$2000 Challenge coverage makes Jalopnik

Everyone breathe, please.

Lets fight the folks at Jalopnik, if we have to fight someone 

The more famous you are the more criticism you'll get.  

Current rules would have put most of my old builds into the negatives. Being good at running your own personal junkyard is part of the game. 

JG Pasterjak said:

The comments over there make this place seem like the Harvard Debate and Chess Society.

I'm waiting for someone to complain about a lack of jackstands while ignoring the (much safer) stack of tires holding the car up, like the 2014 RXNC article...

Stampie said:

In reply to theruleslawyer :

Bring it down.  Caravan with Robbie, nocones, and or Indy-Guy.  Personally I'm done with listening to people talk about an event with no personal knowledge of the event.  You know what I did before I went to the Challenge?  I read every rule revision that came out and bench built according to those rules.  All body panels have to be present?  Fine how about I melt them down and put them as low as possible in the center of the car.  What I didn't do is use me not liking some of the rules as an excuse to bash the event.  I showed up in 2015 with a car built to the rules.  That's when I learned that the rules are 1% of what makes up the event.  As of a little over a week ago I completed my 10th Challenge because it's a great event with great people. 

Half the fun is rules lawyering. You and one other person know of the plot I have. Now I still need the motivation, and it will 100% get me thrown out, but that's what's fun to me. I don't want to win. I want to be in the rule book saying "Don't do that" 

Mndsm said: I want to be in the rule book saying "Don't do that" 

If it isn't forbidden, it's allowed until they change the rules.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) :

The Smokey Yunick clause.

Mndsm said:

Half the fun is rules lawyering. ...  Now I still need the motivation, and it will 100% get me thrown out, but that's what's fun to me. I don't want to win. I want to be in the rule book saying "Don't do that" 

Rules lawyering is a time honored motor sport tradition. TBH I'm interested in the rules in of itself just from that aspect. What weird unanticipated stuff can you come up within the confines of them?

theruleslawyer said:

Mndsm said:

Half the fun is rules lawyering. ...  Now I still need the motivation, and it will 100% get me thrown out, but that's what's fun to me. I don't want to win. I want to be in the rule book saying "Don't do that" 

Rules lawyering is a time honored motor sport tradition. TBH I'm interested in the rules in of itself just from that aspect. What weird unanticipated stuff can you come up within the confines of them?

Screen name Checks out

Re: Challenge.  You're doing great work in your C5 thread.  If you'd like to participate in the Challenge, you're welcome to join in with us: Barely Functional Racing.  Chicago isn't too far away from us.  Perhaps join in on one of our build parties to meet some fellow GRMers.  Robbie is also in Chicago, so maybe you could team up with him as an alternative.  And of course, you are MORE than Welcome to ride down to the Challenge with us in 2026.  This next Challenge we're going to field two cars:  LS Swapped TR4, and bring back the P1800 (with Turbo noises).

Every single time the Challenge ends up on another automotive news outlet, it's the same story: armchair "racers" coming out of the woodwork trying to say that it's impossible to build a competitive car without cheating. I thought the same thing until my friends and I built cars and went to the event. 

My advice to all of these commenters: GO TO THE EVENT. TALK TO PEOPLE. HANG OUT IN THE PITS AT THE TRACK AND OBSERVE. 

It becomes apparent REAL quick what it takes to build a competitive car.

Now we all know there are different ways to enjoy the big family get-together that is the Challenge, but if you want to win the whole thing, it's definitely not impossible, granted you try hard and have a bit of luck on your side. 

I want to attend one day, but the financial's of building a car then the 32 hr drive (one way) towing said car, it'll be much less expensive to hop on a plane and just come wrench in a parking lot and watch one year. 

I can still build a car in the spirit of the challenge (trying to do with the drift car),  but for now I will just sort out trying to attend in person via plane, maybe in 27

A lot of the good folks from Jalopnik moved over and started the Autopian.

In reply to DjGreggieP :

Flying in and joining a team is a popular option, too. 

JG Pasterjak said:

The comments over there make this place seem like the Harvard Debate and Chess Society.

 

It got pretty bad when the sale was forced following the Gawker bankruptcy. It got way worse after TheAutopian siphoned off a bunch of commentators. Then, somehow, it managed to get even worse after they migrated off Kinja. I gave up and added their comments section added as a special rule to my ad blocker to ensure I stay off them.

It's this one if anyone using UBO is wondering:

www.jalopnik.com##.openweb-comment-count

I need to get my act together and build a car, but I keep blowing my wad on other hobbies.

I'm still undecided on whether the challenge being 3k miles away is more blessing or curse.

Was thinking about some of the comments (I know).  Anyone remember the failed "Caveman" class from several years ago?  I think GRM was onto something with that, except that it was too restrictive.  No power tools at all may have been too much.  I wonder if something similar, except allowing say, electric drills, since pretty much everyone has one of those would be good setup for a new caveman class.

ok everyone have a group hug and move on.

i have the twitter screenshots and comments of witnesses who also wanted our 2027 car when it was offered for free to the entire world, I was just the first one who said yes... that'll make the jalopcommenters die. "how dare you be in the right place at the right time?" dudes that's how I got a $600 240Z, a $1000 wartburg which recouped threefold, how I happened to be at the pull a part a couple weeks ago as they were setting a lexus gs300 down in the row and came back a few days later with tools for a sub $300 2JZ, E36 M3 i have found challenge parts on garbage night that were actually car parts in the garbage. 

a big part of it is having the right networks, having the right people who know what you need, and a whole boatload of right place right time luck sometimes. 

In reply to Patrick :

"Nah, you set it up with a buddy so he could tell you when he was offering it for 'free' so you could reply with dibs right away"

- the mindset that would rather twist and fabricate scenarios that make him feel right, rather than twist old appliance sheetmetal to fabricate trans tunnels and fender flares

DjGreggieP said:

I want to attend one day, but the financial's of building a car then the 32 hr drive (one way) towing said car, it'll be much less expensive to hop on a plane and just come wrench in a parking lot and watch one year. 

I can still build a car in the spirit of the challenge (trying to do with the drift car),  but for now I will just sort out trying to attend in person via plane, maybe in 27

Do this!! If i don't have a car for the year or if life is to crazy to get one ready I will 1000% fly in and hangout/turn wrench on anything that needs help. Legitimately I'm not sure which would be more fun. running your own car ((very competitively)) or just being there and actually getting to enjoy the builds/talk and hangout.

i feel like I partook in about 2% of the challenge outside of my personal car.