So you fancy yourself as something of an off-road specialist? Well, Thunder City, Cape Town’s latest attraction is the place to be – 4×4 enthusiasts will have an opportunity to test their driving skills on a specially designed course.
So you fancy yourself as something of an off-road specialist? Well, Thunder City, Cape Town’s latest attraction is the place to be – 4×4 enthusiasts will have an opportunity to test their driving skills on a specially designed course.
Thunder City, a fully operational, fully interactive aeronautical and automotive centre, will open its doors on Saturday at Cape Town International Airport. The two 4×4 courses on the 10-hectare site are sure to be a big attraction.
Motorists can drive their own 4×4 vehicles over the two courses. One is a skills course for beginners and the other more challenging for advanced drivers.
If visitors wish to rent a 4×4 vehicle an interesting range is available from which to choose, all supplied by leading manufacturers such as Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Ford.
Both 4×4 courses have been carefully designed by experts as a test for drivers. The layout includes a viewing deck where visitors can watch vehicles going through their paces. Umbrellas and wooden benches offer spectators a comfortable vantage point for viewing the courses.
There is a briefing before each run, including important information such as safety procedures, the layout of the two courses, the training format and technical details covering specific needs.
Individual instructors take drivers through the vehicle’s specific controls such as high and low range, locking the wheel hubs, checking tyre pressures and ensuring that everyone fully understands their operation.
The qualified instructor normally accompanies first-time drivers for their first run through the skills course. This low speed, tight and challenging course is designed to test throttle/clutch co-ordination as well as judgement and accuracy. Obstacles include logs, boulders, a seesaw, ditches, changing cambers, a balance pole and sand trap.
After two runs on the skills course 4×4 drivers can move on to the advanced course. It consists of 1,5 km of challenging driving over many obstacles, designed to test the individual’s skill to the limit. There are steep gradients, water troughs, narrow bridges spanning water, sand dunes, steep climbs, descents and more.
Once the course has been completed the instructor holds a de-briefing session to discuss the driver’s performance, after which he or she is presented with an attendance certificate.
Other activities include test drives for bona-fide customers arranged through dealerships and corporate entertainment for local businesses as well as incentive/team building activities.
Thunder City’s "Urban Assault" will be an easily accessible 4×4 escape for novice and serious off-roaders wishing to spend a short time to learn the basics, refresh their skills or embark on an intensive half-day training course.
Tariffs for the 4×4 track will be R50 for half an hour in your own vehicle, R125 for half an hour in your own vehicle, but with an instructor and R150 for half an hour in a Thunder City vehicle with an instructor.