24 Hours of Lemons
| Category | Endurance racing |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Inaugural season | 2006 |
| Drivers | Amateur racers |
| Official website | Preview warning: No official website (P856) found in wikidata. Nothing will be displayed. |
The 24 Hours of Lemons, sometimes styled as "24 Hours of LeMons", "24 Hours of LeMONS", or "24 Hours of LEMONS", is a series of endurance races held on paved road race courses across the United States.
The series holds a "Guinness World Record" for the "Most participants in one race" (216 cars) event though the proper FIA sanctioned Nürburgring 24 Hours races of the 2000s had more than 220 cars entered. This is possible because the Nordschleife track is about four times longer than most others.
The name of the race series is a play on words alluding to both the long-running annual 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race in Le Mans, France, and the notion of "lemon" cars. The event is similar to the folkracing phenomenon in Nordic countries, and similar to the ChampCar Endurance Series, which developed out of the 24 Hours of Lemons, but has a more carnival-like atmosphere. Teams of at least two drivers compete for up to 24 hours in race-prepared cars with a price limit of no more than US$500 (not including safety equipment) for cars. These races set themselves apart from the typical road race by their severe price limit imposed on the contestants' vehicles, their unusual penalties and punishments meted out by judges, and their blatant disregard for traditional motorsport politicking.