Re: The new rules and how its killing Lemons...
I think you may be right...read MPH, not KPH.
Lab Rats Motorsports
1990 VW Jetta
Charlotte, NC
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → The new rules and how its killing Lemons...
I think you may be right...read MPH, not KPH.
Our E30 325e was somewhere around 95-100 at the end of the straight. I find it hard to imagine even an 325i getting above 110.
100 to 110 takes a long distance.
I smell BULLSHIT!!!
The second door bar rule may be a turning point for a lot of teams....welding is a big issue for many teams, with lack of experience/ability/$ getting in the way....and a lot of teams don't have ready access to trailers/tow vehicles to drag the car to a shop between races..for the suburban guys with the car in a residential garage bolt-in kit cages are the answer, using tools like a 1/2 inch drill and a recip saw...two bars are a great idea and are probably necessary, but a bolt-on solution would be handy....
Jim "Endo" Anderton
Reno-Fernley one door bar and a little uncomfortable
Like I've said before ,I can do door bars .
I have a trailer can pick up and deliver when done.
call me in San fancisco bay area .
Regarding Speeds at No Problem in New Orleans, I imagine cars were into the 100+ range but I'd say 120 is a stretch.
Our car wasn't 100% but still decent. I was well into the 100's on speedo but it ain't real accurate. A GPS would give a pretty good speed reading.
Many cars could fly down the main straight, make a quick switch to the left and still keep on going to turn two. I could give it a quick turn to the right for #2 but had to slow down to make the left for #3. Messed that up once, inspected the lawn, talked to the judges, wrote a letter to Jay on the hood and made Jalopnik all in one fowl swoop.
No Problem was a lot of fun.
MSR in Houston also seems to be a pretty fast course, even with the chicane. Hopefully they will decide we don't need that any more.
Turboner wrote:I sometimes feel a little nervous being less than 12" from the wall (and/or that red E36 M3 on my a$$) at a track day at 125-130MPH, and that's with passing on straights only with a point-by. In a field of inexperienced, possibly agressive racers (myself included) driving total shitboxes with questionable integrity and driving skill? Bring on the safety gear. My balls aren't bigger than my brain just yet.
I have got to know where all of these race cars are coming from to reach these speeds at a Lemons race. I would almost kiss your ass if you have a Lemons car that would reach 130 mph that wasn't a friggin rocket ship. I think peoples sensations of speeds are a bit out of whack. What was the top speed at CMP in the spring? Correct me if I am wrong, but somewhere around 90?
Umm, I was saying I reach those speeds in my DD street cars (Talon Tsi and A6 Biturbo) at (relatively safe) trackdays/HPDE's where there is NO CONTACT and no passing except on straights with pointby, emphasizing the need for safety in a field of shitty cars and/or drivers. I can't imagine how intense/exciting Lemons is going to be. Hopefully the car will be ready for Thill next year.
The best part is when you take your crapcan to a trackday and scare all the other cars!
MSR in Houston also seems to be a pretty fast course, even with the chicane. Hopefully they will decide we don't need that any more.
Doing a Dukes of Hazard imitation would be very cool the first time...
Been done like every race except never a hot Daisy Duke !!!
MSR in Houston also seems to be a pretty fast course, even with the chicane. Hopefully they will decide we don't need that any more.
I am praying that this happens. My single biggest aggravation with the track this spring was that tire chicane and the gridlock traffic it produced.
If tire chicanes are still necessary on some tracks, my suggestion would be to put more distance between the stacks of tires so that the bigger/slower cars (or less experienced/aggressive drivers) don't feel the need to slow to 10 mph to navigate the tire chicane. Maybe put out three rows of tires, but spaced further so that it's more like a set of esses rather than just a chicane.
Still, I'm hopeful that we're seeing the end of the tire chicane era in Lemons. That said, I'd be stunned if we don't see at least one set of tire esses/chicanes on the backstretch of Nelson Ledges.
I think we might mount a deer siren on our car for Nelson Ledges, given the reported prevalence of wildlife around the track. Maybe a dog whistle too.
Watch for the mustard and ketchup on the chicaneS!!!
You know, I didn't even see the dread mustard and ketchup on the tire chicanes in Houston, and I was really looking for them as I drove through during the all-course yellow flag laps. Is that just legend at this point, or are the Lemons crew still using that method at some tracks?
You know, I didn't even see the dread mustard and ketchup on the tire chicanes in Houston, and I was really looking for them as I drove through during the all-course yellow flag laps. Is that just legend at this point, or are the Lemons crew still using that method at some tracks?
They used Mustard and ketchup at Altamont last year. They put it in ziplock bags and stapled it to boxes and then covered the tires with the boxes. They didn't last very long but it was funny to see cars with mustard and ketchup trying to explain to the Judges how it got there with no contact. (supposedly)
We didn't have any chicanes at Reno,but did @Thill with mustard and ketchup .
