DETROIT, M.I. – Detroit trucks drivers and endurance-racing aficionados should know there’s still time left to scrape together , a ragtag “pit crew” and some creative gusto in order to submit their entry applications for the next 24 Hours of LeMons. The Detroit Bull Oil Grand Prix is scheduled October 9th by way of October 10th at the Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, Michigan.
The 24 Hours of LeMons is wordplay on the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is one of the oldest endurance racing contests—outside of Roman Chariot races—that occurs near the town of Le Mans, France. The Le Mans race is an automotive endurance race held for a duration of 24 hours. Many elite teams travel to France to race some of the most pricey, high performance makes and models. Think Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Peugeot, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, and Jaguar.
On the other hand, the 24 Hours of LeMons is an all out Le Mans mockery. Believe 1973 Datsun 240Z, 1997 Dodge Neon, 1989 Ford Taurus, and any other make that already has one tire (or all four) in the gateway to junkyard heaven. Fans of the LeMons will in reality come across exotic and foreign makes at the race, but instead of the speed and technology setting benchmarks these speed demons accomplish at the Le Mans, the only benchmark LeMons vehicles hope to set is completing as many laps as feasible.
To compete in the LeMons, all teams need is a auto that costs under , a wicked sense of humor, and the knowledge that Detroit trucks and cars participating in this series of 24 hours of mayhem and ridiculousness may be subject to demolition for being too obnoxious. Behold the People’s Curse award. The unlucky vehicle is offered up to the crowd for destruction, sometimes being lifted by a significant crane and dropped to the ground. Other times it’s subject to the blows and strikes from sledgehammers and whatever other piece of metal lying around that’s heavy sufficient to break something.
Certainly not your typical race.
Picture the worst lemon of horror stories, and then picture that exact same vehicle trying to make it for 24 hours racing around a track filled with a cadre of automotive mishaps and co-lemons. Add in some twisted judges who carry bribe jars, wear white wigs and black robes and dole out “tar and feather” style punishments.
According to the 24 Hours of LeMons website, the races are “restricted to cars that were purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total of or less.” The much more absurd teams are the much better their chances of being accepted for the competition. For example, “applications like ‘Choose us, since we’ll wear beaver costumes in the paddock and our automobile is entirely coated in birch bark’ give you a lot much better odds.’”
The deadline for the October race is July 31, 2010. To learn far more about the race that continually depletes local supplies of duct tape, or full details about how to enter Detroit trucks or cars go to www.24hoursoflemons.com
Are you planning on entering the 24 Hours of LeMons this October? Send a photo of your vehicle and team to news@miautotimes.com and we’ll post it on http://www.miautotimes.com
MI Auto Times covers all Michigan automotive news all the time, featuring newly released vehicle recall data, relevant Michigan automaker news, vehicle ratings and comparisons, and everything else auto-related Michigan and world readers need to know. To understand a lot more about related auto industry news, visit MI Auto Times at http://www.miautotimes.com
Photos © 24 Hours of LeMons
