Day 1: 24 Hours of Lemons

Team Festivus made it through the first entire day of the 24 Hours of Lemons. Day one consisted of 8 hours of spirited driving. The weather started off cold and damp, which is exactly what we wanted, given that we have the only all-wheel drive car entered in the event.

Still, we started off conservatively. The goal for day one was to make sure that everyone got seat time.

The driving order ended up being (I think):
Doug
Wade
Jessica
Erik
Bryce
Wyatt
Doug (again)

After one hour, we were in 34th place, out of 71 entries. After three hours, we were in 17th place. We were NOT moving exceptionally fast and spent much of the first several hours letting cars pass us... so that the guys going fast early on could take each other out later. This strategy proved to be pretty effective.

At the end of the night, we held 20th place, but were nearly tied with 10 other cars. 1st thru 4th positions have a sizeable lap lead over the rest of the field. So, there's a tight battle going on.

The car leading the pack right now is a Mazda 626 that was originally prepared by Mazda for track racing. It's old a beat up now, but still has a screaming motor and good suspension. Close behind that is a MK I MR2.

Our car has been solid. No issues whatsover. Subaru's really are rock solid reliable. Although we are significantly down on power compared to most other cars, we can pass in places where other can't. The track has gotten muddy in places and we have really been able to take advantage of that. I had some great battles today with a 1970's Camaro. He'd scream by me on the front stretch, and then I'd dog him through the tighter stuff, eventually passing him. We repeated this dance 5-6 laps in a row.

The team is driving very well, and even the real newbies did a terrific job. Nobody hit anyone, got hit, went off the track, or got black flagged. There are a few light wheel/tire marks on the car, but nothing significant.

Not too much carnage today. One Datsun B210 rolled several times, and another Datsun rear-ended a stopped Neon. No injuries.

Looking forward to Day 2! I really think that if we maintain the same strategy that we'll move up in the standings. There are several cars that just seem to be pushing too hard to finish.