24 Hours of LeMons: 'Cure for Gingervitis,' Sunday

Full_Tilt_Boogie

Disclaimer: Eric Rood will be getting paid to sit on the 24 Hours of LeMons Supreme Court for this race, punishing drivers for their misdeeds and generally doing his best to maintain order on the racetrack.

The first day of the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Gingerman Raceway provided plenty of intense action with a deep-if-not-immense field of racers on Easter weekend. If you missed any of the action, you can catch up by reading yesterday’s live blog. Today finds a late start on behalf of the local church that doesn’t appreciate the racetrack noise on Sunday mornings.

Want to know who’s around? Read the race preview here or see the entry list with classes here. Go to Specialty Timing’s website to find live timing here or you can get it from the Race Monitor app for your smartphone or device. Want to participate or request some coverage? Leave a comment and I’ll oblige as I’m able. Today’s race session will be a long slog, beginning at noon EST and ending at 5:00 p.m. EST. Time stamps are all EST and new updates will appear at the bottom of the story.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/uycuLK1Vxy4[/youtube] 

11:09 a.m. We’ve made it back to Gingerman and we’re preparing for the final five-hour sprint to the finish. Enjoy the exhaust notes of a few of the cars from the starter stand mid-afternoon yesterday.

The day will open with Speedycop & The Gang of Outlaws leading by a single lap in their Honda Civic over the Swiss Racing BMW E30. In Class B, the Charnal House MetSHO leads the Wonderment Consortium’s Ford Escort, although the two cars will start today on the same lap after Charnal House’s eight-lap lead evaporated when the hooptie Frankenstein’s rear wheel bearing failed completely. Class C finds the Flux Decapacitators’ Ford Tempo leading Loose Lugs’ Chevy S-10 by five laps, which could be insurmountable or it could be nothing in Class C.

11:15 a.m. Most teams appear to have mended the broken bits from yesterday’s long, 9-1/2-hour slog. Gingerman is known for being tough on equipment, testing and wearing brakes very hard.

However, Class B leaders Charnal House at the end of yesterday trailered their SHO-powered Geo Metro to repair a hub and bearing that completely let go with a few minutes left. As of now, the MetSHO has not reappeared the track with the green flag about an hour away. The Wonderment Consortium’s Ford Escort was just ahead of Speedycop’s Honda Civic at the checkered flag, allowing the Escort to make up one more lap on the class-leading MetSHO that sat forlorn for the last 15 minutes of yesterday’s session. As a result, the two cars will start on the same lap today with the MetSHO scored technically ahead. 

Here’s how the race starts today with the green flag expected around 12:15.

1. #32 Speedycop & The Gang of Outlaws (Honda Civic) – 295 Laps
2. #100 Swiss Racing (BMW E30) – 294 Laps
3. #35 Mark’s Harder LemonAid (E30) – 292 Laps
4. #262 Vermont Bert-One (Volvo 262C) – 290 Laps
5. #45 United Duck Tape Racing (Porsche 944) – 290 Laps
6. #181 Team Sheen (Acura Integra) – 285 Laps
7. #889 CMR (Ford Taurus SHO) – 284 Laps
8. #750 Flying Pigs Racing (Ford Mustang) – 281 Laps
9. #13 Hell Kitty Racing (Honda Prelude) – 279 Laps
10. #16 Burnt Rubber Soul Racing (Ford Probe) – 273 Laps

Class B

1. #3 Charnal House (Geo MetSHO) – 268 Laps
2. #8 Wonderment Consortium B (Ford Escort) – 268 Laps
3. #124 Product Design (Saturn SL2) – 252 Laps
4. #108 Point-O-Eight (Ford Escort) – 248 Laps
5. #67 WCR (Audi Quattro) – 241 Laps

Class C

1. #10 Flux Decapacitators (Ford Tempo) – 262 Laps
2. #4 Loose Lugs Racing (Chevy S-10) – 257 Laps
3. #919 Afunazalo Racing (Fiat X1/9) – 80 Laps

 

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11:30 a.m. Here are a few typical scenes from yesterday’s (in)action. The Dai Mondai team spent Saturday elbows deep in 4AGE engines. They swapped in the a replacement for the blown motor in their Corolla and their MR2’s engine got a new head gasket.

