I’m curious to know if I’ll meet up with any other GRMers there. My father-in-law and I are entered, and trying to get a car prepped, we’ll hopefully be doing an extended test run this weekend. Never done a Lemons Rally before, so this should be interesting.
Robbie
PowerDork
1/11/18 3:02 p.m.
Not entered but excited to hear how it is. I'd love to do one too.
What's the entrance criteria? Not making enough money now or last year for that matter to make it happen but I definitely want to do it one day.
Are they doing that Rally again?
I see that this year's route doesn't make the mistake again of going North first to Buffalo in January. Instead, heading immediately South so that nearly the whole thing is South of the Mason-Dixon.
I honestly can't believe how much they charge to run that thing. I mean sure somebody's gotta get paid but when the cost of entry is more than the value of your hoopty I think something is wrong.
There’s no price limits on the vehicles in the rally, but points are awarded at the beginning based on age, nationality, and hooptiness. Rally fee seems a little high, though it seems like no worse than some other events.
I’ve been wanting to branch out from the car stuff I’ve been doing, and this seemed like a fun thing to do.
Dave
Reader
1/11/18 5:29 p.m.
I've done a more local beater rally twice now. I think the entry fee was like $70. Deal of the century as its a pile of fun. So might be some local alternatives for folks.
I did it last year and it was a blast, but we definitely almost died on the Buffalo leg of the trip.
I want to do it this year but I'm on the fence, juggling priorities and I still haven't found a suitable car.
I don't like how they're using a different registration system this year so you can't view the entries.
Still don't understand why it costs so much. I mean I know they recce the route and print directions and all that jazz, but that's really it, I'm assuming they use the same lawyers as they do for the race, so that's probably part of it.
Didn't take many videos last year but glued what I had together on the youtube:
I'm not far from Cornelius nc if yall need a shower or tools.
Dusterbd13 said:
I'm not far from Cornelius nc if yall need a shower or tools.
Showers are for the weak but tools are nice.
Is that anything like escaping from New York?
You'd need a late seventies Fleetwood. With chandeliers.
I want to buy a Jaaag this weekend. Would be perfect for the trip. I agree the entry fee is high, and bummed that there isn't the $500 vehicle rule like the actual race.
I’m kind of glad for the lack of a price limit on the entry. I’d have been happy to pick up something cheap at the auto auction, but even then it might go over the limit getting it ready. However, my father-in-law took it as an opportunity to pick up something he’s been wanting for a while that was well over $500. Of course, as problem after problem comes up as we work on it, a $500 car from the goodwill auction might have been more trouble free.
This looks like fun, lets see if I can pull a team together and a car in less than a month.
Here's an unloved model up this week at my local auction. It's a charity donation, non-runner.
In reply to John Welsh :
If I still had a 302/C4 in my garage right now, I’d desperately want that.
Dusterbd13 said:
I'm not far from Cornelius nc if yall need a shower or tools.
Thank you. Hoping we won’t need to take you up on the offer, but I have a feeling this is going to be an “interesting” event. Will probably have a better idea of how things might go if we manage to do an extended test drive on Sunday.
A few days before we get on the road to the starting point, and in the last week or so we’ve had to deal with a cooling system leaking bad, and a complete brake failure. The car is out on its first test drive since the fixes. Hoping I don’t get a call to grab the tow bar and drag it home.
I really really want to do one. I am not going to this years. But hoping to find a car to do it with before next years (which hopefully they will do).
Sonic
UltraDork
1/25/18 12:19 p.m.
If anyone runs into trouble near the start, I’m about 2 hours south, and have a pretty well equipped garage. I’m on the on the road assist list thread, in Birdsboro PA.
Good luck!
Test drive was successful, mostly. No problems we can’t either deal with or live with on the road. I think I’ll have time to take it for a spin tomorrow night, which is good, since I’ve only driven it around my neighborhood a little bit before above failures.
We finished the rally! Nowhere near the front, which is to be expected, considering our car topped out around 60. Not too mention, on the last day, we blew off most of the checkpoints, and visited the Lane Motor Museum. Was a lot of fun, and we learned quite a bit to apply if we do it again.
If I can get the motivation, I’ll try to do a write up of the trip in the next few days.
If anyone wants to see photos, I have some posted on my Instagram account: UnadventurousAdventurer
In reply to eastsideTim :
When I come to tomorrow I shall be read.