Paramotoring’s extreme race – with a view – coming to SA

The skies above southern Africa are set to host one of the most spectacular aerial races on the planet, as the world’s only long-distance paramotor race, the Icarus Trophy, visits the continent for the first time.

Paramotoring is effectively flying with a motor tied to your back and a paragliding wing above your head, and it is growing rapidly as a sport.

After three hotly contested editions in the United States – the last won by paramotoring legend Tucker Gott – this month sees the Icarus Trophy take to local skies.

Like its predecessors, the race will be roughly 1 600km long, depending on the route contestants choose.

The 2018 edition begins just north of Johannesburg on Wednesday at the legendary Bill Harrop’s Balloon Safari, before heading over Botswana and finishing near the Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Park in Zimbabwe – and it will have the added complication crossing international borders.

The route will take in some of southern Africa’s most iconic landscapes, including the Kalahari Desert, numerous mountain ranges, the Okavango Delta and salt pans, and give contestants views of these environments.

The race is split into two divisions. One is for more experienced pilots racing for glory. An Adventure Division is for the less seasoned racer who wants to take things at a more leisurely pace.

Racing Division pilots are expected to cover the 1 600km distance in a few days, with the record standing at a rather incredible four days, while those in the Adventure Division will take about 10 days to fly the same distance.

Participants celebrate after finishing last year’s Icarus Trophy event. Picture: Supplied

Bringing the Icarus Trophy to Africa means adventure remains at the heart of the 2018 race. And it is for this reason the Icarus Trophy is a largely unsupported event.

Probably the key part of any adventure is the adventurous bits. And that means setting out into the world and fending for yourself. Anything else becomes a bit less exciting. It starts to remove all the fun bits, like “Where will I sleep?” or “What do I do now I’ve run out of fuel?”

All competitors must carry their own food, clothes and a way to sleep – although if you land near a hotel there’s nothing in the rules against you sleeping in luxury – and basic parts to fix their paramotors should anything go wrong.

The organisers, The Adventurists, do however track your course. They provide you with an SOS tracker should you need emergency assistance, and you get sent your specialised weather reports.

There’s also a support truck that follows the competitors. But it will take a while to reach you if you land in the middle of the desert. So the best is for you to pack some sandwiches.

– news@ citizen.co.za

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