After the judicial bribes, one of the things we love best about the 24 Hours Of LeMons is the way many of the teams dress for the occasion.
It's real, competitive wheel-to-wheel racing, but the car themes and team costumes help prevent the onset of the dreaded Deadly Serious Motorsport Pomposity Syndrome, which afflicts so many racers. Today we're going to admire some of the better team costumes we've seen at LeMons events. We love the LeMons tradition of team T-shirts, of course, but who doesn't want to root for a race team dressed in lederhosen?
Team Türbö Schnitzel, South '09
Some teams don their costumes, show up for a few photo opportunities during the BS Inspection, and then change into grimy coveralls for the rest of the weekend. Not these Merkur-driving Atlantans! They wore their increasingly filthy lederhosen (homemade) and hats and carried their beer steins for the duration of the race, including an all-night wrenching frenzy that involved the fabrication of a clutch disc from scratch using sheet metal and brake pads. Hell, we're pretty sure they slept in these outfits!
Dungeons & Dragsters, Reno '09
These poor bastards ended up spending all but about 16 minutes of the Goin' For Broken LeMons huddled under their Capri, trying to find some way to make the transmission work, but these super-nerdy D&D costumes- plus the amazing 20-sided fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view- brought them their well-deserved moment of glory.
Victors Of War, New England '09
These Golf-driving, wife-beater-wearing Jersey boys didn't just talk the talk; they really are a bunch of honest-to-god East Coast mooks. The VW medallions were cool, of course, but the bikes were the icing on the cake.
Uber Das Driver: Spy Vs Spy, Reno '09
With two cars and a dozen or so team members, the GTI-driving Spy Vs Spy guys were able to keep two of their group in these incredibly well-executed Prohias-inspired costumes 24/7 at the Goin' For Broken race. Wherever you went, it seemed, one of the spies would be there, pointy snout poking around a corner and "dynamite bomb" a-brandishing.
Deja Moo, Reno '09
When you drive a SHO with steer horns on the hood, toreador costumes jut make sense!
Black Metal V8olvo, Thunderhill '08
OK, I admit I'm the one who thought up these grim, frostibitten costumes, but they were enough of a hit at the Arse Freeze-a-Palooza that I'm including them here.
Eyesore Racing, Reno '09
Eyesore Racing has definitely smashed down the door to the Pantheon Of LeMons Legends and made themselves at home; they not only wore these stunning handmade Elvis/Elvissa costumes and wigs all weekend, but they won the race in their Ghettocharged '59 Cadillac Miata!
Corporate Machine, South '08
You don't have to sport elaborate team costumes to be memorable, as the Caddy DeVille-driving Corporate Machine team proved in South Carolina. They wore their increasingly nasty corporate shirts and ties at all times, even during their endless, endless wrenching sessions on their somewhat temperamental FWD Cadillac.
Mysteries, Inc., Reno '09
They had a perfect Mystery Machine paint job on their Voyager Turbo minivan, and they had the costumes to go with it. They even had a small child in dog costume to represent Scooby Himself.
SubarJew, South '09
After the Texas 'No Fat Shiksas' episode entered LeMons lore, these Subaru pilots decided to honor their heritage by painting their car with big Stars Of David and donning the scungiest fake beards they could find at their local Salvation Army.
Eysore Racing, Altamont '08
Before they wore Elvis costumes and drove a Ghettocharged Miata, the Eyesore freaks- who allegedly have 11 engineering degrees between them- were Eyesore Pimpin', complete with Continental-kit-equipped CRX and their Ho Brigade keepin' it real.
Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys, Reno '09
A Peugeot 505 Turbo, a guy in a monkey costume, striped shirts, berets… and the French Stig! What more do you need?
World Talent Force (WTF), Reno '09
Their car blew up right away, but the superhero costumes were a total win for Team WTF. The pug was their commander-in-chief.
Team PMS, Altamont '08
With a pink Mustang dubbed "The Bloat Float" (complete with the slogan "We're gonna win- PERIOD!" painted on the sides), the pink bathrobes and curlers of this all-woman team were a big hit at the final "demolition derby" Altamont race.
Killer Bees, Reno '09
When you race an MGB, you wear bee costumes.
California Mille, Reno '09
One of the two Alfa Romeo Alfettas operated by this team came damn close to winning the race- an Alfa is going to win a LeMons race one of these days, mark my words- but what we remember even more about these guys was the excellent Italian food they whomped up over the weekend. The chef costumes weren't just for show!
Junkyard Dogs, Reno '09
This team had only one guy- known by everyone at LeMons HQ as "the crazy German dude"- in costume, but it didn't matter. He made such a powerful impression that we still speak of this Supra-driving outfit as "Team Crazy German Dude."
Knights Of The Round Track, Reno '09
Their MR2 blew up, like, 11 seconds into the race, but the Knights managed to out-nerd the Dungeons & Dragsters team with their outfits. The Holy Hand Grenade hood ornament impressed all of us.
Cajun Jihad, New Orleans '09
Burlap sacks emblazoned with rifle-wielding crayfish, turbans, beards, and toy AK-47s made for one of the best- and admittedly most offensive- 24 Hours Of LeMons themes in history. These guys came in second in People's Curse votes, partly because some super-patriots believed they really were Great Satan-hating terrorists but mostly because they wouldn't stop cranking that damn song on their Mirage's PA system.
Huey Newis And The Lose, Reno '09
Considering that these guys are mostly too young to even remember the 80s, it was quite impressive how they nailed that perhaps-best-forgotten decade with unerring accuracy. Choose Life t-shirts, Members Only jackets, the suitcase with bags of "cocaine" and a 20-pound cellphone. Yes, that dude spent the whole weekend in his tighty whities.