#METROGNOME LEMONS PLUS#

My guess would be a V-tech Frankenstein motor to get the amount of power that it has. It has camber plates, coil-over suspension, dual adjustable struts, and a monster of an engine. The car is an ex-NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill racecar. I had the honor of being a guest judge at the 2009 Reno-Fernley LeMons and I got to take a close look at the white Integra which was owned by Fantasy Junction at the time. I usually try not to get involved in these “Forum Wars” as things always seem to get “upside-down” but what the hell… I think 24 Hours of LeMons is a fabulous addition to the motoring hobby, so I want to see it thrive. Without these elements, any organization will fail. This is a plea for Lamm to take management control, to insist on ethical behavior and consistency from top to bottom. In this rant, I’m not pleading my son’s case. Jay Lamm claims to me that’s not possible, but many people came away from the drivers’ meeting thinking it was. There’s also the matter of buying one’s way out of black-flag infractions. Incidentally, the third-place finisher at this event, a previous winner, was an equally-prepared, almost identical Acura, also an ex-race car, that arrived in a three car trailer with a crew of at least a dozen. David countered with “would $100 for charity help?” Leiberman demanded $1,000 “on-the-hood.” David countered with “$200 for charity.” Leiberman refused and reiterated “$1,000 on-the-hood” (no mention of charity). He proposed to David a 41-lap penalty, clearly stating that he “hated” the car.

#METROGNOME LEMONS PLUS#

So clearly the Acura is within the spirit of LeMons: $500 or cheaper, plus safety stuff.Īt this LeMons’ tech inspection, motoring journalist Jonny Leiberman was serving as a judge. He traded that car even-up for this Acura. For the second LeMons in 2007 he bought, for $450, a Toyota MR-2 off the street in Berkeley. He entered his Acura ex SCCA-ITx that had already run at LeMons and was disliked by the judges because it’s really quick. Here’s what happened to my son, David Swig, at the recent Infineon Raceway Sears Point 24 Hours of LeMons. Twenty-dollar bills were taped to air cleaners. Cars suspected of being cheaters were assigned penalty laps. inspectors – the guys who eyeballed each entry to see if it really was a $500 car, with just those modifications required to ensure safety.

At the outset, in a tongue-in-cheek way, Lamm encouraged entrants to bribe the B.S. The best tracks compete to host a 24 Hours of LeMons event.īut there’s a nasty little secret that threatens the whole enterprise. The entries have gotten better and better. There were some improvements needed, including the need to eliminate rough driving, and to find better tracks to run on. The wacky car decorations, off-the-wall penalties for driving infractions, and total improbability of anyone even enduring to the finish, all made it work. I had never seen so many people having such a good time at any motorsports event. The first 24 Hours of LeMons at Altamont Speedway, near Livermore, California, was a huge success. I told him he should simply go ahead and do it the sooner he started, the quicker he’d discover exactly how it should be done. Back in 2006, when he first thought of “LeMons,” I encouraged him.

Metrognome lemons