Local off road racing goes live
2010-08-27 08:37
Love bakkies and being outside? What better way to combine these two quintessential South African cultural cleavages than watching a championship off road racing event. Now there’s even a dedicated live race broadcast too.
Perhaps the most popular format within the local motorsport offering, off road racing is awesome.
Bakkies and spaceframe specials churning up sand, bouncing through dongas and displacing vast volumes of mud.
Off road racing, unsurprisingly, appeals to the robust, South African outdoorsman mentality.
There is only one problem with attending an off road event – the lack of coordination about what the minute-by-minute stay of play is, due to the vast geographic area used to race an off road event.
This weekend’s Mega World 400, which starts at Carnival City on Friday morning, is set to debut a neat innovation for the ABSA Off Road championship – its own dedicated radio transmission.
Keep in touch
Fans will be able to tune into Radio Off Road at 100.5FM on their in-car infotainment systems (of via portable handsets) and ensure they are kept up to date with all happenings during the race.
Radio Off Road will broadcast throughout the race from the People Parc Ferme area at race headquarters at Carnival City. The People Park Ferme is a concept, introduced at the Toyota Dealer 400 early in the season where teams, their families and off road enthusiasts can meet before, during and after events.
"We have always worked towards enhancing the sport for competitors, but are also acutely aware of the important role spectators play at events," says SA National Off Road Car Racing Association chairman Richard Schilling. "Enhancing the spectator experience at races is a priority, and the People Parc Ferme was introduced to promote inter action between competitors and enthusiasts."
"It has proved to be a great success and we see Radio Off Road as the next step in the process of taking our sport to the people, and in promoting and maintaining awareness in the Absa Off Road Championship."
Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service point for the 4x4 Mega World 400 will all be at Carnival City. Public access to these areas and 19 spectator points along the route is free of charge with enthusiasts asked to respect the environment.
The Donaldson Prologue on August 27 will start at 11:30 and the race on August 28 at 08:00.