The Sweet Tooth Golf turned a few laps before breaking down. When asked what the issue was, one team member said, “It doesn’t run” and shrugged his shoulders. The car is still sitting in the same place this morning.

Ho Ho Ho Racing pitched some engine internals from their Civic’s D15, oiling down Turn 5 and ending their race. They were reviewing their brief in-car footage to replay the rod-tossing action. With a long tow back to Iowa, the team packed up and left this morning.

11:35 a.m. The Top 10 will grid with the remainder of the field filtering onto the track in whatever order they can get on. The green flag will fall on the P1 car, Speedycop’s Honda Civic. Because of local regulations, there are no engines running before noon, so the green flag will fall once cars are on track and transponder checks are complete.

11:55 a.m. The MetSHO made it back just in time and is running well. Both Class B leaders will start on the same lap and the Top 10 grid is all lined up.

12:01 p.m. Engines are idling and drivers cinching down harnesses before the grid rolls off.

12:08 p.m. The Top 10 head onto the track for formation laps and transponder checks and the rest of the field falls in behind. We’re ready to race at Gingerman Raceway in a few short minutes.

12:11 p.m. Green flag! Swiss Racing gets around Speedycop at the first corner to take back the lap the almost got at the checkered flag yesterday. They are now on the same lap to start the day. The Wonderment Consortium leads Class B the first time around by seven seconds.

 

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12:16 p.m. Here’s how the Top 10 lineup looked this morning.

12:18 p.m. Charnal House retakes the Class B lead and the Wonderment Consortium Escort is in with a problem. 

 

1230

12:27 p.m. The Wonderment Consortium’s Escort returned to the pit with oil smeared on the windshield. They opened the wood to find the filler cap gone and the entire engine bay doused in oil. They found the filler cap and the engine wasn’t low, so they cleaned it up and it cost them about four laps.

12:40 p.m. Swiss Racing has trimmed the gap to about 30 seconds at the front of the field just 30 minutes into the race with their current driver setting the weekend’s fastest lap, a 1:41.1. Two of the Top 5 have already reported to the Penalty Box for black flags but haven’t quite lost positions, though Bert One’s Volvo is knocking on the door to take P3 from the LemonAid E30.12:

12:52 p.m. Swiss Racing’s driver overtakes Speedycop going into Turn 5. Speedycop himself, aka Jeff Bloch, is in the Civic and trying his hardest to keep the E30 in sight. In Class B, the Wonderment Consortium’s transmission is stuck in fourth gear and they now trail Charnal House’s MetSHO by eight laps.

1:07 p.m. In Class C, Flux Decapacitators’ Ford Tempo leads the Loose Lugs S-10 by four laps. They’re currently running similar lap times, but the S-10 has a fastest lap five seconds faster. So with the Loose Lugs fastest driver could come a rapid vanishing of the class lead.

 

1330

1:33 p.m. The Water Closet Racing Audi has had much wow after a dud of a debut last year at Gingerman. They are P24 overall and sixth in Class B.

1:47 p.m. The Charnal House MetSHO makes a routine fuel stop and driver change. They currently lead Class B by nine laps over the Wonderment Consortium Escort, still limping around in fourth gear. The CMR Ford Taurus SHO has passed Team Sheen’s Integra for P6, but the rest of the Top 10 remains the same as it was an hour ago.

2:00 p.m. At the front of the field, Swiss Racing’s gap over the Speedycop Civic has stabilized at about 41 seconds while the E30’s lap times have climbed over the last 30 minutes. I’m not sure what the issue is, but they may be trying to stretch their fuel to make one stop for the day. 

2:10 p.m. Swiss Racing report that their clutch and fourth gear are slipping and failing. Speedycop is now taking about one second per lap out of the E30 leader. And in a twist, Speedycop pits with a full-course caution. After fueling, the Civic should be good to the end while being able to push.

