Debate over Top Gear show for Durban driven back and forth
JUST about everyone on the streets of Durban is talking about the Top Gear festival coming to the coastal city in June.
And with a price tag of R31 million to stage it at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, much of it to be coughed up by ratepayers, to host it over three years, everyone wants to add their thoughts either on how the show will benefit the city or why it will simply be a waste of money with a bunch of petrolheads guzzling precious fuel.
However, more and more local car fanatics are questioning why the festival could not be held at the old Durban International Airport at a fraction of the cost and the money allocated could rather be spent building a race track.
Meanwhile, Top Gear’s festival organisers are remaining mum on the details. They are planning a major announcement on Tuesday.
While the politicians debate and the ratepayers cry foul, the popularity and pull of the show remains undisputed.
It is estimated to have 350 million viewers each week in 200 different countries, 10 million Facebook friends, and they will all be watching the antics of the madcap presenters led by Jeremy Clarkson and assisted by James May and Richard Hammond, for three days in Durban in four months’ time.
ethekwini Municipality is ex- pected to cough up R15 million of the R31 million costs needed for the Moses Mabhida Stadium to be modified with safety measures that would allow the track to be approved by Motorsport SA. Other costs include R1.5m to provide staircases to make the exist- ing pedestrian bridge functional and R1.3m a year for metro police and other department support.
In the subsequent two years, R2.5m would be expected each year to set up and dismantle the race track.
The KZN provincial govern- ment would foot the rest of the bill.
However, some local car enthusiasts say there is simply no need for such costs.
Coen Fouche says the old airport site would be ideal and millions need not be spent around the “white elephant” stadium. It has the infrastructure and the noise will be overshadowed by the area’s odours, he says rather tongue in cheek.
Another motoring enthusiast, Frank Lightfoot, a 74-year-old retired petroleum maintenance engineer from Gillits, KZN, said using the old airport site would be ideal.
“Why not, everything is there, including the hangars.”
Lightfoot said the BBC televi- sion show itself was based at an old airfield – the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England.
The Airports Company of South Africa spokesman Colin Naidoo said the suggestion to host the festival at the old airport was the opinion of the readers and he was not able to comment on it.
Council speaker Logie Naidoo said the intention was to market Durban by hosting the Top Gear festival.
The Top Gear festival was held in Gauteng over the past two years, 2010 and 2011, and the first event took place at the Dome in Randburg in 2010 and at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in March last year. Gauteng ticket prices were R250-R495.