The 2021 24 hour clunker run (Epilogue part 1)

Community Challenges & Competitions
1

OK, I feel like I want to do this one more time, and that there would be a nice “final” for the old engine too. For newcomers, the idea behind it is that you show up with a cheap used car, 10 years or older, that you try to drive as many laps around a track for 24 hours as possible (while hoping that it will keep holding together)

And yes, I know that there was some screw-ups in the two last runs, but now I have learned a lot from them. To start with, I had not really gotten a grip about restricting the cars with PU/ET limits, which I now have realized is the best basis for making this a challenge for used beaters instead of minmaxed supercars. Also, I am working on a more complicated system for determining breakdowns with D20 rolls etc. that won’t make it as boring as last time. I am not finished yet, but let’s just say that it is as usual, focus on the best mix of lap times, driveability, reliability and fuel economy to have a chance of getting a good position. Probably that’s all you need to know anyway.

Also, since I feel that it hampered RP a bit, as well as being too top speed biased, is there any fictive or Swedish tracks that offer a possibility of a flying start and with somewhat shorter straights? If there’s no good alternative I guess that we will run the Automation test track again but I would really like to know if there is a better alternative.

Now for the rules.
THE IDEA BEHIND THIS
The Swedish magazine “Trafikjournalen” have a tradition since the early 80s, where the contestants will buy a cheap used beater, 10 years or older, and make it hold up for a 24 hour run and try to make as many laps around a track as possible. Now it is time for the 2021 challenge.

THE CAR:
MODEL/TRIM YEAR:
2011 or earlier/2011 or earlier

PU/ET LIMITS
Engine: 50/120
Vehicle: 100/120

QUALITY SLIDERS
-2 quality is the least amount allowed on the sliders except wheels and tyres (see that section for info).

BODY/CHASSIS
All type of metal panels allowed. Fiberglass allowed but with a crash resistance penalty. Carbon fiber not allowed.
Ladder chassis, monocoque or light truck monocoque allowed. Space frames not allowed (also applies to semi).
All steel chassis materials allowed. Glued alu or carbon fibre not allowed.
No “meme bodies”.

ENGINE
Engine trim should not be newer than car trim year
Maximum number of cylinders = 8.
Billet or titanium internals not allowed.
Turbochargers allowed, maximum boost allowed 0.8 bar
Racing parts not allowed
Cats or mufflers not required (because as someone said last time, they would probably be gutted anyway).
The fuel should be super unleaded or less. However, cars from 1988 or earlier will also be allowed to run on super leaded or less since cats weren’t required until 1989 for the swedish market.

TRANSMISSION
No sequential gearboxes, no more than 6 gears.

WHEELS AND TYRES
Everyone HAS to run hard long life tyres with -1 quality, to represent the fact that nobody will put a new set of Michelin Pilot Sports on a car like this. Maximum width 225 mm, maximum rim size 17 inches.
Magnesium rims not allowed. Staggered tyres allowed.

BRAKES
Ceramic discs not allowed

AERO
Downforce undertray and active aero not allowed.

INTERIOR
This time we are back at running single seat basic interiors and no infotainment systems, to represent that they will probably be running gutted interiors anyway. And no, I am NOT even going to discuss this one, after last time for obvious reasons. Besides, it is the most fair thing, giving one less opportunity for min-maxing.

SAFETY
Since Automation safety is more about things like the stock seatbelts and airbags which probably won’t be there anymore anyway, and not about gutted interiors for racing, I have decided that “none” is what we will be running. Besides, one less opportunity for min-maxing if everyone is running the same thing.

SUSPENSION
No active, semi-active or adaptive parts is allowed.

P/W RATIO
Max P/W ratio is 0.12 (number from the test track screen)

REALISM
I strongly prefer realistic engineering and design. I will not be totally strict about this but I don’t want 57 Chevy looking things from 2010 “because LS swap bro!”, mid engined V8 small hatchbacks, etc. and will reject anything that I feel is completely off realism-wise.

PRICE LIMIT
With no interior, infotainment or safety, $18000 like last time should be more than enough.

NAMING:
24h-yourname / Brand and name of the car, 24h-yourname / Brand and name of the engine

THE GAME
Basically the idea is that the one that has made the most laps in 24 hours is the winner. The second lap time from the Höljes track will be used as a basis for your car. So, just make a car that does great lap times then?

Well, it is not that easy. Every 30 seconds some rolls will be made. The more reliable your car is, the less chance it is for a breakdown that will cost you time, or in worst case, end your race altogether. The more driveable your car is, the less chance it is for, in best case, worse lap times and in worst case, a crash that may require a pitstop or end your race altogether.

To spice up the game this time (waste less time in the writing with small faults etc.) I have decided to give each cars random modifiers when it comes to the condition of 12 different systems, reflecting that you won’t know if there is any hidden faults in the old clunker that you bought. The less the reliability rating, the more chance it is that the condition of the parts will degrade during the race, and finally require a pitstop, that may require time or in worst case will end the race for you.

