[Thanks for the tip, Bob!]

The initial reports from the scene raised some eyebrows when the driver reportedly said the crash was the fault of a "low-flying pelican." The video seems to indicate otherwise. Or does it? JCwhitless thinks he's found it:

On behalf of fairness, the film clearly shows the bird being killed.

Please refrain from throwing the guy under the bus as the Pelican has already been thrown under the Bugatti.

Although the pelican's a compelling argument, especially with the frame-by-frame screen grab, but Christopher Schull disagrees:

The only thing clearly established is JCWhitless has a vivid imagination and is willing to present it as factual. It is laughable to say a pelican can "clearly" be seen anywhere near the front of that car at any point in the video. It just didn't happen. I truly hope JCWhitless is never called on as a witness for anything that matters.

I live right down the road from that spot and I went there this morning. The object in the first square of the picture he posted is trash on the side of the road, looks like one piece due to the point of view which is a few hundred feet before the second image. In reality it is two pieces one right behind the other from that angle.

The objects in the second square is the same two pieces of trash but viewed further down the road nearly next to them. You can see the seperation and the way they are laying that from the other view they could appear as one.

There was no bird. I video taped the scene and the two pieces of trash are obvious, no dead bird to be found and as flat and open as the road is (no shoulder drop off at all even) it is ridiculous to believe anything other than the guy gently steered the car right into the water. I will post the video of the scene on YouTube if needed.

Coming back from Galveston on I-45 this section of feeder is only around a half mile long, the only way on it is to exit after crossing Highway 3. Then you have to either get back on the freeway very quickly or you will be forced to U-turn under I-45 and head back the other way. There is absolutely nothing on the feeder and there is no reason to get on it if you are heading back from Galveston. The spot where the Veyron ran into the water is beyond the point that you have to get back on the freeway, leaving only the choice of U-turning to go the other way, so so much also for the BS story about heading back from Galveston eh?

This crash is a publicity money making scam along the lines of Balloon Boy and this guy should be promptly arrested for fraud....

Reader NitrousOxide sees either a pelican or a blackhawk helicopter in this screen-capture from the grainy video.

B3ND3R avails himself of every possibility with the following breakdown:

OK, for the record I never meant to imply that I definitively thought it was a scam, just that my BS meter is pegged and people need to open themselves up to the possibility.

Note:

A. This is 1 of 15 Veyrons in the entire US. The odds of anyone, let alone a car enthusiast, even spotting a Veyron are about 1 in 7.3 million provided that all 15 Veyrons were on the road on this day (and I'm betting most were not).

B. Veyrons are horrendously expensive to maintain. First scheduled maintenance - $22,322. Tires must be replaced every 2,500 miles at a cost of $10,347 per set. The entire set of wheels must be replaced every third tire change (7,500 miles). Extended warranty? Sure, that will be $103,062 for 2 years.

C. Restoring exotics pays well, but does it pay well enough to purchase a $1M+ car. I happen to personally know a concourse restorer of vintage Ferraris, and his income would be categorized as upper middle class. Previous poster stated the driver lives in a $147K home, but driver claims to own the Veyron.

D. The engine was left running for 15 minutes underwater.

E. Both the pulling of the car out of the water and the accident were very conveniently filmed.

So, for those who buy the whole story, you can safely commit to the fact that:

1. There is no possibility that this guy was in over his head and wanted an insurance payout.

2.There is no possibility that he didn't have the whole thing filmed so that he could prove he wasn't driving recklessly.

3. There is no possibility he didn't want the car totally destroyed (engine and all) and thus risk getting stuck with the car when it was repaired.

4. There is no possibility that this wasn't embarked on as a publicity stunt by one of the very few people in the country who specialize in restoring wrecked exotics.

OK. I don't know the guy or the situation other than what has been disclosed, so just maybe this is one set of amazing coincidences.

And if this is just one set of big coincidences, then both the driver of the Veyron and the kids filming it need to go out and buy a few thousand dollars worth of lottery tickets.

