SONOMA, California — Ugly cars. Bad Drivers. Cheap tickets.
You’ll be treated to all that and more when the 24 Hours of LeMons comes to Sonoma this weekend, Oct. 22-23.
If you’re expecting throaty stock cars or high-performance open-wheel machines, forget it. This endurance road-racing series, which will host 24 events coast-to-coast in 2011, was founded on a particularly bad idea: all cars must be bought and prepared for no more than $500.
“America is the land of opportunity — all you need is one bad idea,” quipped Jay Lamm, a Bay Area resident and series founder.
This marks the second race of the year in the Sonoma Valley for the wild and wacky series, the first having been run in March. A portion of the proceeds from each race weekend will benefit Speedway Children’s Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway.
You will see everything from VW Bugs to stretch limousines to whatever your mind can imagine, provided it makes the $500 cut. You might even see a hearse jockeying for position with a car that’s covered in fur, alongside teams with themes like Mad Maxeltovs, Spy vs Spy and the Bi-Polar Express (with costumes to match, of course). Race officials often wear powdered wigs and the winner is paid in a sack full of nickels ($1,500 to be exact).
Spectator tickets are $20 per day or $30 for a weekend pass, which includes an all-access paddock pass. The weekend will feature racing from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on this truly one-of-a-kind series, visit www.24hoursoflemons.com.
