Yokohama Tire Sweet on Lemons

Yokohama has announced that the tire maker is now the official tire of the 24 Hours of Lemons, the madcap race series featuring cars that cost a whopping $500 or less (not including tires, of course, plus safety equipment, wheels, etc.).

Created by longtime auto journalist Jay Lamm in 2006, the just-for-fun 24 Hours of Lemons endurance road racing series features everything from stretch limos and junked Maseratis to sturdy Toyotas, beaten-down BMWs and Camaro-eating Mustangs. In short, anything goes.

“Even really bad cars deserve really good tires,” said Lamm. “Listen, Lemons racers need all of the help they can get and I’m delighted that Yokohama is onboard and giving us some credibility.”

“This will be a wild series,” said Fardad Niknam, Yokohama’s senior director of consumer product planning and product marketing. “It’s unconventional to say the least, but everyone has a good time and it’s certainly the first racing series we’ve been involved with where the tires cost more than the cars.”

Niknam added that Yokohama also has the naming rights to six of the 19 U.S. races as part of the deal. “Lemons races have funny names like the ‘Button Turrible,’ ‘Southern Discomfort,’ and ‘Pacific Northworst GP’ and that’s part of the charm. It’s what makes the 24 Hours of Lemons so cool.”