Arse-Freeze-Apalooza Dec 7-8th 2013 - Sonoma Raceway

It was a mess of a weekend... things went wrong from the start with the Spitwad and ended wrong in the RX7..



The weather was not so bad during the day, the sun was out and there was no rain. The nights were freaking cold.. As for the race.. The 1300 motor in the Spitfire did not last the first green flag lap of the race. So we ended up spenind a majority of the track time Saturday swapping back in old faithful, which got us through it, allowing each driver to get their share of seat time.



There was some confusion and conflicts on our team, and between the two teams (RX7 and Spitfire) that took a lot of the joy out of the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I had my fun, got my wheel time, and had some laughs.. but this race has brought me to understand some people just don't see eye to eye, and it was not even all about the racing.. some of it was about personal space. Basically from now on.. no more cramming into the same RVs.. Lucky for us our friend Paul, who raced the RX7, let us sleep in his RV or I don't know how we would have gotten through the cold. My dad also had two guests sleeping in his RV. The cost.. well I took a pretty large hit this race. It is going to be hard.. but I will now have to require people to pay more because I was not including other expenses. I also will be arranging my own space to sleep as well. It is just not worth the conflict. We do this to have fun.. and when the fun is stripped away because of the social aspect.. why bother. So we will take a long brake and only do a single race in 2014, with a single car. The RX7 is finished and being parted out.



Now enough with the downside.. Before the wreck in the RX7.. it was hauling BUTT! The drivers were having a blast in it. My dad had finally got that thing sorted and out. I wish I could have had a chance to give it a go before it demise. .. Also once we swapped the motor in the spitfire, it ran great till the last 10mins of the race when something in the drive train failed.. Sure it was a little loose in the rear, but it was still fun to drive. I learned some more lessons with the setup and have a plan to get it hooked back up right before it hits the track again.



Paul made it out just fine.. not even a scratch from the crash. Understandably though, he likely wont be returning to race LeMons with us anymore. Every race he has been in with us, he gets hit, and now this one.. someone spun in front of him with no where to go. From his prospective it is just not worth it, he has a classic MGB to race anyways. It sucks because he is great to have around, but that is just how shit goes.

I took some photos at the race, some of them I uploaded HERE. I will go through the rest of them eventually, collect others from cellphones, and get them uploaded later. I also have some video to work on.. only one is done so far... check it out HERE. The video of the RX7 crash can be found HERE

Racing is something I will continue doing.. More LeMons races for sure, but a much needed break is going to be taken. I have a wonderful girl to marry in 2014 and that is much more important.

Getting Ready for 24 hour of LeMons Arse-Freeze '13 @ Sonoma Raceway!

Well.. we have been working on the car, did some things here and there, the car is running well at the moment. Tomorrow morning we leave to head up to Sonoma Raceway for the 24 hour of LeMons season ender, Arse-Freeze-Apalooza! And man is it going to be a freeze... Weather reports are showing temps in the low 20s°F. Good thing is the chances for rain are very low!





We got some tires, fixed problems we found, had some laughs.. It's not perfect.. but hell this is LeMons.



I set up the old xbox 360 with Forza 4 so everyone could get in some laps and learn their way around the track before we actually get there. Not the greatest simulator, the game wheel sucks, but better than nothing!.



We are as ready as we are gonna be.. if we can manage to keep the car running most of the race and not freeze to death, good times will be had!

We will be taking lots of video and photos at the race.. once we return and the dust settles, I will share the story of our hopeless adventure.

Spitwad Motor Swap - Getting ready for 24 hr of LeMons Arse Freeze '13 - 11/2/2013

So it was a long work day for us but we got the motor swapped in the Spitwad! The old motor served us well and ran strong for 5 LeMons races and 1 Chump Car race, but began to develop a wicked bad blow by. It had got to the point where oil was spewing out of the dipstick hole at our last race. Side note.. thought I was really smart and wrapped my camera in a plastic bag so I could use it with greasy hands but failed to notice the autofocus was off.. so yeah the pictures are blurry.



