Meet our very hoopty $500 race car
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Sometime you drive the news, sometimes the news drives you. Photo: Courtesy of Dave Killen
Later this month, I'll be joining a team to race in the 24 Hours of Lemons at Pacific Raceway in Kent, Washington, an endurance race where the only rule is that your car has to cost less than $500.
Literally driving the news: Because we are all either current or former journalists and also dorks, our car is news-themed and our team name is "If It Bleeds, It Leads."
- Our 1988 Saab 900 Turbo — which we Frankenstein'd together from two non-functional Saabs — is equipped with a working air intake that looks like a DSLR camera and a mini-version of a radio antenna complete with working brake light.
- For last year's race, we spent a lot of time covering the car in old newsprint, racing stripes and the number 30, all of which quickly peeled off when it started to rain.
- We also put in a roll cage and a fire suppression system, for safety and because they said we had to.
🏆 We weren't the slowest car on the track — though it was close — but we did take home the "Judge's Choice" award.
The latest: We're headed back up to Kent at the end of the month for round two with some improvements.
- We got new wheels, a lowered front end and a new fuel injection system that should give us a few more horsepower, along with a paint job that will (hopefully) prove a little more durable.
My thought bubble: The Lemons 500 is a great race, full of people who don't take anything too seriously and put more effort into pageantry than going fast.
- It's also the most fun I've had in years.
The bottom line: If you're near Kent on the weekend of Aug. 30-31, come out and say hi!
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the race is called 24 Hours of Lemons (not Lemons 500.)