2:13 p.m. The full-course caution comes from the #90 B&D Racing Porsche 924, which dumped all of its oil in spectacular fashion and then trailed it through three corners. It’s being retrieved on a flatbed. Swiss Racing has pitted to make their final fuel stop. They should also be good to the end on fuel, but the car is off the pace now with its clutch issues.

1424

2:26 p.m. After fueling and changing drivers, the Swiss Racing crew cleaned up all the leaking fluid from their clutch with brake cleaner, hoping that less fluid on the disc will allow it to engage better and hang on until the checkered flag in 2-1/2 hours. They return to the track two laps behind Speedycop, who leads overall and a lap ahead of the LemonAid E30 in P3. The oil cleanup continues on the track now more than 15 minutes after the Porsche oiled down the racing surface. 

 

1430

2:30 p.m. The Junk Dynasty Ford Mustang just turned its first laps of the weekend after the team have tinkered with the ignition for 48 straight hours. 

2:40 p.m. Here are the current standings halfway through today’s race session.

1. #32 Speedycop & The Gang of Outlaws (Honda Civic)
2. #100 Swiss Racing (BMW E30)
3. #262 Vermont Bert-One (Volvo 262C)
4. #35 Mark’s Harder LemonAid (BMW E30)
5. #45 United Ducktape Racing (Porsche 944)
6. #181 Team Sheen (Acura Integra)
7. #889 CMR (Ford Taurus SHO)
8. #750 Flying Pigs Racing (Ford Mustang)
9. #13 Hell Kitty Racing (Honda Prelude)
10. #16 Burnt Rubber Soul Racing (Ford Probe)

Class B

1. #3 Charnal House (Geo MetSHO)
2. #8 The Wonderment Consortium B (Ford Escort)
3. #124 Product Design (Saturn SL2)
4. #108 Point-O-Eight (Ford Escort)
5. #67 Water Closet Racing (Audi Quattro)

Class C

1. #4 Loose Lugs Racing (Chevy S-10)
2. #10 Flux Decapacitators (Ford Tempo)
3. #919 Afunzalo Racing (Fiat X1/9)

 

2:46 p.m. Swiss Racing pit and don’t look to be in any hurry with their clutch completely toast. Bert One briefly inherited P2 but make their fuel stop. LemonAid’s E30 will take P2, five laps behind Speedycop.

 

1500

3:00 p.m. With two hours left, Speedycop and the Gang of Outlaws still lead. The Class C lead has changed back and forth between Loose Lugs and the Flux Decapacitators. The Lugs’ S-10 just made a driver change, so they might be good to the end with fuel. They currently trail the Decapacitators’ Tempo by three laps, but that car needs one more stop for fuel.

3:19 p.m. LemonAid Racing pit from P2. The team started the day short on brakes with some backup, non-racing pads on. The car is now on jackstands with the team looking at the front wheels.

3:52 p.m. The Flux Decapacitators pit their Ford Tempo for the final time. They return to the track behind the Loose Lugs S-10 in Class C but on the same lap, about 75 seconds behind. The S-10 may need be marginal on fuel, so the closest battle will be in the slowest class with only three cars in it. Go figure.

1600

4:00 p.m. The LemonAid E30 ate through a set of OEM BMW E30 pads in less than three hours today to the point where the caliper piston made a slight impression on the pad backing plate. The driver who showed me the pad said it glowed for a few minutes after they’d taken the wheel off.

