South Africa’s first black motorsport promoter has raised the bar with another first for the sport. Southern African Endurance Series (SAES) has become the first promoter to launch its own in-house-developed online ticket booking system, which has been live since April 14.
Spectators can seamlessly book their tickets on the secure Payfast platform on the SAES website (and receive their e-tickets immediately via email). Tickets include a QR code that is scanned from a cellphone or tablet in a dedicated ticketholder-only entrance at the circuit, beating the queue at the gate.
Motorsport fans have enhanced personal security by carrying less cash, which also benefits everyone at the venue.
Round three and four of the SA GT National Championship and round two of the SA Endurance Championship take place in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) on May 13 and 14, at which five lucky ticket holders will win a GT passenger car ride around the Aldo Scribante Racetrack at lunchtime. Another SAES innovation is a magazine-style electronic race programme that will be launched at Aldo Scribante.
The e-programme will feature background articles of interest on teams, photography tips for spectators penned by SAES’ award-winning photographers, a pictorial postcard look back at the opening round held at Red Star Raceway, and a number of other features still under development, all lavishly illustrated with eye-catching imagery.
The e-programme will be available for download from the SAES website, allowing motorsport fans across the country to download and collect all the editions of the magazine, even if they cannot attend the event in person. SAES’s CEO, Wayne Riddell, said, “Our shareholders are constantly inspiring us to create new innovations and enhance fan engagement. Our in-house team embraces each challenge with enthusiasm and energy and delivers our mandate in record time. Our paperless initiative not only lends itself to a Covid-friendly environment, it also leverages the power of mobile technology for our spectators who are also able to follow the race on the livestream, making it easier to follow how the race unfolds as pit stops come into play. “
Although other race promoters utilise third-party online systems, ours is unique in that it has been purposely created for the motorsport space. This puts SAES out in the lead when it comes to race day experiences for our valued spectators. As the new promoters of the Southern African Endurance Series, we are constantly seeking new opportunities to introduce greater fan engagement at each round,” Riddell concluded.
Source: MotorsportMedia
