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| Willem Baard at the 2012 Knysna Hillclimb in South Africa |
THE Inaugural Dezzi Raceway Invitational Challenge will take place
on May 18 to 19 in Port Shepstone on the South Coast of KwZulu-Natal, South Africa, pitting some of the country’s best drivers
against each other.
The brainchild of Dez Gutzeit, the event aims to replace the
cancelled 2013 Knysna Hillclimb, and will run independently to any future Knysna
Hillclimb events.
Gudzeit said the Challenge has the potential to become an annual
spectacle and a huge attraction on the South African motorsport calendar.
“Running on an invitational basis at first, we have selected the
top 25 cars and drivers in the country, largely pooled from the Knysna Hillclimb
fraternity, to battle it out on the track at a professional and safe racing
event,” said Gudzeit.
Gutzeit said that the new racing environment also opens the playing
field for a host of other cars and drivers.
“Where the Knysna Hillclimb’s environment tended to favour the
Nissan GT-Rs, thanks to its twisty track, the Japanese supercar’s superior grip
levels worked in its favour. The new event evens things out for other cars as
well, specifically for the low-slung bona fide race cars, which couldn’t compete
on the rough and uneven surface in Knysna.
“This makes the competition even fiercer and more exciting for the
spectators.
“We wanted to do something great for South African motorsport and
the Dezzi Raceway Invitational Challenge is sure to create a stir.
“It will be the quintessential petrolhead event of 2013 and we hope
it goes on to become an annual highlight going forward.
The challenge has very humble beginnings with massive potential,”
said Gutzeit.
He had originally built the world-class racing facility for his
personal enjoyment. The 2,9-kilometre track, which is based on a runway and
features numerous technical corners, has been built to FIA standards, and boasts
a full pit complex, club house and safe spectator viewing points.
Together with support from other Hillclimb favourites like Wilhelm
Baard of Global GT-R in Hatfield, Pretoria, the new racing event has massive
potential and will appeal to the high concentration of racing fans in KZN,
providing a huge opportunity for motorsport in the region. There has also been
keen interest from the wider motorsport community and like the Knysna Hillclimb,
this has potential to become a national event.
Baard, who won the Knysna Hillclimb in 2011, said he was pleasantly
surprised by the track and has high hopes for the inaugural challenge.
“Not only has Dez created a fantastic new location for motorsport
in South Africa and Kwa-Zulu Natal specifically — where motorsport has dwindled
in years of late — but the concept is a brilliant idea for all parties involved.
“We decided to run the event at the same time as what the 2013
Knysna Hillclimb would have taken place, as the competitors had already prepared
their cars for Knysna, and had already made plans to travel and take off work in
most cases.
“Motorsport is known as being an expensive hobby to undertake. But
this way our friends and rivals are still able to exploit their hard work and
well-prepared machines in an all-new and very exciting environment,” said Baard.
— WR.
