![Double Apex Completes 2025 iLamuna 9-Hour At Killarney Raceway [w/video]](https://i0.wp.com/doubleapex.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Cloud-Nr9.webp?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Double Apex Completes 2025 iLamuna 9-Hour At Killarney Raceway [w/video]")
Double Apex completed the 2025 iLamuna 9-Hour race held at Killarney International Raceway just outside of Cape Town.
I recently reported we would be participating in a race that forms part of the iLamuna Endurance Series. You can read our original article here. This is the series second visit to the Mother City. iLamuna (or lemons) is a little different from other forms of motorsport in that there is price limit of R55k imposed on competing racecars. Safety gear is excluded from that value.
The format is similar to other endurance events eg the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team that goes the furthest ie completes the most laps at the end of nine hours, wins. There is a lower lap time cut-off of 1 min 34,0 sec (one second quicker than 2024’s limit). Any car going quicker than that time has that lap deleted from their total. That’s about the sum total of the rules.
You can race any car, of any age, of any origin with any engine mods. As a result the field is wonderfully mixed, from a 50-year-old Datsun to a supercharged Mercedes-Benz and a Hyundai Sonata to a Jaguar S Type, a few Hondas and a barrage of Golfs and Polos, everyone was competing head-to-head for the overall win.
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A New Team
This year I was invited to race as part of the Dunlop Racing team. The outfit is owned and run by Mark Castel, who also happens to be the head of the iLamuna Race Series organisation committee. Castel races a Toyota Celica in the series. This model, which was not sold in SA, is near stock standard, except for an extensive diet. I shared the car with Heinrich Kleinsmith, Mark and his daughter Chloe Castel, who at 16 doesn’t even have a (road) driver’s license.
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Good-natured Fun
The iLamuna Endurance Series is particularly festive and relaxed. From pre-race scrutineering through to the race weekend there is a relaxed mood and plenty of good-natured banter from the teams, many of whom returned from last year’s event. Rival teams are quick to lend a hand and/or tools should you need.
Practice and qualifying took place on Friday. The practice sessions are long and uninterrupted because no other series compete on the same weekend. This gave our team, and others, plenty of time to go out and come into the pits as many times as we wanted during a three hour window. I was keen find out what this new (to me) racecar could do, as I had sat in it for the first time ever only a few days earlier.
I headed out on track with a few notes from the car’s owner about max engine speed and brake-pad condition, etc. It took me a few laps to get back into the swing of things as the last time I raced was at the inaugural iLamuna event in Cape Town about a year ago. It didn’t take long for me to settle into a nice rhythm of steady lap times. Endurance racing isn’t necessarily about outright pace, but rather more repeatable times that you can maintain for longer periods of time instead of gung-ho laps that leave the car worse for wear and the driver feeling worn out.
Quali Time
Qualifying to set the start grid takes the shape of a two-hour session held later the same day. Teams can send different drivers out to set a time. Castel tasked me with this honour. Because the session is so long, it’s easy to find space on track, free from any traffic to hinder a smooth lap. I found a bit of a gap and went for it.
A few laps in I felt that I had set a decent time, representative of the car’s pace. My quickest time of 1 min 37,5 was enough to earn us 16th place on the grid of 30 cars. Incredibly, there were three cars on 1 min 34,0 second and eight covered by less than a second at the front of the field. We’d start the race with about half the field ahead and half behind and that usually makes for exciting racing.
Race Day
Race day at iLamuna has a far more relaxed start than a typical meeting. Racing only starts just after 10 am, unlike a regular sprint race weekend that requires you to be at the track near the crack of dawn. After a quick driver’s briefing we were ready to go racing. Cars were assembled on track in our starting positions. This was followed by a short grid walk for crews to make last minute checks.
Castel asked me to take the opening stint. The race starts under a Safety Car (SC) procedure. Once the SC enters the pits, drivers can start racing. The opening laps are probably the most chaotic of the day as the entire field is bunched up and there is quite a difference in skill level across the drivers.
Opening Sequence
I have quite a few sprint races under my belt so know how to make progress in a short space of time in a crowded field. I was a bit braver than quite a few of those around me. Charging through field during the opening laps meant I had driven the Celica from 16th to 10th by then end of the second lap – not too bad.
