Irish Racers Dominate the British 24 Hours – And It’s No Fluke

Photo: Robert Borowik Media

For a country with no major endurance karting championship of its own, Ireland keeps producing giant-killing performances on the international stage. The latest proof? A storming win at the British 24 Hours at Teesside Autodrome – one of the toughest circuits in the UK, both physically and mentally.

The British 24 Hours is split into two categories:

• Pro Karts – twin-engine 200cc 4-stroke machines with lightweight, professional setups, much like the karts raced in Ireland.

• Hire (Rental) Karts – heavier, slower, but open to all abilities, from complete novices to experienced pros.

This year, Apex Twin Racing didn’t just win their class in the Hire category – they took the overall Hire victory outright. Their squad of Peter Brett, Dara O’Connor, Diarmuid Toomey, and Stephen Brett all took on the challenge. For some in just their second attempt at the event, they beat teams that had been chasing this win for years.

" The Kart ran flawlessly all weekend. Poor pitstops kept us off the lead for most of the race but by the end we were pulling in the leaders Lockwell Hill 1 with one stint to go, unfortunately it's seems when we finally made a quick stop the made a slow one robbing us of a final stint battle to the line but we'll take it "

The Apex triumph is the latest chapter in a growing history of Irish success at Teesside. In both 2022 and 2023, TU Dublin claimed victory in the British University Karting Championship 24-hour race.

2023, Jack Dillon and Josh Mulholland took a Pro Kart class win at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours Karting, then followed it up at Teesside with another win alongside Andrei Dabija.

And it’s not just Teesside. In 2023, I personally claimed the championship in the Pro category of the Pro Kart Netherlands Endurance Championship. Back in 2021, TU Dublin topped the Whiteriver 24 Hours, while my team, SimTech Motorsport, finished 3rd – having narrowly missed the win in 2019 with a 2nd-place finish.

What’s the Secret?

Honestly? There’s no grand training program or endless calendar of endurance races here. In fact, Ireland’s endurance karting scene is tiny. We’ve had the odd long-distance event – a recent 2.4-hour rental race, a Midlands endurance a few years back, and Nutts Corner’s 100-lap Christmas special – but nothing like the UK’s Pro Endurance Championship or their thriving rental series.

If there’s a secret, it might just be this: Irish drivers are used to fighting on rougher, more demanding circuits at home, which builds resilience. And when we do travel abroad, we arrive hungry, underdogs with nothing to lose – and somehow, that turns into big results.

The Bigger Picture

With each win, Irish endurance karting’s reputation grows. But without more events at home, it’s hard to imagine a domestic championship emerging anytime soon. For now, we’ll keep doing what we do best – showing up at the world’s toughest races, and giving the locals a shock.