Nucking Futs Race Team

nolaegghead

You haven't truly lived until you (felt like) you've almost died a few times, especially in a 24 hour period.

I raced in the 24 Hours at LeMons with the Nucking Futs Race Team on Nov 15/16.  Now I can't wait to do it again.

Pictures pending.  This race was at Houston MSR.  SWMBO made me do my living will and will.  A few family members came to watch and I hooked up with some friends from HS and college. 

SGH

I have saw some of the pics, but standing by for the rest.

SGH

@nolaegghead- This is my 10,000th post. Just wanted to say hello :P

nolaegghead

SGH said:

@nolaegghead- This is my 10,000th post. Just wanted to say hello :P

Rock out brother!

nolaegghead

Here's our car.  The car with the missing wheel is not our car.  It got in a collision and lost the wheel on this turn. I can't get my phone to hook up with my computer so I'm working on the pit pictures.  The big camera pics are available.

nolaegghead

nolaegghead said:

SGH said:

@nolaegghead- This is my 10,000th post. Just wanted to say hello :P

Rock out brother!

I'm honored you chose to do it on my post. 
^:)^

SGH

nolaegghead said:

nolaegghead said:

SGH said:

@nolaegghead- This is my 10,000th post. Just wanted to say hello :P

Rock out brother!

I'm honored you chose to do it on my post. 
^:)^

The honor was mine my friend.

ChicagoEgghead20

@SGH Congratulations on the big 10,000 to 10,000 more! ^:)^

nolaegghead

The Discovery Channel was filming these idiot street racers for another program that wanted to try LeMons. This is there car.  They didn't finish.  They spent more time on making the manikin pee than the car fast.

nolaegghead

Cleaning up the crash....

SGH

ChicagoEgghead20 said:

@SGH Congratulations on the big 10,000 to 10,000 more! ^:)^

Thank you my friend.

nolaegghead

This car had a top speed of about 40mph.  An obstacle on the track.  It was hilarious to watch.  We could hit about 100mph on the straights and some of the V8s could hit 130mph.  Our secret weapon was brakes and maneuverability.

SGH

Looks like a blast to me!!

nolaegghead

SGH said:

Looks like a blast to me!!

It was terrifying at first but exhilarating after getting over the fear.  Bumper to bumper racing with 86 $500 cars at over 100 mph.  I've done SCCA autocross before and never been to a car race but this was as much fun as you can have without being horizontal. 

We had sporadic rain and some traction issues that resulted in a lot of wrecks and spinning off the track, and it was in the 40s, but fun.  The Nomex suits are warm.  I lost it a few times but no collisions.

We blew up our rear differential at the end of the test and tune day (Friday).  I found a replacement at a Junkyard in Houston.  Had to bribe the dudes $50 to pull it out before they closed.  We got it in the car by 10PM and just had to find a die to fix a stripped stud in the morning, lost about 45 minutes of racing but it's a 15 hour race over two days.

SGH

Glad that you had a good time. Would have loved to attended myself.

nolaegghead

@SGH - I was a guest driver on this team.  I'm good for fill-in on future races, I got respectable times. 

If you want to form a team, we can talk off-line.  Pr-requisite - $500 car.  Then a lot of money in safety gear.  5 drivers that have enough money to be reliable - each race costs about $700 per driver.  That's fees, typical car repairs, fuel, tires, etc.  What you get is three days of driving one to three times a year.  Lots of the LeMons teams also race Chump Car.

Mickey

nolaegghead said:

SGH said:

@nolaegghead- This is my 10,000th post. Just wanted to say hello :P

Rock out brother!

Stand by for your goodie package from BGE. They send real neat stuff on the milestone posts.

NPHuskerFL

Nola is y'all's car a modified Miata?

JohnInCarolina

NPHuskerFL said:

Nola is y'all's car a modified Miata?

I believe that is an 89 Miata with the FuGlY mod package.

nolaegghead

@NPHHuskerFL Close -  91 Miata.  1.8L engine bored out to 2L, larger brakes plus special sauce

TigerTony

@nolaegghead‌ < you gotta be ****'n me! 

