Double Apex enters an endurance race taking place in Cape Town soon, called the Mischief Garage 9 Hour. The race is part of the iLamuna Endurance Series. It is the second time series organisers are hosting such an event in Cape Town. The 2025 edition takes place at Killarney International Raceway on 26 April.

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On The Cheap

The iLamuna Endurance Series takes inspiration from a similar competition in the US called LeMons. More info at this link. The basic idea of the series is to go endurance racing on the cheap. The format itself is similar to any mainstream endurance event. The winners are crowned based on which team completes the most number of laps (ie accumulated the most mileage) by the time the flag falls. Start time of the race is 10:00 and the checkered flag should fly around 19:00, well after sunset.

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No Point in Spending

The iLamuna series has a price cap of R55 000 for race machines. Anyone who enters a vehicle that cost more earns penalty laps ie laps deducted from their eventual total. This is to prevent racers from exceeding the cost cap. There is also a lower lap time cut-off. At Killarney the time is set at 1 min 34,0 sec. Any lap that is completed in a time quicker than 1 min 34,0 does not count towards your tally. So there is no point in building an extremely quick racecar to complete quicker lap times.

Click here to learn more about the very first 24 Hour race held in SA, which was the inaugural iLamuna event.

New Team, New Racecar

Last year Double Apex was invited to compete in the event by Team Polyplank, which campaigned a Jaguar S-Type. It was the most unlikely/unassuming car to compete at the event and won the coveted ‘Best Lemon Ever’ award. It may not have run for the entire race duration but it took the flag at 19:00 after much mechanical malady.

This year we have been invited by Mark Castel to be a part of his team. Castel is the driving force behind the entire iLamuna Endurance Series in SA. The driving crew consists of Heinrich Kleinsmith, Mark Castel and Chloe Castel, who at 16 doesn’t even have a (road) driver’s license. Oh, and not to forget our managing editor who is hoping he can add to his total Killarney lap count this year.

Castel’s team runs a Toyota Celica (as pictured) under the Dunlop Racing banner. The entire field is required to use standardised Dunlop footwear. Again, using a stock, road tyre helps to keep down costs and removes a competitive advantage by teams opting for extremely expensive (read: grippy) race tyres. Oh, and using treaded tyres mean that racing can continue in the face of rain, which is an ever-present threat in the Mother City around this time of year.

All Sorts

Last year’s event was a complete mish-mash of machines. The list of brands included Audi, BMW, Jaguar, VW, Nissan, Mini, etc, etc. The festive nature of the racing is mirrored in the pitlane with teams winding each other up when things are going well and lending a helping hand when they aren’t. If you find yourself in the Mother City on 26 April, and want to watch some racers who don’t take themselves too seriously, then pop down to Killarney International Raceway. The racing action will be going on all day. And if you do stop by be sure to find the yellow and black Toyota to say hi.