Team Application

The application form to be accepted for the August race is due June 5th. I don't know if this forum will be acceptable as our team website. We will also need a team name and theme/angle to help us edge out the other teams putting in for acceptance.

For the team name I am going to propose Fraidy Cat Racing. If you have any better ideas, I am all ears.

I was struck with inspiration and so here is the quick and crude application essay that I came up with.


4 June 2010
(seventy years later)
"I have, myself and my team, full confidence that if all us suckers do their duty, if nothing important is neglected, and if not completely terrible arrangements are made, as they are being made when we aren't swearing and throwing wrenches, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home's not worst automotive achievement, to ride out the storm of racing, and to outlive the
menace of GM trannys, if necessary for hours, if necessary alone and greasy.

At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of Fraidy Cat Racing-every "man" of them. That is the will of Jay and the Lemons judges.
The British Automotive Empire and the American Transmission Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native oil, aiding each other like reluctant comrades to the utmost of their patience.

Even though large tracts of Willows and many old and famous junkers have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Wheel of Punishment and all the odious apparatus of People's Curse rule, we shall not black-flag or fail.

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in the pits,
we shall fight on the straights and corners,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength against the E30s, we shall defend our Jaguar's honor, whatever the blood loss may be,
we shall fight in the penalty area,
we shall fight with head gaskets,
we shall fight with radiators and the power steering,
we shall fight in the tech area;
we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this team or a large part of it were exhausted and starving, then our Empire beyond our pit , armed and guarded by other Jaguar teams, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New
World, with all its relative Ford reliability, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old from Lucas wiring."

Brilliant!

I am just studying for finals today, so when I need a break I will reread it and edit, but I love it. I am all for Fraidy Cat Racing. In our application, do we need to submit photos? If so, I can snap some this afternoon. Then we can add in a page or two of the application where we say... "We have this [insert picture here], and we are going to try to turn it into this [insert actual Jaguar race car picture here], but are going to settle for anything slightly better, so we can race in this [insert 24 hours of Lemons logo]." Then on the the next page, we can throw in some more pictures including the beast that is under the hood.

I like it.

I think we need to add
We shall fight with the devil, Lucas himself

Who are we do you ask?
Who the @&#% are we?
We are Fraidy Cat Racing, how nice of you to ask.

We are Fraidy Cat Racing, and we have one goal, which is to race a car that has no business being on a race track. We are young which mean we are youthful, inexperience and probably stupid. As such we should fit in quite well. We are young enough to drink cheap beer, yet old enough to know what a good bribing beer is. We are young enough to spend hours coming up with stupid ideas to make our car more awesome and young enough to actually try them. We may not have any professional race car drivers, tuners or rich people on the team, but we do have heart, determination and way too much free time.

As zero hour inches closer every day, we shall prepare the mighty cat that is the Jaguar for battle. It will be put on a strict diet, given ample amounts of all types of fluids, hardened for battle, and prepare to devour little miatas and pesky E30s as only this magnificent beast can. It has fought through rain and fire; now it will conquer thunder. The Hill of Thunder will be at the mercy of this proud and angry animal that Fraidy Cat Racing prepares to unleash on August 7th. Will you be there? We will.

It is done. Look for an email from me.

5 June 2010
Hi, Team Captain:

Good news--I think. Your team has officially been ACCEPTED for LeMons Arse-Freeze-Apalooza at Thunderhill on 7-8 August 2010. Here's what you need to do now:

A: Read this email completely.

B: Forward it to the rest of your team, one of whom is certainly smarter than you are. (You agreed to be captain, so clearly you're not the genius.)

C: Finish your app data. If you left anything blank in your application, you'll now see a big red INCOMPLETE on your Home page. Fix it.

Got all that? Good--'cause there's more:


1) DOWNLOAD THE UPDATED LeMONS TECH SHEET
It's at http://www.24HoursofLeMons.com/LMTechV4.pdf. Download this now, read the instructions, and bring the completed sheet with you to the track. (Remember, not every rule is reflected on the tech sheet: You still need to study the full LeMons Rulebook.)

2) READ THESE MORE-OR-LESS USEFUL NOTICES

EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, 6 August 2010
7:30am: Gates open
9am-4pm Pre-race track testing (details below)
Noon-5pm: Mandatory Friday Tech Inspection. Every car and at least one driver per team must be present for Tech Inspection on Friday. No Saturday Tech will be offered!

