Anyone Follow ChumpCar Series?

[2.216VTurbo]

https://www.chumpcar.com/

Local club member runs a team for the last 5-6 years, he's been trying to get me involved but I usually beg off with the 'no time for that' line. If I'm gonna be building a car/race car I have plenty of unfinished projects;) I got a call from him today, one of the drivers can't make the 7 hours Saturday/7 hours Sunday races this weekend at Auto Club Speedway Fontana. He was looking for someone with track experience there to drive a few stints. Hmm, let's see, I don't have to spend Months building it, his Neon is 3-4 seasons in and sorted, and all I have to do is show up with my suit/helmet/shoes and turn the steering wheel at my home track??:eyebrows: I'm in:nod: Admittedly, every time I've run Fontana in various cars( 160MPH thru turns 1&2 in James Chens/Axis Wheels 350Z was a fun day!) it's been an 'on track experience' with point-to-pass and not *actual* racing so this is a first for me. The Chump organisers want me to go to a 45 'race school' Friday night so I'll do that but sounds like this weekend went from house projects to using up tires and fuel!:eyebrows: Stoked. I'll take some pics

[cordes]

I'm available this weekend if you need help in the pits. Good luck out there Alan. Make sure you provide us with some video.

[Rrider]

Any link to car pics? In for race report and race pics!

[2.216VTurbo]

Team meeting and final car prep at track tonight. Racing starts at 9 am and runs thru 4pm. Gonna be fun, wish we had another 30WHP:o

[Sgt Craig]

My old Neon buddy Greg Smith is one of the drivers of the neon.

[INVUJerry]

My old Neon buddy Greg Smith is one of the drivers of the neon.

I was gonna say, I recognize the neon as Greg's.

[Sgt Craig]

I was gonna say, I recognize the neon as Greg's.

Alan is driving it!

[contraption22]

Ive never done Chump, but my coworkers put together a Lemons team. I was mostly just crewing for them, but last season, after much prodding, they got me to drive the car. I'm pretty sure my lap times were not impressive, as it was my first time driving that car, driving that track, and first time ever in fender-to-fender competition, but, I had an AWESOME time.
It appears the funding for the racing has dried up, but it gave me the itch to do some track days in the future.

[Sgt Craig]

Ive never done Chump, but my coworkers put together a Lemons team. I was mostly just crewing for them, but last season, after much prodding, they got me to drive the car. I'm pretty sure my lap times were not impressive, as it was my first time driving that car, driving that track, and first time ever in fender-to-fender competition, but, I had an AWESOME time.
It appears the funding for the racing has dried up, but it gave me the itch to do some track days in the future.

Ive only been in passenger seat on a road course.But its something i want to try along with autox.Unfortunately all i have to do it in is my Fit.

[contraption22]

Autocross the mini at SDAC

[2.216VTurbo]

Great day racing, nothing broke and all we did was put on new Dunlop Durezza's (200 is the minimum treadwear rating) and a new set of Hawk Blue brake pads and we are ready to go for tomorrow's race. Since our 'Locos Gringos' team won the last round at Thunderhill raceway, we were impossibly penalized with laps and demerit points. In theory, it's a great way to keep a few high buck teams from running away with the series. It works I suppose, just chaps yer arse when your team is the ones being punished:o We started laps back in 26th (out of 31) and fought our way to 6th (and even after accruing a 4 minute penalty that cost us 2-3 positions because one of our drivers passed the fire/safety truck towing a disabled car off the track). Nothing broke, we didn't trade paint with any cars, and we used up 4 tires and about 40 gallons of fuel over 236 laps. I may have a new favorite experience, I've been doing the 4 20minute sessions in a day 'track experience' stuff for years but REAL PASS AT WILL racing is like those track experience days on crack! Bitchen to say the least! I may build a chump car. Whoa! Like I need another project:o.

Sgt Craig, Greg talked about you at length today, he really, really likes you Bro! I mean, I don't judge, I live in Cali, what two close friends do in the privacy of their own homes is just fine with me:peace: He says my Mini Woody is way cooler than yours even tho you have gone a little bit faster in the 1320. There are more ways to measure a car right? He did take into account that MATS was my very first track outing in Woody after having him running for like 6 hours on the new motor... I offered to have my Brother drive out to the track this evening with his plasma cutter, I'm pretty certain that I could cut way about 150-200 lbs of unnecessary interior sheet metal from our race car, Mr Smith was talking about crumble zones and surviveabilty in a crash. If you talk to him soon, can you ask him to pull his skirt down? His girlparts are showing with that kinda talk:lol:

I'm gonna have a shower, a steak, and go check out the local night life in this town of Ontario CA, heck, I may even get a few hours of sleep before tomorrows race.


Oh and this 71 240Z is the most beautiful Chump car the world has ever seen! Phenominal. :amen:

[fishcleaner]

I wouldn't call that Z a chump at all.

[thedon809]

I have those same tires on my omni. They grip pretty darn good.

[2.216VTurbo]

I wouldn't call that Z a chump at all.

RIght?? Rich bastid ruining the bell curve:confused:

[Sgt Craig]

Great day racing, nothing broke and all we did was put on new Dunlop Durezza's (200 is the minimum treadwear rating) and a new set of Hawk Blue brake pads and we are ready to go for tomorrow's race. Since our 'Locos Gringos' team won the last round at Thunderhill raceway, we were impossibly penalized with laps and demerit points. In theory, it's a great way to keep a few high buck teams from running away with the series. It works I suppose, just chaps yer arse when your team is the ones being punished:o We started laps back in 26th (out of 31) and fought our way to 6th (and even after accruing a 4 minute penalty that cost us 2-3 positions because one of our drivers passed the fire/safety truck towing a disabled car off the track). Nothing broke, we didn't trade paint with any cars, and we used up 4 tires and about 40 gallons of fuel over 236 laps. I may have a new favorite experience, I've been doing the 4 20minute sessions in a day 'track experience' stuff for years but REAL PASS AT WILL racing is like those track experience days on crack! Bitchen to say the least! I may build a chump car. Whoa! Like I need another project:o.

