Africa-Press – Botswana. The roaring of powerful engines set a thrilling competitive landscape for this year’s installment of Botswana RaceWars near Lobatse Sports complex on August 9.
The event featured thrilling performances, having drawn enthusiasts from across Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Drivers showcased modified vehicles ranging from above average to high end sports car models including Porsche 911 with teams eager to challenge each other for the ‘Game of the Thrones’ championship.
High powered Audi TT RS legendary 5 cylinder engine became the number one stunner emerging the grand champion of this year. On second position was the crowd’s favourite Porsche 911 while the high performance sports sedan BMW M5 got position three.
All the three positions were claimed by drivers from South Africa. Meanwhile, last year’s champion BMW Dracula did not compete to defend his title due to unforeseen challenges which gave the redemption opportunity to Audi TT RS which was on second position last year.
Behind the wheels of the high powered, lowly built, high performance blue Audi TT RS was the agile South African Bongani Ntila who said, “I have been following Botswana RaceWars and developed interest to come and race this year. It was my first time to race here and the experience has been amazing. The event was safe, and the engagement from the crowd was fantastic. Indeed the developing car racing culture in SADC is motivating,” he said.
As an experienced professional who had raced across the African continent, he said Botswana was unique.
“When I raced today, it did not feel like one of those normal drag races, the crowd was engaging. They reacted in a way and it motivated me as a driver,” he said.
A Motswana racer, Thamie Sabata of ///MTown Family club emerged as the fastest in the Rear Wheel Drive category driving BMW M140i.
“The ride was fun, the support from the crowd was overwhelming. Before the races, there is a lot of work that we put into the preparations behind the scenes. There are sleepless nights, we do testing and there is a lot of spending as well and these have finally paid off,” Sabata said with a smile.
The youthful, 24-year-old Motswana avid drag racer of Auto Boost Botswana Ahmed Salman said he had been representing Botswana for the past three years and had won most of the races. He said what impeded their growth was lack of developed drag race facilities, especially that the sport was gradually growing in Botswana.
Chairperson of Lesotho Motorsport Association, Ntee Tsiu said it was his first time racing in Lobatse and the 500 meters track proved to be narrow as he was used to racing on a bigger stretch.
“Nonetheless we enjoyed the beautiful turn up and the intensity of the races. Our desire is to make sure that we can work together with other motorsport associations for exchanges,” he said.
MP for Lobatse Kamal Jacobs appreciated the success of Botswana RaceWars, which he noted was a milestone as it helped to diversify the economy having attracted masses including neighbouring countries. Additionally, he said it had the potential to attract investors, as it was a vibrant sporting activity hence the need to have developed facilities.
Lobatse town mayor Aron Ganakgomo said the opportunity boosted the hospitality industry, and the economy.
He thus called for sponsors to come on board to assist in development of drag racing facilities with the set standards.
“We are hoping to find a sponsor, to develop parking, crowd stands, and design the track to international standard. These kind of activities must be natured as they bring economic vibrancy to the town and improve social cohesion,” he said.
For a South African national, Lenzil Naidoo of BBT Automotive the experience was worth it.
“We were here last year and we had a lot of fun. We came back because we love Botswana,” he said.The successful annual Botswana RaceWars drag race event was hosted by Maverick Motorsport Botswana in conjunction with Rhyno’s Torque Show, a South African motorsport outfit.
The event showcased a vast selection of modified cars including Porsche 911, Mercedes AMG, AUDI RS5/3, BMW, and Volkswagen amongst others. About 120 competitors participated under five categories which included King of Rollin, Fastest in the Land, Front Wheel Drive, Rear Wheel Drive and All for Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder.
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