Whatever the case, there's a pot of gold in there somewhere for someone as many of you pointed out, and Rogue180 captured, there's a rainbow at the end of this story.

(Hat tip to erzhik for the pictures!)

House himself confirmed to us he owns the Enzo crashed by Griffin. Ironically, the business House owns is Performance Auto Sales, which sells repaired exotic cars. According to House he's one of the largest salvage auto dealers in the world. We asked him if the car was salvageable or not and here's what he replied in an email:

Not sure if the car is salvageable yet, have not had a chance to go survey the damage. I am one of the largest salvage excotic dealers in the world. This car should be repairable but at what cost Im not familiar with. This was a personal car and one that I was very proud of.. it is by far the nicest car that I have ever owned, looking to replace it now!

This was the story according to the Galveston Daily News:

The man, who refused to give his name, was looking at real estate in Galveston.
About 3 p.m. a low-flying pelican distracted him as he traveled north on Interstate 45 just south of the hurricane levee near Omega Bay.
The man jerked the wheel, dropped his cell phone, and the car's front tire left the frontage road and entered a muddy patch, which foiled his attempt to maneuver away from the lagoon.

Yeah, that's not what happened at all according to this video.

This was recorded by a Facebook user who appears to be taping it with a phone or digital camera just at the right moment. Warning, they do swear appropriately at the event. Incredible.

UPDATE: Thanks to some great follow up reporting by the Galveston Daily News and their sister paper, we now know the man is Andy House of Performance Auto Sales in Lufkin, Texas. The shop, ironically, specializes in repairing wrecked exotics. We contacted House for a comment and here's what he said:

I had dropped my phone, people dont know what happened, the arnold story was made up to by the wrecker driver. What it appeared to been was a reflection.

We'll continue to cover this interesting story as it unfolds.

UPDATE 2: Follow up story from the Galveston Daily News

UPDATE #3: We've finally put one and one together. Andy House not only crashed his Bugatti Veyron into a lake, he also owns the now-repaired Eddie Griffin-crashed Ferrari Enzo!

UPDATE#4: Here's the full post-Lake Crash Bugatti Veyron mega gallery showing the aftermath.

(H/T to Houston_AG!)

UPDATE: We have video of the Bugatti Veyron crashing into the lake. As well as a response from the driver!

UPDATE: Here's the full post-Lake Crash Bugatti Veyron mega gallery showing the aftermath.

UPDATE: From the Galveston Daily News:

The two-seater, with 16 cylinders and four turbo chargers, can reach speeds of more than 250 mph. New models sell for about $2 million.

The man, who refused to give his name, was looking at real estate in Galveston.

About 3 p.m. a low-flying pelican distracted him as he traveled north on Interstate 45 just south of the hurricane levee near Omega Bay.

The man jerked the wheel, dropped his cell phone, and the car's front tire left the frontage road and entered a muddy patch, which foiled his attempt to maneuver away from the lagoon.

The Veyron's powerful engine gurgled like an outboard motor for about 15 minutes before it died.

We had our first-ever British Leyland Index Of Effluency winner (the Mr. Bean 1962 Austin Mini was built prior to the British Leyland era) and the newest entry in LeMons history (2005). It was one of the cleanest races yet, at least in terms of cars bashing into each other, though we did have one of the highest black-flag totals in LeMons history; not quite up to Thunderhill or Buttonwillow levels, but close. We saw three different air-cooled Volkswagens (two of which were kaput fairly early), a Fiat Brava, and the usual Texas-style hordes of Mustangs, BMW E30s, and Nissan Zs.

Thanks to Nick Pon aka TheEastBayKid and RoadRunner for photographic help. Additional thanks to Team Tetanus Neon for letting me bolt the BumperCam to their car's C pillar.

