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2010 We began 2010 with Renee running her first AMEC ice racing event at Caroga Lake, NY. She ran again at the Tupper Lake double and Tim ran the remainder of ice racing events. Next Tim competed in a Chump Car event with Team Paisley in March at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina. Tim will focus on running Lemons events with Team Paisley, Adopted by Jets team and our own car "Norman" and will also race in the 4-cylinder enduros at Monadnock Speedway in Norman. Brian is scheduled to run two SCCA Regional double events in the Formula Vee, as well as the Lemons car in July. Team Remmers entered our own Lemons car for the race at Stafford Motor Speedway in July and enlisted the help of niece Grainne Drollas as our fourth driver for that event. July 24 & 25 -- 2010 LeMons New England at Stafford Motor Speedway Tim, with some help from Brian and Renee, had Norman (car #20) ready to go for this fun race event. It would be the first time road racing for both Renee and Grainne, and Brian had never driven Norman. We even had two spectators--Pat and James--drive up from New Jersey to support our team. Thanks! I, naturally, was the official photographer and caterer for the event. Needless to say, nobody went hungry during the 20 hours spent at the track. Pictures of the event will be on our Photobucket site, or just click the Multimedia / Photo and any picture link and you will get to our site. The driving order for Saturday's race was Tim, Grainne, Brian, Renee. Here is what Grainne had to say about the race: "In the spring, when my Uncle asked if I would be the fourth driver in a LeMons car race, I eagerly accepted. Of course, I had no idea what I was signing up for and July seemed a long way away. But, as the days drew closer, I started to have serious doubts as to whether I would make him lose the race. He assured me that the object of this race was to have fun, rather than take a checkered flag. On race day, as I was strapped into the seat, and about to enter the track, I had serious questions about my own sanity. My own personal dialogue was something to the effect of "Am I really getting onto a racetrack with a bunch of nutbags dressed for Halloween, with pole dancers and rhinos strapped to their hand-painted vehicles?". Then it was ON! I was on the track and it took about 7 laps to realize that these people meant business and I better get with the program. There were plenty of experienced drivers and novices alike. So, I was not alone. The competitive button in me was turned on and it kicked fear to the curb. On the track, i realized that LeMons racing is just what it claims to be: A chance for everyone to race. I came off the that track so high that it lasted three days. I've never done drugs, but if that is what drugs feel like, I have a better understanding of why people get stoned. Shame they don't know about racing! I'm very lucky and very thankful that my Uncle included me on his race team. My job is easy - I just show up. But, even more than a chance to race, and I risk the chance of sounding too corny, racing LeMons has given me back my zest for life. I want to race more, play more, live more, enjoy more, and did I say race more!???........ hint hint."  
Grainne sandwiched going 3-wide on the straightaway TeamRemmers after the LeMons New England event July 17 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH racing 4-cylinder enduro Tim was hopeful that the fuel pick up problem was resolved. He drew a good number and was toward the front of the race group this weekend. After taking the green flag, it became apparent watching from the stands that the car was not handling well. Tim exhibited great car control as he managed to keep from spinning after getting tagged by a competitor, and also a couple times when the car was extremely ill-handling once going into turn 2 and the other time going into turn 4. His lap times were fairly consistent, but not quite up to what they could be. Afterwards, Tim mentioned he was still having issues with fuel pick up, just not as often or severe as at the last race. Upon pulling the car onto the trailer, we noticed water coming from under the hood. Luckily it was just a bleeder valve that came off and there was no damage done. Hopefully the car will be good to go for the LeMons New England race at Stafford Springs on July 24 & 25. July 3 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH racing 4-cylinder enduro Tim and Brian worked on Norman (car #20) Saturday morning to upgrade the gas lines before we loaded up to leave for Monadnock. It was a nice treat to have Tim's sister Pat join us since she hadn't seen him race at this track yet. We were half way to the track when we had a blowout in the rear tire of the van. Luckily the spare was good to go and Tim and Brian quickly removed and replaced the shredded tire and we were back on the road. There wasn't a large turnout, only 22 cars in Tim's group, but we were hoping to finish well again. Tim took the track about 3 cars from the back and it seemed like he was having problems getting up to speed. The red flag came out in the 2nd lap and again in the 4th lap, both times allowing Tim to get a good jump and pass about 4 cars, only to lose the spot because he wasn't able to get up to speed. After lap 5, Tim retired from the race. He said he was having a fuel pickup problem and the car kept cutting out, which is why he wasn't able to get going. Apparently, when working on the fuel line, they made an adjustment that essentially created a vacuum and wasn't allowing the gas to get through. Oh well, not how