Media were invited to witness part of the filming of Speed Stars on 12 October, a new programme set to air on DSTV Channel 189 on 31 October. The filming took place on the roof of The Fairway Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in the Randpark Golf Club premises.
Speed Stars is a programme that challenges South African celebrities by first giving them professional driving instruction, then unleashing them on a race track. The celebrity with the fastest lap time is deemed the winner. The show is unscripted and features a focus on road safety as it includes safety lessons for the celebrities. The programme is filmed at Zwartkops Raceway and The Fairway Hotel. At the filming, celebrities attempted to navigate a track while texting on a cellphone
The show was conceptualised and produced by Marius Roberts, presenter and entrepreneur. He believes that the level of driving ability and testing in South Africa is inadequate. This, along with a passion for cars, was the motivation for Speed Stars. “We want South Africans to take responsibility for safety on our roads,” said Roberts, “and what better way to get that message across than through educating and empowering our celebrities – the ultimate ‘influencers’.”
The show is a 13-part series. Each episode will feature two celebrities. The 12th episode will rank all 24 contestants according to their lap times and the 13th episode will feature the top three contestants competing with each other. The winner will receive R30 000 from Michelin to donate to a charity of their choice and a trip to France for the Le Mans 24-hour Endurance Race in June next year.
In an effort to engage with South Africans before the busy December and Easter periods, the broadcasting of Speed Stars will be split into two parts. Part one will be aired from 31 October to 11 December and part two will be aired from 13 February to 1 April next year. The show will be aired in numerous time-slots throughout each week.
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