krek Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Anybody want to discuss the non-claiming aspects of Hallett?We thought the Special Awards all went to very deserving teams... the Opel guys were fantastic, we were pitted next to Road Apple Racing (Double Deuce Mustang) and lost count of their fuel filter replacements at 13, the Old Farts #44 and the #9 team cannibalizing their street cars to keep the race cars going was awesome.Team Eggboy isn't convince we oiled the track (but who needs another controversy?) but after surviving four hours with no starter, no shifter (we were stuck in third), a blown CV boot, headlight failure and heat soaked brakes our front motor mount disintegrated and the spinny parts in the transaxle quickly followed.It was great to see a couple of EC cars at Hallett and I personally enjoyed seeing our old buddy SLUF again that racing against his "genuine crapcan". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VRO Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Good meeting you Jeff.I posted something similar in the other thread. Lots of great people and stories from this race despite the lower than expected turnout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzys Cages Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 I continue to be impressed by how clean the racing is on track and how most of the CHUMPs want to get out there and dice it up - no matter the lap count. The keep going attitude is amazing. Watching the 22 Mustang pitted next to us continue to plug away - distributor swaps, power valves, metering blocks and who knows what else was inspiring. There was intense dicing going on throughout the 24 hours.It was a shame that the Eggboy Taurus had some salmonella, but we gave it all we had and will be back for more... as soon as our brake fluid stops boiling.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RusherRacing Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 It was great racing with you guys. All the teams pitted around us were great.We have to give special thanks to the Opel guys, giving us a hand in our hour of need.The track was a blast, Surviving a 24hr road race was another check of the bucket list. Althought the 42hrs of not sleeping... I really shouldn't have been driving last night. There were times, I thought I was driving down the front straight into corner one, but in reality i was bouncing down the interstate in my old tahoe...But i am back at work sitting in front of the PC. I guess you can only live like that a couple times a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bam2002 Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Ok guys you just finished a 24 hour event.. WHat can you share with those that plan to do one before the end of the year.I am reading the posts, it seems bringing a spare alternator is a good idea. the lights tend to kill them. Any suggestions on Lights?What was the biggest mechanical thing to overcome. RE heat, brakes? Seat to hard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzys Cages Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Biggest tip... be prepared for the unknown Find out the biggest problems with whatever vehicle you're planning on running and know how to fix it at the track. Tranny is the weak link?... have one ready to swap out and get your practice pulling the spare out at the junkyard.Oh... bring lots of fuel filters. Once they get hooked, teams seem to buy them like Crack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TroubleOnWheels Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 I would also like to note that it was incredibly awesome to have the EC cars behave so well with us! They fit right in. In fact the #6 Spec Miata came in with a bashed up front fender and bumper, and I was thinking 'uh oh, here come some fireworks'. Instead, the driver got out, took total responsibility, and went and APOLOGIZED to the crap can he'd bumped into. Truly a class act! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff G 78 Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Ok guys you just finished a 24 hour event.. WHat can you share with those that plan to do one before the end of the year.I am reading the posts, it seems bringing a spare alternator is a good idea. the lights tend to kill them. Any suggestions on Lights?What was the biggest mechanical thing to overcome. RE heat, brakes? Seat to hard?We ran the GingerMan 14.25 hour race and our lights were great once aimed properly. We used a pair of Autopal H4 lights in the stock locations aimed to street standards and a second pair of Hella 500 on the hood aimed out for corner entry. Each pair of lights was wired from scratch using relays, toggle switches and 12ga wire. Our alternator is somewhere between 20 and 35 years old and when new put out an awesome 50 amps. Even at idle, our lights were bright and they have now worked perfectly for two night races. We do have a spare alternator, but haven't had to use it yet. We did have to replace a belt at Nelson Ledges even though it was new at the start of the race. It was a cheap house brand belt and it kept stretching until it finally broke. We installed a Gates and it's been fine ever since. Make sure that you tape over the lights during the day. We broke a light during the day at Nelson Ledges last year from a stone or other flying debris. Also make sure that your lights don't vibrate from a weak mounting surface. Single-thick sheet metal is not stiff enough to keep them