we wanted the race to go, but the fireworks were awesome. June 19 & 20 -- Capitol Offense 24 Hours of Lemons race, Summit Point, WV Got to the track late Friday afternoon and all seemed well with the Adopted by Jets car. Josh M. was just tinkering with the front bumper to make adjustments to improve air flow into the car. Other than that, the car was set to go. We had plenty of time to walk around and check out the other competitors and stop by to visit with our friends on Team Paisley. The Saturday race starter for the team was Kip. He took the green flag and soon began gaining positions. He had gained about 11 spots when a couple yellow flag incidents caused us to be separated from the lead group, putting the leaders behind us instead of us being able to close the gap to them. After just over an hour on the track, Kip came in to have something checked out. A driver change was made at this time and Josh M. got behind the wheel. The team checked out the car and decided there wasn't any problem, so Josh headed out onto the track. He wasn't out very long when he came in to have the something checked out--but was soon back into the race. After just over 30 minutes, Josh drove the car to the paddock area and it was evident the Adopted By Jets' race was over. The car was making the dreaded load knocking that meant the engine was done. The team hung around and watched some of the racing--I cheered for our friends on Team Paisley who had worked their way to 2nd place by the time we were headed home early Saturday evening. May 29 -- Monadnock Speedway 4-Cylinder Enduro Got to the track early and enjoyed watching the other events. Two groups before we were to go out there was a rain shower and they cancelled the rest of the events. Our makeup dates of June 5th and 12th were rained out. May 1 -- Monadnock Speedway 4-Cylinder Enduro Tim ran this 50 lap event in Norman (car #20) and drew a starting position of 13th out of 27 cars. The race was barely underway when cars were spinning off the track and the red flag came out. As is usually the case with this event, there was lots of excitement and several other red flags before the end of the race. Tim had some great restarts, one where he gained about 1/4 of the track on several competitors. He worked his way up through the cars, with one incident when car #77 came into him as they were coming up to turn 4. Tim's car got extremely unbalanced, but he kept it together and kept the pressure on the #77 car, eventually getting by him. Tim missed the leaderboard by just one spot--finishing 6th. April 17/18 -- Lemons American Irony (Detroit MI) -- Mechanical difficulties left one car unavailable so Tim and another driver chose not to go, leaving the one car with 6 drivers. March 13 -- Rockingham 14, Chump Car Series, Rockingham, NC (driver--Tim) Tim ran this event with Team Paisley. After Jeff Filipkowski finished the first two hours the team was in third place, but that didn't last. Car problems took them out for over four hours as they didn't have the spares and it was a scramble to find a place open that had parts. Once back on the track all the drivers gained on the slower cars and Ed Womer and Tim each gained a lap back on the leader during their time in the car which boosted the team up to an 11th place finish after having been as far back as 14th. Final standings are in for AMEC ice racing. Tim finishes 11th and Renee 13th in a class with 26 competitors. January 30 & 31, 2010--AMEC Ice Racing at Tupper Lake, NY (Driver Renee) To say it was cold would be an understatement--it was freezing! The drinks in the cooler were slushies. It was a very nice event AMEC put on at Tupper Lake. We had heated restrooms, McDonald's across the street, and parked off the Lake in a paved parking area. There were plenty of spectators too who braved the cold--of course most remained in their heated vehicles. Renee did a good job keeping the car under control and improved with each session. Because there was a coating of snow, visibility during the racing was poor from all the snow thrown up, especially Sunday when we were having snow flurries. You'll see what it looked like if you view our photos or videos. Renee worked on slowing more going into the corners to avoid snowbanks and to get better speed coming out of the turn. She drove much better this weekend and had some good racing with the #32 Porsche. AMEC arranged for a buffet dinner at Park Restaurant Saturday night and it was delicious. The bench racing and comaraderie made for a fun evening. We "crashed" early since it had been a long day out in the cold. Sunday we woke to -1F and snow flurries. Unfortunately the wind picked up and made for a very uncomfortable, cold day (at least for us). Visibility on the track was worse than Saturday, but Renee did well and enjoyed the racing. It was nice to have a two-day event and even though it was a long drive and the weather wasn't ideal, it was a fun weekend. January 24, 2010--AMEC Ice Racing at Lake Algonquin, NY (Driver Tim)
Tim took the wheel of the Saab #08 for this weekend's racing at Lake Algonquin. It was another beautiful winter day-- not too cold, sunny in the morning, then clouding up in the afternoon. Tim spent the practice session getting used to the car. He got faster with each race heat and had some great racing with Kip in #02 for a large part of one race. Probably the highlight of the day was when Eric Nelson offered to let Tim drive half the last Menard session in his Saab #94. With shifting on the column being something Tim never did, and just one tiny side mirror, Tim had quite an experience as the faster cars in the group overtook him.
