Speedycop, Spirit of Lemons to make $2000 Challenge debut

Colin
By Colin Wood
May 16, 2023 | $2000 Challenge, Tire Rack, SpeedyCop

Photograph Courtesy SpeedyCop

Apparently, low-buck minds think alike.

Speedycop, the 24 Hours of Lemons racer that gave the world some of the wackiest race cars ever conceived–like the sideways-driving Trippy Tippy Hippy Van and the Upside Down Camaro–will be entering the 2023 Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge Presented by Tire Rack.

So, which one of Speedycop’s zany builds will serve as his chariot in the ultimate automotive festival celebrating autocross, drag racing and ingenuity? That’s right, the Spirit of Lemons, the Cessna airplane inexplicably converted into a budget race car.

The $2000 Challenge, set for May 27-28 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, is our annual low-buck competition that aims to find out how fast you can go for only $2000.

Last year, to up the ante, we invited cars built for more than $2000 to find out if money really does equal speed.

This year, we’re offering even more low-buck thrills that you don’t want to miss:

 Oh, and did we mention the prizes? We're awarding thousands of dollars worth. Check out all the award categories here.

Registration is open now at msreg.com/2000challenge and is required for all participants and spectators.

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Comments
J.A. Ackley
J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
5/16/23 4:34 p.m.

I met Speedycop at the Charlotte AutoFair. He's as much of a trip as his cars. I'm looking forward to seeing him in Florida, even though he only lives an hour or so away from me now.

buzzboy
buzzboy SuperDork
5/16/23 4:46 p.m.

Yikes... after wearing out his welcome at Lemons he has moved on I guess

Qaaaaa
Qaaaaa New Reader
5/16/23 4:59 p.m.

In reply to J.A. Ackley :

I met him at Cleetus and Cars in Indianapolis a few weekends back, he's a cool dude. The Spirit of Lemons now has Ecoboost power. He also destroyed the horizontal stabilizers while ripping it in the burnout contest. He did not win.

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
5/25/23 4:27 p.m.
buzzboy said:

Yikes... after wearing out his welcome at Lemons he has moved on I guess

I hadn't heard that.  What happened at Lemons?

buzzboy
buzzboy SuperDork
5/25/23 5:56 p.m.

Some people running and working for lemons events(management and contractors) were tired of making exceptions and bending over backwards for "his" creations and special requests. 

Additionally a few people in different minorities felt unsafe and/or threatened, both directly and indirectly at a few races.

Racebrick
Racebrick Reader
5/25/23 7:07 p.m.
buzzboy said:

Some people running and working for lemons events(management and contractors) were tired of making exceptions and bending over backwards for "his" creations and special requests. 

Additionally a few people in different minorities felt unsafe and/or threatened, both directly and indirectly at a few races.

There is also the terrible driving skills to be afraid of.

kevinatfms
kevinatfms GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
5/30/23 8:30 a.m.
buzzboy said:

Some people running and working for lemons events(management and contractors) were tired of making exceptions and bending over backwards for "his" creations and special requests. 

Additionally a few people in different minorities felt unsafe and/or threatened, both directly and indirectly at a few races.

Felt unsafe due to the build or the person?

Id love to hear about this. Saw a few of the creations and they didnt seem unsafe in any respect other than some poor visibility concerns. 

kevinatfms
kevinatfms GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
5/30/23 8:31 a.m.
Racebrick said:
buzzboy said:

Some people running and working for lemons events(management and contractors) were tired of making exceptions and bending over backwards for "his" creations and special requests. 

Additionally a few people in different minorities felt unsafe and/or threatened, both directly and indirectly at a few races.

There is also the terrible driving skills to be afraid of.

Isnt that LeMons in its entirety? 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish)
SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) PowerDork
5/30/23 10:38 a.m.
kevinatfms said:
Racebrick said:
buzzboy said:

Some people running and working for lemons events(management and contractors) were tired of making exceptions and bending over backwards for "his" creations and special requests. 

Additionally a few people in different minorities felt unsafe and/or threatened, both directly and indirectly at a few races.

There is also the terrible driving skills to be afraid of.

Isnt that LeMons in its entirety? 

Nope.  If you've never been to one, I highly recommend you check it out.  Some bad drivers, but very little contact or unusually dangerous situations.

As for Speedy...

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