24 hours of lemons - anyone heard/done it?

[smithm5]

www.24hoursoflemons.com

sounds like alot of fun. I would think with a team of 6 ppl wouldnt be more than 500-750$ per person to register/prep/buy car.

looks like a top gear stunt also!

[TRU_PSI]

Sounds like a good time.

[djs]

Pretty sure our local board.....www.motorcityaudi.com put together a team for this last year. It does sound like it would be a tonne of fun.

[widgget]

LOL, on the events page for the new england event:

Closest Airports: Bradley International Airport (BDL), Boston Logan Miserable Goddamn International Airport (BOS), or Providence TF Green Airport (PVD)

all i can say is AMEN TO THAT!

[Ultrasport Steve]

I have lots of friends in NorCal that run it every year. I was trying to get in on a team..but decided against it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

[SilverStr33k]

If i remember correctly, motor trend or car and driver ran this a few years back with some sort of old GM G body car, they had a great time, let me see if i can find the article.

[Jahan]

Our team has raced in four events . . . Detroit 2007, Thunderhill 2007, Toledo 2008, and Houston 2008. We finished 3rd, 2nd, 4th, 4th respectively. Since there hasn't been any repeat winners yet, we're probably one of the top LeMon's teams out there.

It's a TON of fun, but it's a lot of work as well. Car choice, preparation, and teamwork is important, but you need to have some luck, and above all else, remember to enjoy the experience.

www.chianeon.evilengineering.com/latchkeykids

[audispeed]

Our team has raced in four events . . . Detroit 2007, Thunderhill 2007, Toledo 2008, and Houston 2008. We finished 3rd, 2nd, 4th, 4th respectively. Since there hasn't been any repeat winners yet, we're probably one of the top LeMon's teams out there.

It's a TON of fun, but it's a lot of work as well. Car choice, preparation, and teamwork is important, but you need to have some luck, and above all else, remember to enjoy the experience.

www.chianeon.evilengineering.com/latchkeykids

Any advice regarding all of those things? My buddies and I are starting the ground work to get a car ready for Stafford next fall. How tough is it to get into the race? It seems like space is pretty limited.

[Jahan]

MKIII Supras, VW's, BMW # series, and neon's tend to to pretty well, but you don't have to be the fastest to do well, you just have to minimize the time you spend in the pits, and DRIVE CLEAN. The organizers don't screw around when it comes to penalties, and they can make a big difference in the race.

Make sure you read the rules well and have the car ready in advance. I've seen lots of teams still building their car on Saturday morning before the race, and that just makes a long weekend even longer.

Have lots of extra fluids, a few jacks, cordless impacts, air compressor, generator, etc. Have tools and parts ready in advance for common jobs, for example, have all the tools and parts in one bin to change the brake pads so you aren't scrambling for stuff at the last second.

Nut and bolt the car twice, then do it again, practice your driver changes and pit stops, and have an organized pit area.

Driver fitness can really come into play if you're going for long stints. Make sure they eat and have a way to stay hydrated in the car.

As for getting accepted, my teammates took care of that side of things, just be creative and you shouldn't have a problem. Register early too.

Good luck, maybe we'll see you on the track.

[audispeed]

thanks for all the info. i really appreciate. i will probably have a ton of questions for you in the coming months. i guess the major one i have right now is what sorts of spares should we be getting? plugs, fluids etc. but do we need spare tires, rotors, pads, etc? do these things get consumed during the race? sure it is a good idea to have some extra tires in the event of a flat, but do we need to plan on wearing through a set of tires? thanks again for the help!

[Jahan]

Your brake and tire consumption depends on your car. Our neon can run the full 24 hour races on one set of brake pads. Tires depend on the track, I'd have 2 or 3 sets on hand just in case. We usually have 6-8 brand new tires and as many used ones as we can get. Cooling is a common problem in these events, so be prepared to fix all kinds of cooling issues.

Other than that, spare rotors, pads, plugs, lug nuts, oil drain plug, brake lines, all fluids, filters, several gallons of water, a spare radiator, thermostat, rad. hoses, hose clamps, duct tape, wire ties, jb weld, stuff to cut stuff, etc.

[audispeed]

thanks for the info. i am sure that i will have more questions as we prepare.

[MikeyB3]

I've been looking into doing this for a couple years now. It's NOT as inexpensive as it looks. If you read the rules/stipulations, there's alot of behind the scenes fees that add up pretty quick.

Plus, when the car poops the bed, you gotta find a way to fix it. I'm ALL for it, mind you, but I just wanted to share my experience with trying to set up and do it.

[kharsnett]

my boss was talking about this event the other day. sounds like a good time

[ThePerfectLine]

I am part of a team that fields a uber-crappy 1985 Mustang GT. Though I have to say, that car when it is running right is pretty damn good for a race like this. Its got balls a plenty, and if we bothered to replace the 125k mile old suspension would have even handled pretty well.

but dont kid yourself, its not $500 per person. Think more like $1500 or so. If you are wondering why its so expensive, here is a basic breakdown (these are approximate figures)
TEAM
$500 - Car
$300-$750 - Getting car working, and you sort of cheat on this one.
$1500 - Roll cage, Seat, Fire System
$1000 - Wheels / Tires / Brakes / Fluids / Etc.
$300 - Trailer rental, truck gas to get to track, etc.
----------
$3800 / 6 guys


EACH GUY
$150 - Meals and Hotel for the weekend
$750-$1500 - Full set of race Gear
$50 - Race License
$200 - Race Fees
------------
$1150-$1900

Total for first race for each guy = $1783 minimum. Our first race I spent about $3k myself, mostly because I bought high end gear figuring I would have it for a long time, and since I needed to buy it anyway for actual real racing I figured I should go for broke.

[BlackLock_A4]

I was surprised when I searched "24 Lemons" there was actually a thread on it!
There is a lot of good information here. My cousin and I are planning to do this next year at Thunder Hill. Should be a lot of fun, looking forward to the experience .

Eric

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/

[awdjunkies]

I was surprised when I searched "24 Lemons" there was actually a thread on it!
There is a lot of good information here. My cousin and I are planning to do this next year at Thunder Hill. Should be a lot of fun, looking forward to the experience .

Eric

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/

Yeah it's pretty cool actually.. thre is one coming up next year that is a few miles from my house:

8-9 May 2010: Goin' For Broken 24-Hour (Reno NV)
Reno-Fernley Raceway, Fernley NV

[Christian]

Sounds sweet but also like a lot of work. 24 hours racing isn't a piece of cake.

[josmo]

I've been looking into doing this for a couple years now. It's NOT as inexpensive as it looks. If you read the rules/stipulations, there's alot of behind the scenes fees that add up pretty quick.

Plus, when the car poops the bed, you gotta find a way to fix it. I'm ALL for it, mind you, but I just wanted to share my experience with trying to set up and do it.

this is the truth! the safety ware helmets suits harnes etc. easily out run the cost of the car itself. when u actually get into expect to spend a couple k just to be able to drive a $500 car lol

[Shnab]

I would love to do this. I just wish i had a bunch of friends who are a car savy as i am. my friends suk

[covertS4driver]

Prepping a car right now

[Feffman]

We are probably running in two Lemons in 2010. Mid America Raceway and Autobahn. Looks like a 1985 Toyota Celica is the "Lemon" of choice.

Feff
www.MVPTrackTime.com

[LOLjdm]

We just bought a car to compete this year. Going to try to make the Not-So 12hrs. of Sebring in the fall.