January 17, 2010--AMEC Ice Racing at Caroga Lake, NY (Driver Renee) It was Renee's debut as an ice racer in the season opener at Caroga Lake. Tim rode along with her in our Saab 900 Number 08 during the practice session as she took to the ice tentatively--worried about sliding and hitting one of her competitors. Not to worry though, she got through the session, learned about oversteering and how to reenter the course after ending up heading in the wrong direction. As the day progressed, she gained confidence and got faster--although she really did have an attraction for the snowbanks. Seemed it was the same vehicle pulling her out each time she got stuck. She had some great racing during her last couple sessions where she was able to gain and pass other cars. During the last race of the day she caught and passed 4 cars and they ran in a tight group most of the time. Although she lost time in the last corner and then got off course after the first turn with just two laps to go, allowing the 4 cars to overtake her, she stayed away from the snowbanks and took the checkered flag. Here's her version of the day: The morning of the race started off pretty terrible, but it was a day of perseverance. Mom, dad, and I got everything all packed up and ready to go so we were out the door by 6:00 a.m., but lo and behold, we got in the car and had a dead battery. By the time we were finished replacing the battery it was 6:45 a.m. The drive to Caroga Lake, NY wasn’t bad, and we arrived to a beautiful day, with conditions that were “perfect for ice racing”--so I was told. It was my first time ever doing ice racing, so saying that I was apprehensive is a bit of an understatement. As we were doing a last check making sure everything was ready for tech, we realized that the fire extinguisher was still at home. Off dad went to go get a new one. Perseverance was still the theme of the day. The first session was the Menard class with their studded tires. Sitting and watching them go out for their practice was amazing. They seemed crazy to me, going so fast out there, but soon enough I was out for my own practice session with dad right beside me in the passenger seat. I started out slow, never having driven on serious ice before, and fairly unsure of what exactly I was doing. After a few spin- outs, and a few snow bank encounters, the practice was over and I was still apprehensive about racing, especially knowing that what I was driving was the car we had to drive home. After another session of watching the experienced racers, I was very downcast about whether or not I could do well. My second session was a disaster. After doing lap after lap at a snail slow pace, I ran the car into a snow bank with just a few laps to go. I was incredibly disheartened. I had been lapped by even the second to last car. It was hard to get me back into the car to try again, but persevere I did. Kip who was driving Saab car #02 had been having trouble getting his car started so he ended up being put at the very end of the pack when he finally got the car started. Once Kip passed me, I realized that his car wasn’t really that different from mine, and if I followed him, I could probably see how I should be driving. That’s really when the bug bit me. I pushed the car hard and kept up with Kip for several laps, but made a very rookie mistake landing myself in another snow bank because I was trying too hard to push myself and went a little too fast. I had gotten stuck pretty early in the race, so I was able to watch how the faster cars came into the last corner, and I learned. The last session was by far my best of the day. I went into the session so much more confident than all the other runs, and it really paid off. During the pace lap, I wanted to catch up to the pack, and got a little ahead of myself, running into another snow bank. Luckily they pulled out a double yellow, and I got bailed out of the snow. I pulled in at the back of the pack, but I at least I was back in the game. The race started and I quickly made my way back up behind Kip, and that’s where I was for most of the race. It was a huge battle between Kip in No. 02, No. 53, No. 41, and I. The battle raged on, and for a while I was ahead of them, but two laps from the end of the race I "saw the red mist”, as it is called, and I messed up in a few of the corners and ended up being passed by those three cars. I was able to catch up some but not make up any places in the remaining laps. Overall, the learning experience was great and my confidence improved. I was exhausted, but it was a really great day!
