Chump Car Rust N the Dust Grand Prix 2013

Over the summer I was invited to join a Chump Car team.  We would be racing a 1986 Toyota MR2 owned by Pete, the legendary former owner of Tire Source in Boulder.  If you've never heard of Chump Car it's one of the most accessible, competitive, and enjoyable racing series around.  "Chump" is a parody of the former Champ Car series name.  The difference is between the two is a matter of zeros, lots of them.  Chump cars must cost less than $500.  It's similar to the 24 Hours of Lemons series, but more race oriented.  To use a mountain bike racing analogy, Chump is more 24 Hours of Moab, while Lemons is more Thursday night cruiser ride.

The 1st Gen Toyota MR2

Official Chump Car Description

"This series is for gear-heads; for people who love driving and driving fast. It's not about gimmicks or theatrics. Rather, it's for Chumps like you that have always wanted to go road racing without all the hassles or expense. It's about 'Joe Average' and almost-race-ready cars.

ChumpCar is a throw-back to the era when racing was fun and cheap... when Bondo beat carbon-fiber; when a crescent wrench was the most valuable tool in your box; when home-made engineering made everyone sit up and take notice; and when adding a little theme to your car didn't get you laughed off of pit lane.

Those were good times... and they're back."

The basic rules are to start with a car that costs less than $500 and transform it into a race car.  The official rule book has over 60 pages, but here are the basics:

Here are the Basic Rules

Not including the required safety equipment that you'll need – roll-cage, racing seat, racing harness -- your car must be valued at less than $500. That’s valued at, as assessed by the general market, not what you paid for it.

Personal safety gear includes a Snell SA helmet and SFI-FIA certified driver's gear.

Strip out all the interior and take out all the glass, except the windshield. Install the roll cage, seat and harness. Add some numbers and you have just created a $500 race car. Okay, so there's more to it than that, but not much. Read the rules to fill-in the blanks.

You can upgrade the brakes a little but don’t even think of adding any trick racing suspension crap. Tires are up to you... as long as they’re DOT legal and rated for treadwear according to the rules.

ChumpCar has various race formats, but they're all endurance racing... ranging from 7 hours to 36 hours. You’ll need a minimum of 3 drivers for most events – 4 for the longer events – and it's wise to have a couple of crew guys as part of the team. Get people on your team that know what end of a screwdriver to use and can think clearly at 3:19am when a wheel bearing starts to disintegrate.

If you cheat or screw-up or both... you'll be docked laps. If you come to Tech Inspection with a car that's worth $1,500... plan on starting the race about 100 laps down from everyone else. You can still run in the race and you'll have a great time... but you’ll never win. If that doesn't bother you, you're our kind of Chump!

The event is equal parts prepping the car, keeping it running, and racing.  Actually, it's not.  It's mostly keeping the car running with just a little bit of racing.  Our 1986 MR2 had already been stripped and caged, but it had been sitting with the engine halfway out for over two years.  Our team consisted of another Alex (Alex V), Tim, Justin, Casey, and myself.  In addition to the car, Pete lent us shop space and lots of help.

Our MR2 Before the Race

Although everyone shed blood, sweat, and tears getting the car ready, Tim was our most valuable wrencher.  In the few weeks leading up to the race we:

Dropped the Engine

Replaced the Clutch

Fabricated an Exhaust

Fabricated a Roof

Wired Lights (part of the race was at night)

Wired Oil Pressure and Temp Gauges

Fixed the Rear Suspension

Fabricated Window Netting

Changed the Engine & Gearbox Oil, Brake Fluid

Bled the Cooling System

Decals and Numbers

Got the Engine Running

Considering the work that needed to be done, it's amazing we made it to the track at all!

Progress

The weekend would consist of two races, a 12 hour enduro on Saturday from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm and a 6 hour endruo on Sunday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  We made it to the track Friday and passed the tech inspection with no issues.  The field was stacked with 41 teams, 38 of which actually got a car on the race track.  After tech we properly decorated our murdered-out MR2 with some duct tape time-attack stripes and checkerboard highlights on the headlight covers and mirrors.  The innovation did not end with our car either.  A walk through the paddocks revealed tons of hilarity.

Tech Inspection

Duct Tape Time-Attack Stripes and Checkerboard Highlights

Dryer Hose Climate Control System

Suzuki Swift in the Paddock Next to Us



Best Decal



Best Cold Air Intake (ABS pipe)





Best Rear Spoiler (Snowboards)







Civics


photo courtesy of Velocity



Big Ass Audi Wagon

Saturday we were last car on the grid due to some last minute technical issues - namely fueling!  That put us in last place on the rolling start, but Tim was at the wheel and quickly put the MR2 in the front half of the field.  He ran our fastest lap of the weekend, a 2:26.59.