4:10 p.m. We’re in the race’s final hour and here’s how things stack up:

1. #32 Speedycop & The Gang of Outlaws (Honda Civic) – 420 Laps
2. #262 Vermont Bert-One (Volvo 262C) – 412 Laps
3. #45 United Ducktape Racing (Porsche 944) – 412 Laps
4. #889 CMR (Ford Taurus SHO) – 409 Laps
5. #181 Team Sheen (Acura Integra) – 405 Laps
6. #750 Flying Pigs Racing (Ford Mustang) – 400 Laps
7. #13 Hell Kitty Racing (Honda Prelude) – 395 Laps
8. #3 Charnal House (Geo MetSHO) – 388 Laps
9. #113 Wisconsin Crap Racing (BMW E36) – 386 Laps
10. #35 Marks’ Harder LemonAid (BMW E30)- 383 Laps

Class B

1. #3 Charnal House (Geo MetSHO) – 388 Laps
2. #8 Wonderment Consortium (Ford Escort) – 374 Laps
3. #108 Point-O-Eight (Ford Escort) – 364 Laps
4. #124 Product Design (Saturn SL2) – 360 Laps
5. #41 Arrested Adolescent Racing Program (Opel GT) – 344 Laps

Class C

1. #4 Loose Lugs Racing (Chevy S-10) – 376 Laps
2. #10 Flux Decapacitators (Ford Tempo) – 376 Laps, +1:15
3. #919 Afunzalo Racing (Fiat X1/9) – 141 Laps

 

4:27 p.m. The standings remain pretty much the same except LemonAid’s E30 has dropped out of the Top 10 with the final Top 10 position occupied by the Class C-leading Loose Lugs S-10. United Ducktape Racing trailer the Bert-One Volvo by just 23 seconds while running 1-2 seconds faster per lap. The race for P2 could be interesting while Speedycop still leads by eight laps.

4:36 p.m. In a strange twist, the Car and Driver writers in the #13 Hell Kitty Honda Prelude run P7 overall while the usually awful BMW E36 of Wisconsin Crap Racing are P9. Loose Lugs have lapped the Flux Decapacitators’ Tempo now to give a one-lap cushion at the front of Class C, whose only other entry, the Afunzalo Racing Fiat X1/9, has some busted stub-axles.

4:45 p.m. United Ducktape Racing peels off his its chase of the Bert-One Volvo for a splash of fuel and a new driver to take the checkered flag. Bert-One reports their car will be marginal on fuel, boto. With a four-lap buffer, they should still hang onto P3. Speedycop leads by eight laps with 15 minutes remaining. Charnal House’s 15-lap lead in Class B will hold. Loose Lugs still lead by one lap in Class C.

4:50 p.m. With just 10 minutes and eight laps in hand, Speedycop will clinch his first ever Overall Win. Even if he parks the Civic, that lead is insurmountable. The same goes for Charnal House in Class B while the Class C victory won’t be decided until the very end.

4:57 p.m. With the race virtually over and your correspondent on his way to congratulate the cars still running at the end of the race, here are the standings with a final update after the awards ceremony.

1. #32 Speedycop
2. #262 Bert-One
3. #45 United Ducktape Racing
4. #889 CMR
5. #181 Team Sheen
6. #750 Flying Pigs Racing
7. #13 Hell Kitty Racing
8. #3 Charnal House
9. #113 Wisconsin Crap Racing
10. #4 Loose Lugs Racing

Class B

1. #3 Charnal House
2. #8 Wonderment Consortium
3. #108 Point-O-Eight
4. #124 Product Design
5. #41 AARP

Class C

1. Loose Lugs Racnig
2. Flux Decapacitator
3. Afunzalo Racing

5:55 p.m. Final update: Speedycop pulls off his first win and Jeff Bloch (aka Speedycop himself) ran all five hours behind the wheel. Charnal House won Class B and Loose Lugs held onto Class C. The rest of the awards: 

Heroic Fix: Dai Mondai I & II, Toyota Corolla FX16 and Toyota MR2
I Got Screwed: Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, Volvo 245
Should’ve Taken a Bailout: Junk Dynasty, Ford Mustang
Judges Choice: Firenerds, Pontiac Firebird
Organizers Choice: Wonderment Consortium, Ford Escort, Volkswagen Quantum Syncro, and Honda Civic
Index of Effluency: Flux Decapacitators II, Ford Tempo

 

 

All photos copyright 2014 Hooniverse/Eric Rood

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