Lemons Rally NorthWrecks 2021 – Pics and Winners

The inaugural Pacific NorthWrecks Lemons Rally sputtered and smoked its way across Washington and Oregon June 11-13, 2021. Participants in vehicles ill-suited to the nearly thousand-mile, three-day rally set off from Griot’s Garage Headquarters in Tacoma, WA, hoping to accumulate points by finding unique and humorous checkpoints outlined in a hastily prepared route book. Rally teams with the least suitable vehicles earned extra points before setting out around the Olympic Peninsula, over the Cascades beyond cellular service range to the wilds of the eastern Washington town of Walla Walla Wall and finally ending in Portland, Oregon by following the Columbia River westward.

Rally stops included a never completed then abandoned nuclear power plant, a gas station shaped like teapot and a replica of Stonehenge overlooking the Columbia River. Teams were encouraged to find their own interesting checkpoints along the way and help other teams should they break down. Despite the assistance efforts of fellow rally participants, mechanical failures ended the trip for several teams, while others towed their broken hoopties home and retrieved even worse cars to complete the rally. When Team Dutch Carriage’s 1976 Volvo 66 (a badge engineered, belt driven Dutch DAF) threw its drive belt, team leader Mike Herrel retrieved his Austin Allegro and continued finding checkpoints, eventually topping the scoring sheet, and taking home first place on points. Team Space.Shilttle’s space shuttle themed 1997 Land Rover Discovery engine gave out in the middle of day two, so they towed it home, and set to work making their Chevy one ton pick-up look like the space shuttle Atlantis before driving all night to find an extra distant bonus check point only to find they would have finished third in points no matter what they did. This earned them the much coveted “Random Acts of Stupidity” rally award. A complete list of winners can be found below.

The Lemons Rally is a series of hastily planned and loosely organized rallies where participants drive cars ill-suited for the task to heck and back looking for humorous checkpoints. Schedule of upcoming rallies, results and pictures from previous rallies can be found at: https://24hoursoflemons.com/lemons-rally/

Rally Results –

Random Acts of Stupidity – Space.Shittle – Aaron & Leslie Brooks, 1997 Land Rover/Chevy 3500HD

Judges Choice –  Hecks Wrench – Paul & John Gerstaenberger, 1998 Volvo V90

Organizers Choice – Catch 122 – Simeon & Christine Story, 1965 Ford Mustang

Dishonorable Mention – Northest by Northwest – Greg & Spencer Van Nest – 2004 Nissan 350Z

I Lost My Top – BestWorstVette – Evan Dennis, 2014 Chevy Corvette

Winners on Points
First Place –Team Dutch Carriage, Mike Harrel & Andrea Berge, 1976 Volvo 66 GL/Austin Alegro

Second Place – Team Phil Plugg – Jeff Nichols & Pete Bristow, 1973 Jeep J20

Third Place – Space.Shittle – Aaron & Leslie Brooks, 1997 Land Rover/Chevy 3500HD