The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Our Crappy Race → Why so much HATE from "real racers"
I am however saying that I want to see you in fishnets with a strap-on holding hands with Ronald Reagan and passing out fish and chips.
Oh, be careful what you wish for!
Looks like I have some shopping/planning to do...
Judge Jonny wrote:I am however saying that I want to see you in fishnets with a strap-on holding hands with Ronald Reagan and passing out fish and chips.
Oh, be careful what you wish for!
Looks like I have some shopping/planning to do...
I'm totally wishing for this. Make it happen!
Abort! Abort!
KT
The greatest aspect of Lemons to me so far is that you can enter any car you'd like (corvette to yugo, or wartburg) and in spite of huge differences in performance, the fact is that your car must finish 14 hours or more of racing. You may get faster laps in a vette, but for your 500.00, you'll probably end up getting fewer of them.
So, a 4 cylinder mustang can finish ahead of it's V8 brother, even though on paper, it shouldn't even have been a race between the 2. The money to spend is the great equalizer.
All I know is I got my ass handed to me by a Lada. A communist built copy of an italian shitbox. Love it.
I've never raced Lemons, but I have raced with NASA, and I know lots of my friends that I've made in NASA have moved over to Lemons, so I'm following. When I first heard about Lemons, I thought it was hilarious and always wanted to make a car for it. I love racing (the competition, the speed, the build) and I also love watching Junkyard Megawars. Lemons combines the two into a weekend of pure joy. Why would I frown on it?
As for the difference in experience, of course they're different, but one isn't better than the other until you include money. In NASA sprint racing, you have less than 40 minutes to finish as high as you can, which makes for dicey passes and balls to the walls driving, but also times when you or the leaders have checked out and you're just grinding laps. In Lemons, you have 14 hours to accomplish your goals, so getting around the Lemons equivalent of a Wreck Pinata doesn't have to happen right now, just motor past him on the next straight. Lemons makes up for this "lack of excitement" in track time, strategy, the fact that there is nearly ALWAYS someone to race and the spectacle. When I walk around the paddock at a NASA event, I'm drooling over parts and getting ideas. When I'm virtually walking around a Lemons paddock (haven't been to an event yet), I'm laughing my ass off and getting ideas. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
Either way, I'll make friends wherever it is that I go. Sure, there are some jerks at NASA events, PSA events, SCCA, wherever, but I'm still going to be nice to them, and try to befriend them. Why? Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I also know I really don't like it when someone doesn't like me. The OP was talking about what someone in a forum is doing, but things are generally different in person. Only on the Internet can an argument or "shouting match" happen over such a trivial topic. We're all racing, who cares?
A year ago, I had 5 guys and myself who's only track experience (mostly) was on a local kart track for birthday parties.
One year later, I have 8 guys with a combined 30 hours of wheel to wheel experience, one (and almost two) Lemons prepped cars able to be ready to race with 3-4 weeks of good work, and a beautiful rusty Organizers Choice trophy littering my garage.
(And by work, it's mostly on theme. 
)
I scoped out Lemons at Goin'-For-Broken at Reno-Fernley last year. As I was sitting in the stands (4 rows of wooden bleaches, a *little* different than Infineon), the Bunny with a Pancake on it's Head team was spotting in front of us. We started asking questions, and pretty soon it was a "This is what you need to do" session. I came away from the event thinking that not only would this be a fun event to do, but the people are totally cool as well.
Now I know that we're a bunch of line-thrashing newbies on the track, and we apologize as much as possible for that, but on that off chance we have someone come up to us and say, "For a wiener, you guys were really hauling that thing around the track!" it's quite an honor. I know we're racing with some really talented people out there, and just to be on the track with them is pretty cool.
We're just happy to be out there with you guys.
I have two Spec Pinata guys on my team, and their comments have been along the lines of ....
"You know, we are actually racing here. This is gooooooooooood stuff!"
