Official Challenge Update Thread

fastclown wrote: 2010 early smack: Wheels finished right under Uranus, the lead sled (best engineered) finished even further back. Sometimes twice the thought and twice the money doesn't pay off. We had a great time, thanks to the GRM staff for allowing us to come again. Next year Uranus will be ready for the overall. Our top 3 JG announcing quotes: 1.(hood up at drag strip) Guido has his head in Uranus. 2. (autocross) They're really punishing Uranus out there. 3. (autocross) That was a great time with Scott in Mikes Uranus.

I also liked "The extra low budget forced Mike to take a creative approach to preparing Uraus." I think you were in the car at this time.

Fish in a barrel. Thanks Mike.

jg

Pat wrote: Awesome, awesome time once again. Thanks to all that worked on putting the event together as well as to all those who participated...especially Adam and the Gutty crew! Racing with you guys was a blast...let's line them up again next year! :-)

Next year I'll finally try to bring a timing light, or remind Adam to pack his. At least this year we didn't find the problem and go faster after borrowing yours... Andy helped us out on this years and the 5deg of timing missing :p.

Had such a fun time once again. Will be doing everything I can to bring my own car out next year. I have all the parts... heh.

Thanks GRM for making it happen and bringing us down to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather ;)

So now can someone put up a picture of the Uranus please?

I've seen Mr. Nelson's entry, I want to see what all the smack is about.

Dan

914Driver wrote: So now can someone put up a picture of the Uranus please? I've seen Mr. Nelson's entry, I want to see what all the smack is about. Dan

Click here to go to the update page.

It's about halfway through, the update is marked "Clown Car."

We got some media attention at this year's challenge, too.

Local ABC affiliate story from the 6:00 news.

Orlando Auto Examiner story

Gainesville Sun Article

Louis Galanos from Sports Car Digest was also on hand for the event and got some great photography. I'll post the link when the Challenge information is up.

We are home. It was 44 degrees when we hit the driveway - perfect tee shirt weather. To GRM, Thank you again for a wonderful event.

We tossed a few ideas out on the way home and Calvin already has a buddy talked into a build for next year. His original plans was nixxed by a rule tweak. But we can try to have fun with what is now posted. BTW Per, how soon do you want calls for approving the kids ideas? He jumped out of the truck when we pulled into the driveway and ran to get a tape measure. Wow, to be 16 again....

My wife (not a car person) had so much fun she's been shopping craigslist today looking for next years car.

Made it home at 1.30 am and had to go to work at 6.00 am I am whipped, but it was the most incredible event evar....now all I need is a vehicle that doesn't break every time the starter is hit

Back to the welder

blizazer wrote: Whew, the trip home was much less eventful than the trip there.

Not lugging a 55lb inverter was prob a plus, too!

HIDGolf wrote:

blizazer wrote: Whew, the trip home was much less eventful than the trip there.

Not lugging a 55lb inverter was prob a plus, too!

True that. No funny looks from the TSA.

this looked like it was a blast though and thanks for the link to what mike brought.....it would have been even more funny if it would have been the fiat though..... nice car mike, but you are going to have to step up next year to make it even bettter.....

wow for what andy brought down...that is just kick ass for the price.... andy i just have to say.........(grovling on the floor) WE ARE NOT WORTHY! WE ARE NOT WORTHY! WE ARE NOT WORTHY!!!!!

the mavirk was neat to see something very differrnt. the bug was very clean. the bike was most amusing...... what was the story on the longest time for the drags? 60 sec?

The V-8 Miata had issues. They never worked out their paddle shifters- when they shifted to 4th, it would grab 2nd. Quite scary to see a car instantly freeze up ad turn 90* across both lanes of the drags.

The bike was mine. 40 year old Schwinn Stingray Mini Twin. I'm the original owner. My Dad bought it for me and my brother when I was 8.

Maybe I'm daft (likely, with as much poison that was consumed this weekend), but what's the trick to downloading the event results? All I get is a zip file containing a few odd files (mac stuff?) that are neither xls nor csv formats.

EDIT: I just noticed that there are 6 entrants in the top 3 (positions 1-3 are doubled). Maybe I didn't do as well as I thought, hehe.

ww wrote: I can bet, if 40% of the battery pack on the Hybrid Fiero wasn't DOA and our plans to get something better than 4+ year old BFG Touring TA all season radial's had panned out, you'd have seen a low 14, maybe even a 13 second 1/4 mile and several seconds off at the AutoX. Actually, with tires alone, it would have spanked your Starion and looked WAY better doing it.