Not enough LeMons action for you? Check out the top lemons of past races: Altamont '07 • Arse Freeze '07 • Altamont '08 • Ohio '08 • New England '08 • South '08 • Texas '08 • Arse Freeze '08 • Texas Spring '09 • South Spring '09 • Reno '09 • New Orleans '09 • New England '09 • Buttonwillow '09 • South Fall '09 • Ohio '09

1. Race Hard Race Ugly Soot, BMW 325iS
Overall Winner
Best Lap: 2:01.289

2. GT $500 Racing, Toyota Celica
Winner, Class Good
BS Penalty laps: 2
Best Lap: 2:05.539

3. Speed Racer, Y'all, Saturn SC2
Winner, Class Bad
Winner, Least Horrible Yank Tank Award
Best Lap: 2:05.731

4. Johansson Brothers- Flying Monkey Racing, Toyota Supra
Best Lap: 2:09.378

5. Race Hard Race Uglier HDGB.com, BMW 325iS
Best Lap: 2:03.139

6. Team JB Weld, Pontiac Grand Prix
Best Lap: 2:01.699

7. WARTHOG RACING, BMW 325e
Best Lap: 2:04.248

8. Guano By Desmodus Rufus Dump #2, Mazda RX-7
Best Lap: 2:06.963

9. Sheila and the Sheiks, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:05.590

10. Swine Flew Raycing, Infiniti J30
Best Lap: 2:09.733

11. Prancing Donkey, Acura Integra
Quickest lap of race
Best Lap: 1:57.750

12. Schrödinger's Crapbox, Dodge Neon
Best Lap: 2:07.175

13. Team Blue Goose 2, Volkswagen Rabbit
Best Lap: 2:04.062

14. FUBAR Racing, Ford Escort
Best Lap: 2:05.099

15. Unintended Acceleration- Audi, Audi 90 Quattro
Best Lap: 2:06.188

16. Live Oak Nudist Resort II, BMW 320i
Winner, Highest Placing 70s Contender award
Best Lap: 2:12.873

17. Rolling Chicane Racing, Honda Civic
Best Lap: 2:09.465

18. Team Flying Wrench, Nissan 300ZX
Best Lap: 2:11.148

19. Rum Runners, Chevrolet Malibu
Winner, Grassroots Motorsports Most From The Least Award
Best Lap: 2:17.768

20. Polizei und Banditen, BMW 325e
BS Penalty laps: 30
Best Lap: 2:04.301

21. Team Festivus, Ford Festiva
Best Lap: 2:17.368

22. Los Cucaroches, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 1:59.981

23. Piranha Racing, BMW 325e
Winner, Best Pit Party Animals award
Best Lap: 2:12.916

24. Inglorious Bastards Racing, Datsun 240Z
Best Lap: 2:05.333

25. Red Rocket Ratnest Revival, Ford Taurus SHO
Best Lap: 2:00.788

26. Property Devaluation Racing, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:04.995

27. Normal Y Ass Parade D, Toyota Paseo
Best Lap: 2:09.792

28. Apex Vinyl Driving then Drinking, Isuzu Impulse
Best Lap: 2:10.976

29. Junk Punch Racing, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:18.873

30. I GOTTA P, Honda Prelude
Best Lap: 2:13.692

31. Tetanus Neon, Dodge Neon
Best Lap: 2:08.354

32. Team Screwdriver, Nissan Sentra
Best Lap: 2:16.439

