I’ve never set tire on a racetrack and I’ve never worked on a car beyond installing a horn and changing oil but by golly, I’m on a team set to join a 24 hour endurance race! Let me preface this by saying that the race isn’t a high profile event with a huge budget. Actually, the car CANNOT cost more than $500 (barring safety equipment including wheels, tires and brakes). The team estimates each person will be out roughly $750, including car costs, entrance fees, personal equipment such as a helmet and race suit, and travel expenses. Overall, this “$500” race will end up costing close to $5,000 but when it comes to racing, that’s CHEAP.

The event is the 24 Hours of LeMons and we will be racing a Festiva that already has two years of dirt track experience under it’s timing belt. One of the teammates is a Festiva aficionado and says the car is rock solid so unless we get into a serious accident, the car should be solid for the full race. I haven’t seen the car yet, but I’m excited. We have some prep work remaining, none of us have figured out travel plans and only a couple actually know how to race. We’re going to do our best and I’ll make sure to take a few thousand pictures.