Autoblog

UPDATE: Added Mega-Gallery (120+ photos)

Click the image above for over 120 pics from Sunday's LeMons race.

9:18 AM - Brad is gridding as you read this and the race should be underway within the next five minutes.

Follow the jump for our progress and to see how many laps we got dinged for the B.S. factor.






During our tech inspection yesterday, the Judges walked up and played three man Supreme Court with our car to determine how much we went over budget. The verdict: we've been penalized 15 laps for some ungodly reason that's beyond us. Our 7 was a parts car, purchased for $100, lacked a rear end, driveshaft and was in desperate need of a new water pump. Total Bill: just over $400. Needless to say, we're a bit irked, but we'll abide by the "No Winers" rule and carry on. On the upside: the BMW 325 set a new record for B.S. -- they were docked 350 laps. Additionally, the 740il that hit us yesterday was docked 100 laps. Karma's a bitch boys.

9:25 AM - Brad is on the track and the race is underway. We're off to the fence to see how he's doing.

10:12 AM - The car is holding together despite some mild contact with competitors. Brad is keeping a consistent pace, making passes when he can and otherwise keeping it on the track. The idea of a "clean line" around the course is kind of a misnomer. Casey is suiting up as I type and he'll be in the car in a matter of minutes.

10:25 AM - We just had our fastest, cleanest pitstop yet and Casey is out on the track. We're trying to keep driving stints to about an hour, give or take a few minutes. As soon as we get new standings, we'll throw them up.

11:12 AM - Getting suited up. Check the gallery.

12:40 PM - Just got off the track 10 minutes ago and it is officially all out war. Despite Jay's stern warnings this morning to avoid contact, many of the drivers have devolved into demolitions experts, pinballing from between cars and leaving carnage in their wake. But it's fun. Dustin just got behind the wheel for about an hour-and-a-half stint, and Jay's up after him -- our most competent wheel man -- to wrap up the race at 4. As of 11 this morning, we're in 52nd place, with no idea how many laps separate us from the lead -- not that it matters.

Oh, and the People's Curse award winner was the BMW 740iL. His punishment: Jay went at it with an earth mover, crushing the Bimmer's roof. Unfortunately, it still runs. So we might meet him on the track again.

2:06 PM - We're in 44th position with 146 laps between us and the leader. Average lap time is around 54 seconds, so we figured between Dustin and Jay, they need to start running 32 second laps. Failing that, we're counting on some of our competitors to start dropping out of the race soon. There's a very strong middle of the pack presence here, so between our two hot shoes and the rate of people succumbing to mechanical gremlins (or just stupid driving), our position may move up considerably.

3:06 PM - We have no idea where we're at place-wise, but Jay is doing an admirable job of keeping the car together. We thought there might have been an oil pressure issue, but when Jay pitted in during a yellow flag all was quiet within the Wankel. Demolition derby status (1-10): 7.2

3:20 PM - 40 more minutes of crap car action! I'm off to take photos.

4:02 PM - The race is over! More to follow.

7:41 PM - So we've packed up, licked our wounds and are on our way back to our respective homes. The battery died on my laptop, so I'm posting this from my phone. We'll have more information and another gallery up soon. We placed 38th overall, completing a total of 532 laps.

The winning team's story is much more interesting though. After racking up 693 laps, Black Iron Racing and Circus Maximus came in first and second respectively with a -- get this -- 7.4 second margin of victory. After two days of racing, close to 700 miles driven, it's the smallest margin of victory ever. Words fail me, but so does typing on this damn iPhone keyboard.

Go to mylaps.com and do a search for the "24 hours of lemons." That will bring up all the teams, their places and more information. The road beckons. Check out more in an hour or so.