33. Dirty Some Beaches, Honda Civic Wag-O-Van
Best Lap: 2:13.974

34. Rust Pirate Racing, Chevrolet Camaro
Winner, Class Ugly
Best Lap: 2:09.471

35. Team Israel, Opel GT
Best Lap: 2:03.594

36. BikiniRacer.com's Men Of LeMons, Mazda RX-7
Best Lap: 2:08.879

37. Ritual Killing Motorsports, Nissan 200SX
Best Lap: 2:14.425

38. Speed Racer & The Racing Rednex, Ford Mustang
Winner, Dangerous Homemade Technology award
Best Lap: 2:12.208

39. 800-2B-Petty
Best Lap: 2:09.459

40. Team Mazdarati, Mazda Protege
Best Lap: 2:15.833

41. TSOL- Totally SHIT OUTTA LUCK, Saab 9000
Winner, Über-Recidivist award
Best Lap: 2:09.775

42. Team Sour Puss, Acura Integra
Best Lap: 2:08.299

43. Team Iron Butt Racing, Toyota Supra
BS Penalty laps: 5
Best Lap: 2:06.224

44. Kung Fu and the Fu King Racers, Toyota Paseo
Best Lap: 2:10.359

45. Secret Society of Skanks and Bitches, BMW 5 Series
Best Lap: 2:14.647

46. Black Knight Racing: It's Just a Flesh Wound, Triumph TR7
Winner, Index Of Effluency
Best Lap: 2:08.014

47. Longhorn Raceworks, Toyota Celica
Best Lap: 2:04.664

48. Dogged Racing, Ford Probe
BS Penalty laps: 20
Best Lap: 2:06.479

49. TnT Racing, Volkswagen Golf
Best Lap: 2:03.506

50. Revolutionary Racing, BMW E36
BS Penalty laps: 48
Best Lap: 2:05.414

51. Lost In The Dark, Mazda Miata
Best Lap: 2:07.855

52. MJ-HAGBROS
Best Lap: 2:06.908

53. State Pooper, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:04.402

54. Never Give Up, BMW 1602
Best Lap: 2:05.721

55. Starsky and Hooch, Nissan Sentra SE-R
Best Lap: 2:05.936

56. Brass Burro Racing, Ford Mustang II
Best Lap: 2:05.161

57. Cupcake Racing, Ford Thunderbird
Best Lap: 2:16.851

58. Prison Break Racing, BMW 325e
Best Lap: 2:23.060

59. The UNDERGROUND, Nissan 300ZX Turbo
Best Lap: 2:05.335

60. Guild Of Calamitous Intent, Mazda RX-7
Best Lap: 2:08.561

61. Team Miagra, Mazda Miata
BS Penalty laps: 50
Best Lap: 2:06.547

62. LBB Racing Presents: Magnum P.O.S., Nissan 240SX
Best Lap: 2:12.451

63. Airwolf Neon, Dodge Neon
Best Lap: 2:04.791

64. Broner Motorsports, Ford Probe
Best Lap: 2:17.897

65. Academics Drives Dreams, Geo Prizm
Best Lap: 2:10.136

66. Ghetto Motorsports, Mazda RX-7
Best Lap: 2:02.681

67. El Toro Loco, Ford Taurus SHO
Best Lap: 2:04.013

68. RustBucketRacers, Chevrolet Cavalier
Best Lap: 2:17.530

69. Hondookie, Honda CRX
Best Lap: 2:10.924

70. Team NAFTA, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:11.698

71. Stick Pony Racing, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:07.586

72. Mostly Harmless Racing, Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Winner, Organizer's Choice
Best Lap: 2:19.192

