So many cars, so little time. Even with The 24 Hours of LeMons Arse Freeze-A-Palooza Race being a not quite 24-hour event, there won’t be enough time to track down all of the 157 cars at Thunderhill Raceway Park this weekend. Each car has four or more drivers.
Some of the 625+ drivers are running under alias. Race promoter aka Chief Perpetrator, JAY LAMM, said, tongue in cheek, “the smart drivers changed their names.”
Among the famous (or infamous) drivers this weekend is a well-known professional SPEEDy racer cum motorsports TV star who folded his long limbs into a small BMW, which was ninth overall at days end, with 128 laps. He raced under a pseudonym as the Gift With Purchase team owner felt it’s what Fomfor would want.
On the other side of the coin, a well-known motorsports artist competed in his first-ever race of any kind. BILL PATTERSON raced under his own name, and got half an hour in the car before a driver change. It turned out to be his only time in the car, as the yellow 1977 Killer Bee MGB later did a spectacular roll, side over side and then barrel roll. The driver was very much unhurt, but the car was not. The MGB was 114th of the 155 cars on course.
The Killer Bees were pitted across the road from a 1977 Triumph – The Wedginator. It turned out to have come off the same assembly line as the MGB. Small world.
The basic concept of the series, which began with a single race in October 2006 at Altamont Speedway in Livermore Ca, is that the race car can’t cost more than $500 (excluding safety enhancements.) Those cars go through serious Scrutineering, followed by a more subjective Judging. The judges can deem a car to be a ‘cheater’ car, worth more, and assess penalty laps. The amount is determined by the bribable magistrates who are appropriately garbed and wigged. It is almost a badge of honor to have a ‘Bribed’ insignia painted on a race car. The Killer Bees earned two such honors, by having strategically placed honey mead in the trunk during Judging.
There were 248 total entries for the Arse race, but only 160 were accepted by Lamm, based on paddock and track size. Each team had to fill out an entry form which included team concept. Lamm prefers teams which aren’t boring and don’t take themselves too seriously. There’s extra points for a car and/or crew that is fun to see. I call it a motorsports costume party. Even the race officials get into the spirit of things. One female working the pit lane was a pit bunny – literally, complete with a Playboy fire suit, big pink ears and a fluffy cotton tail.
Word’s can’t begin to describe some of the cars. Truly an example of a picture being worth a thousand words. I call them art cars.
Lamm’s description of his LeMons Series is (low) performance art cars – meets racing – meets Burning Man.
At the Saturday morning ‘Newbie” Drivers’ Meeting, a show of hands came from all the drivers for running their first LeMons race, and half the drivers raised hands as first time ever drivers. What fun!
At the end of the first half of the race (six hours 35 minutes), the best time around the 2.866-mile elevated road course was 2:18.013, set by the Save The Whale team, which was eighth overall.
The leading team, Pandamonium Racing, ran 131 laps. Only one other team, Fast Times @ Placer High, was on the lead lap.
This is not the first time for the wacky, irreverent series to run at Thunderhill, but it is the first time in November rather than December. For TRP President/CEO DAVE VODDEN, who holidays in December, this is his first experience with the group and he’s loving it.
The day ended just prior to a stunning and spectacular sunset.