STOLE RACECAR - BALTIMORE!!

[mgyip]

Last night, Lauren R, SCCA's Pit Worker of the Year had her ITA Neon stolen in Baltimore, MD :bash_1_: :bash_1_: . Keep an eye out for it which shouldn't be too difficult since it is in full race trim - Lauren is one of the few who actually DRIVES her car to the track!!

http://www.hostdub.com/albums/mgyip/Neon.sized.jpg

To quote Lauren, If you see someone driving it, call the cops then cut their nuts off for me.

Thanks!!

[Andy Bettencourt]

That sucks. Shouldn't be hard to spot with that cup of coffee on the hood... :119:

Seriously, if she could provide us the cage number from the logbook, that would be the proof any of us needed should it show up for sale or on track/street.

NASCAR Bar on the drivers side? Betting not if its a driver cause she may need the window...

AB

[mgyip]

Originally posted by Andy Bettencourt@Dec 8 2005, 10:52 AM
That sucks. Shouldn't be hard to spot with that cup of coffee on the hood... :119:

Seriously, if she could provide us the cage number from the logbook, that would be the proof any of us needed should it show up for sale or on track/street.

67591


That's not a cup of coffee - that's the world's best cupholder :D

I'll contact Lauren to get the cage number. From what I remember, the car is an SSC car with ITA letters. The cage is a bolt-in and the drivers' seat is a rather large Kirkey Road Race seat.

[seamus88]

I dont know Lauren personaly. But I do know that she has worked almost all the races that I have done(MARRS 3 years & Enduros in second car for 1 year). This was her first year driving :happy204: . Please keep your eyes open!

[Mattberg]

We've got a growing network of Neon folks. I've passed the word and we'll keep an eye out. Hope she gets it back. Any more details would be good. Most of us watch Ebay and other Neon sites for parts so details can often provide a lead. Type of rollcage, seat, wheels and especially Neon specific items. Those also look like the Mopar comp wheels. Not made any more and sort of tough to find these days!

[MadFrog]

This blows! Lauren and her son are really nice folks. We did the Nelson Ledges school from frozen hell together...
I have to assume the graphics on her cars were vinyl, which means there are off by now, and that the car is likely stripped.
I hope Lauren catchers the f...ers herself and kicks their asses.

Keeping my eyes open in Prince William county, VA.

[mowog]

A little more information on the stolen Neon:
The Kirkey seat is aluminum with a black cover, in very large, and the left upper wing of the seat was bent a bit.

There's a slight ding on the lower panel just ahead fo the right rear wheel well.

The transponder mount (mount only, fortunately the transponder was not installed at the time) is under the car by the muffler.

There's a slight dent just rear of the left headlight.

The right headlight mount is broken at the bottom.

It had 15" Neon wheelsl fitted with Toyo RA-1's.

Inside the car were 14" Neon wheels with street tires.

A camera mount ws on the roll bar.

The window net mount was a "Kearney" design using an old GM seat belt as the lower anchor point.

The last 6 digits of the VIN number is 249201.

[Lauren]

Hey guys :)

Just wanted to say thanks for getting the word out. (And Sean, I DO know who you are.... I might not recognize ya without your helmet but I sure know the name and the car! :D ) Four days and still no news. :( I figure I'll give it a couple of weeks and then if they don't find it I'll hafta start making other plans although I'm not real sure what I can do. The money I used to initially buy the car from Monte Cowles was blood money IBM gave me to not sue them when they laid me off (essentially they forced me to retire). It was a steal (so to speak!) at $2,350 ready to go and well, I just don't have that cash lying around and since I didn't have it insured for theft (yeah, dumb of me....), I'm not gonna get any return on what I lost. A couple of friends have offered me rides this coming season to keep the license current but that still leaves my son Kyle who was alternating races with me out in the cold so I hafta plan something that will work for him too. I think the best option and quickest fix I have is to convert my daily driver ('00 Celica) to a raceable car. The car will be paid off in April freeing up $500 or so a month to start converting it and once converted (cage, seat, extinguisher, etc) I could get a van and trailer financing those with the $500. The problem is it's too new for IT and too tricked for SS so it really doesn't have a class to run in that I know of. I could run it in GT-3 I guess but it would be so totally outclassed being a street car and not a tube frame car. Plus it's just a long in the tooth stock motor. Anyone have suggestions on just what class other than GT-3 it might fit in? At this point I don't care about actually being competitive, I just wanna get back on the track and be able to qualify. Anyone got any ideas?? Thanks again, 'specially you Matthew!! :-)
(p.s. Got anymore wide butt seats in stock?? LOL!)