73. NSF Racing, Honda CRX
Best Lap: 2:27.955

74. TDH Old School, Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:10.388

75. Jewish Defense League BMW, BMW 2002
Best Lap: 2:17.391

76. Team Heffer-Weizen, Volkswagen Scirocco
Best Lap: 2:16.513

77. Team Sensory Assault, Mazda RX-7
Winner, Judges' Choice award
Best Lap: 2:06.731

78. Fat Bastard Racing, Datsun 260Z
Best Lap: 2:15.862

79. HAR-HAR Racing, Toyota MR2
Best Lap: 2:07.361

80. Kentucky Fried Racing, Honda Civic
Best Lap: 2:19.524

81. Poage Ma Thoin Racing, Fiat Brava
Winner, "What's This? Do I Need One?" award (rear-view mirror)
Best Lap: 2:23.435

82. TiredBird Racing, Pontiac Firebird
Best Lap: 2:05.019

83. The SCHWING Team, Toyota Corolla FX16
Best Lap: 2:06.678

84. They Ain't Right Racing, Toyota MR2
Best Lap: 2:07.920

85. Nickels Or Nothing, Toyota 240Z
Best Lap: 2:05.255

86. Gideons Gone Wild (GGW) Racing, BMW 318i
BS Penalty laps: 47
Best Lap: 2:04.900

87. Hoosier Daddy, Mitsubishi Galant
BS Penalty laps: 20
Best Lap: 2:13.636

88. Advance Team, Honda Civic
Best Lap: 2:11.316

89. Pucker Factor Racing, Nissan Sentra SE-R
BS Penalty laps: 25
Best Lap: 2:06.220

90. Out Of Town Racing, BMW 325eS
Best Lap: 2:03.458

91. Live Oak Nudist Resort Inc, Ford Taurus SHO
Best Lap: 2:00.816

92. Shake and Bake (Dennit Racing), Ford Mustang
Best Lap: 2:04.982

93. Organic Z, Datsun 280ZX
Best Lap: 2:05.620

94. Property Devaluation Racing II
Winner, I Got Screwed award
Best Lap: 2:05.611

95. Team ROADKILL, Volkswagen Fastback
Best Lap: 2:19.408

96. Little Buckaroo, Volkswagen Beetle
Best Lap: 2:31.247

97. Team Zip Tie, Ford Taurus SHO
Best Lap: 2:02.922

98. FROGMASTERS, MGB-GT
Best Lap: 2:09.586

99. WT Motorsports, BMW 535i
Best Lap: 2:30.431

100. Team Kachow, Eagle Talon
Best Lap: 2:04.807

101. Weezer Racing, Ford Escort
Best Lap: 2:13.214

102. The Bastardos de LeMons, Lincoln Mark VIII
Best Lap: 2:07.603

103. Team Blue Goose I
Best Lap: 2:03.904

104. Turd Burglars, Toyota MR2
Best Lap: 2:07.219

105. Team Supraleggara, Toyota Supra
Best Lap: 2:16.111

106. Team RSC, Eagle Talon
Best Lap: 2:31.034

107. Ludicrous Speed!, Volkswagen Jetta
BS Penalty laps: 80
Best Lap: 2:10.349

108. Der Hoff, BMW 325
Best Lap: 2:18.767

109. SnafuRacing's Fancy Lawnmower, Plymouth Neon
Best Lap: 2:13.991

110. Alamo City Rollers, BMW 325e
BS Penalty laps: 17
Best Lap: 2:16.556

111. Shrimp Boots, BMW 325i
Winner, Best Pit Party Animals award
Best Lap: 2:21.434

112. Substandard Racing, AMC Gremlin
Best Lap: 3:13.321

113. Tobacco Advocacy Racing Program, Toyota MR2
Winner, Heroic Fix
Best Lap: 2:36.643

114. MustangIInicorn, Ford Mustang Cobra II
Best Lap: 2:28.977

115. Red or Green, Mitsubishi Eclipse
Best Lap: 2:23.094

116. The Whip-Its, Nissan 280ZX
Best Lap: 3:01.645

117. Team Clunker (Stimulus wuz denied), Nissan 300ZX
Best Lap: 2:56.444

118. Apex Vinyl TX Racing, Toyota Hilux
Best Lap: NA (didn't finish first lap)

119. Bayou Degradable, Ford Pinto
Best Lap: NA (didn't finish first lap)

120. Hooters Dirty South Racing Team, BMW 535i
BS Penalty laps: 169
Best Lap: 2:05.310

121. Unintended Acceleration- Miata, Mazda Miata
BS Penalty laps: 500
Best Lap: 2:08.998

122. Union Jack Racing, Mini Cooper S
BS Penalty laps: 1066
Best Lap: 2:09.793

123. Flying Hyoondai, Merkur XR4Ti
BS Penalty laps: 2000
Best Lap: 2:07.082

Perhaps the cruelest of penalties for those unable to think faster than they can drive, this team has struggled with the puzzle for — and we're being generous here — at least 30 minutes (one team member described it as feeling like an hour). It's either an issue of too many cooks in the kitchen or too many brain cells destroyed by fumes.