By lap ten the first, of many, SC periods had started. During this full-course yellow (FCY) I felt something amiss with the Celica. There was a slight vibration from the front left wheel so I decided to enter the pitlane. In the pits we found that the front left wheel nuts were slightly loose, a quick fix. I was back on track in a few minutes, but as all cars were still running, the stop cost us many places, dropping us down to 29th place.
First Planned Stop
We planned that each driver would have an hour-long turn at the wheel. So after about an hour after the start I pulled in to hand the car to Kleinsmith. Before coming in I had noted an intermittent check-engine light (CEL) showing on the instrument cluster. The car’s engine is completely standard, so the light was a problem.
Our team set to work looking for possible culprits. The 1,8-litre VVTL-i engine had a small oil leak that we needed to trace to the source. After much cleaning and scrutiny, from above and under the car, we pin-pointed the problem to sensor on the head. With everything cleaned and reassembled the fresh driver headed out. The stop had cost us nearly an hour, but mechanical issues started to plague the field on a particular hot April day.
Continued below the gallery… special thanks to Paul M, Boost SA, Cloud Nr9, JD vd Poel and Ryno de Kock for use of the images.
Steady Progress
Kleinsmith held his own considering he has just one race under his belt, the 2024 edition of the same event. He made steady progress, climbing from 29th passing cars on track and gaining even more positions as the hot afternoon sun took its toll on cars and drivers alike. His stint was mostly uneventful and he brought car in after an hour. He would hand the reigns over to the car’s owner who performed the same trick, steady progress and gaining positions as other faltered.
Young Charger
Our fourth driver was Chloe Castel, the youngest driver in the field. She had turned her first-ever laps of Killarney the day before in practice. We sent one of the few female drivers in the field out and she really impressed. She reeled off laps with high degree of consistency, staying out of trouble and being gentle on the car. Her driving style meant that our car was consuming fuel at a lower rate than our rivals. Chloe stayed out longer than planned and brought the in for our next stop in 19th place.
Back in the Hot Seat
Chloe handed the car back to me with the plan to repeat the driving order from earlier in the day. Our pit stop cost us two positions putting us back to 21st, but the conditions were really hurting some teams. I went out for my second and final stint. By this point in the race several cars, including one which led for a large part of the opening part of the race, had suffered mechanical issues.
With an hour to drive I set about chasing and passing cars with as much energy as I could. ‘Our’ Celica is pretty light and has really good brakes, but wasn’t the most powerful car in the field. I used the excellent anchors to hunt down and pass several cars, some for position, some that were slower at that point in the race. I was having an absolute blast zooming through the field racing wheel-to-wheel with buddies and new friendly rivals. My hour behind the wheel felt like a few minutes. Before I knew it I was being called back in to the pits for a driver change with the car now in 18th place.
More Issues
The technical team gave the car a once over during the driver change and noticed something concerning… Two wheel studs had sheared away on the front left wheel – YIKES! As Killarney has four right-hand turns (of five) the front left wheel takes the most strain. Knowing that the inside wheel is less stressed, the team set about removing a wheel stud from the right front hub to fit it to the left. Everyone dived in, even some helpful members of the public. Hot components meant we had to be very careful and ensure everything was properly tightened before sending the car off again.
To the Finish
From that stop to the end of the race we had a pretty trouble-free run. We made our scheduled stops, albeit at different times than planned. The two, longer stops for repairs meant that each driver later in the day would drive for less than an hour to ensure they all had a second stint. The Castels shared the final two stints, with the dad opting for a shortened stint to let his daughter drive to the finish.
Checkered Flag
Chloe drove the car over the finish line at about 19:20 to conclude the race. Even a late race bump off the track couldn’t deter her. Nine cars had retired and didn’t make it to the finish. We were classified 19th completing 198 laps (or 647 km). The leaders completed 288 laps (941 km).
My second experience in this series was as enjoyable as the first. The series, which is aimed at having (high-speed) fun, really delivers. Teams are good natured, the cars are cheap and cheerful and there aren’t too many egos at play, which is quite different to a regular race meeting, of which I have been to many. I am really looking forward to my next participation in an iLamuna event.