Team Xtra Clothing & Shoes triumphs at 2022 24 Hours of iLamuna

The second annual MF Autobody 24 Hours of iLamuna, an endurance race open only to old cars (aka lemons) costing less than R50,000, got under way at Red Star Raceway in Delmas on Saturday, with teams able to set a qualifying time between 9am and noon.

Unlike during Friday's free practice, that was disrupted by the mother of all hailstorms, track and weather conditions were near-perfect and at the end of the three-hour session it was the No.618 RME Bearings and Transmissions BMW 3 Series that won pole position with a time of 2:30.020. A mere 0.048 seconds behind them and fielding a similar BMW was the No.22 car of Team T-Rex, followed by the rapid No.26 Xtra Clothing & Shoes VW Golf Mk1.

The race began at 3.15pm with a Le Mans-style standing start that saw the drivers challenged and spectators amused. Speaking of which, thanks to Covid-19 regulations being a thing of the past, it was encouraging to see motorsport fans turning up in their droves to watch the action unfold. Their efforts were rewarded with a spectacular show, with numerous lead changes and some incredible battles. There was also high drama off the circuit with the pits being a constant hive of activity as mechanics and crew worked tirelessly to fuel, fettle and repair cars that were having a hard time standing up to the gruelling demands of flat-out endurance racing. 

Some would continue to soldier on bravely between pit stops (anything between two to three hours depending on fuel tank size and consumption), while others wouldn’t make it through the night: that surreal floodlit vacuum in which driver focus is pushed to the frayed limit. For this year’s race, there was extra lighting in and around the circuit infield, while reflective strips lined the track’s shoulders for increased visibility, a move that certainly made the wee hours more bearable for those slogging it out behind the wheel. 

Teams that managed to keep it together (and on the black stuff) through the graveyard shift were rewarded with the start of a new day and that feeling that they now had a real shot at making it to the finish. As caffeine intake soared, so did the temperatures, and by the time Sunday midday rolled around it was evident that the summer heat was starting to take its toll, with many cars dropping out in the final hours due to the increased stress.

Against all odds the No.71 Team Short-Shifters VW Beetle remained in the running after its crew completed a creative engine swap around midnight. Their faulty race engine had been running on three cylinders since Friday and the imbalance led to a broken crankshaft five hours into the race. Determined to carry on, they trekked all the way to Pretoria to pick up a standard road-going 1969 Beetle Cabriolet, which they then drove back to the track and immediately stripped of its motor — a bone-stock 1.5l single port producing considerably less power. Amazingly, it bolted right into the race car without any modifications and, sans an external oil cooler, kept the team circulating, albeit slowly.  

At 3.15pm the chequered flag unfurled on the start-finish straight, putting an end to the mechanical misery and making the No.26 Xtra Clothing & Shoes VW Golf Mk1 the overall winner with an incredible 491 laps completed (including five bonus laps for “gees”). Second place went to the No.19 Black Art Racing VW Golf Mk1 (481 laps, including five bonus laps for “team theme”) and third to the No.10 Team Samlin Seat Ibiza (475 laps, including five penalty laps for “budget overspend”). 

All in all it was an outstanding event that saw not only a much larger field of competitors (41 in 2021 up to 71 in 2022), but also many more curious onlookers who soaked up what is arguably one of the most exciting and imaginative races on the local motorsport calendar.

Expect it to be even bigger when it returns in 2023.