Did you have the paintball sniper on the start finish stand for people who didn't stop for blackflags.
No! We didn't have a paintball sniper and to tell you the truth I wish that we had. Although this hasn't ever been confirmed (or denied) by the Lemons folks, I suspect that the race comms on the race control freqs were pretty bad at least on Saturday. Seems like there were a lot of teams coming into the penalty box on false black flags. There was a guy on the start/finish stand who was supposedly putting out numbers on a board for teams who had been black flagged but he didn't seem to be getting the updates very well either.
Still, I'm hopeful that we're seeing the end of the tire chicane era in Lemons. That said, I'd be stunned if we don't see at least one set of tire esses/chicanes on the backstretch of Nelson Ledges.
Ditto! The one used at the first CMP race was absolutely terrible. It made people drive insane trying to get to the head of a single file line to get thru it. Thankfully at this years spring event, Jay and Co. decided not to use it (as an experiment we were told) to see if we would all 'play nice' and not drive like jackasses. Even with slightly higher speeds, there were less incidents (at least from our vantage point) because people had a nice wide berth to pass before entering T1.
I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope the chicanes stay away for the fall race.
Chicanes are fun!! Your drag racing with a guy and then you both realize the chicane and like chicken!!!
Mulry wrote:Still, I'm hopeful that we're seeing the end of the tire chicane era in Lemons. That said, I'd be stunned if we don't see at least one set of tire esses/chicanes on the backstretch of Nelson Ledges.
Ditto! The one used at the first CMP race was absolutely terrible. It made people drive insane trying to get to the head of a single file line to get thru it. Thankfully at this years spring event, Jay and Co. decided not to use it (as an experiment we were told) to see if we would all 'play nice' and not drive like jackasses. Even with slightly higher speeds, there were less incidents (at least from our vantage point) because people had a nice wide berth to pass before entering T1.
I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope the chicanes stay away for the fall race.
+1
I completely agree on the CMP situation compared to last year.
A chicane on the back straight of NL, in the middle of the night would almost certainly be worse.
Chicanes are fun!! Your drag racing with a guy and then you both realize the chicane and like chicken!!!
If it was just you and another car I may agree. However when there was a single file line of 20+ cars and one car (Salazar) wanted to dive bomb them all to get to the front of the line it wasn't fun. We (most other teams) had the solution (which was to just slide over one lane and watch them t-bone the chicane so they could 'get in'), but since penalties were given to cars who were involved in contact (even if you didn't initiate it) most cars let them back in to avoid a penalty. The second race at CMP there was no chicane and all of that crap was thankfully avoided. I doubt you will find even 5% of the drivers who prefer a chicane be added to CMP.
Just putting this out there... How much would someone pay to "take one for the team?" I was thinking - register a car that is large enough and hardened (with rollcage and extra tubing in strategic places) enough to go out there and make contact with offensive cars to take them off the track for 30 minutes. I mean - if you have a problem with a car, rent this one for $300 (for 60 minutes) and just go out and hit that team.
Any driver is allowed to drive any car so anyone could pay the fee and take it for a spin. This car would just sit around in paddock until someone wants to "take one for the team."
edit:
and there are all kinds of themes - sharks mostly - that would go along with this.
Hope the chicane stays away from the fall race at CMP as well. I never experienced the first one and I am glad I didn't.
The July '08 CMP chicane suxxored, particularly with the big heavy underpowered turd we were attempting to race. Late on Sunday it had gotten shoved around and was MUCH better to deal with. I guess Jay and the rest of his California liberal gang decided we rednecks wouldn't necessarily kill each other without it.
The July '08 CMP chicane suxxored, particularly with the big heavy underpowered turd we were attempting to race. Late on Sunday it had gotten shoved around and was MUCH better to deal with. I guess Jay and the rest of his California liberal gang decided we rednecks wouldn't necessarily kill each other without it.
Its because our california cars are faster!!
We don't have all those empty beer cans , Copenhagen stuck on the side of our cars and all that bondo covering the rust!!!
Just putting this out there... How much would someone pay to "take one for the team?" I was thinking - register a car that is large enough and hardened (with rollcage and extra tubing in strategic places) enough to go out there and make contact with offensive cars to take them off the track for 30 minutes. I mean - if you have a problem with a car, rent this one for $300 (for 60 minutes) and just go out and hit that team.
Any driver is allowed to drive any car so anyone could pay the fee and take it for a spin. This car would just sit around in paddock until someone wants to "take one for the team."
edit:
and there are all kinds of themes - sharks mostly - that would go along with this.
Are you trying to find a good use for the Craptation?! haha
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