"Think of all the money we blew on SCCA. We could have, like, 10 Lemons cars."
Real racers like to race whereever a sanctioned series exists for them to participate in. Whiners think it needs more rules.
Well...as a PCA member, I guess I'm a prick, but I've never really cared for what people think. I'm not much of an Interwebs bench racer either. I do have to say, that since I've taken my Porsche out for the season for the first time on Monday, I have been blatently cut-off more times in 3 days than the entire winter in my "regular" car. I do DE's in the Porsche, but I'm far from a race car driver. But enough about me...
I've considered in the past "real" racing but was put off by the cost, and the rules. Not necessarily on-track rules, but car rules. I modify my car for fun, and this would not make it "competitive" in a particular racing class. Making it competitive would not make it fun on the street where it spends most of it's time. I guess I'm a poseur. 
Lemons gives me a chance to scare the crap out of myself for a lot less money.
To me, the most interesting thing about Lemons, is when you're going into a turn "hot" next to another driver, you have no idea of his/her skills. Are they going to cleanly get through the turn, or are they going to understeer right into your door and take you out too. I think it levels the playing field, as you have to be certain you'll make the pass, or be ready to give room. Those who are aggressive 100% of the time eventually have their luck run out. While I understand what an apex is, I'm also very aware it's not always mine to hit...as a Crown Vic might be skidding right through it.
So...does fear of the unknown level the playing field in Lemons?
I always wonder why so many car cultures clash so badly.
Ford Vs Chevy, Drag Vs Oval, Import Vs Muscle cars...
Let us not fight against each other....let us unite against the commen enemy says the rat!
I think to many people let there car become there personality style.
My day job 6 days a week
My fun time and stress relief.
So on one side i have drivers depending on me and on the other side they ask my why i would drive a jag in Lemons because thats crazy seeing all you do is work on REAL race cars? I just smile and ask them what a REAL race car is.. There answer is usually Not a Lemons car! or they just walk away confused. I figure some day they will grow up and see the light.
Pendejo Maximo
Real racers like to race whereever a sanctioned series exists for them to participate in. Whiners think it needs more rules.
Well said. Sounds like a mantra that should be inscribed in stone somewhere.
Wanna hear something funny/ironic? One of my HPDE friends calls us Lemons folk "Wanna be racers". Damn, and all this time I thought we were actually racing.
atomicalex wrote:Real racers like to race whereever a sanctioned series exists for them to participate in. Whiners think it needs more rules.
Well said. Sounds like a mantra that should be inscribed in stone somewhere.
Wanna hear something funny/ironic? One of my HPDE friends calls us Lemons folk "Wanna be racers". Damn, and all this time I thought we were actually racing.
Even better is one of our AI drivers in NASA has named his racing team. Wanna Be Racers. Anybody in HPDE thinking they are a racer has a long road ahead of them.
Pen
Now waitaminute waitaminute waitaminute...hold on a doggone minute! Lemons is a RACE?
F@CK!
That explains A LOT! I thought it was just a way to spend 3 days away from your home under the guise, "But honey, it's only for 24 hours"
Now waitaminute waitaminute waitaminute...hold on a doggone minute! Lemons is a RACE?
F@CK!
That explains A LOT! I thought it was just a way to spend 3 days away from your home under the guise, "But honey, it's only for 24 hours"
EXACTLY!!!! Lemons IS a real race driven by REAL racers weather they be long time drivers or it is there very first race.. Lemons is a REAL as it gets! Then you move up to F1 and it is no longer that fun anymore..
Pen
Now waitaminute waitaminute waitaminute...hold on a doggone minute! Lemons is a RACE?
F@CK!
That explains A LOT! I thought it was just a way to spend 3 days away from your home under the guise, "But honey, it's only for 24 hours"
I just tell the wife I could always get a different hobby......
"how about hookers and crack?"
then I get the "look" and she says "but it would be cheaper"
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Our Crappy Race → Why so much HATE from "real racers"