We had our new team member come over and help us out. Good guy, easy going, and can turn a wrench. Also a fellow Triumph fan who owns a TR6. Glad to have him on the team.





The old motor came out.. with only one snag.. Kinda forgot to unhook the exhaust mount from the trans. After that though, we got it out pretty easy. Hopefully some day I will finally rebuild one of the 1500 motors. With three of them now needing a rebuild, I should get at least one done.



We got the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, and trans mounted to the new (old) motor and got it in the car. With a few small things to change, it took us a bit longer to swap.



But... she did finally start up and ran nice! Really gotta thank my dad for freshening up this old motor. I am excited and a bit relieved that it is done.



We still have a few things to get done before the race: put on a muffler, finish reworking the brakes, putting the old stiffer & shorter rear shocks back on, some bushings in the rear to tighten things back up... but I am going on vacation so they will have to wait....

Great day!

24 Hour of LeMons - Button Turrible '13 - HOT HOT HOT

No really.. it was freaking HOT. Local air temp was 110F and the asphalt in the pits and on the track exceeded 140F.. which means while standing on it you are basically in 130F... If that is not technically correct.. I don't really care my brain and body are still recovering from the heat. I lost 7 lbs between Friday morning and Monday morning.. and I ate food and drank beer so it was all water weight .. Brain is still not functioning normally.. I almost passed out on the tow home, my fiance got sick from the heat at the track... 30 people were hauled off in an ambulance even though there was a cool down tent run by the local fire department giving away free water and gatorade. Anyways on to the good news !!



The Spitwad took it like a seasoned hooker and just kept on taking it! We ran all weekend without any failures. Sure the motor rings are going bad letting oil blow by out the dipstick then onto the headers leading my teammate Justin to believe the car was on fire and consequently distracting him just long enough that he went off track... but what-the-fuck ever. The team survived the whole race from start to finish and placed (as we have been labeled by The Rusty Hub) a "less-than-stellar" 88th out of 155 and somewhere in the middle of the epic Class C.



The team drove well with Justin outpacing the rest of us by a huge 10 seconds a lap average.. I could make excuses like "I was saving the car" or "I kept getting stuck in traffic" but naw.. that kind of data just went to show he was on it while I was tickling my taint and having a jolly time cruising around the track all weekend. My fiance, already messed up from the heat, went out on Buttonwillow Raceway for her first time completely lost and managed to turn laps for 25mins before safely returning to the pits. Michael, our new arrive and drive driver, drove great all weekend keeping up a respectable pace only going off track once in one of the more deceiving corners of the course. That pretty much sums it up.. oh except for when I was hit on track but that has already been settled and nothing bad really came of it.

Videos are being gone through and uploaded but I am too lazy to embed them now so go to my youtube page Here and check out the latest videos.. maybe some more pics will come up... otherwise that's pretty much how the dump was taken.

So.... lovingly from the Sex Piston's Team Captain,

Never Mind the Bollocks.. and... Piss off!

Getting Ready for Button Terrible '13

Well here we are again... only a few more days till the race. We are hauling up to Buttonwillow Raceway to putt the Spitwad down the ever so long drag strip. At Buttonwillow, some of the cars can do over 125mph and we do a blazing 75mph. So it is really on me to make sure my drivers understand they are to stay on one side of the track when going down the strait and do not cross over. No sudden moves ... Really this is my only worry at this track, otherwise we do alright.



Another issue we face at this race is the weather.. it is going to be Hot. So that means the car will likely be drinking as much water as we do...

Anyways, no reason to draw this out as we are pretty much ready to race. Safety upgrades are made, the car has been gone through and driven around. The only things left are the pre-race maintenance checks we do at the track.

Oh and we need to pick up a large quantity of beer...

Work Days Spring 2013..

Well.. there hasn't been much going on since our last race back in March with the RX7. My pops got the new setup tested on the RX7 and now we are getting the cars ready for Button Terrible which is coming up quickly on June 29-30th. The Spitwad needs a lot more work including some safety upgrades so I dove in and started hacking up the car and my pops helped me get the fabrication done.