I'm sorta envious,  But I'll get my enjoyment from watching others like you risk their lives...

I am way too safety conscience in fact you could say I'm into accident prevention. Always on the look-out for possible danger.  I plan on spending the next 30-40 years of my life with all my body parts and in good working condition.

I know you are a very smart guy with lots of knowledge to share. I just can't figure out why some of the smartest people are willing to put their lives on the line for petty thrills.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that something is mentally wrong with you. But what's wrong with you?

I did however go para-sailing in Mexcico while on my honeymoon, but I was in my early twenties and didn't develop good sense yet. (my father was right about that). Two Mexicans in a boat with a make shift harness talked me into it for $20. They flew me about a  mile down the beach and dropped me down on the sand and then said I owed them $20 more dollars. My bride was sitting alone down the beach, scared and wondering wtf happened to me. 

The second riskiest thing of my life was attending brisket camp in Algiers.

I'm afraid of heights, I don't even climb up ladders,  As far as driving I don't tailgate or speed and I drive slow in teh left lane especially when I see a Porshe approaching in my rear-view mirror.

****NOTE**** It's a milestone for me. My 500th post. I'm catching you 

Eggcelsior

I love the livery on that E30.

caliking

Dude, when you said you had been in Houston racing, I assumed you were on a cycling team (I think the steam punk bicycle made me think that)!

We were in town that weekend, jet lagged, but here. What's worse than being jet lagged? Enduring it with a jet lagged 10mo!

nolaegghead

@TigerTony - While I wouldn't call this type of racing "safe", after participating in it I have observed it's much safer than it looks. 

Drivers wear gear that has to go through tech inspection.  Fire-resistant Nomex suits, SNELL certified helmets, neck protection, etc.  They're serious about the roll cage and how it's welded to the frame.  The 5 or 6 point harness and racing seat (plus we wore wrist restraints) keep you in that cage even if the car flips.  Takes two people to strap someone in and once you're in the car you almost can't move. 

Where you can run off the track there are soft barriers, but mostly skid pads and field.  Collisions are usually bumps between cars doing similar speeds. 

The biggest risk may be having a heart attack.  In fact, the only known fatality in the hundreds of 24 hours of LeMons races was a guy that had a fatal heart attack and hit a wall.  The autopsy showed he was dead from a heart attack first.

@eggcelsior - there were a few E30s out there and they were fast.  I wondered if this guy came from Maryland.  This race was in the region comprising LA and TX.

@caliking - I was down in Angleton.  Almost stayed at my buddy's wife's parent's place in Katy Sunday night but I had already paid for my hotel.  And I hate that stretch of I-10 between Katy and Houston.  I'll see you in NOLA!

caliking

We live 30mins due north of Angleton. Much closer than Katy. Way less traffic too.

MidModClod

Used to race Lemons back when they had the humiliating penalties and The People's Curse. Lemons is a lot of fun, more art-car parade than racing, a great way for the average Joe to get thier feet wet. And it's safer than the gauntlet of driving the average freeway!

http://murileemartin.com/wordpress/?p=5

 

 

lkapigian

Very Cool, But what did you guys Egg?

Spring Chicken

I've never heard of 24 Hours at LeMons before.  After reading your posts I just had to look it up on YouTube and watched a couple of races.

WOW!!!]     YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY!!!  And I say that with complete reverence and appreciation for what y'all are willing to do in the name of fun.

Your team's name should have been a clue. Nucking Futs .... How can anyone NOT like your team?

In another life I would have loved being one of you.  But now I may have to just go see a race for myself.  I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to it that I didn't see on YouTube.

See you in Salado or at a future 24 Hours at LeMons event.

Spring "It's Hard To Cure Crazy" Chicken

Spring Texas USA

Skiddymarker

......and a good time was had by all! Look forward to the next instalments of Grandpas Gone Crazy. 

Ragtop99

That looks like a blast.  The idea of not putting an expensive street car at risk and sharing the cost among drivers is pretty smart.  

nolaegghead

Moar pretty pictures...