Desert Race beckoning

With the country’s longest and biggest off-road racing event fast approaching, preparations for the 2016 Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race are running smoothly.

The event, to run from June 24 to 26, will have a typically Kalahari route. That means plenty of sand, more sand and rocky outcrops, to make it one of local motosport’s toughest challenges.

The weekend’s programme will feature a feast of national championship racing, with round three of the Donaldson Cross Country Racing Championship, plus rounds three and four of the South African Cross Country Motorcycle and Quad Racing Championships.

The event will also feature rounds two and three of the Botswana National Off Road Championship. “It is great to have the cars, motorcycles and the quads under one roof again,” said SANORA chief executive officer Siegfried Rousseau.

“The weekend is regarded as the premier sporting and social event in Botswana, and is the blue chip event on the Donaldson Cross Country Championship calendar.

“Once again we have had unbelievable support from the Botswana Tourism Organisation, the Botswana Police Service, various Land Boards, the Jwaneng district commissioner, the Jwaneng town council and Debswana who own the Jwaneng diamond mine,” he added.

Rousseau also paid tribute to the healthy working relationship forged with Botswana Motorsport over the past two years. The positive cooperation and keen desire to grow the federation and the sport in Botswana was encouraging.

The opportunity offered by SANORA to be part of this epic event has provided a hands-on approach that sees the Botswana federation actively involved in route reconnaissance, compiling the road book, route marking and the provision of event marshals and officials.

The 120km qualifying race for cars on Friday, June 24 starting at 10.30am from the Jwaneng Sports Club will see competitors follow a route that takes them south to Mokhomma and back to the finish at Jwaneng.

The motorcycles and quads will complete a 50km time trial on a different route from the cars and are scheduled to start at 1.30pm. The cars, motorcycles and quads will each do a “south” loop and an “east” loop in the race.

The cars will complete the “south” loop on Saturday, June 25 and the “east” loop on Sunday, June 26, and vice versa for the motorcycles and quads. The “south” loop will take competitors 236km south of Jwaneng to Mokhomma, Lefoko, Maokane and Khua Pan before returning to Jwaneng.

The 196km “east” loop takes in Sese and Tsonyane via Lefoko before returning to the start/finish at the Jwaneng Sports Club. “The race will again be spectator-friendly with plenty of excellent viewing points on the Mokhomma, Lefoko, Maokane and Sese roads,” said route director Adri Roets.

“Traffic volumes are likely to be high and spectators are urged to act responsibly and exercise extreme caution.”

Race headquarters, the start/ finish and the designated service point are all located at the Jwaneng Sports Club and adjoining showground facility. Public access to these areas will be controlled, but there is free entry into spectator viewing points along the car and motorcycle/quad routes.