$2012 Challenge updates

Things are going well so far. The average quality of the cars is the best ever, but the best ones are much more real life. We don't have many anymore, where people quit their jobs, took slaves and polished every ounce of everything. The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event. Speaking of spirit, the passion you guys bring to this event still blows me away after nearly 15 years of doing this.

There was only one car that didn't seem real to me and Per checked it out and it is, barely.

And yes, if I could get some time, I would like to still attract some TV to this event.

poopshovel wrote: Way to clean it up Evilducky! The hong is strong with this one!

I wish we were there to hang out with him. He cracks me the berkeley up.

Tim Suddard wrote: Things are going well so far. The average quality of the cars is the best ever, but the best ones are much more real life. We don't have many anymore, where people quit their jobs, took slaves and polished every ounce of everything. The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event. Speaking of spirit, the passion you guys bring to this event still blows me away after nearly 15 years of doing this. There was only one car that didn't seem real to me and Per checked it out and it is, barely. And yes, if I could get some time, I would like to still attract some TV to this event.

BEN! QUIT TRYING TO CHEAT!

This so needs to be cross posted from the GRM Facebook page.

Bobzilla wrote: How's Ben doing out there?

His car decided to eat the autocross timing light.

On the minus our 280Z decided not to rev past 4k.

Some more photos have been posted:

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/events/2012challenge/

And more will be posted tomorrow.

dean1484 wrote: This so needs to be cross posted from the GRM Facebook page.

If anyone at the Challenge didn't get one of this stickers find any of the three of us that came with Also Ran Racing.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

We only have a couple left.

At least it didn't say "Per-Bear" as the VP....

Wheres the GRM Miata?

Didn't make it...too much rat damage to wiring harness.

the Camry helped clean off the course, posting a 45.2 time on 600 treadwear tires......

MrJoshua wrote: An 80's "econobox" wins the Concours and a Jeep and the same 80's econobox take 1 and 2 in the autocross. Go ChryCo!

This is why the Challenge is awesome....totally full of surprises.

Tim Suddard wrote: And yes, if I could get some time, I would like to still attract some TV to this event.

Same thing I've been saying.....pitch the event to Top Gear USA as a challenge. TG UK has done challenges where they had to build a car and show it. TG UK has done LOTS of budget car challenges, some involving races. The event is tailor made for TV. Let them do whatever they want - including cheating - and put them in a separate class from everyone else.

93EXCivic wrote:

dean1484 wrote: This so needs to be cross posted from the GRM Facebook page.

If anyone at the Challenge didn't get one of this stickers find any of the three of us that came with Also Ran Racing.

I'm putting the one I begged for on my daily driver

We don't have many anymore, where people quit their jobs, took slaves and polished every ounce of everything. The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event.

Wow. Really?

Tim Suddard wrote: The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event.

Well we were working on our $2013 car. Is this a hint we don't need to come back.

wheels777 wrote:

Tim Suddard wrote: The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event.

Well we were working on our $2013 car. Is this a hint we don't need to come back.

Seriously what was meant by that?

I personally applaud Tim's statement. I didn't have time to look at many cars this year, but the ones I did were odd engine swaps with backyard fabrication. That's the whole point if this. Any working man can build a car and do some racing. It gives you a chance to be creative and work with odd things. I had a fuel starving issue, I fixed it by making a fuel surge tank out of a galvanized pipe with some pipe caps, then threaded fittings into the caps. To me, that's what this whole race is about. I fixed a major problem for $20 at Home Depot.

I'm not knocking super shiny cars, but to me it's not what this weekend is for.

No E36 M3 sherlock? Really? That wasn't what it was about for any of us until we were told we needed to "make it look pretty for the magazine." We've been doing this E36 M3 since 2004 when we were told "flat black doesn't photograph well," with our FTC (berkeley the concours) stickers on the A-hole car. But over several years we figured out the weak link was our concours scores, and that's what we needed to win. None of us quit our jobs or hired "slave labor." Nobody wants a berkeleying petty blue civic to cruise around town in. Nobody wants to sit in the dirt in a junkyard in berkeleying august pulling brass 10 & 12 mm bolts off a 2009 KIA to replace all the underhood bolts on a civic with, but that's what we did in an effort to win.

The s00p3rturd is prettier and faster than anything I own, and there's buckets of blood and sweat that went into that thing. None of us run a garage or put $2k worth of pipe on our imaginary BMW's to gain 3HP. All of us work 60-plus hours a week, and all of us have families.

Congrats on your boogers and bubblegum fix. I'm sure it will impress someone. A berkeleying man would've used some spare fuel hose, a stick from the parking lot and a beer can, but that doesn't look pretty in pictures. $20 is one percent of your budget, smartass.

Please, have you all really become so uptight that you can't even recognize and appreciate a shot at the clown when you see one? Too bad, it used to be almost an unofficial 4th event at the Challenge.

Margie

There are downsides to everything involving concourse. I kinda hate it, but I understand needing pretty cars for a magazine.

Whatever, it is what it is and I have had more fun this year than any other year.

any El Presidente updates?!

red5_02 wrote:

wheels777 wrote:

Tim Suddard wrote: The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event.

Well we were working on our $2013 car. Is this a hint we don't need to come back.

Seriously what was meant by that?

I love the radical builds. Its the von Dutch in me. I also love watching the clown abuse. Just saw an op to stir pot

Yeah! The Clown! That's the ticket!

Friday evening photos, including valve cover racing, will be up in a few minutes.

Link: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/events/2012challenge/

wheels777 wrote:

red5_02 wrote:

wheels777 wrote:

Tim Suddard wrote: The cars this year are what I want at this event. They are great efforts, a lot of fun, but within reason and the spirit of the event.

Well we were working on our $2013 car. Is this a hint we don't need to come back.

Seriously what was meant by that?

I love the radical builds. Its the von Dutch in me. I also love watching the clown abuse. Just saw an op to stir pot

I still think the VW hot rod was that coolest thing I've ever seen. I got to see it at Carlisle a couple years ago.