Rally ace Solberg in gymkhana Car-nival
GRID CREATOR EXCITED: ‘A RACING FORMAT LIKE NO OTHER’
Supadrift competitors will test skills against the best.
The East Rand Carnival City Casino complex will house a unique motorsport extravaganza, tackled by overseas contenders like Petter Solberg and Ken Block, on the weekend of November 18 and 19.
The venue’s purpose-built drifting arena will host a round of the Gymkhana GRiD series, invented by YouTube sensation Block in America six years ago.
Basically, Gymkhana GRiD is a driving test around a tricky route forcing competitors to drive through narrow gaps, around barrels and between bollard obstacles against the clock.
Competitors tackle the track side by side, two at a time, and then switch sides to even matters out.
Making the whole thing exciting is the vehicles they use – allwheel drive and rear wheel drive monster cars producing up to 500 kW of power.
Block calls Gymkhana GRiD “A racing format like no other, that mixes donuts with clipping points, and powerslides with apexes. Ït combines competitive racing and drifting.”
Gymkhana GRiD was the first ever stadium-style spectator gymkhana and racing event in North America and has now deployed into Europe and Africa.
The events attract international drivers from all over Europe, with former world rally champion Solberg among the 21 international visitors set to tackle Block at the Carnival City round.
That apart, local SupaDrift competitors will get the chance to pit their skills and cars against those of the overseas visitors.
Backing the racing will be the AutoTrader AutoCircus, a car ex-
hibition, village and festival that should add to the overall hype of the event.
“The idea is to give the local aftermarket and industry the opportunity to move in alongside an international brand like Gymkhana GRiD and parade its products and merchandise, with a Circus theme in mind,” says Jim McFarlane, organiser of the AutoCircus.
The Gymkhana GRiD event will be run under the auspices of Motorsport South Africa (MSA).
MSA’s CEO, Adrian Scholtz, commented, “The Gymkhana GRiD event offers a unique opportunity for local spinners to showcase their talents in front of the visiting global media and fraternity.”