"The Pass” is perhaps one of, if not the most, famous maneuvers in IndyCar history. That’s when Alex Zanardi, in a desperate attempt to gain the lead on the final lap, charged pass Bryan Herta on the entry to the Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 1996, but careened into the gravel and somehow managed to keep control of the car and win the race.
Another historic moment happened on the Corkscrew on Monday, Oct. 12: A Mazda Miata barreled by a Ford Aerostar on the apex of the corner, tires squealing as its driver held on through part of the five-story descent to make the pass.
And both vehicles had ridiculously large wings.
For the first time, the 24 Hours of Lemons made its way to the famed Monterey County circuit, where cheap vehicles outfitted with garish accessories—think a child’s car seat strapped to the roof of a station wagon—were piloted by equally outlandish characters.
Since 2006, the 24 Hours of Lemons series has seen more than 40,000 people race at tracks across the country in vehicles best suited for the junkyard. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the endurance racing series decided to throw a party at Laguna Seca, says Jay Lamm, who is referred to as the “chief perpetrator” of the 24 Hours of Lemons.
“It’s a track everybody loves,” he says. “It’s super fun to drive. We're just throwing ourselves a 20th birthday, and I figured, we can lose our ass and we don’t care.”
The concept is simple: Teams must purchase a car for $500 or less, then bring it up to race spec, complete with a roll cage and other safety equipment.
Most of all, it’s about having fun—no aggressive competition or vehicle contact on the track, Lamm says.
“This is a really interesting group, because some of these cars and drivers could be super competitive anywhere,” he says. “And some of these cars and drivers could not be competitive in a Walmart parking lot. Yet they all seem to play together well. They’re here to race with their friends.”
“We try to keep the aggravation low. You're not there to work out your daddy issues. You're there to just have fun in a race car.”
The Corkscrew has a reputation, especially among those who have never driven on it before.
As one team driving a Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country switched drivers, the replacement driver was warned about the Corkscrew.
“It already scares the fuck out of me,” she said as she adjusted her helmet.
As a Mini Cooper rolled into the pits, the driver was ecstatic that he had passed multiple vehicles on the Corkscrew.
“I’m like, ‘I’m fucking passing on the Corkscrew,’” he says.
Chris Bush, team captain for Fancy Chicken Racing, was disappointed that his Volkswagen Jetta, with a Mazda Miata back end, wasn’t yet ready to compete, but he was cheering on his team of multiple vehicles.
Wearing an inflatable costume of a green skirt and coconut bra, Bush, from Canada, says he fell in love with the idea of Lemons when he first heard about it two years ago.
It’s resulted in some painful moments, such as once receiving the “I Got Screwed” award for driving 18 hours each way to the track, only to have his vehicle fail after just a few hours.
“This is a terrible idea, but we are running laps and having fun,” Bush says. “We’re not great at the racing, but we have a really great drive.”
Given the vehicles’ quality, or lack thereof, the chances for catastrophic failure is always high. Two hours into the race, had anything blown up?
“Not yet, but the day is young,” Lamm says.