Jalopnik 
Enter your username and password.
Detroit, 12:08 AM
Tue Dec 1
29 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip your editors:
tips@jalopnik.com
Editor-in-Chief:
Ray Wert | Email | AIM
Road Test Editor:
Wes Siler | Email
Weekend Editor:
Murilee Martin | Email
Associate Editor - Houston:
Matt Hardigree
Associate Editor - Detroit:
Ben Wojdyla
Editor-at-Large:
Mike Spinelli
Contributors:
Mark Arnold
John Krewson | Email
Andy Didorosi
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
08/17/09
But the rules allow your cheater car to be claimed, and your competitors can get your car flattened like a crepe. Don't forget it.
08/17/09
I'm just really curious where the 'brake checking' is coming from? My best guess is after our rear-end incident, we had to switch to 2 year old used-at-lemons 15" falkens on the front of the car for most of Saturday and it handled terribly. The drivers for those stints were driving a powerful car that could not corner or brake well (ABS was not pleased with the 15s).
Thanks to the organizers and all the great competitors there, LeMons is a great event.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
Second, I'd like to set the record straight. No one on the team ever intentionally brake checked or dive-bombed anyone. We did slow down for yellow flags and did certainly pass in braking zones (this isn't a NASA HPDE 1 session, it is a race). We were unfortunately rear-ended by a very nice fellow (who later apologized and had us sign his fender for a breast cancer awareness cause) in a BMW 3-series who didn't notice our car slowing for a fire truck merging onto the track under yellow flag...this is the ONLY reason I can come up with Mr Martin's unfortunate misconception about brake checking. We had many drivers give us compliments on our track ediquette as well as a group of corner workers who went out of there way to give us props on keeping it clean. I won't waste time giving my opinion on why we were crushed, it is better left to philosophers like Aristotle (specifically his treatise on rhetoric, Bertrand Russell, or anyone who has spent time investigating the science of 'Schadenfreude')..but I digress too much.
Last -- the race was a fantastic time 180 laps racing against the best $500 cars in the country, including the 10 minutes of watching the car get "adjusted" by the angry mob and the 90 minutes of "re-adjusting" the car such that it ran again on its own power.
Sincerely,
Black Iron Racing
2006 Altamont Peoples Choice
2007 Altamont First Place Overall
2009 Buttonwillow Peoples Curse, Most Heroic Fix.
08/17/09
As for bad driving accusations, I heard complaints from many sources. Not as many as with, say, Salazar Racing, but enough to establish a pattern: the perception was that BIR was doing Bad Things out there.
08/17/09
Was disappointed to her you guys got the peoples curse..as a M60 owner, I was really hoping you guys would show 'em what's what!
How much did the unruly crowd manage to wrench off?
You guys have any photos or videos of the teardown, racing or rebuilding? Would be glad to see :)
08/16/09
They got this thing back together and finished the race... with the whole crowd cheering as they drove through the checkered...
08/16/09
08/17/09
08/16/09
The only thing I'd say is that (not being there and only going by Murilee's articles) it does seem kinda like the judges did a bit of a passive-aggressive thing with not giving them a ton of penalty laps but all-but-designating them as the most likely to get the Curse for getting away with cheating. I can't get seriously worked up in favour of a BMW though.
BTW, what happened to those Audi A4s on the entry list?
08/16/09
08/17/09
08/16/09
Shouldn't that read "Mad Maxism"?
08/16/09
08/16/09
08/16/09
Perhaps the People's Curse could adopt the federal Clunker Euthanasia Kit method to off offending vehicles.
Of course, they'll have to add some noisy power tools or big fireworks; maybe both. Remember, this is a growing Spectator Sport.
08/16/09
They drove like assholes.
Nothing to see here.
Move along...
08/16/09
"How long has this been going on?"
08/17/09
08/16/09
08/16/09
Do you know how annoying it is to be brake checked incessantly by the same reakin person?
08/16/09
Sorry, contact rules or no, if someone gets in front of me and brakes hard, repeatedly, I might just pretend I wasn't paying such good attention the third or fourth time.
08/16/09
That's exactly it. Check the rules - if you think your panties might get wrapped around the driveshaft...don't race!
08/17/09
08/16/09