Race Hard Race Ugly BMW is now following just one lap behind with Team JB Weld Pontiac and Speed Racer Y'all Saturn (it's awesome) a lap behind them.

More updates of power grabs, barbecue, and Hobbesian retribution to come at Yee-Haw it's Lemons Texas 2009!

In fact, several vehicles broke down during transponder testing, including a Pinto wagon, a "numbers matching" Mustang Cobra II, and the six-wheeled Toyota truck. We're sure they'll all be back in business... eventually. Check in later for a standings update!

It went all day long, involved over 100 cars and thousands of penalty laps, and that's all I've got the energy to say right now. Let's see how these fine racin' machines perform later!

Music: Lille Knox, "I'm Troubled About My Soul," source: Prewar Blues

Mr. Sabold needs to go to jail for a mixture of driving while intoxicated and destroying a perfectly good exotic car (we think a Ferrari 575). The 911 operator, who sounds like my 5th grade bus driver, needs to get an award for putting the pieces together and talking the drunk loser out of his car before the train turns into an expensive Italian paperweight.

In addition to wrecking his car, the owner is happy to give his location and full name to the police, despite knowing he's probably drunk and now subject to arrest. The lack of self preservation instinct is overwhelming.

UPDATE: Turns out the Ferrari driver is the owner of Automotive Concepts, the "number one source for Luxury Automobile Service in the Dallas - Fort Worth area." Hilariously, his company bio states "[Jeff] has a passion of not only taking care of your luxury vehicle, but doing it right the first time."

Thanks Garrett & Lee for the tip!

[KXII]

Thanks to Myke Toman, Nick Pon, Zerin Dube and Speed:Sport:Life, Anna C of Bikini Racer, the Norwegian Slaabs, Saabs Gone Wild, Prison Break Racing, Team Beermer, LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman, Jackson Williams, and others for their fine photographs.

While there was only one European machine in the Gator-O-Rama top 10, the Opular Dependence Team Israel Opel GT grabbed the prestigious Organizer's Choice trophy for the Continent. Not only that, the Saabs avoided throwing even a single connecting rod this time out, which should be cause for rejoicing in the streets of Stockholm
.
Thanks to Myke Toman, Nick Pon, Zerin Dube and Speed:Sport:Life, Anna C of Bikini Racer, the Norwegian Slaabs, Saabs Gone Wild, Prison Break Racing, Team Beermer, LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman, Jackson Williams, and others for their fine photographs.

It was truly a glorious weekend for Detroit at MSR; in addition to the Mustang domination of the race, a Saturn came in third. We also enjoyed the sight of such LeMons rarities as a Pontiac Grand Prix and an Eagle Talon.

Thanks to Myke Toman, Nick Pon, Zerin Dube and Speed:Sport:Life, Anna C of Bikini Racer, the Norwegian Slaabs, Saabs Gone Wild, Prison Break Racing, Team Beermer, LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman, Jackson Williams, and others for their fine photographs. And now, the American cars of the 24 Hours Of LeMons Gator-O-Rama:

We saw plenty of the usual LeMons suspects at MSR in Houston last weekend, with 10 Mustangs, 6 RX-7s, 6 E30s, 4 CRXs, 4 Neons, and 4 Miatas showing up, but we also had our first-ever Infiniti Q45, a pair of Toyota pickups, an Opel GT, and an MGB-GT (which managed to get around the track startlingly quickly, in between lengthy jail sentences in the Penalty Box). In addition to Mustangs coming in first and second, we saw some other world-turned-topsy-turvy events. How about a LeMons race in which four Saabs enter… and all four are still running at the end? Sure, all the Saabs earned the new-for-Houston punishment for hitting tire walls and/or cones (old tires bolted to the car's roof), but they didn't throw rods or send major suspension components skittering off into the weeds in the first 30 minutes of the race! A four-banger Mustang finished second, a Saturn came in third, an 80s Dodge Daytona managed to contend, and the majority of BMW E30s raced for two solid days without exhibiting the usual maddeningly undiagnosable electrical woes (blown head gaskets and axle failures, certainly, but we didn't see the all-too-common cruel drama of E30 crew members weeping over multimeters and wiring diagrams).

