We've seen the future of LeMons racing, but it seems only right that we wrap up 2009 with a look at the champions of the past season of 24 Hours Of LeMons events.
2009 Index Of Effluency Winners
As we keep trying to make clear, the Index Of Effluency is the top prize, the pinnacle of all LeMons awards. In 2010, the IOE winner will take home more prize money than the overall winner, just to make that point more obvious. Index Of Effluency winners not only get the respect and admiration of the LeMons HQ staff, they generally get jumped to the front of the line in the increasingly competitive race-acceptance sweepstakes. Click on any of the thumbnails below to learn more about each winner.
2009 Organizer's Choice Winners
The Organizer's Choice (formerly People's Choice) trophy goes to the team that, in the eyes of the Chief Perp, really gets the point of the 24 Hours Of LeMons. Maybe the team's car and/or theme was just mind-bendlingly awesome (yet didn't run well enough to contend for the Index of Effluency), or maybe the team just threw the best pit party after the first race session. Whatever the reason, the Organizer's Choice winners represent the best of the 24 Hours Of LeMons!
2009 Overall Winners
Even though we tend to emphasize the Index Of Effluency winners, the team that takes the overall win at a LeMons race has accomplished the nearly impossible: keeping a $500 car running all weekend and avoiding penalties. Just one slip and the overall win can slip out of a team's grasp; at race after race, the second- and third-place cars tend to be looming ominously in the leader's rear-view mirror, and we've seen several races decided by a fraction of a lap. These are the teams that had the skill, the luck, and the cool temperament needed to take the checkered flag at the 24 Hours Of LeMons in 2009.