Sunday, October 02, 2022

24-Hour NaZCAR Lemons Enduro proves that 101 cars on the grid and as many as 500 drivers on site, there a very real demand for a full and continuous 24 hour race a year (thank you Mark D!)








Although nominally ‘won’ by the BMW E36 coupe of the appropriately-named Get-In-Behind team (of Tony Rutz, Colin Letcher, Glen Collinson, Matthew Booth & Garry Denham) which covered 554 laps, two more than the SsangYong Actyon ute of Ghost Dog Racing (Deon and Rick Cooper Snr & Jnr) and 11 more than the BMW Bandits squad (Peter Bennett, Kayne Barrie, Brett Matthew, Warren Glassford & Nigel Patterson) which ended up third, Dr Simonsen stressed at the prize giving function held immediately after the race that “everyone gathered here this afternoon is a winner in my eyes.”

As such only two of the event’s coveted Grand Awards (one for Limes [defined as cars value at between $1000 and $2000 at time of purchase] which went to the first car home, the BMW E36 3-Series coupe of Team Get-In-Behind’s Tony Rutz, Colin Letcher, Glen Collinson, Matthew Booth & Garry Denham, the other for Lemons, in this case to the giant-killing Mazda 3 of Team Assassin Racing’s Mal Chamberlain, David & Nathan Cox, and Craig Howser, the first of the Lemons cars home in 6th place having completed 527 laps) went to ‘winning teams.’

“Seriously though,” Dr Simonsen continued, “while the spectacle of racing was one thing, the spectacle of the costumes and themes was quite another – from Ninjas to cowboys, muppets to roadworkers… and everything in between!

AWARDS:
Supreme award (the Spirit of Lemons trophy): Prince Harry 
Judges Choice: It’s not dead yet 
Back From the Dead: Top Gun 
Best Fix: Fullon Bogans 
Above and Beyond: Team Pineapple 
Battlers award: Ghost Dog 
M111 Cooperation award: Buckland Bombers 
Benevolence award: One red wing mirror 
Most consistent: Morris Garage 
TRON award/Best lightshow: The Undertakers 
Good Bastard award: Aussie Spares 
Most Laps (Lime): Get in Behind (554 laps) 
Most Laps (Lemon) Assassin Racing (527 laps) 
Best Themed team: Maximum Duff and Too Much Duff (2 teams shared award) 
The Ugly Stick: Do it for Dale 
Best Presented Car: 6 Ugga Duggas

NaZCAR Lemons started life as the endurance series called "24 Hours of Lemons" in 2016 and has become NZ's most beloved and successful endurance motorsport series. Lemons is low-budget motorsport at its best

Will Dawber took part with his team - six drivers and a few extras as pit crew - driving a Nissan 350Z (with auto trans) convertible as one of his friends has a wrecking yard and the Z had come in from Japan as a damaged car so was never going to be able to be made roadworthy. 

The initial cost of the car was low but there were many hours of preparation needed. They finished mid field but were lucky enough to be awarded the 'Supreme Award', perhaps that involved the 'spirit of the event'/shenanigans/and buying gifts for the judges and organizers.

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