{"id":57141,"date":"2018-10-24T11:16:58","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T15:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=57141"},"modified":"2018-10-25T07:54:56","modified_gmt":"2018-10-25T11:54:56","slug":"racing-a-lemon-eh-team-takes-up-the-challenge-and-lives-to-tell-the-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/racing-a-lemon-eh-team-takes-up-the-challenge-and-lives-to-tell-the-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"Racing a lemon: The EH Team takes up the challenge and lives to tell the tale"},"content":{"rendered":"

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All photos and video supplied<\/em><\/p>\n

None of them had ever driven a race car nor had they ever built one, but five locals\u2014Cameron and Iain Renwick, Richard Hatkoski, Sean Doyle, and Rob Saunders\u2014decided to challenge themselves to do both. The EH Team was born.<\/p>\n

But it wasn’t just any race and it wasn’t just any race car…it was a 2006 Chevy Impala. Part of the challenge of the 24 Hours of Lemons series is that competitors have to buy an old car and get it race ready, all for less than $500 US plus the cost of any safety features. The team found their car on Kijiji back in the spring.<\/p>\n

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It took them hundreds of hours over many months to prepare with the Renwicks and Doyle doing much of the mechanical work. They had to strip the interior, replace the suspension, steering and brakes, design and add a roll cage, install a racing seat and five-point harness, and put in a fire extinguisher system. The car got a new red and white exterior with Tremclad paint applied in the Renwicks’ garage\u2014at a cost of $19\u2014and some decalling by Dallas Clarke at Hypervision Signs who took that old lemon from sorry-looking to spectacular.<\/p>\n

Huntsville Tirecraft helped out with advice and nitrogen for the tires\u2014which keeps the tire pressure more stable than with just air\u2014and Martin Barkey at MBRP, who does some racing himself<\/a><\/span>, provided expertise and a source for fireproof gear for the drivers.<\/p>\n

With the mid-October race looming\u2014the Where the Elite Meet to Cheat race was held October 13-14 at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan\u2014the team pushed to finish up about two weeks before Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

By the time they were done, that old Impala looked pretty good. But not too good, thankfully.<\/p>\n

“(Race organizers) do a BS inspection, which is exactly what it sounds like. That’s where you convince them that the car really is worth only $500, but if they look at it and they say it’s worth more, they issue penalty laps,” says Cameron. Their powers of persuasion must have been strong. Despite its sharp exterior, they got off scot-free. “Fortunately, (we convinced them) ours didn’t look all that great so they didn’t issue a penalty.” There’s also an extensive technical inspection to ensure the car is safe to take out on the track. The EH Team passed that hurdle, too, clearing the way for them to race.<\/p>\n\n\t\t