[Lauren]

Oh by the way Sabastien..... I'm gonna cut their rocks off if I do catch 'em.... LOL! B)

[JamesB]

Lauren,

For what it would cost you to turn your celica into a race car, you could take my offer and have a dedicated car to run and still afford a TV and trailer. There is nothing wrong with running in ITB, you would have to contend with me on your tail thats all. So before you go taking your celica into GT3, please reconsider the offer I made, I think in the long run it will be better (not to mention cheaper) then running the celica.

[ggnagy]

Lauren,
If you still want a street and track car, ya might want to talk to fellow baltimorean (sp?) Bill Stuart and find a good running 1st gen rx7 (ok, good running might be a contradiction in terms when referring to 1st gens. <_< ) to prep to SRX7 rules. Just don&#39;t mention radiator fans or shaved consoles.

[emwavey]

Hi Lauren,

Thieves Suck! :angry:

I met you at the Summit School at the beginning of the year and remember you passing me in your Neon on the way. I&#39;m sorry to hear about your misfortune.

I&#39;m writing to both let you know I&#39;m keeping my eyes peeled and to offer a glimmer of hope.

I had a previous CRX stolen. It was recovered about a week later, after I started shopping for a more expensive replacement... never did get that 3rd gen RX-7. Apparently it was used as the car to obtain other cars, as we found a Lexus owners manual and a broken "The Club" in the car. The Civic Si Rims were gone and replaced with 4 donut tires, the exhaust was hanging down, and the ignition switch resembled a Dali painting. It wasn&#39;t in great shape, but I did get it back. You never know.

I hope your as lucky as I was, and if nothing else, keep an eye out for pieces-parts on ebay. Anything suspect may lead you back to your car.

[mlytle]

Originally posted by ggnagy@Dec 12 2005, 04:14 PM
Lauren,
If you still want a street and track car, ya might want to talk to fellow baltimorean (sp?) Bill Stuart and find a good running 1st gen rx7 (ok, good running might be a contradiction in terms when referring to 1st gens. <_< ) to prep to SRX7 rules. Just don&#39;t mention radiator fans or shaved consoles.

67977


there is a very nice srx7 for sale now in the 3-4k range. owner very motivated..he moved out of wdcr.



"M. Y. M. Mohamed" <[email protected]> wrote:

My SRX7 #46 is for sale after this weekend.

Mechanically, the car is a champ and has not given me any trouble at all. I wish I could be bragging about lap times, but I&#39;m slow. I only wish I had more time to learn to drive this car better. Reason for sale is that I&#39;ll be probably racing in another Division. Details TBA once the deal is signed. Car is near Springfield/Alexandria, Virginia. Call me at 703-869-8028 if you have any questions.

Details:
1982, solid roof, crank windows.
Old style oil cooler (the source of the only fluid leak on the car - a very, very minor leak - about a quarter size between races)
Built by Datsun Dynamics for Kevin Brydebell (with the help of Jim Sheedfar). The car was built to an an insanely high standard, and is similar to Rob Hines&#39;s car.
One of the most attractive SRX7&#39;s at the track, great paint and graphics. Even the interior looks practically brand new.

