The inaugural Mischief Garage 9 Hours of Lemons on Saturday 6 July brings a completely different flavour of racing to Killarney; instead of the multi-million rand supercars we are used to seeing in endurance events, none of the cars in this race are allowed to cost more than R55 000.
The spirit of this race is about teams of three or four drivers (plus volunteer helpers!) preparing a real lemon, which was a road-going car, a ‘barn find’ or even a crashed write-off, and making it race-ready through hours of blood, sweat and tears, while spending R55 000 or less, not counting safety upgrades or their labour.
The race gets underway with a rolling start at 10:15am on Saturday 6 July and will run until 7:15pm, by which time it will be completely dark, adding to the drama of the final stint. The cars and their crews will be feeling the effects of nine hours of hard running – mistakes and/or mechanical disasters are a real possibility.
Driver changes are allowed at any time the teams feel they are necessary, and the winner will be the team whose car has completed the most laps of the 3.267 kilometre Killarney circuit during that time, although all the cars that are still running at the chequered flag will be classified as finishers.
Spectator tickets for this one-of-a-kind event will be available from Webtickets at R90 for adults and R10 for under-16s; there’s no charge for under-12s – just pick up their free tickets at the gate. Plus you get speedy access to Killarney with scanners in operation to verify your booking on your phone – there’s no need to print your tickets out or pick them up.
Tickets at the gate (cash or card!) are R120 for adults and R20 for scholars under 16; children under 12 get in free. And, as always, WPMC members get in free on presentation of your membership book at the gate.
Offtrack entertainment includes the famous Kiddies’ Korner, the coolest party zone on the West Coast, plus more at the Clubhouse as well as the play area including a trampoline and jumping castle adjacent to the Joubert Pits.
The Clubhouse, which is open to the public, and the Joubert Pits Lounge both feature TV’s showing live-streaming and lap times of the races, so that you don’t miss any of the action around the circuit. There are also other outlets around the facility serving hot snacks and cold beverages.
Spectators are welcome to move around throughout the day by using the free shuttle service to watch the action from different vantage points. The pits are always open to spectators, so you can also see the cars up close.
There’s ample parking all around the circuit, so bring your beach umbrella or gazebo and your cooler box, light up your skottelbraai, park next to one of our brick braais, or just pick a seat on one of our shaded grandstands and make the day your own.
