Once again, our intrepid heroes are preparing to run in the New England 24 Hours of LeMons.  This year, the race is the weekend of July 11-12 at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT (the same venue as last year). For those of you who have been spending all of your spare time underneath your Alfas and don’t know what this race is all about:

The 24 Hours of LeMons is a weekend-long race for cars purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total expense of $500 or less. Generally, the racing consists of two endurance sessions — one on Saturday (noon till 10pm) and one on Sunday (noon till 5) — with a late-night intermission for sleeping, eating, and Band-Aid application in between. Twelve hours into the race, the car voted People’s Choice is called in and awarded a cash prize; simultaneously, the car voted People’s Curse is called in and summarily destroyed. Finally, assuming you’re still standing, there’s the gala awards ceremony, at which trophies, plaques, and winner’s purses are paid out in nickels (or, in the case of New England, checks made out on twin, queen, and California King size bed sheets!).

Last year, we had only about 35 teams entered, but this year there are 80! There promises to be a lot of gridlock on the small track, until a bunch of the crapcans inevitably croak and die to give us a little more space on the track. The venue is a nice one for spectators, as you can see the whole track and all of the action from the stands, unlike most of the bigger tracks.

We proved the reliability of Italian iron (and aluminum alloy) last year by having our Milanos finish 3rd, 5th, and 6th, and we plan on running those same three Alfas this year, with the hopeful addition of some devious banned technology and tailgater suppression mechanisms.

All in all, a great time was had by the teams and spectators alike! We’d love to have you come down and partake in the fun! More information can be found here:

www.24hoursoflemons.com/events/neweng09

[Having witnessed this debacle last year, I can guarantee that the 24 Hours of LeMons is likely to be the most fun you’ll have at any sort of car event! Be there when the racing begins at noon on Saturday — you don’t want to miss a thing! —Ed.]