1 (edited by dominickmh8080 2017-02-13 11:37 AM)

Topic: New guy here....

Good morning all,

My name is Matt. I am a newbie and will be looking for sound advice or bad advice, which ever I can get my hands on. I'm planning on doing the rally in 2018 from Moscow to Paris. I live in Virginia, so the upcoming Rally in California would be too far for me to travel.

I am currently getting a "team" together and already have my vehicle. I purchased an old beat up 91 Camaro RS for 500 bucks. Over the next year, I will be doing lots of preventative maintenance to the car and I'm tearing out the old interior and getting a newer pair of seats...Something comfy for hours of driving.

I see the rules for the 24hr races but is there a rule guide for the Rally?

1991 Camaro RS (Lemons Rally car)     1990 BMW 735iL (Daily Driver)

Re: New guy here....

dominickmh8080 wrote:

I see the rules for the 24hr races but is the a rule guide for the Rally?

I assume you've seen this:

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/rally

which is all we've been given for rules. Vehicle prep boils down to "street-legal and insured." The only other limitation of which I'm aware was a decision not to allow motorcycles for the 2017 Moscow to Paris rally because of concern over road conditions. It's hard to say whether that will be true for future events as well.

Also, CB radios capable of sending/receiving on channel 2 (just in case you're going old-school with individual crystals) are strongly recommended but not required.

1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally

Re: New guy here....

mharrell wrote:
dominickmh8080 wrote:

I see the rules for the 24hr races but is the a rule guide for the Rally?

I assume you've seen this:



which is all we've been given for rules. Vehicle prep boils down to "street-legal and insured." The only other limitation of which I'm aware was a decision not to allow motorcycles for the 2017 Moscow to Paris rally because of concern over road conditions. It's hard to say whether that will be true for future events as well.

Also, CB radios capable of sending/receiving on channel 2 (just in case you're going old-school with individual crystals) are strongly recommended but not required.

Awesome, I have seen that web page. So I guess i have all the info i need. I just acquired our car and will be prepping it for the trip over the next year. I assume that the price of the car is a moot point. Looks like there is no limit on what can be spent on the Rally cars.

1991 Camaro RS (Lemons Rally car)     1990 BMW 735iL (Daily Driver)

Re: New guy here....

dominickmh8080 wrote:

Looks like there is no limit on what can be spent on the Rally cars.

Correct. They don't ask and they don't care. The inspection consists entirely of showing proof of current registration and insurance, so make sure you bring that. I may have been asked to show my license, too, but I wouldn't swear to it. You'll probably want your license with you anyway, though, what with the driving on public roads and stuff.

1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally

Re: New guy here....

Also, don't get too attached to "Moscow to Paris" - the west coast route is different this year, so presumably the east coast route will change as well. Which is great, because I never want to see another Waffle House as long as I live.

Driver, Pit Monkey, Rod Buster and Engine Fire Starter
Team FinalGear

Re: New guy here....

EyeMWing wrote:

...the west coast route is different this year, so presumably the east coast route will change as well.

The start and finish of the West Coast rally will be the same this year, it's just everything in between that's different. Unconfirmed rumor has it that Lemons HQ likes the idea of ending the East Coast rally at a race, so at least its finish may remain similarly fixed unless, of course, they decide to change the schedule next year and aim for a different track.

1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally

Re: New guy here....

I'm game for any location on the East Coast. I am just weary of driving to California, driving a bunch of miles in the Rally and then making it back. Not impossible and plenty of people do it but I cannot make that type of commitment on my salary.

1991 Camaro RS (Lemons Rally car)     1990 BMW 735iL (Daily Driver)

Re: New guy here....

