Book your seat for the MF Autobody 24-hour race at Red Star Raceway

This event, The MF Autobody 24 Hours of iLamuna, and supported by Insurisk insurance, Siyanda Petroleum, Tyremart and Divanti Tyres, is schedule for October 29 and 30.

September 13, 2022

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Possibly the most talked about event in local motorsport circles since it first screeched onto the scene in 2021, this wallet-friendly endurance race is open only to jalopies that cost under R50 000. Of course there are many ways teams carve up this limited cash – they can either spend around R25 000 on a crusty old car and then throw what remains at kitting it out for the track, or simply spend it all on something more showroom than scrapheap and hope it manages to hold together for 1 440 hours of mechanical torture.

Now, while a full field of 71 clunkers might not be safe in such a grueling environment, the organisers and official event partners Insurisk Insurance want it to be. This is why the miserly budget cap doesn’t factor in the fitting of mandatory safety equipment such as a roll-cage, racing seat, five-point harness and fire extinguisher.

Teams are encouraged to theme their entry and there are bonus laps up for grabs for those who present cars with the cleverest of liveries and odd aesthetic add-ons.

For example, last year’s race saw an old VW Golf dressed in yellow and blue like the Flying Squad of yesteryear, chasing a legit single-cab tow truck around the track for hours on end. Meanwhile, another car had a giant rocket strapped to the roof complete with a stuffed Wile E. Coyote along for the ride, and a crashed Audi TT competed with a trailer ratchet strap holding the bonnet down.

As with last year’s event, a spot on the starting grid is only guaranteed once teams have paid the R25 000 (excluding VAT) entry fee. While this may seem steep it does include a set of Davanti control tyres (four per team) sponsored by Tyremart Menlyn, plus 200 litres of fuel per team, courtesy Siyanda Petroleum.

The MF Autobody 24 Hours of iLamuna opens for official timed practice on Friday October 28 (including a night session to get drivers’ eyes tuned in for the darkness), with the race scheduled to begin with a genuine Le Mans-style standing start on the afternoon of Saturday, October 29.

Only time will tell what weird and wonderful machinery line up on the grid for next month’s iLamuna but some sneak previews are available for fans on Facebook or Instagram and spectators can watch the race unfold via live streaming at the National Motorsport Mzansi YouTube Channel.