My pictures from the Rolex24

[20V'er]

I went on a bit of a road trip last week and ended up in Daytona for the Rolex24. Here is some of my crappy point and shoot pictures and a bit of the story to go with them.

Don't let Jimmy Johnson back your car into the tire wall on day 1 of practice or you will end up with this in your pits: (keep in mind this is a mid engine rear wheel drive car).
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/1.jpg

If you do you simply get out the blue prints for the chassis and go to work.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/4.jpg

You use this guy as your frame rack and let him bounce on the different frame members until everything measures out with a tape measure.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/5.jpg

Then you start bolting and welding on lots of new parts and by 4 a.m. you have a race car again.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/6.jpg

Random Brumos Porsche rear end:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/2.jpg

Which drivetrain should be run again? They had this drivetrain out of the car before it was cool enough to touch.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/3.jpg

A 305 on the rear sounds like a good plan to me:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/7.jpg

Of course if a 305 is your rain rear even better: (the Pirelli guy's only brought 10,000 tires with them with an average cost of $450 a tire).
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/8.jpg

This will do:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/9.jpg

or this:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/10.jpg

Practicing driver changes:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/11.jpg

Some Mazda wheels:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/13.jpg

I wish I would have take a video of how quick he can drain that fuel can. In the actual race the fuel guy usually jumps onto the hood as the car is coming to a stop while the car is hitting the air jacks. Then you toss on 40 + pounds of fuel on his shoulder and some times a rain soaked hood. So nothing like hitting a moving target!
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/14.jpg

The Speedsource RX8's were very impressive. They run a triple rotor engine with an 8,600 prm limit that produces exhaust temps in the 2200 to 2800 degree range. This leads to a 3-5 foot flame thrower at night!
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/15.jpg

[20V'er]

http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/16.jpg

Crown Royal cars chasing each other around the track:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/17.jpg

Now where did I leave my F car, oh yeah its the one sitting on the air jacks in the parking lot:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/19.jpg

Spare RX8 front end. That is the clutch and flywheel sitting there as well. The 30 car actually had some internal engine issues and spent the rest of the race in the semi.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/20.jpg

Hoping the issue was drivetrain related, but it wasn't.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/21.jpg

There will be some issues during a 24 race. Here is a small part of the scrap pile. Teams would randomly show up and search through the piles and take misc bits with them.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/22.jpg

Mazda pit tour.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/23.jpg

All business:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/24.jpg

Random cracked carbon fiber fender, not sure why cars was in the pits during the race.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/25.jpg

Sunday morning (12-15 hours in some cars were starting to not return from the pits).
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/26.jpg

Little bit of everything on the side, but probably mostly burnt spent fuel.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/27.jpg

Why is this car retired?
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/28.jpg

Oh that's why, it turned itself into a giant fire ball:

http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/29.jpg

Give these guy's the chance and they will race the wheels off of anything!
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/30.jpg

Oh yeah this guy won after 760 some laps. Slowing down from the 190mph range in this picture.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/31.jpg

Someone's personal car:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/32.jpg

Little battle in GT:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/33.jpg

The Turner car was pretty much brand new and held together and was in the fight at the end.
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/34.jpg

http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/35.jpg

[mimalmo]

It was a great race this year. Some good battles all the way to the end. I'm going to try to go next year.

[ShowCar]

Give these guy's the chance and they will race the wheels off of anything!
http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/30.jpg

Hellaflush, yo.


Sweet pics/commentary. :beer:

[SLK]

http://homepages.gac.edu/~rheidcam/Rolex24/27.jpg

so I take it this car caught on fire too?


It looks like a really fun time. I would love to make it out there at some point in my life.

[mimalmo]

so I take it this car caught on fire too?


It looks like a really fun time. I would love to make it out there at some point in my life.


No, that car finished the race.

[SLK]

No, that car finished the race.

I guess I am just confused by the large amounts of soot on the side of the car and on the hood what looks like a burn spot starting to melt through.

[Die Frau]

Thanks for sharing, your comments were great! How did you get onto gasoline alley? Special ticket?

[urgti]

Did anything from those scrap piles end up in Van?

[The_Stig]

Great group of pics, bet it was a blast to get into the garages like that.

[JK9K]

I guess I am just confused by the large amounts of soot on the side of the car and on the hood what looks like a burn spot starting to melt through.

That's just shit from being out on the track. Very dirty out there.

[Digital K]

rad. thanks for posting. looks like a cool time!

[applebit]

thanks for the pics!

[Conman]

Sick!