In just over a week’s time, the city of Durban will echo to the sound of engines as Jeremy Clarkson and his band of merry men kick off the 2012 Top Gear Festival.
The show will take place next Saturday and Sunday in and around the Moses Mabhida stadium, but activities of the motorised kind are set to begin far from the confines of KwaZulu-Natal. Supercar Lifestyle, the group responsible for organising some of South Africa’s top supercar events, has mobilised forces and arranged for a parade of about 60 exotics to tour from Johannesburg to the Durban-based Top Gear show.
After arrival at the venue, the fleet will be parked on static display as well as demonstrated in full flight around the specially-built street circuit. Top Gear’s masked hero, The Stig, may have his way with a few them too.
SUPERCAR AUCTIONS
Another Gauteng-based company, Aucor, which is one of SA’s leading auctioneers, is partnering the Top Gear Festival and will host two auctions over the weekend where a lineup of supercars, exotics, luxury sedans, coupés, SUVs and 4x4s will be sold to the highest bidder. Two auctions will be held, one on Saturday 16 June and one on Sunday 17.
And while Top Gear’s star presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig drive audiences wild inside during a series of live stadium shows, outside Bell Equipment will be taking visitors on an offroad adventure as the sponsor of a specially-designed 4x4 course.
Bell, well-known for its extra heavy-duty trucks and equipment will demonstrate vehicles such as its 6x6 articulated dump truck, and invites showgoers to pop in for rides.
WESBANK SUPER SERIES
Outside the stadium, on a 2.1km street circuit that forms part of Durban’s old A1GP track, SA’s national circuit-racing roadshow – the WesBank Super Series – will contest a round of its championship.
The country’s premier tin-top category Production Cars, together with Polo Cup and Single Seaters (Formula Volkswagen and Formula 1600) are all on the bill.
Other than the happenings with Clarkson, Hammond and May, these races, which will take place on both days, these races are the event’s star attractions.
The Mercedes AMG team will also demonstrate its 2011 Formula One car on this track.
The Top Gear Festival’s live stadium acts as usual promise plenty of smoke, fire and burning rubber, and are scheduled to start at 2pm and 7.30pm on both days. Various tickets to the festival are on sale and range from R250 for a bronze ticket to R1 995 for a VIP super fan ticket. - Star Motoring