from shaking constantly. We mounted ours to the hood where there was an inner panel as well as the outer panel. They stayed perfectly still even over bumps. Aim, aim, aim! Take the time to aim the lights for corner entry. If they aren't near perfect, you are driving blind. Just ask those who raced at GingerMan and didn't have proper lighting.One thing I really liked about LeMons that CCWS didn't do was to provide Friday night practice after dark for headlight aiming and transponder checking. Night racing is safer and more fun when lights are working properly. Had the GingerMan teams had a chance to practice Friday night, I'm sure some of them would have been driving out to the parts store to buy better lights and get them wired before the race started Saturday. We had lots of light, but without being able to aim them prior to the race, I had to pit three times to adjust them. Once dialed in, I had a ball. Before aiming, I was literally guessing where to turn in. It was rather scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RusherRacing Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Honestly I drove better at night with crappy lighting...Well be prepared for the unexpected. Be more determined than you have ever been. 24hr is a completely different animal than the 7 and 7.You will be tired and possible delusional at times. When i got out at 6am after driving a 2hr stint I could hardly stand up as the fatigue was setting in. However when my next driving stint came around I jumped right back in the car and did it again.We have now done both style events and I think our next race will be a 24hr if we have a car. Ours is still technically running but... We know alot is broken!!! We seen some things during our 6am repair but chose to keep pushing the car until it was beyond repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bam2002 Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Well we plan to run the Sebring race with chump.. its 11 1/2 hours.. We have had to do work on the engine, the flywheel mainly.. it was missing teeth. So the transmission has been out and put back in..Therfore i think the Sebring event will be a good test for the Lemons 24 hour event in Miami. We have done dusk racing but never over night. So lighting will be a new experience, RE aiming and how many to use. However I did find a Youtube video of the Palmbeach raceway and the track has great lighting, so I dont know if it will be an issue.Did any one have to replace front brake pads? and I am guessing at least a front tire swap is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slo krt Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 All controversy aside, This was a great event. Everyone that i talked to was friendly, inviting, and great to race with. As for anyone considering a 24hr race... Bring plenty of energy! Find a way to sleep with the sound of loud exhaust in your backyard, good lights, good pit crew, expected the unexpected, and alot of old fasioned determination and work ethic... It is a blast and i certainly enjoy both the 7+7 and the 24 but for different reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff G 78 Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 Maybe it's because I'm the team captain, but I really don't see how anybody can sleep during a 24 hour race. When we did a 24 hour LeMons race, I got about 3-4 hours of sleep each night for a week leading up to the race trying to finish the car and then didn't sleep for 48 hours after getting to the track. I had loads of energy and was wide awake throughout the night. Everything was great right up until the drive home. The adrenalin wore off right about when I got on the highway. It was a rough 4 hour drive home pulling the trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Arch Stanton Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 I have two observations on the lighting. I drove the midnight shift, and personally didn't have a lot of trouble with glare, but I turned my mirrors down.1. Buying a rally light setup might not be the best way to go. Rally lights are designed to work on rally courses, where you really need to light up the road in front of you, and there shouldn't be any cars in front of you to blind. It might be better to get a smaller light setup and work on the aiming.2. Bring some battery powered clip-on red LED lights for the rear. Then you can just turn them on and not have to worry about wiring up extra lights in the rear besides the brake lights, and you don't have to pull off the car's electrical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLUF Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 This EC team will return for sure. Our POS-7 had its share of problems but the fun factor outweighed it all! We were also impressed with how the other drivers behaved and they should all be congratulated. This is still a learning experience for us and we learned a great deal about the endurance aspect. Our team orders were pretty simple: Don't break the car, be patient with the ones not on race rubber, and survive. I think we achieved at least one of those things. Thanks Chumpcar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RusherRacing Posted September 2, 2010 Report Share Posted September 2, 2010 Finally got some pictures uploadedhttp://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e191/RusherRacing/Chump%20Car%20Hallett%20-%20OK/Couple of my favorites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.