I read your post a few times but the violin sounds in my head kept drowning out your excuses. I thought the BFG's were part of the plan, that is, competing with something that nobody else would consider doing. So what you're saying is that if the best engineered car actually worked it would have done better than 20th? I look forward to getting spanked by the lead sled next year. That gives you almost a year to charge the batteries. With that amount of time, a trickle charger and some good rubbers is all you need to beat Uranus.

kcbhiw wrote: Maybe I'm daft (likely, with as much poison that was consumed this weekend), but what's the trick to downloading the event results? All I get is a zip file containing a few odd files (mac stuff?) that are neither xls nor csv formats. EDIT: I just noticed that there are 6 entrants in the top 3 (positions 1-3 are doubled). Maybe I didn't do as well as I thought, hehe.

The duplicates for 1st through 3rd were an anomaly from the locost class scoring. If fixed that spreadsheet and reloaded it, so it should be better now. I'm also poking at the file format to get it to play nicely with those "other" computers.

fastclown wrote:

ww wrote: I can bet, if 40% of the battery pack on the Hybrid Fiero wasn't DOA and our plans to get something better than 4+ year old BFG Touring TA all season radial's had panned out, you'd have seen a low 14, maybe even a 13 second 1/4 mile and several seconds off at the AutoX. Actually, with tires alone, it would have spanked your Starion and looked WAY better doing it.

I read your post a few times but the violin sounds in my head kept drowning out your excuses. I thought the BFG's were part of the plan, that is, competing with something that nobody else would consider doing. So what you're saying is that if the best engineered car actually worked it would have done better than 20th? I look forward to getting spanked by the lead sled next year. That gives you almost a year to charge the batteries. With that amount of time, a trickle charger and some good rubbers is all you need to beat Uranus.

I just reallized that Mike has been "trying to call" his car Uranus. And we all thought it was him finding a new self-describing nickname. Mike, seek help, that is not a good superhero name - fo you or your car. Being an angry angry angry clown is much more fitting.

Tom Heath wrote:

kcbhiw wrote: Maybe I'm daft (likely, with as much poison that was consumed this weekend), but what's the trick to downloading the event results? All I get is a zip file containing a few odd files (mac stuff?) that are neither xls nor csv formats. EDIT: I just noticed that there are 6 entrants in the top 3 (positions 1-3 are doubled). Maybe I didn't do as well as I thought, hehe.

The duplicates for 1st through 3rd were an anomaly from the locost class scoring. If fixed that spreadsheet and reloaded it, so it should be better now. I'm also poking at the file format to get it to play nicely with those "other" computers.

Tom, The file you have linked that should be the spreadsheet of the results is a .zip file of a whole bunch of stuff that isnt' the results. May want to check that link.

Eric

Jerry From LA wrote:

Spinout007 wrote: overall winners.... Fifth place... Texas A&M Turbo Civic

13.85 with a 105. This car left time on the track. With more development chassis-wise, they could see high 12s at least. Bring it back next year sorted out and challenge the top three. Great job everybody!

By the end of the day, we'd ran a 13.149 with a 108, and straight-up ran out of time. We ran the last run of the competition, and the driver missed a shift. His 1/8th time was .2 faster, though, so we're confident we can get into the 12s.

PS: BIG CONGRATS from all the Hongs to Team GUTTY!!! It's really cool to think that instead of saying "If you're going to win the Challenge, you'll need a V8 RX7 / Z-car / Sucker-Vette," some folks might actually be saying "If you're going to win the Challenge, you'll need a light, clean, turbo Honda with a nice graphics package."

Wish more gutties would've hung out late drinking. 'Fitz' kept us crying with laughter till the wee hours.

Know that any E36 M3 we gave you guys for "anti-Hong" subliminal messages on the car was ball-busting-only, and hopefully it's known that any BS PM'd trash-talk via the int4rw3bz came from Hongtard (briefly on the south team - excommunicated swiftly after un-hongmanlike conduct.) None of us were butt-sore about it. Just had to give you guys a hard time. Please keep the smack-talk coming, as it's good motivation. Just know we won't talk smack back till we've got something moving under it's own power!

Congrats again, you guys and gals are all class-acts. I hope we've got somethin fer yer aces in '10!

uh-oh, sounds like NAMBLA haxxored poopshovel's account again....

we all done kissing and making up girls....

Riding bitch in a miata all weekend apparently turns ones balls into gravy.

poopshovel wrote: Riding bitch in a miata all weekend apparently turns ones balls into gravy.

Needs more cowbell... well or a nice big turbo to remedy that specific issue.

This year's challenge was a ton of fun. It was my first challenge, helping out my friend Greg (Team External Combustion) in his '91 red turbo Miata. The whole experience really changed the way I look at cars. Pretty much the whole way back up to MA, I was pointing out cars that would be good challenge fodder. I can't help but think about regular everyday cars and if they would enjoy being turbo'ed or flogged on the track. I hope to be back down there in a few years with my very own entry!

you know it would have been ever better if the guy with the fiat would trade the clown for this ride....just something about the fiat being better idea of a clown car though...not sure why...something to due with his mini's i think....