LeMons Aid

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In Europe they call it "banger racing." In 1950s America it was known as "jalopy racing." For the 21st Century, impresario Jay Lamm has taken the concept to a new level with the 24 Hours of LeMons series of endurance racing (editor: pronounced "lemons"; slang for 'bad cars'). The rules are simple: any car that costs less than $500, as brought to the track is eligible, and the winner is the car that completes the most laps in 24 hours (or maybe less, depending on local track times). There are 24 races at tracks all across the United States, and in addition to the grand prize for laps there are other awards like the Index of Effluency and the Most Heroic Fix. In the six years the series has run, the culture has evolved such that teams take themes, like Cannibal Cafe Racing or Britney Steers, and mascots.
All in all it's great fun. The "Boston Tow Party and Overhead-Cam Bake" at Stafford, Connecticut, on July 23-24 featured such unlikely LeMons as a Chrysler PT Cruiser, Triumph TR7 (with Land Rover Discovery V8), and a 1980 Pontiac Bonneville that won the Index of Effluency on sheer doggedness. Heroic Fix went to a 1989 Peugeot 405 Mi16 that destroyed its engine in the first 25 laps, and had a spare trucked in from Vermont. After an overnight transplant it ran the full five hours on Sunday. There are nine races left this season. There's still time to enter.

(Story and photos by Kit Foster)
      

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