As of 2017, New Zealand was ranked fourth on the global scale of vehicles per capita, with 774 vehicles per 1000 people. The basic economic principle of supply and demand dictates that the greater the supply, the lower the price. In this regard, New Zealand serves as a prime case in point, with plenty of end-of-life vehicles available at end-of-life prices, which serves as just the foundation for the popular 24 Hours of Lemons endurance race series.
The 24 Hours of Lemons is effectively a low-cost and high-fun version of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and was started in the USA, expanding into Australia, and finally New Zealand. Participants are to enter in teams, racing a vehicle purchased for $999 or less, and are encouraged to go as crazy as possible with a theme. The character on display is really what makes Lemons what it is.
We’re pretty sure this year’s Lemons race was the first ever true non-stop 24-hour race in New Zealand, following the classic day/night format, and the winning car completed 792 laps, totalling around 2100km! Out of the 53 cars that started, 41 classed as finishers, and you can see a whole lot of that in the gallery below.
Something a bit different over the weekend with the 24 hours of Lemons event at Hampton Downs. Pretty sure this was the first ever true non stop 24 hour car race in NZ. The leading car managed to complete 792 laps, around 2100ks, so to consider they are all cars bought for less than $1000 pretty impressive. 53 cars started with 41 classed as finishers.
Visit facebook.com/24HoursOfLemonsNZ to find out more.