The LeMons saga...weekend recap

[ga.spyder]

Wheeew...where to begin!It was a helluva weekend,and a great time.We had many issues,but worked as a team thru them all.I got there Thurs,as the plan was to run a test session on Fri.I secured a prime spot,networked with a lot of new friends,and...waited.My team trickled in a little at a time.It seems that no one showed up to help Denise and Ron load the trailer.It got there though with spare parts , a welder,tires ,gas,jacks,a huge pit box loded with tools,awnings,etc..
I met Lew(who frequents this forum as alfa1),and he showed us around their Alfa.We noticed the front hoop that all convertibles had..except us!!The next morning Jay Lamm, who is the founder of Lemons, came into our pit amd ruled our cage not good enough!OK for SCCA,not for Lemons.So...Ron brought tubing and we stayed up all night and made a new cage!Seriously!In our spare time ,we fixed the cage on some great young guys car.They couldnt have been more appreciative.Even though they were''broke as s#*t'' they got their pennies together and there was a case of beer on the hood the next morning.Oh yeah,it rained monsoon like quantities,soaked all my gear so I slept in my truck
Race day dawned..er..cloudy.But we were ready.Had the car on the grid,Denise in the cockpit and we made the start on time after our all night thrash.Denise tuned about 7 blistering laps,and ...BLEW THE ENGINE!!She has a new nickname,but this is a family forum Now it gets interesting.I was about in tears .All the work ,preperation and nuttin'! Kevin(our teamate) looked at me and said'I have a good motor in a bad car at my house'. I said 'Lets go!'So we drove 250 miles,pulled the car out of a field,took the motor and tranny out,and drove 250 miles back.Then we thrashed all night fueled by some real moonshine,borrowed lights,and a borrowed hoist.Oh yeah..monsoon like rain again,my stuff soaked,slept in the truck!
Race day,and after our thrash we got it buttoned up and ..SHE RAN!!!!We raced the whole day.I did a long stint and at the checkers for that session,the car just quit.We found the rotor and cap had exploded.Hell,I only turned 8000rpm(I hate tachs with recall)The last person in the car was Denise .She was going to get us to the checkers but...she blew the engine...again!!!!! Not really,but they pulled us in for excessive smoke.Its a Fiat!! :roll:At the awards ceremony ,we were recognized as the spirit of Lemons team for our all night work parties and was given a trophy for ''Most Heroic Fixes''What a blast,despite the problems.I cant wait for fall.And Denise,how about bringing some bread for the sandwiches.Blondes!!

[4babycar]

May I be the first to say congratulations to you all! You guys and gal are the epitome of team work and perseverance. Great job!

[Gunsmith]

I hope you guys took lots of vids to show your team at work. That sounded like a lot of work and a lot more fun. So next year we all need to show up with spare motors? Will there be a next year or have you had enough? Great job guys you make us all proud!

[ga.spyder]

Next year...Hell,we're going back in September!!!We made that decision while we were still there.Gunsmith,if I was you I wouldnt drive the Fiat to the track.Any running engine is a spare engine,and fair game to us I will get a few pix posted.We were so busy I really didnt get a lot of photos like I planned.Zachmac showed up at the track,only to get run into the grass ,by Denise's daughter Amber.Dont race go karts against that girl.

[Danno]

nothing like trashing two engines in one race to earn the "Tony" comments.... The story of this race is amazing in its parallels to the life of owning a Fiat. Great people with awesome skills who will give and give and give just because they are good people. Fiat owners often expect nothing in return for their efforts and live off of the joy that working with cars brings them. Truly a "pay it forward" type community, and truly represented by its best at this venue. Way to go, crew!

[narfire]

Well Craig, Denise,Ron and all the rest that made it happen... one way or another. Tip of the hat and a few units of installation fluid to all of you. Well done
A story you'll be telling for years to come.. perhaps even to the grandchildren but lets not go there for now
Chris

[ga.spyder]

A few pix.I apologize for quality and quantity.I dont know what is going on ,but a lot of pix I took just arent on the card.Time for a new camera
Me getting chewed out by the organizer,on trumped up charges...B.S.

on track

Denise ready to head out..and blow the motor!!

waiting for a new mill

ready for my stint

proud of our award

D..on track


fuel cell

nice attitude..hey..I didnt forget the bread!!

no explanation needed..someone find Tony !!!!!!

[ventura ace]

Great fun! I'm looking forward to hear more of the stories of your racing, when you get a chance. How did the car run against the others, as far as lap times go? Did you run with or without a bonnet?

Alvon

[BEEK]

i think ill have to possably build one myself, what would they think about 2 fiats! that effort is awesome. you guys/gals have done some incredable things

[ga.spyder]

Cmon Alvon,I dont even own a bonnet!! It was eventful to say the least.The lap time were not competitive with 80% of the field.The car was lacking severely in grip,due mainly to tires.We only had 13'' rims w/ all season 400 treadwear rated tires.Like very,very,very stale bagels.It was a hoot,but we slid thru almost every corner.Looked like a drift car.We will soon put out a call for some 14'' or 15'' wheels that we can get(cheap or free) for the next race.Most cars were running barely DOT Falken tires w/ a 200 tread rating.The brakes worked well,steering was positive,motor was good,but not nearly as powerful as most of our competitors.We had the oldest car out there.Most were 90's era,Porsche,BMWS,Miatas,RX7,Celicas,Preludes,Eclipses,etc...We really cant compete on a even keel with that.

[BEEK]

what is the tire spec?

[ga.spyder]

Must have a 190 or higher treadwear rating.Falken makes a 200,which is barely DOT legal,that many people were running.The smallest they come is 15''.It is really hard to find a good perf. tire in 14'',nearly impossible in 13''Rules are online,search under lemons racing.$500 CARS(YEAH..RIGHT) but the safety equipmentie,tires,brakes,wheels,seats,cage,belts doesnt count against the total.

[So Cal Mark]

sounds like a great time, wish I was there

[htchevyii]

Glad you didn't go down without a fight, but sorry to hear of your troubles! Maybe you'd better put a rev limiter on the next one to keep Denise under control, (or put in an '82 FI)!

[mdrburchette]

Hahaha, an FI wouldn't have lasted as long as the 1800!
We did have an awesome, frustrating and rewarding time. After Ron's awesome repair of the rollcage, we thought we had it good, but the first engine had been a thorn in our side since last year.
We did learn a few things, like "Ron is Mr. Right". If he says we're not going to be ready for the race unless we put in endless hours of work, we're not going to be ready for the race. I think everyone has a newfound respect for what it takes to go racing and be competitive.
Another thing we learned is if Craig wants to paint the car Fire Engine Red, by God, let him paint the damn car! I thought the rust and peeling paint went well with the theme of the race, but Craig was soooo embarrassed. Craig, buddy, please paint the car this summer!
We also learned how exceptional the other Lemons teams were. We had people coming around offering help and tools to get the car back on the track. Everyone was great!
We learned too, not to rely on Denise to bring food for the track....unless you're on a diet. I didn't see a problem with rolling the bologna and cheese up and eating them, but Craig and Kevin insisted we needed bread. So now, I have three half eaten loaves of bread on my trailer. Guess I'll leave them in the cupboard for September.
Yet another lesson we learned is if Craig wants to bring a grill and hamburgers, good golly, you better let him bring a grill and hamburgers! Sniffing the air as the other teams are cooking, while sitting on the car, eating meat roll-ups just ain't gettin it.
The last lesson we learned was The 24 Hours of Lemons is a fantastically run event with emphasis made on safety of the drivers and fun for all. We are so looking forward to September!