I ran the car all of last year and three races this year (plus this weekend makes four).
ACT Clutch & pressure plate (installed beginning of last year).
Rear swaybar installed but not connected, all brand new hardware and poly bushings.
New transmission shift bushings
Removable steering wheel
Brand new Mazda Comp shock tower brace
Sparco racing seat, G-force 5 point harness
Redline diff and trans fluid
Center Console

Spares include:
Engine that last ran when removed from the prior SRX7 that was the base for this car.
Pass side door.
Brand new front rotors (plus good rotors on the car)
Brand new front Hawk blues + a near new set on the car
Brand new rear Hawk blacks
Three sets of rims and tires: One set of almost new rains (probably have 2 sessions on them) on American Racing rims, one set of slicks on AR rims (tires have good tread, but are 2 years old), one set of slicks on diamonds (tires are good and have good tread, around a year old), and a spare AR rim with no tire (but I think that rim might be tweaked, not sure).
Bearings (new and used)
Tons of parts, many brand new including a master cylinder and a rear brake caliper. I&#39;ve got crap in boxes that I&#39;ve never opened. I remember even seeing the original stereo that came with the car and a gauge cluster.
Spare dashboard
Spare transmission that won&#39;t go in gear, but is probably just a bent shiftfork - blame it on a rookie driver. Should be suitable for a rebuild.
Spare limited slip and axle housing.
Spare spindles

History:
The prior owner, Kevin Brydebell, had built an SRX7 that was later crashed. He then built another car up and the parts from the first one became spares. So, that&#39;s where all that stuff came from.

[mlytle]

almost thought i found it.

driving home from work on us1 in alexandria, va. spot a stickered up neon ahead in traffic. pull all kinds of stunts to catch up...getting closer....it has a cage in it.... it is white...getting closer...va plates....get alongside two lanes away....car #2, scca stickers and ssb class on door. think i have seen this car before. not the right car. driver turned off before i could get close enough to talk to. and the chances of multiple white neon race cars cruising the streets is how low?

[SRX7#27]

[quote]
almost thought i found it.

>> and the chances of multiple white neon race cars cruising the streets is how low?

What are the chances? A few years ago when I built my first Spec RX7, I had to take it to a racer friendly shop in Centerville for inspection.. So I&#39;m stuck in traffic on Rt 28 in Centerville on a Monday morning feeling like a smacked ass &#39;cuz I&#39;m the only person in an ugly loud-ass race car in rush hour traffic. Car had just been stickered up for my first drivers school, so I stick out like a sore thumb.. All of a sudden I hear a terrible noise next to me and I look up.. Not only is it another Spec 7, but the SOB has MY number on it! Turns out I knew the guy.. And in the end I got the number.. Small universe.. -Al G

[mlytle]

:happy204:
now that is funny al!!!

[mgyip]

:happy204: :happy204: :happy204: :happy204: :happy204:

Just rec&#39;d a call from Lauren that the car HAS BEEN FOUND IN THE DREGS OF BALTIMORE!! No word beyond that yet about condition or what is missing but the good news is that we collectively have a shell as a starter.

More later when we learn more about the car.

:figo: :figo: :figo: :figo:

[JamesB]

I hope its not too much work to get her back to running.

[mlytle]

:happy204: :happy204: :happy204: :happy204: :happy204:

Just rec&#39;d a call from Lauren that the car HAS BEEN FOUND IN THE DREGS OF BALTIMORE!! No word beyond that yet about condition or what is missing but the good news is that we collectively have a shell as a starter.

More later when we learn more about the car.

:figo: :figo: :figo: :figo:
[/b]

YEAH!!!!!!

[RSTPerformance]

A racing god does exist!!!

Raymond

[16v]

stars have aligned?

http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/local_story_052195432.html

[mgyip]

stars have aligned?[/b]

Maybe so - then again, who steals "one of three" and tries to fence the stolen parts :bash_1_: :bash_1_:


Spoke with Lauren (actually Lauren&#39;s boss who was helping her collect the car) - amazingly the car is intact and needs only a battery, ignition switch and kill switch to be a functional racecar again. I don&#39;t know if the car runs or not but in any case, even if the driveline were trashed, that&#39;s small potatoes compared to having to build a car from scratch.

[JamesB]

Sounds like they went for a joy ride and ran. amazing. Thats so awesome for her.

[emwavey]

Excellent news... glad to hear they recovered "most of" the car!

:happy204:


Recovering a car can be a bitter/sweet ordeal. I hope it&#39;s more sweet then bitter.

[JamesB]

I am sure we will find out more over the course of this week and next weekend.