Jalopnik: Altamont

Krider Racing Wins 2008 24 Hours of LeMons Race At Altamont

Ray Wert — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:22:43 EDT

The inaugural race of the 24 Hours of LeMons season just concluded and we're being told it looks like the winner's Krider Racing in their Integra. Murilee will have more shortly from Altamont but he predicts our very own Team Black Metal V8olvo will come in somewhere in the top 20. Give 'em all a round of applause for not only finishing after yesterday's tragedy, but for making all of us damn proud. Keep your eyes on our 24 Hours of LeMons Altamont tag for more coverage throughout the upcoming week. (Photo Credit: PK Kool via Flickr)

Just received the following text message ...

Ray Wert — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:48:57 EDT

Just received the following text message from Murilee: "[Team Black Metal V8olvo has] gone from 44th place to 19th so far today." Continue following the team's progress along with all our coverage here.

Details, Driver Name Emerge In Tragic Altamont LeMons Crash

Ray Wert — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:52:52 EDT

While Murilee and the rest of Team V8olvo musters on with thoughts still on yesterday's tragedy at the 24 Hours of Lemons race at Altamont, we here at the Jalopnik Detroit bureau are lending a helping hand with coverage. We've just received news from the Gulf 39 team on the identity of their teammate behind the wheel of the Volvo 242 Turbo along with a little more detail on the preliminary on-scene investigation by the California Highway Patrol. We'd indicated to the team we only wanted to know the name after they'd had the opportunity to notify family, so although we're assuming that's been done already, we still wanted to make sure to include the name after the fold of this post to make certain it's been taken care of already. With that in mind — the short, but full, e-mail after the jump.

The CHP reported that the car was in working order. No mechanical failure seems to have appeared...the impact was estimated at 50 to 60 MPH...Cort Summerfield was 46 years old (02/01/1961)

Again, our deepest sympathies go out to Mr. Summerfield's family, friends and teammates and we fervently hope the accident doesn't harm what until this point was one of the great examples of grassroots motorsports in action.

Tragic Death Reported At Altamont 24 Hours of LeMons Race

Ray Wert — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:03:39 EDT

We all saw the report from Murilee just under an hour ago, and now we're hearing from numerous sources that the 24 Hours of LeMons race has taken a tragic turn. Our sources tell us the driver of the Volvo 242 Turbo in Gulf Oil colors (pictured above before the race, and below from the Thunderhill LeMons race last year) has died. We're waiting on more as we hear it from team V8olvo as well as others at the Altamont 24 Hours of LeMons. If this news ends up being true, our prayers, thoughts and well-wishes go out to the family, friends and teammates. All we do know for sure is that racing has been halted for the day and will supposedly resume again tomorrow. Although if it is true, that may just be wishful thinking. Updated below the jump — and with new photos below thanks to Mark Pitts.

MOST RECENT UPDATE: 01:27 PM EST - 05/11/2008

UPDATE: If you remember, the 242 Turbo was actually the inspiration for the choice of the V8olvo.

UPDATE #2: The V8olvo happened to be right behind the 242 Turbo when it crashed. We're told it went into the wall at speed which made our team think perhaps something happened before the crash to the driver.

UPDATE #3: We have confirmation from a source with close ties to the team that there was indeed a fatality. We are withholding the name and other identifying characteristics until we're given the OK from the family and team.

UPDATE #4: The folks over at Bryan's Message Board have been chronicling the adventures of "Team Porcubimmer" — as such, a few of the forum fan-boys (and girls) were in the stands at Altamont. Here's one of their recaps of what happened:

he shot forward and sped up right before the turn, and went head on into the wall. didn't break, didn't turn...i didn't see anyone bump him. best guess is that he passed out and his foot just acted like a lead weight... but that's just based on the fact that he blasted forward so suddenly and made a beeline for the wall...took them forever to get a fucking tarp up. i was up in the stands with my dad, and he was really upset that it took them so long to do that.

Yes, of course it's speculation — but the rest of the account helps provide more verification for what we've been told was seen out at the track.

UPDATE #5: We've just received the following e-mail from a team member of the victim of the crash with his name, age and a little bit more detail on what may have happened:

The CHP reported that the car was in working order. No mechanical failure seems to have appeared...the impact was estimated at 50 to 60 MPH...Cort Summerfield was 46 years old (02/01/1961)

The LeMons People's Curse Award: Doomed 7-Series

Murilee Martin — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:15:00 EST

One of the traditions of the 24 Hours of LeMons race is the People's Curse award, in which participants vote for their least favorite car. The "winner" of this vote is then destroyed early in Day Two, and let that be a lesson to jerky drivers and/or cheating teams who spend far over the $500 limit on their cars! At the Altamont LeMons race a couple weeks back, the People's Curse award was bestowed upon this silver '97 BMW 7-series. The story was that the car was abandoned at the Orange County BMW dealership at which Poly Orchid Racing team members were employed, and was thus free. However, much grumbling ensued from members of teams who weren't able to obtain free V8-powered German übermobiles, with the results you see here.

Thing is, this team's drivers weren't jerkolas on the track, and their car wasn't blowing away its hapless competition to the extent one might expect (though it was pretty quick). Still, voice of the people and all.