Another thing that will take 5 minutes off your time is fuel stops, so a fuel sipper may spare you time compared to a gas guzzler. Every car will be running a 50 litre tank to make it simple, and even if automation average figures is not the most realistic for racing, they will be used for simplicity.

TL:DR - focus on:
Lap times on the Höljes track (link some posts below)
Reliability
Driveability
Fuel economy
(Honestly speaking, nothing is really important except for them, but min-maxing that hampers realism is not encouraged)

THE PRESENTATION
A presentation of the car and your team also has to be put in this thread before the start of the race, and if you want a special starting number, claim that one too (or you will be assigned a random one). Also, RPing is what have been the greatest charm of this event, so it is HEAVILY encouraged, even if I am not forcing anyone into it (life takes time and comes in the way, etc.). “But I suck at that” - no, you don’t. It doesn’t have to be novels, you know.

DEADLINE
14th of may, 3 PM CET. I prefer having the cars sent to me via PM on this forum. Discord is OK if you for some reason feel that it is better suited for you.

14 Likes
2

Count me in!

3 Likes
3

I’ll put my name down for this. Just get the rules in a good solid place to start with.

2 Likes
4

I’m in.

5

imma join in hopes of it not requiring about three months of waiting

tho imma probably recycle most of last years team as the brick-Dione is still working

6

Only track I can think of is Anderstorp
Also count me in

7

Nah, the new system for breakdowns I am thinking about is partly to make the writeup less heavy and more fun for me, so there will be less risk of the delay from last time. Also, the fact that St1letho was the obvious winner and also banned from the board killed some inspiration for me even if it wasn’t right that it would make everyone else wait for it.

Hmm, Anderstorp. Is there a flying start version of it?

2 Likes
8

I’m definitely interested; I’ll have to contact VicVictory to see if there’s an Ardent that he’d like me to practice on, hahaha!

2 Likes
9

One idea could be to look into DerBayer’s Autoverse track pack - there are some shorter and more varied tracks in there.

10

I found this track pack, which have a model of the Höljes race track, and if I understand this right, the second lap time will represent a lap with a “flying start”, or am I wrong?

11

Count on Team Racing Stripes entering with a bit of a classic. I’m sure their half-broken-down old Sinistra Traville can turn a few laps since someone rebuilt the engine.

1 Like
12

Do the cars need to be compliant? Id use my totally not a barebones 00s Japanese Hatchback but ive used that car twice in Trafikjournalen

14

Well, I can make the Sidewinder V8 fit into that P/W ratio in the Traville, and the lore for the car would still make sense (it’s had a hard life, after all), and 233 horsepower for 2568 pounds comes out to that 0.12 on the Test Track tab. Still more reasonable than the blistering, insane 350 horsepower it had before.

Regarding realism, would it be considered realistic to have ripped the factory intake manifold off and bolted on a carburetor? Otherwise, this engine fails right away due to being over PU budget. Lore-wise, one of the team doesn’t understand computers at all, but he can damn-near build a carburetor from scraps in his sleep, and I disabled the VVT because that’s controlled by the ECU that will no longer be there.

2 Likes
15

I can maybe look at raising the PU limit by some extent, it is just something I came up with after looking at a couple of test engines. Maybe a bit too harsh if it excludes a bog standard 80s V8 just because it has EFI. You know how it is after the two last rounds though. There is always someone that manages to squeeze a full blown sports car into the ruleset, and I can’t blame anyone that is working within the rules after all, though it kind of hurts the spirit a bit… :roll_eyes:

2 Likes
16

Eh, the Sinistra L-series “Sidewinder” V8 is not exactly a bog-standard V8. It’s a 5.2 liter, SOHC-4-Valve, 60-degree V8, mounted transversely in a midsize. I’d say the PU limit is fair. I swapped out the crank and the intake manifold to squeeze this monster engine in under the rules, then detuned the crap out of it.

1 Like
17

my take on this:

ditch the quality slider rule, as that is already covered by ET (especially the positive limit; the negative one seems much more warranted to avoid minmax)

are we still allowed to run multiple seats/ safety other than none?
i’d like to re-enter last years entry and see how that goes

3 Likes
18

No $$$ limit? 'cause I started some engineering and am pretty far removed from ‘clunker territory’ already…

19

Thanks for input. I might add a price limit too, yes, don’t take them as the final rules yet… it was just so much discussion about the price limit the last time so it made the mods delete hundreds of posts…no I am not kidding, hundreds. :flushed: A bit afraid of ending up there again…

1 Like
20

you could archive the ensuing discussion here, rename this to reflect the rules discussion and move the actual event into a new, clean thread

3 Likes
21

I second this notion.

As well, COUNT ME IN! :smiley: