It was a big day in the SA motorsports calendar as this international event was all coming to its season finale right here in Cape Town – the only sub-Saharan city to host a leg of the event.
Basically, it is a hybrid form of motorsport that blends rally and circuit racing. It features mostly traditional rally cars – fast accelerating hatchbacks that still resemble something you and I drive (albeit highly, very highly modified!), racing around a shortened track, just over a kilometre, that features both tar, gravel, jumps and tight corners.
The result is a high paced, very exciting motoring spectacle!
Since 2014, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) has made an international event of it. This year saw 10 rounds across four continents featuring drivers from a total of 11 different countries (in the main events) all culminating right here in Cape Town at the Sabat World Rallycross of South Africa 2019.
The event ran over the weekend as it is made up of four qualifying heats, then through to the semi-final and final heats. Although each individual race is over pretty quick (four laps in qualifiers, six in finals), the action was pretty much nonstop as they are split up into groups of maximum five per heat.
Besides the main attractions, world rally cross supercars (600bhp, four-wheel drive), there were also the RX2 (310bhp, four-wheel drive, single make) category and other supporting categories, mostly South African – which gave our local boys and girls a chance to 'bend' their mettle in the world rallycross arena. It was highly entertaining too!
Coming into Cape Town, the title battle – between Swedish driver Timmy Hansen in his Peugeot and Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud in his Audi – was tight. The final came down to the wire, and not without some controversy, ultimately seeing Timmy Hansen crowned the new world champion!
He wasn't, however, the only Hansen on the podium as his brother Kevin Hansen joined him in third with Bakkerud in second.
THE 2019 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP: FROM DARKNESS TO GLORY #WorldRX https://t.co/VjJCnH5UvP pic.twitter.com/h8KQ4XnoFd
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) November 12, 2019
The action wasn't limited to the track either as Monster Energy presented drifting demonstrations by SA drift legends Jason Webb and Stacy-Lee May as well as a surprise performance by SA's favourite rapper Jack Parow at the Rig Riot!
All the action really made for an exciting day out – which I can highly recommend to any car and/or sports enthusiasts, old and young.
For a more detailed report of racing events visit www.fiaworldrallycross.com.