Saturday, 7 August 2010
7:30am Gates Open
8am Drivers' Meeting (Mandatory)
9am-6pm: Race Session I

Sunday, 8 August 2010
8:30am: Drivers' Meeting (Mandatory)
9am-4:00pm: Race Session II
Noon: People's Curse
4:00pm: Checkered Flag
4:30pm: Awards
7pm: Gates Close

Pre-Race Track Testing: Thunderhill will be holding a Friday test day for LeMons cars. They're charging $200 for one car and driver, plus $50 for each additional driver. Contact Colleen Worthington at the track (530.934.5588 x100 or colleen@thunderhill.com) for more.

OVERNIGHT CAMPING: Paddock camping is welcome. One camping fee ($50, payable on your online registration) covers the entire team.

MOTELS, DIRECTIONS, ETC: Check out the Arse-Freeze-Apalooza Event Page, and keep coming back often--when we learn something new, we'll update it here.

PARTICIPANT-DISCOUNT SAFETY GEAR: Thanks to event-sponsor Pyrotect, everything an individual needs to pass driver tech (full-face SA2005 helmet plus SFI-rated driving suit, undies, gloves, and shoes) can be bought in one box at a LeMons-only discount: $425 for the bundle. All the gear has been pre-approved--just put it on and go.

Pyrotect also offers discounted LeMons rates on neck braces (at least one is required per team--this isn't part of the bundle); SFI five-point belts; and stand-alone SA2005 helmets. Remember, to get the subsidized LeMons rates, you've got to order online via the LeMons-rate ordering page.

NOISE LIMIT: Maximum allowable noise level is 92dB @ 50 feet. In other words, street-legal mufflers are mandatory--no straight-pipes or hollowed-out race junk allowed. Noisy cars will be black-flagged.

RACE #s: Now that your team has been accepted, a pulldown menu of car #s is visible on the Edit Car Info page of your online registration. If the number you want isn't shown, somebody else already has it. Pick another one. Numbers should be displayed on both sides of the car plus the hood or roof.

COMP LICENSES: Every driver needs a LeMons competition membership. Memberships cost $50 and are good for one year from date of purchase. We are no longer recognizing other series' comp licenses, due to unbelievably excessive whining. Blame the BMW CCA and PCA Club member in the pit space next door. No, seriously, kick his butt. He just cost you 50 bucks.

ROSTER CHANGES: For now, it's still okay to make updates and changes to your online registration. If the changes affect your entry fees, the total will update itself automatically. About a week before the race we'll lock down the database, after which no more additions or changes are possible. We'll give you a few days' warning before that happens, but once it's gone, it's gone.

RULES: THE LeMONS RULEBOOK HAS BEEN UPDATED! Read the complete Rulebook at www.24HoursofLeMons.com/rules/ now and re-check it often, refreshing your browser each time. Pay special attention to the strikeout copies linked at the top of the page: It's your responsibility to know the latest version of all posted rules going into the race.

DROPOUTS: When you enter a race, you're buying the right to compete--not a guarantee from us that you'll get your own act together. If you drop out, can't finish your car, blow up, go broke, catch swine flu, step on your own wiener, or otherwise fail to avail yourself of your grid spot, you forfeit your entry fees. That's why they're called "entry" fees, not "I got to drive the whole race" fees.


3) PAY UP BY SATURDAY, JUNE 19th, 2010
Speaking of entry fees, they're due now. All entry fees must be paid in full by Saturday, 19 June 2010! Miss that deadline, and your spot may be given to the next team on the waitlist. Need to beg an extension? Please drop us an email before the due date.

Your total fees are shown on your registration Home page--assuming you filled out the driver, crew, camping, license, and transponder info correctly. If there's a big red INCOMPLETE at the top of your Home page, you've screwed something up, and that might affect your fee total. So...um...fix it.

To pay online by credit card or PayPal, use the Pay Now button at the bottom of your registration Home page.

To cough up by check or money order, make payable to "24 Hours of LeMons" and mail to: 24 Hours of LeMons, 5675-C Horton Street, Emeryville CA 94608.

Welcome aboard, hope we'll be seeing you there! Cheers &c--JL

Jay Lamm, Chief Perpetrator
24 HOURS OF LeMONS
5675 Horton Street, Suite C
Emeryville CA 94608
510.655.5980 x23 (Jay direct)
jlamm@driversdoor.com

So, we need to scrape together $1100+ by the 19th! We need to kick our search for drivers into overdrive. I posted on the Davis Motorsports forum and I see that Alan has done the same on the Lemon's forum. I sure hope that we can do it.