The Field Exiting the Paddocks

Vid's from Tim's Stint

Double Car Pass in Turn 6

Audi Spinning Off in Turn 8

Getting Sideways in the Esses

Waiting to Go Out

After 50 laps I was up.  The MR2 was light and well balanced, but it was down on power and painfully loud even with ear plugs.  The third gear syncro needed a pause between upshifts and the steering was as sloppy as a 1986 Toyota - because it was!  It had too much understeer on turn in, but the mid-engine layout was super forgiving. None of that mattered though, it was delightful to drive.  More kart than race car, I was able to get away with things that would have put me up-side-down and on fire in the M Roadster.  That was fortunate, because I needed to.  The MR2 was a momentum car, requiring significant line changes over my car.  The trick was to lose as little speed as possible on turn entry and be back on the power as soon as possible.  Mixing it up with the field was great, but I left seconds on the table learning the car and preserving it for the other drivers.  My lap times were in the low 2:30's, my best lap 2:31.89.  After 17 laps the temp gauge started climbing uncomfortably.  I brought it in for our first mechanical of the race.

Brook's E36 and Pete's Miata Duking it Out


photo courtesy of Velocity

The Geezers Escort Service Ford Escort


photo courtesy of Velocity

A Very Competitive Jetta


photo courtesy of Velocity

The only E21 in Attendance 

photo courtesy of Velocity

Cow Racing Nissan Altima


photo courtesy of Velocity

E30 Spinning Exiting Turn 1


photo courtesy of Velocity

Snowboard Spoiler in Action


photo courtesy of Velocity

Civic in Action


photo courtesy of Velocity

My Favorite E30


photo courtesy of Velocity

And Back in the Pits - Cooling Issues

The cap off the overflow reservoir had exploded off, blowing brown rusty water all over the inside of the car and on back of my helmet.  Our theory was that a large air bubble had migrated through the cooling system.  Cooling system wows would become a theme for the race.  The inherant flaw of any mid-engine car is a complex cooling system, but we were confident that the gigantic Volvo radiator lodged in the front would keep those at bay.  We bled the system and put Justin out.

Justin Going Out

Justin and Alex V. went out next, running just over 70 trouble-free laps.  Then Alex V. came in being pushed by the wrecker.  The front brakes had completely failed.  Further inspection revealed that the left front inside pad had worn completely down to the backing plate, welding the caliper piston to what was left of the pad backing plate.  We managed to separate the piston, flush the FOD out of the caliper, install the piston, install new pads, and bleed the system in about 30 mins.

Left Front Brake Piston Welded to the Pad

Back in business, we put Tim back out.  He fought us back into the front half of the pack while bleeding profusely from the nose.  Justin went out next and reeled in more places.  After roughly 30 more trouble free laps, Justin limped back into the pits.  The front of the radiator had sprung a leak, spewing rusty water all over the windshield.  We tried soldering the crack, but that didn't work.  I got on my longboard and made a round through the pits.  All I could find was JB Weld, and the slow drying kind at that.  It supposedly took 4-6 hours to set.  We gave it 30 mins!  Then we covered it with layers of aluminum tape, pizza box cardboard, and duct tape.  What could possibly go wrong?

Tim After Driving an Hour with a Nose Bleed 

The Carnage

More Radiator Repairs

Un-cured JB Weld, Aluminum Tape, Pizza Box, and Duct Tape

Our Contingency Strategy

I was up next, driving in the dark.  I've always run my fastest 24 hour mountain bike race laps at night and hoped for the same.  I wouldn't be disappointed.  Racing at night was the most fun I've had at High Plains Raceway.  Driving into the inky darkness guided only by the yellow pylons of four cheap headlights was like shooting an ILS approach to minimums.  Using my memory of the track, I kept the pavement under the wheels most of the time.  I also finally started passing other cars.  My best lap was a 2:31.56, a hair faster than my day stint.  After 20 laps a full course yellow grouped the field.  We were in 17th place.  I pitted and Alex V. headed out.  His stay on the track would be short, our pizza box radiator repair had failed.  Our race was over with under 30 minutes before it ended.

Into the Night

Unpolluted Night Sky of Eastern CO


photo courtesy of Velocity

We finished the race in 19th place, completing 186 laps.  Yes, yes, we may have been 97 laps down from the leader, but we were still in the front half of the field.  Considering our car had not run until the night before the race and our constant cooling issues, I'm impressed at our performance.  More importantly, everyone had a blast.  Sunday was more of the same.  The car ran great when it was on the track, but ultimately succumed to overheating issues.  

The Twin Cam Toyota 1600 Motor Doesn't Owe Us a Penny

Through both races, the entire crew came together as a team and pulled it off.  With a little more power and the cooling issues sorted I think the MR2 will be competitive next year.  Thanks to Pete for the car and everything else, Brooks (for the JB Weld and other radiator), Alex V for organizing and being team captain, Tim and his wife for hours of hard work on the car, Justin for driving down from WY, and Casey for unyielding support in the pits.  

The Race Winning Chump Faces E30

Coolest Trophies Ever

Thanks to Velocity for photos.  You can see his website HERE