The 24 Hours of Lemons prides itself on being one of the crucial accessible methods to go wheel-to-wheel racing on the planet, and regardless of our storage stuffed with quick vehicles, we attempt to do at the very least one Lemons race yearly. Why? As a result of they’re simply plain enjoyable. Through the years, we’ve introduced a Volkswagen Fox and some completely different Miatas to the social gathering, together with our ill-fated Lincoln Mark VII undertaking and a last-minute effort affectionately known as Doorknob (everyone will get a flip).
These efforts have been united by a standard shortcoming: We needed to be quick. We’re racers, in spite of everything, which is why we saved gravitating towards Miatas or, within the case of that previous Lincoln, a Fox-body Mustang in sheep’s clothes.
Even our Volkswagen, horrible because it was, was handled to tons of cheaty modifications in an try to make it quick. And irrespective of how a lot we tried to slot in, it was apparent that we’d by no means actually be welcome within the Lemons paddock except we confirmed up with a really horrible automobile. Which brings us to the story of this 1997 Toyota Corolla.
A Corolla we used to personal–twice.
We saved this automobile, initially plucked from an older lady’s driveway to be campaigned within the Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge offered by Tire Rack, from the junkyard. Then we watched it bounce between backyards for a number of years till it landed with our associates Britt and Ellen Mann.
Lastly, the Corolla had discovered a loving house, and so they rallycrossed it for a bit earlier than putting in a cage and beginning their very own Lemons crew. That was 4 races in the past, totaling greater than 50 hours of monitor time.
Clearly we have been lacking out, so we joined the crew for the 24 Hours of Lemons Shine Nation Traditional at Barber Motorsports Park.
[Live Thread: GRM at 24 Hours of Lemons Shine Country Classic]
Let’s have a look at the specs: 14-inch tires. A 3-speed computerized. Some $300 eBay coil-overs. Perhaps 100 horsepower on the crank on a very good day.
We have been lastly in a automobile dangerous sufficient to be welcomed within the Lemons paddock. And this was the “improved” model, fitted with a custom-made splitter and a 3D-printed rear wing that the crew claimed actually did make noticeable downforce. We cruised by tech and have been positioned in Class C, Lemons’ slowest class, “for vehicles with no prayer of ending.” Finally, we match in.
What’s it take to maintain a ’90s Corolla sedan working all weekend? As we realized, not a lot–rotating tires and checking the oil, largely.
So there was just one factor left to do: drive. And after Britt completed the primary stint, we hopped behind the wheel for ours. For as soon as, we weren’t petrified of going off monitor or breaking a extremely harassed race automobile. As an alternative, we have been petrified of losing interest.
However how will you be bored on a race monitor? After a lap or two to seek out our mirrors and discover ways to shift (slap the slushbox’s deal with between 2 and three a number of instances every lap to prod it towards the extra usable gear), we have been truly passing folks.
In a straight line, the Corolla is a rolling chicane. However within the corners? It wasn’t simply quick, it was one of many best-handling vehicles on monitor. The little Corolla turned an amazing racecraft coaching device, as we discovered ourselves organising passes half a lap early in a determined try to mush this little machine previous vehicles with two or 3 times the horsepower in every nook.
We additionally discovered ourselves shuffle steering, a behavior we’ve largely damaged in our personal vehicles. We’d blame the sluggish steering or the wildly off-center dust monitor steering wheel, however that wasn’t the actual difficulty. No, the steering rack bushings have been additionally trashed, which means the rack (and the wheel) would change place by an inch or two at numerous factors across the lap. (Meh, how a lot steering do you really want with 100 horsepower?)
We soldiered on, step by step climbing the leaderboard earlier than it was time for the subsequent driver, then the subsequent. Then we misplaced monitor as we chilled within the paddock.
How’d we lose monitor? As a result of in a refreshing break from our personal race efforts, pit stops weren’t rushed, drivers weren’t coached inside an inch of the restrict of their talents, and an analog clock overlord wasn’t bearing down on us from the trackside device cart. As an alternative, everyone on the crew was simply plain having enjoyable. If you’re racing a free Corolla, do you actually care in case you end 99th or 102nd? Precisely, and the climate was completely beautiful, so move the Cheetos and control the smoker cooking tonight’s brisket.
We ended the primary day of racing eleventh in school and 78th general out of 131 vehicles, with just a few free bolts on the automobile to tighten up. As an alternative of engaged on it, we drank beer and ate trackside barbecue.
Then the rain got here. Sunday morning introduced climate within the 40s with persistent heavy rain, in any other case referred to as “depressing.”
Did we win? We had enjoyable–and we’d name {that a} sure victory.