This time I'm going to include each team's best lap time, so y'all can see for yourselves how "fast" does not equal "win" in the 24 Hours Of LeMons. Those of you contemplating horsepower-enhancing cheats would do well to note that the four-cylinder Mustangs performed just as well as their V8 siblings, and you Miata and E30 guys can go ahead and keep thumping your chests about those absurdly quick lap times… but remember, your favorite cars got stomped by a Saturn! Those of you wanting obsessively complete lap info can go here; keep in mind that a few cars may be showing too-low best lap times due to having taken what the corner workers dubbed the "Neon Bypass" (in honor of the oft-penalized Blueballs Neons) off-road shortcut around the chicanes.

Before you go check out our 95 Texas racin' machines, I've got a video that true 24 Hours Of LeMons fans ought to find quite entertaining. First, we've got one of the hairiest Integra-jumps-BMW-wheel bits ever caught on film, courtesy of the Unintended Acceleration Audi's in-car camera:


Zerin Dube, editor of Speed:Sport:Life volunteered for judging duties at the race, and he also did a good job covering the goings-on at his site. You'll enjoy the Penalty Box Punishments and the rest of the SSL race coverage.

Thanks to Zerin Dube, TheEastBayKid, Myke Toman, and a whole bunch of race team members for many of the photographs below.
When you're done here, be sure to check out the participants of previous LeMons events, including Arse Freeze '08, Texas '08, Toledo '08, New England '08, South '08, San Francisco '08, Arse Freeze '07, and San Francisco '07. I'll put up some more LeMons stuff when I get back to my normal weekend schedule, too. And now, the racers of the 2009 Gator-O-Rama:

So, we've been making the rounds of the pits, meeting some folks we met at last October's race as well as some new faces. Many Mustangs, many Saabs, and much more; check in over the weekend for as much LeMons coverage as my judgin' duties permit.

LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman couldn't wait for the team website URLs, so he got the scoop over his erstwhile employer, but I wanted to get more info about the Index Of Effluency Kings before dropping this bombshell: an Opel GT and an MGB-GT have been signed up for the race! Sadly, both teams are operating under the radar- no doubt because they're cheating like crazy- and I can't get any details on how they plan to totally dominate this race. LeMons Texas, as you may recall, tends to be heavy on the Mustangs and Camaros, though the usual hurricane-flooded BMW suspects are out in full force as well. Here's the complete-as-LeMons-HQ-can-make-it team list, as well as an Opel-vs-MG poll for you Effluence Handicappers; I've got a fair amount of time behind the wheel of both MGBs and Opel GTs, so I can say they're both hopelessly underpowered, ill-handling, unreliable heaps excellent race cars!

