to my embarrassment).

You've got the right idea. Part of my idea with wanting to enter a minivan is that it'd get me a vehicle comfortable for camping and off-road driving that I could beat the heck out of. Of course, there's the problem of figuring out where to fit certain parts of the roll cage while still retaining use of the back seat, but that, surely, is trivial.