recap: 24hrs of lemons - days of thunderhill
Introducing, the Bandit Prius - Image by PB Photo
When life gives you lemons…..you take it by the wheel and squeeze every last bit of juice you can out of it. That was the case when I got a text from my old boss last spring, asking if I was interested in doing a Lemons Race with him. It went something like:
Boss: There’s a lemons race at Thunderhill in May. Are you interested in joining?
Me: Absolutely!
Boss: …..It’ll be in a ……. P….R….I….U….S
Me: It could be a riding lawnmower for all I care! I’m in!
Only at a Lemons race can you witness cars like these.
This will be my first foray into amateur endurance racing.
For the uninitiated: the 24 Hours of Lemons is a racing series that takes endurance racing and turns it completely on its head. The basic idea? Take a car that costs $500 or less (not including safety gear), slap a roll cage in it, and send it out to battle on a real racetrack for hours on end.
It’s part motorsport, part rolling costume party. Teams often show up in full theme—everything from fake taxi cabs to giant rubber duckies glued to roofs. But don’t let the silliness fool you: the racing is real, the driving is serious, and the camaraderie is unmatched. It’s an inclusive, low-stakes way to experience endurance racing without needing a giant trailer or a six-figure build.
In short, it’s a perfect entry point for gearheads with a sense of humor and a little mechanical bravery.
If you couldn’t guess from the livery, our theme was from famed Smokey and The Bandit, with screaming chicken and all.
The Car: Eco Mode Mayhem
So there I was, in May 2022, suiting up for the “Yokohama Days of Thunderhill” event at Thunderhill Raceway—an 8+7 format (8 hours on Saturday, 7 on Sunday)—to race with Rattlesnake Electric Sports in their 2007 Toyota Prius. Yes, the most unassuming car in the paddock. A rolling symbol of commuter compromise. But out on track?
It was hilarious.
Sure, we got smoked in the straights. Sure, our lap times were far from threatening. But there is something uniquely satisfying about outbraking and outcornering Mustangs and BMWs in a Prius with stickers and zip ties holding it together. The cognitive dissonance on their faces as a hybrid hatchback slipped past them—chef's kiss.
If you’re curious about the story behind the car, check out this feature on Grassroots Motorsports:
👉 Why Not a Prius?
My Stints: Baptism by Brake Failure (Literally)
I had two stints—one each day—and both were memorable for all the wrong mechanical reasons.
Day One: About halfway through my session, the brakes began to feel soft. A few laps later, they were basically decorative. I tried to manage it, but the pedal was toast. And then... smoke. Lots of it. I limped the car to a corner station, where the brakes decided they'd had enough and caught fire. Like actual flames. That stint ended with me riding back to the paddock on a flatbed, watching the Prius smolder in the mirrors.
Luckily, the team had spare calipers on hand (bless them), and we wrenched everything back together in time to keep going. Gotta love Lemons—half racing, half pit crew hustle.
Day Two: I went out hopeful but cautious. Things started out okay, but halfway through the stint the brakes once again began to fade—less dramatic this time, but just as terminal. I managed to nurse the car back to the pits, this time under its own power, but unfortunately, we were out of spare parts. That was the end of my driving for the weekend.
But honestly? I was still smiling.
In between the fiery failure and the limp-home second stint, I had some of the most satisfying laps I’ve ever driven. With a car that slow, passes aren’t handed to you—they’re engineered. I’d spend three or four laps stalking a “faster” car, timing their mistakes, working traffic, and finally slipping by in a move that felt earned. It was endurance racing chess at 55 mph, and I was hooked.
Takeaways: Lessons in Endurance
Endurance racing is a whole different beast. It’s not just about lap times or clean apexes—it’s about managing the car, the traffic, the chaos, and yourself over hours and hours of driving. I learned more in one weekend than I thought possible:
How to race defensively (when you’re the slowest car on track).
How to read traffic and pick battles (hint: don’t pick many).
How to earn a pass.
How to recover from a fire and keep racing.
And how much fun you can have with a team, a shared goal, and a car that shouldn’t be doing what it’s doing.
Final Thoughts
The whole weekend was an incredible intro to endurance racing. The Lemons paddock energy is unmatched—competitive, creative, and just the right amount of unhinged. Everyone’s there to race hard, have fun, and laugh through the absurdity of it all.
Huge thanks to Richard and Madeline Hilleman for their hospitality, generosity, and for building a Prius that could (mostly) take the abuse.
And a big shoutout to Andi Hughes, my co-driver, for sharing the chaos and laughs in equal measure.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Prius and all.
The Rattlesnake Electric Sports team after a wild and unforgettable weekend at the 2022 24 Hours of Lemons ‘Days of Thunderhill’ race. Pictured in their home garage at Thunderhill Raceway, the crew stands proudly around their 2007 Toyota Prius endurance racer.