2nd Gear Racing: 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix
Apex Vinyl TX Racing: 1978 Toyota Pickup
Bangers and Mash: 1986 Honda Prelude
Beermer: 1976 BMW 2002
Bio-Hazard Racing: 1995 Ford Ranger XLT
Boehm Racing: 1987 Saab 900S
Brawndo, The Thirst Mutilator: 1986 Nissan 200SX
Bubba Drift: 1992 Nissan 240SX
Charlie's Ugly Angels: 1976 Ford Mustang II
Cupcake Racing: 1988 Ford Thunderchicken
Def Leppard Still Sucks: 1986 Ford Mustang
Delinquent Road Hazards: 1993 Acura Integra
Detroit Bailout: 1987 Toyota Supra
Doggie Style Racing: 1985 Toyota MR2
Dukes of Hiroshima: 1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R
Dyin' Tryin'
El Toro Loco
eLemonators: 1992 Toyota Celica
Evel Kweasels: 1982 Toyota Corolla
Flying Asses: 1994 Mazda Miata
Flying Hoondee: 1987 Merkur XR4Ti
Formula M: 1984 Ford Mustang
Four Jerks and a Squirt: 1990 Pontiac Camfirerobird
Frogmasters: 1972 MGB-GT
FUBAR Racing: 1998 Ford Escort
Geargrinders: 1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Gold Member: 1987 Toyota MR2
Green Hornet Bimmer Racing: 1995 BMW 318i
Griswold Racing: 1979 Ford Pinto wagon
Guano by Desmodus Rufus: 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
Guild of Calamitous Intent: 1987 Mazda RX-7
Half-Assed Safety Fast: 1991 Infiniti Q45
Junk Punch Racing: 1990 Ford Mustang
Lemoncello Racing: 1986 Honda Quaalude
LeMons Racing Experiment (LRE): 1973 Datsun 240Z
Longhorn Raceworks: 1992 Toyota Celica
Los Cucaroches: 1986 Ford Mustang
Los Diablos Racing Team: 1974 Chevrolet Camaro
Lost in the Dark: 1989 Mazda MX6
Low Budget Racing: 1979 Datsun 280ZX
Margarita: 1996 Dodge Neon
Medically Challenged: 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT
Mustank Racing LLC, POS: 1985 Ford Mustang
Never Give Up: 1971 BMW 1600-2
Norwegian Slaabs - Part Två: 1982 Saab 900
One Point Twenty One Jiggawatts!: 1980 Mazda RX7
Opular Dependence: 1972 Opel GT
Out of Town Racing: 1986 BMW 325es
Polizei und Banditen: 1986 BMW 325e
Prison Break Racing: 1986 BMW 325
Project Yellow Racing: 1986 Honda CRX
Punisher Racing: 1995 Chevy Caprice wagon
Purple Pin Pall Lefty: 1996 Dodge Neon
Purple Pin Ball Righty: 1997 Plymouth Neon
Pwnage Racing: 1988 Mazda RX-7
Race Hard Race Uglier: 1987 BMW 325i
Race Hard Race Ugly: BMW 325i
Rear Impact: 1991 Mazda Miata
Rebel Z: 1982 Datsun 280ZX
Red Pig Racing: 1994 Mazda Miata
Rotorheads: 1983 Mazda RX-7
Rum Runners: 1980 Chevy Malibu Classic
Saabs Gone Wild: 1987 Saab 900 Turbo
Scuderia Scooter Trash: 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano
Scuderia Suino Rosso: 1991 Mazda Miata
Shake and Bake 4-Cylinder Mustang Mafia: 1991 Ford Mustang:
Sheila and the Sheiks: 1985 Ford Mustang
Smilin' Bob Racing Team: 1995 Honda Accord
State Pooper: 1989 Ford Mustang
Stiff Competition : 1984 Mazda RX-7
Stop, Drop, and RickRoll: 1985 BMW 325e
Team Blue Goose: 1985 Honda CRX
Team Fat Cat Racing: 1991 Jaguar XJ6
Team Kachow: 1990 Eagle Talon
Team Lemonade: 1991 Toyota Celica
Team Mazdarati Corse GTA: 1992 Mazda Protégé:
Team Screwdriver: 1979 Pontiac Bonnelinabird:
Team Sour Puss: 1991 Acura Integra
Team Supraleggera: 1983 Toyota Supra
Team Zip Tie: 1992 Ford Taurus SHO
Tetanus Neon: 1995 Dodge Neon
The Cajun Coonasses: 1995 Saturn SL2
The Ghostbusters: 1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S
The Smoking Eunuchs: 1990 Ford Mustang
TnT Racing: 1989 Volkswagen Golf
Toxic Asset Racing Program: 1986 Toyota MR2
TSOL: 1992 Saab 9000
Unintended Acceleration: 1990 Audi 90 Quattro
Viva Las Vegas: 1990 Honda CRX
Warthog Racing: 1985 BMW 325e
White Lightning Racing: 1982 Toyota Celica GT
Witchdoctor Motorsports/bikiniracer.com: 1987 Chevrolet Camaro
Z-Wrecks: 1982 Datsun 280ZX
Zebra Razing: 1985 Toyota Truck