Cars in Action magazine have announced the inaugural Bosal / Cars in Action Tarmac Challenge, which will take place in Gauteng on November 26 and 27. Earmarked as an end-of-season all-tar rally designed to bring together the best of South Africa’s track, off-road and rally competitors in a high-profile and ultra exciting event, the Challenge is intended to establish exactly what the fastest motorsport combination was this season.
Open to national and regional rally teams, circuit racers including Production Cars, Polo Cup and other eligible saloon and sports cars, off-road vehicles and any other roadworthy race or rally machines, the Bosal / Cars in Action Tarmac Challenge will comprise approximately nine stages – all on tar and split evenly on a distance basis between circuit-based super specials and special stages and conventional tarmac special stages at spectator friendly sites in and around Gauteng.
Starting and finishing at Zwartkops Raceway and with super special stages planned there on Friday evening and first thing on Saturday before moving on to five further stages through the morning at Gerotek, one more at lunchtime at a popular Pretoria venue, before heading back to Zwartkops and the finish, the event is intended to bring together the cream of South Africa’s race, rally and off road competitors in an end-of-season celebration of motorsport.
With crews allowed to run either road tyres or rally slicks, the only other changes necessary will be for the circuit racers to fit a second seat and rally odometers to their machines and to find a navigator for the weekend.
“It will be interesting to note whether the top rally crews and machines will be able to benefit from their obvious experience in the special stages,” Cars in Action Editor and Publisher Michele Lupini quizzed. “Or whether the racers can overcome that on the circuits, or indeed if the off-roaders can utilise their ability to take on anything that faces them and use it to their best advantage to win. “Or is there something else out there that can beat the lot…?” Whatever happens, the variety and spectacle of this event is something not to be missed…
Starting on Friday evening 26 November – well after the end of any national racing championship to ensure that there are no excuses about saving any vehicles for the next race in their series – and running all day Saturday, the event finishes at Zwartkops where teams not yet satisfied with their fill of track and stage action will be able to enter the Zwartkops 300 relay race, which runs into the evening and everyone can enjoy a great end of season bash at the circuit’s year-end festival and prize giving.
The event will be televised with highlights broadcast several times in High Octane Motorsport on Supersport in the high viewership December holiday season.
The Cars in Action Tarmac Challenge is also bound to attract significant spectator attention via a high-profile marketing programme. The organisers hope to attract the interest of all South Africa’s leading race, rally and off-road teams to the event.