2009 August 22 -- New Jersey Motorsports Park, SCCA Regional What a nasty, rainy weekend at the track! I had no sooner left to go work at timing & scoring Saturday morning when the sky opened up and it was a deluge. Apparently our paddock area was almost a river, so Brian and Tim frantically packed everything up and moved to higher ground. The second spot was much better. The torrential rain continued for at least 15 minutes before it started easing, then the track needed to be cleared of pooled water in turns 1 and 5 where there was very poor runoff. This delayed the start of the day’s events by over an hour. Eventually the rain tapered off, but not before causing more minor delays due to cloud bursts. By the time Brian went out (group 9) for the first qualifying session it was already after 2 p.m., the rain had stopped, and they were on slicks with just a few damp areas on the track. Brian did well in qualifying, managed to stay on the track and had a fast lap of 1:40:882 for a second place on grid for the qualifying race. Because of the major delays, Brian's group didn’t run their qualifying race until Sunday morning and it was shortened to 7 laps. The track on Sunday had areas of standing water, but was dry enough for slicks. Brian started out in first place going into the 1st turn. A F500 had spun right after the turn and Brian spun when trying to avoid. He made a rookie mistake and instinctively lifted which caused the car to go around. That put him at the back of the pack. Then when he got to the area between turns 2 & 3 the vees of Tammy Oswald and Jay Smith were tangled together and he again ended up off track avoiding. He got muddy, but was able to continue. Since they threw a full-course yellow, he was able to catch up with the rest of the pack. What a great restart he had, with just two laps to go he rocketed up into the field of Formula Ford's at the restart! Awesome teamwork by mom on radio giving the green and the driver. That didn't last long though as the National driver Jeff Filipkowski caught him and so did James Hannum who was fastest FV all weekend. Brian ended up in third with a close finish—check out our photos. James, however, apparently passed under the double yellow and even though he gave back the position, the stewards disqualified him and sent him to the back of the grid. That moved Brian to second place position for the second race late in the same afternoon. When I went back at lunchtime the guys told me the floor pan had been torn during one off-road in the qualifying race and the car was caked with mud inside and out--including the video camera! It was quite a chore to clean it up. The afternoon weather was a little cooler, with clouds coming in again, and the guys were saying afterwards that the track was really slippery. Brian had a decent start and seemed to be cautious, even allowing the two cars he was racing with at the beginning have the Turn 1 positions. That actually slowed him up a lot and Bill Young who was in 4th caught him. It didn't matter though, because in the 2nd lap Filipkowski spun in turn 10 (the devil’s tail) then the next lap Brian did too. When Brian went off track he didn't hit anything but the car stalled and wouldn't refire. A guy sitting behind me in the bleachers was keeping me informed and said they were sending a truck out; but then he said Brian got refired and was heading out onto the track. That cost him over an entire lap. He ran very well after that, with times consistently in the 1:39's. He was gaining on the back two cars and caught Tammy on the next to last lap but wasn't able to make a pass. He chose to stay behind because of unfamiliarity with her driving style and it wouldn't have given him a position anyway. Although Brian finished last (in 6th place), he consistently ran 1:39’s, with a fast lap of 1:39.139 which was 4th fastest of the Vees and comparable to Bill Young’s 1:38.893 fast lap. July 26 -- CART Autocross, LAZ Parking, Hartford
Renee was on her own at the CART autocross on Sunday as Brian was running the SCCA Regional at Watkins Glen in the Formula Vee, with the rest of the family crewing for him. Because there were no other cars in the "X" Novice class, Renee was moved up to "Y" Novice. They ran the course in both directions today. Renee wasn't happy with her best times of 30.925 and 32.916 running the reverse of the course, but she still managed to place 4th in our 1993 Saab 900, only .232 seconds behind the third place 1996 Saab 900 SE. July 25 and 26 -- SCCA Watkins Glen Regional, Watkins Glen, NY