Until you’re driving a free Corolla. Out of the blue, all that additional horsepower within the paddock didn’t matter: We had a better-handling automobile not handicapped by an absence of straight-line velocity, and we had a moist monitor for a full day of racing.
We quickly realized we weren’t simply right here for the social gathering, we have been right here for the race. So again out on monitor we went, altering nothing on the automobile (the crew simply shrugged when requested about their rain setup) and step by step climbing the leaderboard. Even with a number of superfluous pit stops to wash the fogged windshield, we ended the race with a stunningly good consequence: fifth in school and thirty eighth general. Extra importantly, although, our soaking moist crew agreed that it had been a “hella enjoyable weekend.”
So what’s the massive lesson right here? Truthfully, there isn’t one, which type of confirms our principle that possibly, simply possibly, you don’t all the time need to take racing so rattling severely. We confirmed up with a foul automobile, competed in a discipline of different folks with dangerous vehicles, and had a blast within the course of. Generally, that’s all of the victory you want. And let’s be trustworthy: Our awards shelf won’t ever have a Method 1 World Championship trophy sitting on it anyway. A minimum of we’ve acquired higher barbecue than Max ever will.
Feedback
Effectively finished sir.
There are fairly a number of groups that take Lemons very severely. There are a number of of us which are there for the social gathering, not the trophy.
Our greatest end within the final 16 years has been ninth out of 97 vehicles. We have now introduced a number of different awards house. Like, Most Prone to Go Residence in an Ambulance and Organizer’s Alternative. We even pulled off an IOE after welding a B210 transmission again collectively to complete a race. When the crew begins making noises about quicker driver modifications, pit stops, and sophistication wins, I do know it is time for me to maneuver on. That is not why I run Lemons. Whereas successful could be enjoyable, successful with a junkyard automobile is tough work. You spend numerous hours to make a automobile work, solely to be let down by a 25-year-old gasket, or a rusty bolt. It sucks all of the enjoyable out of Lemons racing in a rush.
Yep, that is the enter shaft welded to the output shaft utilizing a Harbor Freight flux core welder. I figured it will final about half-hour. As an alternative, it ran for 8 hours. The younger girl within the again is my daughter. We put her on monitor at midnight with a damaged single-speed automobile. It was her first time on a street course. After half-hour she was turning lap time inside 15 seconds of the very best of us utilizing all of the gears.
In reply to Toyman! :
I must say I respectfully disagree. I’m in my thirteenth season, with over 65 races. I additionally work for them. I have been with the identical crew for the reason that starting, we now have a number of vehicles. We have now received actually each award there may be, a number of instances. The automobile I run has at the very least a dozen high tens, as excessive as second. We speak about quick pit stops, and many others… On the identical time, we now have the time of our lives on the races. We’re a household and are there to have enjoyable. We strive rattling laborious to be aggressive, but if E36 M3 occurs, then oh nicely. We often host the potluck dinner, do themes, goof off and revel in being round associates. There are tons of groups like that. The groups that are available in trying ONLY for competitors and no enjoyable often do not final lengthy in Lemons. They transfer elsewhere, and we’re glad they do. You’ll be able to have enjoyable and compete laborious on the identical time. That is the automobile I run.
Our drivers. Far left is my expensive pal who sadly handed away in March 2023, he’s in our hearts eternally. Within the center is the automobile proprietor (his uncle) and I am on the precise.
So, how straightforward/troublesome would it not be to indicate up in search of a journey on the Sebring race? I’ve by no means run a Lemons occasion, however have been working with Champcar, WRL, and AER since 2014, and began at Sebring with SCCA in 1991.
Thera is a discussion board right here and on the Lemons web site with groups in search of drivers. I’ve so as to add a brand new driver often.
racerfink mentioned:
So, how straightforward/troublesome would it not be to indicate up in search of a journey on the Sebring race? I’ve by no means run a Lemons occasion, however have been working with Champcar, WRL, and AER since 2014, and began at Sebring with SCCA in 1991.
You actually cannot. You want to discover a journey prematurely. For those who present up randomly, you’ll pay the $30 spectator payment. Then in case you discover a journey you’ll purchase a Lemons license and pay the driving force payment which is about twice as a lot as doing it forward of time. It is very strongly discouraged.
I have been in Lemons for 11 years and ~20 races. It is actually the sunshine of my yr. We have been on a little bit of a hiatus, and or driving different folks’s vehicles, since 2020 however we’re nonetheless doing the very best we will with the worst we will carry. CMP 2024 we solely turned 27 laps(and burned nearly 9quarts of oil) however had a good time being again the place we like to be. I can not wait to get again on monitor with my (hopefully quickly completeed) Racecar!
I’ve raced and transmission swapped the TR8 within the lead picture. Bendie is a brilliant enjoyable little automobile. Like a Miata however with torque!
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