Costly spectators’ behaviour
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday February 17, 2024 06:00
Popularly known as Mantshwabisi, the race is vying for a round in the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Scheduled for June 21-23, this year's desert race represents the third and fourth rounds of the Botswana Motor Sport (BMS) National Off-Road Championship.
As Mantshwabisi aims to join prestigious races like the Dakar Rally and Rallye du Maroc in the 2025 W2RC, the local sporting scene will miss out. TDR returned to Botswana last year in Jwaneng after three years, as part of a five-year deal with SACCS, orchestrated by the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO).
Despite efforts to host the race in Botswana until 2028, Mantshwabisi's move back to South Africa remains surrounded by silence, with neither BTO nor SACCS responding to MmegiSport's recent inquiries. The 2023 edition, hosted in Botswana, left South African authorities displeased, with reports of incidents involving spectators and competing vehicles.
The local fans' behaviour was a significant concern, as they reportedly disrupted the race by venturing onto the terrain, forcing drivers to proceed with caution. 'Last year, there were reports of incidents involving spectators and competing vehicles. It was fortunate that any of those was not fatal but the competitors complained that the spectators would jump on the terrain and thus disturbed the racing as drivers were now forced to ride with caution. This is a game of time, if you lose a minute on the terrain, you could lose the race, so the behaviour of the local fans was a headache during last year's race,' the source told Mmegi Sport.
Additionally, an overgrown bush on the terrain made navigation difficult, resulting in German biker Sebastian Bühler colliding with a cow in the blind spot. Despite being the custodians of motorsport locally, the BMS played a peripheral role in the preparations. The source highlighted the need for the BMS to be more involved in safety precautions and technical aspects, suggesting that side-lining them in talks and initial preparations might have led to safety incidents. 'Yes, you can have BTO as a partner but their focus should be along the lines of sport tourism, that is their interest. When it comes to the technicalities of the race and safety precautions, the BMS should have been at the forefront. It is still a mystery as to why they were side-lined in talks and initial preparations for the race. This is why we have had incidents of safety but all this would have been avoided,' the source said.
The 2023 race faced further challenges when 49 cars burnt in the spectator parking lot near the starting and finishing points. Despite these issues, Mantshwabisi remains the most attended sporting event in Botswana, drawing close to 100,000 spectators over the three days. The race generates significant profits for businesses in the hosting town, amounting to millions in pula.
Meanwhile, the BMS National Motocross Championship will begin with round one at the Mmopane racetrack this Saturday. The national karting team is also participating in the Africa Karting Cup in Pretoria, South Africa, from today until Sunday.