Sgt Craig, Greg talked about you at length today, he really, really likes you Bro! I mean, I don't judge, I live in Cali, what two close friends do in the privacy of their own homes is just fine with me:peace: He says my Mini Woody is way cooler than yours even tho you have gone a little bit faster in the 1320. There are more ways to measure a car right? He did take into account that MATS was my very first track outing in Woody after having him running for like 6 hours on the new motor... I offered to have my Brother drive out to the track this evening with his plasma cutter, I'm pretty certain that I could cut way about 150-200 lbs of unnecessary interior sheet metal from our race car, Mr Smith was talking about crumble zones and surviveabilty in a crash. If you talk to him soon, can you ask him to pull his skirt down? His girlparts are showing with that kinda talk:lol:

I'm gonna have a shower, a steak, and go check out the local night life in this town of Ontario CA, heck, I may even get a few hours of sleep before tomorrows race.


Oh and this 71 240Z is the most beautiful Chump car the world has ever seen! Phenominal. :amen:

Good luck Alan.Give Greg a hug for me!Hell apreciate it!Bring the van to SDAC and we can race!

[ForzaV12]

RIght?? Rich bastid ruining the bell curve:confused:

I'll say-most definitely NOT in the spirit of the event. You forgot to add that their drivers are not only professional level, but championship winning legends!

Either way, still the best and cheapest way to get quality seat time!

[ForzaV12]

Also, both CC and Lemons and others that have popped up have begun to experience the "win at all cost cheaters syndrome". When I first became involved it was true grassroots racing with amateurs and cheap crap cars. Not anymore as many of the cars would cost well over ten grand to build and many of the drivers hold competition licenses. All well and good, but its starting to look like vintage racing years ago. I used to run both an early 911S and a 66 Shelby GT350. Initially, the cars were pretty close to what they were like in the 60s-I even drove my 911 to some of the events. I did pretty well and won a few races. Then the bottomless checkbook clowns arrived and began to show up for C and B Production races in 18 wheeler transports and full pit crews.
Dual plug 911 engines with twice the original horsepower, alloy heads on Ford V8s, raised floorpans, etc. It became so bad that they had to create a second class for "legal" cars. That's when I eased out of vintage racing. Perhaps the most egregious examples were a well know winery owner that created an entire carbon fiber body for his vintage Lotus because he got tired of losing to my teammate. Another very well known Corvette specialist did the same and fabbed up a carbon fiber body for his 50s Corvette. Both were eventually caught, but it still stinks. Ironically, a crew member of the illegal Lotus snuck by our pit one afternoon and said it was awesome that we were still running with his "cheater" boss.

[cordes]

Also, both CC and Lemons and others that have popped up have begun to experience the "win at all cost cheaters syndrome". When I first became involved it was true grassroots racing with amateurs and cheap crap cars. Not anymore as many of the cars would cost well over ten grand to build and many of the drivers hold competition licenses. All well and good, but its starting to look like vintage racing years ago. I used to run both an early 911S and a 66 Shelby GT350. Initially, the cars were pretty close to what they were like in the 60s-I even drove my 911 to some of the events. I did pretty well and won a few races. Then the bottomless checkbook clowns arrived and began to show up for C and B Production races in 18 wheeler transports and full pit crews.
Dual plug 911 engines with twice the original horsepower, alloy heads on Ford V8s, raised floorpans, etc. It became so bad that they had to create a second class for "legal" cars. That's when I eased out of vintage racing. Perhaps the most egregious examples were a well know winery owner that created an entire carbon fiber body for his vintage Lotus because he got tired of losing to my teammate. Another very well known Corvette specialist did the same and fabbed up a carbon fiber body for his 50s Corvette. Both were eventually caught, but it still stinks. Ironically, a crew member of the illegal Lotus snuck by our pit one afternoon and said it was awesome that we were still running with his "cheater" boss.

When a guy with that sig line is complaining about people with deep pockets I'm pretty stumped. Holy cow, those guys must have more money than sense.

[ForzaV12]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/909/paEXQD.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p9paEXQDj)

[ForzaV12]

Tried to include text in pic post, but this site is wonky these days.

I can do the vintage racing, etc events. It's just lost the appeal when mega checkbooks and egos become involved. Pretty stupid, IMO to spend commas to beat up on amateurs and vintage race hobbyists.
I hope the LeMons stuff doesn't get too bad at some point, as it is fun!
I prefer to do "spirited" vintage rally events these days(reference above pic)

[2.216VTurbo]

So are we saying that Morton and his 20 crew pit crew was a bit much:lol: At least they gave away coffee and sods all weekend in their paddock:thumb: They Z would come out, blow by the rest of the field with 8+ MPH down the front strait, set a few 1:21 laps (to our best of 1:23.2's) but then stangely, they couldn't keep it up over 8 hours of racing;) The little Neon that could, did! We ended up in 3rd place:number1: out of 31 staters. Hot. Dusty. Windy. Fun:nod: And man, am I ever feeling that manual steering rack today!:( Shoulders, arms, traps all want to climb into bed for a couple days and do nothing.

Good times tho. Here's first place(Time Bandit Z) Second place (DOHC Neon RT) and third, the lowley SOHC Budget Neon:o

[ForzaV12]

Sweet