• Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 297

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Chump puts on a very good event. Just finished my second race and have almost all positive things to say. This has to be the BEST prize:cost:odds of any racing series on the planet. This weekend they gave out ~$3500 with only 22 cars entered!

Chump both benefits and is hurt by low car turnouts at its races. Super low traffic makes for satisfying open track and very low incident counts. But it also makes you feel a little lonely out there. And it makes me worry about the long term profitability of the series if more cars don't start showing up.

The penalty/BS assessments are my only complaint, as they can drastically affect the outcome. Unlike Lemons where a huge majority of the teams start the race on even footing, almost no one in the chump race is on the same lap at the start. This weekend Kreider Racing started NINE laps ahead of us both days. Granted, we finished more than nine laps behind them, but it was still a bit of a kick in the nuts to start so far behind. The gnome is a frequent contender for sure, but its not like that multi-podiumed pizza delivery mobile contends 9 laps "LESS frequently".

Five of the laps came from the "charity fund raiser" category. This really rubs me the wrong way. Tying the charity donation with something that can significantly alter the outcome of the race just smells funny to me. The teams that are flush with cash or are hyper-competitive are happy to pay for this advantage. Other teams that are just scraping by or don't think they have a prayer at a podium spot are less likely to pay the extra fee. Then you get some underdog team click well and do better than expected, and end up losing to a team that runs less laps but ponied up charity cash. Not saying it happened this weekend, or that a well funded team doesn't deserve to win, etc. Just trying to loosely describe the conflict of interest as I see it. Raising money for charity = good. Running more laps than other teams = good. Awarding a team that runs less laps a higher podium spot because they paid extra money before the race = weird.

Hopefully that last part doesn't come out wrong. Tough to type it clearly.

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  • From: Angier
  • Registered: 2009-09-19
  • Posts: 705

Re: chump car broke it off in us

gielamonster wrote:

Chump puts on a very good event. Just finished my second race and have almost all positive things to say. This has to be the BEST prize:cost:odds of any racing series on the planet. This weekend they gave out ~$3500 with only 22 cars entered!

Chump both benefits and is hurt by low car turnouts at its races. Super low traffic makes for satisfying open track and very low incident counts. But it also makes you feel a little lonely out there. And it makes me worry about the long term profitability of the series if more cars don't start showing up.

The penalty/BS assessments are my only complaint, as they can drastically affect the outcome. Unlike Lemons where a huge majority of the teams start the race on even footing, almost no one in the chump race is on the same lap at the start. This weekend Kreider Racing started NINE laps ahead of us both days. Granted, we finished more than nine laps behind them, but it was still a bit of a kick in the nuts to start so far behind. The gnome is a frequent contender for sure, but its not like that multi-podiumed pizza delivery mobile contends 9 laps "LESS frequently".

Five of the laps came from the "charity fund raiser" category. This really rubs me the wrong way. Tying the charity donation with something that can significantly alter the outcome of the race just smells funny to me. The teams that are flush with cash or are hyper-competitive are happy to pay for this advantage. Other teams that are just scraping by or don't think they have a prayer at a podium spot are less likely to pay the extra fee. Then you get some underdog team click well and do better than expected, and end up losing to a team that runs less laps but ponied up charity cash. Not saying it happened this weekend, or that a well funded team doesn't deserve to win, etc. Just trying to loosely describe the conflict of interest as I see it. Raising money for charity = good. Running more laps than other teams = good. Awarding a team that runs less laps a higher podium spot because they paid extra money before the race = weird.

Hopefully that last part doesn't come out wrong. Tough to type it clearly.

weird works for me.

whatever it was i didn't do it
dorifto dogs E30 - gone but not forgotten

Lee Ho Fook's Racing E36

103 Reply by priapism (edited by priapism 2010-07-12 05:16 PM)

  • From: Sherman Oaks CA
  • Registered: 2009-08-16
  • Posts: 422

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Loren wrote:

First, 2-off doesn't get you flagged at a Lemons race.

We got flagged for ONE wheel off.

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-08-17
  • Posts: 364

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Cal Speedway was my first "Chumpcar" events and I enjoyed it. Living in San Diego and only having to drive 100 miles to a race sold it for me. The small field made it seem like a really long track day session in a way... it was a lot fun. Not quite as organized as Lemons but then it's a much smaller operation as well.

In regards to the charity donation part... I don't really a problem with it. Donate $100 worth of food and you get the max bonus... 5 laps. If you can afford to race AND can afford to put together a winning effort but can't afford a $100 charity donation I'd be surprised. Besides the obvious desire to "do good" with the charity donations I would not be surprised if chumpcar does the charity thing so they can be "non profit" or get discounted rates at the track as a charity fundraiser. Smart way to do it in my book... especially since I'm sure they're not making a profit with the small fields they have had lately.

Overall... as everyone else has pretty much said - Chumpcar is a good event. Like Lemons... but different.

Pendejo Engineering "Captain" - 1991 Alfa 164
1983 Shaguar XJ-S V-12 "The Two Ton Miata"
1995 Mercedes S600 V-12  - First car ever CLAIMED by JAY!
1980 Maserati Quattroporte - Judge's Choice

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  • From: Los Fucking Angeles
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,032

Re: chump car broke it off in us

priapism wrote:
Loren wrote:

First, 2-off doesn't get you flagged at a Lemons race.

We got flagged for ONE wheel off.

We'd flag you for half a wheel off if we could.

