The search is currently underway for equipment that will be used for next year’s campaign to win one or more races in the "24 Hours of Lemons Series". Accordingly, I’ve settled on a plan. It was initially the intention to field one car for next year. But to be compatible with our longer term goals and to achieve economies, it is necessary that we start canvassing for two cars right from the outset.
There was never even a doubt in my mind that the cars will be Mazdas. I have owned five Mazdas in the past and know by experience that they are solid platforms to start from. They are also relatively inexpensive. So, beginning immediately, a search for a Mazda Miata and a Mazda RX-7 will be initiated while keeping in mind the constraints of the Lemons regulations. As of this writing the cost of the entrant car cannot exceed $500 without the safety equipment(s).
It is our goal to discover and/or develop the platform for a “Hydrogen Package” appropriate for endurance racing. The differences between the Miata and the RX-7 are substantial. One is an open top with a piston engine and the other is hardtop with a rotary engine. The wide array of technological differences between the two platforms will provide a broad spectrum from which the team can test, compare and select the best systems relative to our goals. Eventually, one package will probably win out as most suited for Hydrogen under the stresses of endurance racing. But it is essential, as a matter of know-how, to understand both packages at a high technical level. For this purpose, the laboratory will be the racecourse. Appropriately, the lab is called "The Lemons".