How many Waffle Houses did you end up at? We stopped at five and got receipts, three more where we forgot to grab the receipts cause we're idiots, and then the one we got the sign at which definitely made up for forgetting receipts.
I may have overheard rumours of a cross-country trip, but that's just a rumour I may have overheard.
But back on topic, the rules are pretty much as they are on the main Rally page, posted above. I'll add that the "better" your car is, the worse you'll do in starting points, so don't get too carried away with "getting it ready" unless you're prepping some outlandish theme I suppose. Again, no price targets. As stated, registration/insurance is the only thing necessary, your car needs to be legal, well, on paper at least. As far as driver's licenses went, they checked and wristbanded all the people actually driving for insurance purposes I think. I was never asked to show my wristband anywhere on either rally though.
Less so on the Paris-from-Moscow route, but more so on the Death Valley one, it was strongly discouraged to do anything that would make the rest of the rally look bad. Respecting traffic laws, national park regulations, that sort of thing. They also made it clear than we weren't drinking alcohol until we made it to the day's stop. Just in general, don't be a douchenozzle pretty much sums it up.

Re: New guy here....

EyeMWing wrote:

Also, don't get too attached to "Moscow to Paris" - the west coast route is different this year, so presumably the east coast route will change as well. Which is great, because I never want to see another Waffle House as long as I live.

When I was talking to Steve on saturday at the track, he seemed pretty committed to the "Moscow to Paris" and ending at the Barber race. He mentioned there being a dozen or more Moscows and Paris' for different stops. I am hoping we start next year in Maine. Moscow, ME is only an hour or so from me...

Re: New guy here....

I've heard that from a few people. Does it matter if the start is close if the end is the other end of the country? I suppose it makes it easier to reach the start line... Equidistance is certainly ideal, although maybe not from where I live.
Frankly though I think I'd like to be closer to the finish line than the start. By the end of the rally I just wanted to get home... and then had to drive 1800 miles to get there.

Re: New guy here....

Thanks for the input. I don't plan on going too wild with car prep. Just want to make a few things more reliable. I can handle side of the road fixes but I want to have the important stuff in decent working order.

The car I'm getting is perfect for the rally. Shitty paint, will have a gutted interior, leaks fluids, etc. I know I won't get a bunch of points on my vehicle choice, but I'll make up for it during the rally.

1991 Camaro RS (Lemons Rally car)     1990 BMW 735iL (Daily Driver)

Re: New guy here....

dominickmh8080 wrote:

I know I won't get a bunch of points on my vehicle choice, but I'll make up for it during the rally.

thought the competitive spirit is alive and well in all thins Lemons, keep in mind the fun/experience/story for the grandchildren side of it.  Do not get tunnel visioned.

Re: New guy here....

Anything on how many passengers you can have in one vehicle? And are there any age restrictions?

Re: New guy here....

bottledbird68 wrote:

Anything on how many passengers you can have in one vehicle?

The signup page states "$425 per vehicle (w/ as many buddies you want)" so I suspect the organizers would, in all honesty, be thrilled to see a Partridge Family bus filled with as many people as you can persuade to come along for the ride.

bottledbird68 wrote:

And are there any age restrictions?

No restrictions are listed but my guess is that Lemons HQ would want to see some sort of permission slip for any minors unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, particularly any who will be driving. The races require notarized permission for anyone under 18 to drive but it's not clear how the rally would handle this. For an official answer you should probably check with Steve McDaniel directly: steve@24hoursoflemons.com.

1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally

Re: New guy here....

mharrell wrote:
bottledbird68 wrote:

Anything on how many passengers you can have in one vehicle?

The signup page states "$425 per vehicle (w/ as many buddies you want)" so I suspect the organizers would, in all honesty, be thrilled to see a Partridge Family bus filled with as many people as you can persuade to come along for the ride.

bottledbird68 wrote:

And are there any age restrictions?

No restrictions are listed but my guess is that Lemons HQ would want to see some sort of permission slip for any minors unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, particularly any who will be driving. The races require notarized permission for anyone under 18 to drive but it's not clear how the rally would handle this. For an official answer you should probably check with Steve McDaniel directly: steve@24hoursoflemons.com.

Awesome. Thank you for the info!

Re: New guy here....

The rally is a lot less formal than a race, and more open to one's interpretation of how the rally should be done.

You are only entitled to the space you occupy.