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"

106 Reply by Spank

  • Spank
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  • From: Escondido, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
  • Posts: 5,864

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Judge Jonny wrote:
priapism wrote:
Loren wrote:

First, 2-off doesn't get you flagged at a Lemons race.

We got flagged for ONE wheel off.

We'd flag you for half a wheel off if we could.

Flag away:

http://www.magnusracingclub.com/images/Kyleslinesmall.jpg

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107 Reply by Serj

  • Serj
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  • From: Cincinnati, OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,601

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Spank wrote:
Judge Jonny wrote:
priapism wrote:

We got flagged for ONE wheel off.

We'd flag you for half a wheel off if we could.

Flag away:

http://www.magnusracingclub.com/images/ … esmall.jpg

that jag still is the sweetest-looking pile of crap on a cali track evar.

  • From: Los Fucking Angeles
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,032

Re: chump car broke it off in us

that's like one third of that fricking wheel

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"
  • From: Frogtown USA
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 389

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Buying laps is not fair in my opinion.  I don't care who gets the money.  Why not just charge a bit more and give a set percentage of the fees to a charity?  Same result, better implementation.  Still had a nice time at the Chumpy event last weekend anyway.  I like the double 7 hour format too.  It allows you to have a bad day and still be in the hunt the next day.  Kind of fun that way.

Given the choice I wold always do a Lemons event over a Chumpy one every time.  The strict flagging at Lemons is not that big a deal since everyone has to contend with it.

Cars, cameras, and easy living...
  • From: Sherman Oaks CA
  • Registered: 2009-08-16
  • Posts: 422

Re: chump car broke it off in us

You don't have to donate money, you can donate food (since it was to a food bank).  I'm not sure how it works but I think you can donate <$100 worth of food and get the max laps.  By keeping the donation separate, they can make it tax deductible.  I agree that buying laps is pretty weird but so is wearing a costume to go racing.

111 Reply by Jer

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  • From: West Chester, PA
  • Registered: 2009-05-04
  • Posts: 1,316

Re: chump car broke it off in us

I'm not a fan of the food drive, I never like forced charity and if you want to compete, that's what it is.  But I'm not going to make a big deal out of it.  I think both series are awesome in their own ways and in the end it comes down to tracks and schedule.   Chump has come up with some great tracks, and Lemons has followed suit in some cases too so we all win.  As for racing, honestly the last race at Summit was great because there were enough cars that you had to work passes and strategize, but it wasn't so crowded it felt like rush hour like some of the CMP races have felt.  Longer track, 50-60 cars=perfect!

Jer / Schumacher Taxi Service
2010 Spring CMP I.O.E. winner
2010 Sebring overall winner
1996 Miata, 1991 BMW E30, 1987 coROLLa (retired), 1984 Citation (retired), 1993 Miata (retired)

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  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: chump car broke it off in us

One wheel off reminds me of the Lemons ads - that's what I think of.

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
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113 Reply by Stevo

  • Stevo
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  • From: Indianapolis
  • Registered: 2009-05-26
  • Posts: 102

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Is that wheel even "off" at all?  Not touching!

(and yes, most awesome $500 racer ever)

  • From: 5,280 ft.
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 1,298

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Spank wrote:

http://www.magnusracingclub.com/images/ … esmall.jpg

is it really "off" if it's not touching the surface?  kind of like how an NBA or NFL player isn't "out of bounds" until they land?

mike - Schumacher Taxi Service
12+-time loser
"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

Buzz Killington's Website

  • From: Sherman Oaks CA
  • Registered: 2009-08-16
  • Posts: 422

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Buzz Killington wrote:
Spank wrote:

http://www.magnusracingclub.com/images/ … esmall.jpg

is it really "off" if it's not touching the surface?  kind of like how an NBA or NFL player isn't "out of bounds" until they land?

The wheel crossed the plane of the edge of the track.  Two walking laps of the pits in clown costumes!

  • From: Toronto, Ontario
  • Registered: 2009-05-03
  • Posts: 1,114

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Throw a little asphalt there and let the car repave the surface.....I've seen rollers with less surface area.....the car sure has "presence"...

Jim "Endo" Anderton
30 years of racing and still not Brambilla.....

117 Reply by Mulry

  • Mulry
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  • From: Dallas, TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 4,607

Re: chump car broke it off in us

That photo just so embodies Lemons, doesn't it? Hooned out Jag V-12 being chased by what, a Dodge Aspen wagon with a panty on its head? And of course the Aspen probably outlasted the Jag.

I love this game.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.
  • From: 5,280 ft.
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 1,298

Re: chump car broke it off in us

the Jag is badass-looking.  it almost resembles an old Camaro.

mike - Schumacher Taxi Service
12+-time loser
"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

Buzz Killington's Website

  • From: Los Fucking Angeles
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,032

Re: chump car broke it off in us

Mulry wrote:

That photo just so embodies Lemons, doesn't it? Hooned out Jag V-12 being chased by what, a Dodge Aspen wagon with a panty on its head? And of course the Aspen probably outlasted the Jag.

I love this game.

It's actually being followed by possibly the most amazing machine in the whole series -- the Bavarian Ranchero.

For those not paying attention (Murly), it's a BMW E30 with a Ford Ranchero body that was shrunk by hand to 3/4 scale. Fucking AMAZING.

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"

120 Reply by Mulry

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  • From: Dallas, TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 4,607

Re: chump car broke it off in us

My liege, I humbly beg Your Honor's mercy.

That just makes the photo even more awesomer. Smokey Yunick smiles down on that car from the great scrapyard in the sky.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

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