"When Halloween meets Gasoline"
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watched from the side of the he sun beat down on the track, quietly chuckling to himself at the spectacle he had Altamont Speedway, and the created. This was no ordinary dust blew through the nextrace. This was the 24 Hours of to-empty stands. I, a boy of only nine, sat in the bleachers LeMons. 24 Hours of LeMons is bored out of my mind. But an endurance race, which down below, the racers were John started in 2006. As the having a blast. name implies, it lasts for 24 As each destitute, beatdown car rolled up to the line, hours. The twist is that, bea group of judges in robes and sides safety features, each car must value under $500. Today powdered wigs would approach. They interrogated the the races are held all over the drivers as to the origins of the country, and with each year it’s following expands. The car, and of course how they found it for the magic number unique culture that John has fostered with this simple price of only $500. The self-titled “Chief Perpetrator”, John requirement has led to the races’ widespread “Jay” Lamm, popu-
By Nick Lamm
larity and created a home for many people that share his lighthearted and carefree love of the car hobby. If you were to ask, John would be happy to tell you about his cars. In a garage near his home in San Francisco, he currently houses a 1960 Kellison J4X, which he is in the process of restoring. “This is one of probably about 12 in the world,” he says, eyes gleaming as he describes the repair process. There’s also his Porsche 911, which he recently loaded onto a truck for
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