Like many other racing organizations hit by pandemic shutdowns, the infamous 24 Hours of Lemons series shelved its in-person endurance events in 2020. So, like other racing series, the Lemons crew turned to simulation racing. In April of that year, the first 24 Hours of Lemons iRacing event was held at the virtual Laguna Seca raceway.
The in-person 24 Hours of Lemons racing series features cars that cost less than $500. Lemons is well known for hosting weekend-long amateur endurance races, week-long road rallies, and concours events honoring not-so-honorable hoopties. eBay Motors is a proud sponsor of the series, which celebrated its 16th anniversary in October.
Thanks to iRacing, you can experience Lemons racing mayhem from the comfort of your living room. Here’s a full replay of the action from NASCAR Racing at the iRacing Superspeedway in August 2022.
What Is iRacing?
When you think about sim racing, PlayStation’s Gran Turismo and XBox’s Forza Motorsport franchises probably come to mind. Arguably, the most popular racing sim of them all is iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations’ iRacing. Since the subscription-based racing sim’s launch in 2008, over 100 cars and tracks have been scanned and released to the iRacing world.
AI-controlled NASCAR Cup Gen 6 Ford Mustangs
iRacing has attracted many high-profile partnerships, including its first and longest with NASCAR in 2010. Dale Earnhardt Jr., a long-time sim racer, became executive director of the company in 2020. Other partners include Porsche, the International Motor Sports Association, Speedway Motors, and a 2021 deal to include Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes-AMG F1 car.
All of that goodness goes off the rails with Lemons iRacing.
Lemons Goes Sim
a three-wide, street stock-and-Miata sandwich.
While most iRacing leagues take everything seriously, the Lemons iRacing League celebrates the ridiculousness of sim racing. Funny paint jobs with in-jokes and fake sponsors rule the day.
Super-talented drivers are sometimes black-flagged for being too good. The racing is a backdrop for the podcast-esque broadcasts, and the results don’t matter all that much. Log on for the celebratory crashfests at the end of each race–and stay for the irreverent tales from the broadcast booth.
Stats for an AI named Drunk Eric Rood
It’s the same spirit that informs in-person 24 Hours of Lemons events, which bring amateur racers with low budgets to the track. Deep pockets are not necessary. In fact, the central rule of Lemons is that the car must be purchased for less than $500, then built for performance for $500 or less. Safety items like roll cages, fire suits, fire suppression systems, helmets, and brakes are excluded from those budget limits.
Derek Gilray (upper left) and Cameron Aubernon (lower right) cross the finish line at iRacing Superspeedway in Chelmsford, Mass.
In August, the virtual version of Lemons held a pair of 40-minute endurance races at iRacing Superspeedway, a three-mile superspeedway created in honor of NASCAR Racing 2002’s Coca-Cola Superspeedway.
The first race pitted human (simulated) drivers in the Mazda MX-5 Global Cup against artificial-intelligence-powered NASCAR Cup Gen 6 Ford Mustangs. The second enduro put AI drivers up against humans in proper race cars such as the Dallara IndyCar, NASCAR cars, and an LMP2 Prototype.
Here’s how to join the fun:
https://24hoursoflemons.com/wtf-onlineracing/