I then had a friend of mine come over and properly weld in the new cage modifications. This guy can really weld, unlike me, I am freaking clueless..



Pretty damn sure between the thick steal plate, DOM tubing, and proper welds.. it is almost as strong as the frame of this pile of British excellence. Really glad he does the work for us, in the safety aspect, we need all the help we can get..



Speaking of improved safety... I threw down some cash and picked up a Necksgen for my fiance and I. Racing is not all that dangerous, relatively, but only if you're properly protected. So I really felt it was worth the cash which is over 1/2 my estimated value of the spit in its awesome current condition. The Necksgen helmet posts were quick and easy to install and it is very comfortable. A great feature I did not expect is how easy turning your head is with it on. Compared to the HANS my pops has, that I used to borrow from him, the movement is much better. This will increase our visibility so we can better watch for all the cars we are passing, er well, being passed by. Really glad I went with it verse another brand plus it came with a cool hat and two LeMons get out of jail free cards. Who doesn't love a free cool hat?

Now that the welding is done, the last safety work is to install a new bulkhead/firewall between the fuel cell and the driver compartment. After that, we can finally get to the maintenance work.. and shit it is British so there is plenty to do. Not all of it is required, but the more of it we get done the better. I also bought all the parts to rebuild the brakes and would like to get that done before the race as well. We will see...

Videos from Sears Pointless '13 and Updates on the Sex Pistons Spitfire - 4/2/2013

So I have poorly put together and uploaded two videos from the Willy Wankel Grumpy Nerds RX7 at Sears Pointless. The first is the scary moment my pops had ...



That could have ended up much worse.. thankfully it did not. He was fine, but may have been a little wet in the pants. He checked out the car afterwords and went back out on track. - Balls of Steel

The next is a goofy mix of me behind the wheel. I am kinda a spaz, the camera and mic tell all...



And now onto the future.. or well the past cause it is the old car? Well whatever screw it.. The Team Sex Pistons Triumph Spitfire is to make a return at the 24 hour of LeMons race - Button Terrible '13 @ Buttonwillow Raceway.


My Spitfire is bad ass but does not photograph well. It's like a dirty hooker who could have been a model 10 years ago but took up a healthy habit of slamming heroin instead ~ Colin Craft

So it appears like we will have the same basic team we had at Chuckwalla back in December but one of the other girls is going to race as well. Another rookie to suffer the fate of a first LeMons race in a underpowered British tin can that is managed by me of all people. Haha sucker!

The Spitwad did start up, has good oil pressure, and ran cool this past weekend. The new rubber comes this week and the safety upgrades plans are solid. We have to remove the old backstays and install new ones that land in front of the rear most point of the rear tires. With a very precise plan, precision cutting wheel, and eyeballing... I used a fancy green garden pole to mark it out.





Will get the new tires mounted this Saturday but then I leave for two weeks on a work trip. When I return I will purchase the materials for the new backstays and spreader plates, then a friend and quality welder will help me install it properly.

Wish I had more time to work on the car, but work pays for this filthy affliction...

Chuckwalla - Arse-Freeze-Apalooza 24 hour of Lemons Dec 7-9th 2012

Well the race is over, lots of booze, lots of laughs, and lots of track time. It was a great weekend!

The highlights included my fiance, Cynthia, driving in her first race, eight different people driving the Spitwad, a great fire pit, a punk rock band, the old Ford making the haul, and the Spitwad pretty much just ran all weekend.



Cynthia completed two 30min stints without issues or giving up. She also watched the Super Snipe flip, and that means, we might have it on video... Speaking of video, I have around 9 hours of it to go through so that will come later.

The list of drivers were, Cynthia, Paul, Cem, Justin, Jerry(my pops), Chris(he earned it), Denise, and my self. Cynthia, Justin, Ron, and I were the original drivers. Ron had to drop out due to a move, and we picked up Paul, Cem, Jerry, and Denise because the Willy Wankel Rx7 hardly ran all weekend. Chris earned his spot by helping my pops work on the Rx7 for hours.