Here's some video of the destruction ritual, complete with bloodthirsty mob, as captured by Belvedere Adrian, aka Plymsole.

But that wasn't the end of the line for Team Poly Orchid- the car still worked after the front end loader got through with it... and it headed back to the racetrack!

The Alfetta That Deserved To Win LeMons

Murilee Martin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EDT

While there was no shortage of underdog cars to root for at the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Altamont, cold reality made it clear that none of the Detroit battleships, Tercel wagons, or even the Jag XJ had any chance in hell of beating the BMWs and CRXs. But there was one underdog that was consistently among the race leaders during the first day and much of the second. An underdog painted in the colors of the Italian flag and making some beautiful engine sounds as it clung tenaciously to a spot in the top ten. The California Mille '78 Alfetta was fast, handled well, and had some mighty skilled drivers, but a blown head gasket knocked it down to 35th place by the time the dust had settled.

We'll be looking for this car next year... looking to blow it into the weeds with the Team Jalopnik bacon-grease-powered Econoline diesel, that is!

Heroic LeMons Yank Tank: 1975 Buick Century

Murilee Martin — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:00:00 EDT

As we make our way through some of the more interesting cars at the recent 24 Hours of LeMons race, we find a few machines that never really contended, yet inspired maniacal rooting straight from our underdog-loving hearts. This included a couple of game-but-outclassed Tercels, several trouble-plagued RX-7s (including one run by our friends over at Autoblog), and a scattering of big ol' Detroit barges. This '75 Buick Century, dubbed the "Brown Hornet" (which made for some confusion, since there was an actual AMC Hornet on the track), was in the latter group.

The Brown Hornet wasn't exactly a corner-gripping slot car on the track, but it was reliable and could take a lot of abuse (the image at top shows it plowing over a tractor tire at high speed, the sort of mishap that would have sent your typical import limping straight to the pits but which the Buick shrugged off like an annoying speed bump). Maybe we'll see this car at the next race, this time fitted out with a pre-smog 455 and bigger swaybars. We can only hope.

More Smash: Can You Really Have Too Many Pumpkins Pics?

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT

By now you've seen sexy Murilee's mondo-gallery of extra Pumpkin Smash pinups. Well, here's mine. The difference? Murilee has a $20 camera that fits in his pocket while I have a huge rig costing over a grand. And his photos look better. That's an art school education for you. Real quick: all pit shots are pre-race. Yes, I said pre-race. Enjoy (by jumping).

Drive Your Camaro Over Some Pumpkins At Altamont!

Murilee Martin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:00:00 EDT

After our crypto-live-blogtastic coverage from Altamont Saturday, we've now taken the time to prepare a couple of über-galleries of the Pumpkin Smash enduro race. We've got track shots, crowd shots, pit shots, and more. Jump like a Ford Escort getting bounced into a stalled Camaro for the gallery.

Front-Drive Traction Fails The Escort... Again

Murilee Martin — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 22:15:00 EDT

Much as we're rooting for the front-drive underdog in the Pumpkin Smash enduro, this Escort has some handling issue in addition to its inability to take Monte Carlo-style punishment. Jonny caught some nice stills of the most recent mishap, and here's the video for y'all. At the moment, we're on a break from the racing action while the kids have a costume contest; looks like a kid dressed as Dale Senior is the crowd favorite.

30 Second-Gen Camaros and an Escort!

Murilee Martin — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 21:15:11 EDT

Most of the cars here in the Altamont Pumpkin Smash- which features smashed pumpkins all over the track, not to mention soapy water- are 2nd-gen GM F-bodies and mid-70s Monte Carlos, but we've got a couple of Cadillacs, a pink '76 T-Bird, and a lone Ford Escort. Survive, little Escort, survive!

Punk Rockin' the Pumpkin Smash

Jonny Lieberman — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 21:15:00 EDT

Murilee and I are here — LIVE! — uh, "blogging" the annual Pumpkin Smash at Altamont. Just cause the Hell's Angels got it so wrong don't mean Jalopnik will. OK, we got 60 or so mostly Monte Carlos and 2nd-Gen Camaros are racing around on Pumpkins! Seriously my friends, there is nothing not to absolutely love. The cars are on their showoff lap right now, and the race is just minutes away from starting. Oh hell yeah, we just watched a '74 Eldorado do a front wheel burnout on a pumpkin. Who new heaven would be so loud? More in a bit. [Update: The Eldo just t-boned a bitchin' Camaro! Luckily, our dad has tools.]

Welcome To Pumpkin Smash!

Murilee Martin — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:30:28 EDT

I'm here at Altamont Motorsports Park for the second weekend in a row, this time covering the Pumpkin Smash Enduro race for your metal-crunching, Detroit-V8-powered enjoyment! The Loverman has rolled up in his gleaming new Lexus, and we're meeting up in Belvedere Adrian's Serro Scotty trailer for beer and sausages prior to some all-American racin' action!

Here's the interior of the luxurious Serro Scotty, where Adrian and Jonny are partaking of refreshments prior to heading out to the track.