2BWise

I've got a friend that drag races thats got a great story of a guy he met that would bracket race a Taurus. He would fly throughout the country, pick up an automatic Taurus at the rental place, and go to the local dragstrip for bracket racing. When on the strip he would mash the brake, rev the motor to 2k, and release when the lights change. I was told that he could repeat his ETs within .05s, winning the payout and then fly home. Apparently, the locals were not too happy with his appearances.

Professor Helmüt Tester

I can tell you exactly how many laps you can do at Sebring (12 hour course, not the "club") course before the brakes in a Alamo (or maybe it was National...either the car was green or the rental bus was green) rental early-90ish Mustang go completely mushy and the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree.

BTW, the little pig started to get neutral with the back tires blown up to about 65 lbs, but it was a handful to keep it off the wall out of Sunset Bend...and you could only make T1 at-speed if you dragged the driver-side mirror along the concrete wall at the apex.

And there was a little body shop on 27 that could do really fast work that wouldn't get noticed if you hit the "return line" at 1am.

chris walrod

Not sure where to start with telling rental car stories. Although I am in one of these fine automobiles about every week, my stories are from my past a long time ago when I raced RC cars all over the place. You should have seen how high we got that new Cadillac More on this later.

cardsrule

Great timing on this thread. I am thinking about renting a car for a NASA event in Dec. After seeing Road Atlanta this weekend i HAVE to drive it before i get out of school (four more months).

Any ideas what i should rent?

smlporsche

A couple of years ago we ran with a guy who had just rented one of those new Mustang H 500's from Hertz.
He would blow by us on the first few laps and cook his brakes.
Then we'd pass him because he couldn't go fast enough to use his brakes without going off course.
It was a howl !

ltc

At the end of a karting event, the question is always:
"What to do with all the leftover premix fuel/oil"

Answer:
"Put it in the rental cars, so you can return them with a full tank of 'gas'"

Lesson:
Never rent a car after a major national karting event....you never know what's in the tank....or why the exhaust smells like castor beans.

Veloce Raptor

LMFAO.......

ed devinney

Hmm we did use up a Rover Metro in the UK years ago going to the Birmingham Motor Show, but they basically started broke so no story there.

I got the best driving compliment of my life driving a rented Neon around Summit. I rented it locally ('going on a long trip?' 'No, just driving around', didn't mention that it was the same road in WV). Pulled the wheel covers, flushed the brake fluid and set to flogging.

Was running with a couple of 3 series BMWs and had the driver of one come up to me later and tell me he got depressed when caught up to me in the carousel (I'm a rolling chicane there still). He saw the little Enterprise 'e' on the trunk lid and complained to his instructor - "it's a f***in' rental!".

J'ai tout a fait rien a dire. Rien.

chris walrod

+1

What do you think we did with the leftover nitromethane (from the RC cars)

The rentals wouldnt run any better, just hotter, much hotter..

A.Wayne

Hang in there Kid 10 yrs is not that long

Rassel

Oh, those where the days!

Plenty of fun with different cars around the Ring. Rented old Alfa 75's where gas was poring out from the back, second gear lost in "translation" and in the semi-wet. Still got sub 9 min laps, passing all kinds of sports cars. If there is somewhere you can pass people with a rental and see some really long faces, it's there. That track is so easy to get lost at, that those who are rookies there - really are handicapped even with a tremendous sports car.

renvagn

This is timely. In talking with a friend last week, who is a retired pro driver and well conected in the racing circle, were talking about PL and Joanne and Limerock. So he begins to tell mea story.

One morning he is his way to the track in his Acura TL on some twisty roads and looks in his miror and there is this ford edge sucked to his bumper. With the glare he can't see who is driving and there doing about 40 mph which was the speed limit. So he decides to take the next corner with some later braking expecting to put some length on this unknown tail gaiter. Well he exits the corner, looks in his mirror and the guy is still sucked on. So he says to himself, OK lets take it to a little higher level and the next corner he enters at 60 mph, again with late braking. And again on exit this car is still glued to him and due to the sun glare he still can't see who is driving. So now he is really wondering who the hell is this driver sticking with him in a cross over Ford SUV. So of course he takes it up another level and now he is going 80 mph through the corners and this Ford is still right on his bumper.
Well he pulls into the parking lot at LRP and this Ford pulls up right behind him. He still can't see the driver clearly but can tell they are laughing hysterically. My friend gets out of the car the same time the Ford driver exits his car and the Ford driver is still lalughing says, Frank you Suck. It was Pat Long.

Rassel

MTosi

That reminds me of the story I heard from my dad when I asked what I thought of Robby Gordon. Among other things (most not very positive, lol), he mentioned he was headed out to an IMSA race somewhere in the midwest (I don't recall whether it was Colombus, St louis, or Topeka) in one of the first generation Grand Marquis. He was moving along at probably 90 late at night, when he see's some lights in the mirror catching him. The first reaction is to slow down a bit and make sure it isn't the local donut patrol. After ascertaining that, and noting the large size of the vehicle he picks it up a bit to around 95 to stay in front (remember were talking about racers), yet it kept closing. Then it becomes apparent it some sort of plymouth minivan of the era, lol. Around a 100 they start breaking even, after about 10 minutes of nose to tail, my dad decides it's pretty stupid and risky, he pulls over and lets the guy pass, of course filing away the car. As he pulls into town, there is as he describes it "some idiot doing fwd burn outs and brake stands in the same minivan". After checking into the hotel, he's unloading his bags, and who else but the minivan pulls into the hotel and guess who gets out Robby Gordon....

Geo

I've posted here before that the SE-R guys are the connoisseurs of rental cars for DE. You see, we have one DE a year at our annual convention and a fair number of folks get a rental (with all the insurance they can get) for the track. It's surprising what is well mannered and what sucks. There is an unspoken competition for the coolest/fastest regular rental.

Anyway, when we had the cenvention in Texas a few years back, some guys rented an XJ. About 2 hours into the DE one of the guys showed up who was a Jag mechanic. He lowered the air suspension in the car. Too funny. It wasn't quite slammed, but it was definetely lowred 1-2". It was well mannered too, but probably not the best rental out there.