Brian's Saturday morning qualifying session went okay. During the third lap he got off line in the laces and spun, gathered it up, and continued on to run a fast lap of 2:24.527 in lap 5. He placed 2nd on the grid for the afternoon's 7-lap qualifying race. The qualifying race was very good, with Brian, Andy Pastore, and Curt Bennett running in the top three the entire time, swapping positions throughout. Brian led 4 of the 7 laps at the line, but most importantly was 1st at the checkered flag. Brian and Andy had some good side by side racing and it was a great, close finish to the line, with Curt finishing third. Brian had pole for the 12 lap race on Sunday and got a good start. He held first place for a couple laps, fell to second but came back up to first on lap 4. He then fell back to third where he remained until lap 8 when he rounded the last turn in first place again. That would not last and he was back in third at the line on laps 9 & 10. On the final lap, he made the pass around Curt for second, had a good run going and was coming up on Arnie, in first place, at the toe of the boot. Brian had passed him there before and so kept his momentum and went for an outside pass as Arnie had blocked the inside. Brian ended up on the rough pavement and went into the "marbles" and went off fast and hard into the tire wall then slid across to the other side of the track; his race was done. Brian was okay--the car not so much. Brian's youthful exuberance and lack of experience took its toll. He still has plenty to learn about who to pass, where and how. This was an expensive lesson; one which many in his position have had to learn the hard way as well.
July 11 & 12 -- Stafford Motor Speedway 2009 LeMons New England
AdoptedByJets Drivers: Jim, Josh, Kip, Tim and Eric The LeMons New England car #42 is based on a 1971 Saab 99. The car has undergone a powertrain transplant from a 1990 Twin-Cam Saab 900. What a fun event! There were three classes of cars: 1 - the good, 2 - the bad, and 3 - the ugly; we were ugly! The AdoptedByJets Saab 99 car #42 was on track for all of 28 minutes until it had to be towed off track and the alternator and fuel pump replaced (after a trip to go get parts). This kept the team off the track for almost 3 hours. Jim ran the very short first session and was doing very well making his way through the other 53 cars on track. Unfortunately, Jim put wheels off the pavement and had to go to the Penalty Box to spin the wheel for one of the "penalties". He spun the wheel and landed on the "Bart Simpson" spot. The team had to write on the car 100 times "I will not go off pavement" before Jim could return to the track. They were quite speedy, with the help of many bystanders offering pens, and got back on track in a short time. 
Jim 
major repairs After the repairs, Kip took the wheel and was screaming through the field passing several cars every lap. Unfortunately, Kip had a close encounter with a cone and had to go to the Penalty Box also. He spun the wheel and also landed on the "Bart Simpson" spot. He had to get down on a knee and apologize to a symbolic cone that the officials had at the penalty box and then write 100 times on the car (the hood was full) "I will not hit my brother the cone" before returning to the track. Again, plenty of people offered pens to the crew and Kip was back on track quickly. Kip continued his pace of 32-34 second laps until it was time for the driver change. Kip turned a fast lap time of 32.382 and it would hold to be the weekend's fast lap for the team. 
Kip The 3rd driver was Tim. He too would take the track and pass cars continually, running 32-34 second laps as well. There were several close calls when cars ahead would spin entering the road course and he needed to take evasive action. Luckily, he managed it without going off course or hitting anything--that is until car #699 (chosen People's Curse) came across the track and cut him off. Tim caught the wall with the front right corner of the car, did a lap and then made a quick pit stop and the team quickly straightened a bent wheel as best they could and Tim went out for about 15 more minutes. Tim must have made friends with the judges because he did not incur a penalty for the hit to the wall. Finally, a bit of luck! 
Tim It was now Eric's chance to get behind the wheel as the team's 4th driver. After a quick refueling, he was on his way. Eric ran consistent lap times, keeping the team competitive and hoping for a win in class. First they had to catch the Corvair and Datsun. Lucky for them, the Datsun incurred another penalty, helping us move up within striking range for their second place spot. Eric was the first driver to stay out of trouble and he incurred no penalties during his time on track. Way to go Eric! 
