24 HOURS OF LEMONS: Meet team 'Merc on Roids'

Enduring friendships can be built out of a shared goal, and that’s just what’s happening to team Merc’on’Roids as they build a mad Mercedes 180E for the inaugural 24 Hours of LeMons race in Australia.

‘IT guy’ Ben ‘Camo’ Camilleri told motoring.com.au that the camaraderie created during the acquisition and build process has united the six-man team “forever”.

“This journey has only just begun and what started as a group of individuals have become lifelong friends. I can see us having a cup of tea when we are all old and grey [AD: some are already there haha].

“But the kind of tea that’s hard to swallow is reality, and in reality men are diagnosed with Prostate cancer every single day and that is hard to swallow... We want to do our part.”

Camo, who also has a passion for sewing up ‘knickers’ (or boat covers), tells us that the LeMons event was a way to have a lot of fun while supporting the cause. But there’s also an underlying reason: “We wanted to be the next Michael Schumachers.”

He takes up the story: “We got together in June with the idea to join the race. We didn't have a clear direction other than that we were all keen to participate.

“We looked around for old cars but nothing really caught our eye, so we asked ourselves 'what would Michael Schumacher do?'

“Well, let’s just say our search for a Ferrari in the alps came to an abrupt end so we raided fellow team member Swan's place and found a Mercedes 180E. It was after all German, so Schumacher should approve.

“We set about stripping the Merc down of its unnecessary interior. The German wisecracks were coming thick and fast. So much so in fact we decided on a Hogan’s Heroes theme. And thus the Blitzwagen was born…

“Aptly named as it would carry three german troops and three POWs to victory in the 24hrs of LeMons.”

Driver Introductions (in the team’s own words):
Eddie Walkenden: Nicknamed Fast Eddie for his love of speed (the directional kind). He is all for fast toys and has them all; cars, bikes, and, errr… You get the idea. He has an extensive history in karting, and has always dreamt about getting into a racecar. (He won't have to dream much longer.)

Pete Walkenden: Ask ‘Noodles’ how he got that name yourself but we know it has nothing to do with that Nasi Goreng bloke. When he is not driving a truck he is karting. This man has excellent polishing abilities, which is surprising because we hardly see him outside.

Brian Briton: HQ, karting, speedway. Called ‘The Doctor’ because he is known to be able to fix anything. (We shall see.)

Ben Camilleri: An IT guy by day, car builder by night. Some say he can perform a reasonable paint job with only ten $3 cans of paint. But all we know is he's called Camo. He has competed in motorsport events for over 12 years in Hillclimb, Super-sprint and Time Attack.

John Miles: Little is known about ‘Swan’, although he has been a mechanic for Nascar in the states, and Super Tourers here in Australia. He is a quiet achiever and enjoys all things that bleed oil, and the occasional long neck. But we still don't know why they call him Swan?

Chris Rimmer: A true Aussie larrikin. ‘Echo’ runs a Boat cover business for a living and when he is not making award winning covers he is karting, and does so whenever the opportunity presents itself. He used to race with the likes of Winterbottom and Skaife. If you have ever had a phone call with the man you will know the origin of his nickname.

As Ben explains, the roll cage and race seat (requirements of the event, but falling outside the $1000 car spending cap) are installed in the 180E, and Ben is justifiably proud of the team’s work effort thus far.

“There is still plenty to do. All of the guys have gotten their hands dirty and we have watched our pennies. So we are happy with the progress,” he concluded.

Look out for Merc’on’Roids team members doing their best Schumacher impressions at Wakefield Park on October 27.

More info on the 24 Hours of LeMons race