Paul, who races a vintage MGB, brought with him a nice fire pit and lots of knowledge of the track. Gave many of us great tips and his fire pit brought many people around for drinks and conversation. Thanks Paul!

Justin raced multiple stints over the weekend and really was a team player. After some kinda harsh driving at the last race, Justin drove a calm and clean race this time around with no black flags. He also was driving while Judge Phil was snapping photos.



Cem, who raced with us back in March, was there to race in the Rx7.  Since that wasn't going so well, he hopped in the Spitwad for a few stints and drove great as always. Him and his wife Amanda are great people, always a welcome addition. I snapped this shot of him driving.



Though they got shut down hours early do to noise complaints before 9pm, (WTF honestly?) The Mice came out again this year to rock out in the pits. They came along with one of my favorite teams, If It's Not Punk It's Junk. I snapped a few shots of the band and the team's car.





There is so much I could go on about from the race. What I saw, how much fun we all had, the ups, the downs, and the Spider Man story... But I really should get back to work. I had a great weekend, racing, partying, and taking pictures. I will just end with a link to my pictures from the race and a great shot of the Cow Driver working away.

Link to My Photos from Arse-Freeze-2012



Oh yeah, and my Dad! In my version of LeMons in a nutshell..



Spiderman Out!

Final Prep for Arse-Freeze 2012 (Early December)

So here we are, it has been since July 1st 2012 that we have raced. Things have changed, drivers have changed, another car has been built, and life has gotten more complicated. The one thing that remains unchanged is the childish excitement that builds up the week of the race.

There is a bit of anxiety about whether or not the tow rig will make it, how my fiance will do at her first race, and of course did we remember everything? Even with all the spare parts, tools,the extensive packing lists, and our multiple race experince... it just lingers in the brain. I know I am forgetting something and what is going to go wrong? Oh well.. we will do what we gotta do. This is what it is about, seeing how much you can get out of rust bucket junk racer your team built, everyone being safe, and having a freaking blast!

Things have not worked out perfectly, they never do. One of our team members has to move across the country and won't be able to make it. Another has a Hawaii vacation and will be showing up just about the moment when the green flag drops. Well no worries, I will be there to start the race in the Spitwad and once I do... nothing else in that moment will matter. It's just that much fun!

With the lack of help and my lack of motivation, I did not get the spare motor completed yet, but as long as tech goes smoothly I have plenty of hours on Friday to get it finished up. All the parts are there, just need to bolt the head on properly, install the rockers, and put the valve cover on. The plan being not to need it of course.

While taking pictures at the F1 race in Austin, Texas with my cell phone and $100 point and shoot digital camera, I found myself wanting to dive into learning photography and spent a chunk of change on a Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. This is my first SRL camera ever and I am just starting to learn the basics, but I decided I would try to get some fancy panning motorsport shots at the LeMons race. I spent some time practicing and came up with only a couple photos that the car was even somewhat in focus.



Hopefully things will run smoothly and I will get plenty of time to play with my new camera. Maybe even (and this is a stretch) I will end up with a couple shots to be proud of. This photography thing is all secondary to the racing and mentoring my fiance through out the weekend.

Well here goes nothing! Will be heading out to Chuckwalla in 3 days!

Work Days - 10/27/2012 and 11/3/2012

Well we have been working on the car every weekend as usual. Got a lot of little things done. We got the windscreen mesh securely mounted, we got a shift light installed, we are working on getting the spares together, and my Fiance has been practicing driving.

The car itself is pretty much ready to go, besides simple maintenance like an oil change, fluid checks, bleeding and adjusting the brakes, spark plugs, and swapping the front brake pads. The rest of the work is just getting the spares built and sorted. The spare left rear axle is proving to be a pain, I am having trouble getting the broken drive hub off even with the hub pulling tool.

On November 13th my Pops and I hop in his RV and head out to Austin Texas for the Formula 1 race which is going to be awesome! The only problem is it eats into prep time for the 24 hour LeMons race coming soon on Dec 8th. Totally worth it though.