Eric Now it's up to the final driver of the team, Josh, to keep up the pace on track so they can gain ground on the Corvair. He, as did Eric, had to drive an ill-handling car due to the bent wheel. Josh set a good pace, moved the team up, and kept his run clean and free of penalties. Kip took over for the rest of the night and was running well until around 9:20 p.m. when he once again had to visit the Penalty Box. The team would be told they were done for the evening (race was to be until 10 p.m.). As it happened, the rain came after 9:25 p.m. and it poured and the event was shut down. Another lucky break for the AdoptedByJets team. They only lost about 10 minutes on track and might still have a shot at the win in class. They would have to wait and hope all would go well on Sunday. 
Josh It was another beautiful day at Stafford Motor Speedway on Sunday for the final hours of the LeMons New England. But first, the announcement of the People's Curse and the destruction of the chosen car #699 Pimpala startomg at 11 a.m. Each team chose a mechanic and they brought their favorite non-power tool (amazingly, large hammers seemed to be the tool of choice for the masses). They were given 5 minutes to take their best shots at car #699. 
People's Curse Just past noon the racing began. Adopted by Jets went with only 4 drivers since there would be just 5 hours of racing; Eric kindly offered to give up his time behind the wheel. It was the same driver order as Saturday and Jim took the track and stayed out of trouble--almost. He was hit by another car and they sent him to the Penalty Box and not the car that hit him. He was awarded the dipstick penalty and got three whacks for "thinking with his dipstick". As this was taking place, Kip was getting in the car so they didn't lose too much time. He was once again fast, as were Tim and Josh. They all kept out of trouble and only lost time changing drivers and fueling. In doing so, AdoptedByJets moved up to 2nd place in class, but time ran out and they would not be able to catch the #63 Corvair. Considering the extended time off track for repairs and penalties, moving from the 53rd spot on Saturday to a finish of 24th, only one place behind car #63, was very good. When it was time for the awards, AdoptedByJets was given the Grassroots Motorsports "Most from the Least" Award. They had such a good time, they have signed up for the 24 Hours of LeMons at Nelson Ledges, Ohio on October 3 & 4. Go to AdoptedByJets.com to see more.
June 21 -- Bristol, CT -- Autocross Brian started the day strong running the '93 Saab 900 bumped up to G-Stock, topping the leaderboard after his second run. Unfortunately, he was not able to hold it as the ever so strong Mini Cooper S that is a true G-Stock car quickly overshadowed his lap times by 2 full seconds. Brian finished the day in fourth place, despite being bumped up a class. After racing had finished, Brian did two fun-runs in a friend's fully built all wheel drive Mazda GTX, running a best time of 33.6, only half a second off the owner's best time of the day at 33.1.
May 17 -- Bristol, CT -- Autocross
Renee and Donna joined Brian for a day of autocrossing, Donna in her 2000 Miata and Renee and Brian in the '93 Saab 900. Donna did well, placing second in X Novice, but Renee blew everyone out of the water, laying down a fast time of 37.554 to win X Novice, not to mention beat Brian by nearly half a second. She's definitely hooked.
May 9 & 10--Pocono International Raceway -- SCCA Regional
Brian qualified 1st in the Formula Vee class with a 1.59.326 only 1/10th second ahead of Jeff Bower. Brian held his lead in the afternoon 12-lap race on Pocono's 2.5 mile course until lap 7 when he noticed smoke billowing from the back of the car. He coasted into the pits with an oil line that had a hole burned through from hitting the exhaust. The 2 other Vees were still on track, however one had a lengthy pit stop earlier and was running well below race pace. Brian managed to hold onto 2nd place in the first of the two weekend races. Sunday was a very windy, cool day and our race group went out about 1:15 p.m. Brian's fast lap time of 1.59.998 in Saturday's race put him 1st in the Vee class again for this race. Today only two Vees started and Brian kept the lead the entire race, improving his fast lap time to 1.58.409. May 3-- New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- SCCA National Tim had problems with the clutch during the qualifying sessions and only qualified 8th. Replaced the clutch before the race and the car ran much better. Race had two lengthy yellow flags incidents, the second putting the top three formula vees at the back of the pack where they soon lapped their field. Tim moved forward a position but lost it after the second restart. He finished 7th.
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