I have a few videos I made playing with my GoPro and the video editing software on my Mac. You can see the shift light and our circle track windscreen mesh. The main reason I made them was to show the difference in the air noise with and without my homemade wind noise reducing cover. The first one is using no windscreen in the normal GoPro case and the second has the homemade windscreen cover. You can really tell the difference when at speed. The cover currently is just foam and tape, but when I am done it will be made from fake fur, foam, and will be held on with velcro.





(if you are on a mobile device and can not see the video go to the bottom of the page and click "View Web Version")

Video from Arse-Sweat June 2012 - 24hr @ Buttonwillow

Finally I have compressed and uploaded one of the videos from our last race. It was the best one that we had. It is of my teammate Justin driving from daylight into the night at the Full 24 hour race - Arse-Sweat-Apalooza @ Buttonwillow raceway June 2012.

It is about an hour long, sorry I did not take the time to trim it down. Enjoy!



(if you are on a mobile device and can not see the video go to the bottom of the page and click "View Web Version")

Safety Upgrades - 10/13/2012

With the ever evolving safety rules in LeMons racing and a few major crashes that occurred this year leading to "Proper Enforcement" of the rules; we had to make some upgrades.

While reading over the LeMons forums I found a thread about cars that failed tech at recent races that had passed earlier in the year. They are failing as a reaction of stiffer rules due to crashes this year since our last race. Though safety is a good thing, it would have been very annoying to show up at our next race thinking we are set for the same 2012 rules from our last two races this year. There was no notification from the LeMons organization about this, so lucky for me I read the forums often. Anyways.. I sent the Evil One (John the head safety tech in LeMons) some pics and asked about it, he replied,

I would prefer to see square tubing or angle iron over the perforated shelving angle that you have in there.
In a 70 mph collision that cell will exert somewhere around 4000 lbs of force on the metal you have there.... Is it ready for that?

If you can flex the top of that seat backwards, it will fail. Grab it and put back, if it gives much, it'll need to be braced. Most single shoulder harness hole seats fail this test.

Um no... our fuel mounting is not ready for that. The first upgrade was bracing for the Fuel Cell so we don't catch fire when the Spitwad gets punted by some knucklehead who came in too hot sending us rolling end over end through the dirt. Seen bellow, it is simply an angle iron halo around the top of the cell that is braced to the vehicle. I have to admit when I took the cell out and looked at our original mounting I did not feel so good about it. I feel better about it now.



The second was the need to brace the head rest of the racing seat if it flexes, so I grabbed it and pulled and yes ours does give, so we needed a brace. I guess in an accident someones head rest folded back at a 90 degree angle which is probably not so good for the neck. Some teams made some fancy braces but I just kindly asked my pops to weld up a pipe behind the headrest which does the trick.



Good thing my pops had a windshield being installed on the RX7 and was available to help. I can't fabricate or weld worth a damn and my other teammate was just returning from a work trip and was out of commission.

After this work was finished I found myself thinking more about safety. A complete rookie to car racing is racing the Spitfire soon and she needs to be safe. Time to reinspect the 5 point harness mounts, the seat mounts, put larger washers on the fuel cell straps, and go over the car and tighten things down. Then maybe I can move on to the fun stuff like the shocks and the shift light. Oh and I need to finish mounting the windshield mesh.



There is always more work to be done, parts to order, and oh yeah GoPro HD Hero 2s have gone on sale $199.99 for the outdoor bundle. Gotta get me one of those so we can get video from both cars!

Work Days 10/5 and 10/6

So my Pops helped me get the tow hook ups done on the truck and I took it for a test town run. It tows pretty well and should get the Spitwad to a few races.

My friend and teammate, Justin, came over and helped me out. We got the oil cooler back on and ran the motor a bit to get the cobwebs out. This will be the 5th race on this motor. It just keeps running, and I hope it will for another race weekend.



We then got the new mesh windscreen built and opened up the motor that failed at the 24 hour race. The fly wheel mounting bolts sheared right off. The motor it still good but it will take some work to get this back in running shape. So we will have to bring one of our other motors as a spare for the December race.