Season finale prologue format changed

Large entry forces change to prologue format on Carnival City Casino 400.

The 80 vehicle entry received for the Carnival City Casino 400, the final round of the SA Off Road Car Racing Championship presented by Absa, has forced the Koepel Club to change the format for this Friday's (November 14) Prologue, which determines starting positions for the main event on Saturday.

The Prologue was originally intended to be two laps of the 6km short course on the Carnival City Casino site but with 80 vehicles and the required dust gap between each vehicle it would have meant that some competitors completed the Prologue in the dark.

"We did not expect such a good entry and have reluctantly had to shorten the Prologue to only lap of the short course circuit," said Koepel Club chairman, Willie Prinsloo. "Motor vehicles will start the Prologue at 3 minute intervals so there will always be at least two vehicles on the track at the same time and, given the shorter route, crews will have to attack it as if they were completing a rally special stage."

"Unlike other events in the championship crews will not have the luxury of a 35km Prologue where they can settle in for the first few kilometres and then pick up their pace," added Prinsloo. "It's going be all or nothing right from the start and spectators can expect a battle of note on Friday."

The Prologue gets underway at 12:00 on Friday, November 14 and the route will be watered to keep dust to a minimum and with numerous vantage points spectators will not be disappointed.

Crews will start the main event on Saturday at 30-second intervals with the short course circuit used three times during the event, which will consist of three laps of a 138km course between Brakpan and Heidelberg with vehicles passing these points three times during the race.

There are 13 spectator points on Saturday's route that are easily accessible from the N3, the R103, the R21 and the R23 and will be clearly signposted.

The Carnival City Casino 400 promises to be an exciting finale to the 2003 SA Off Road Car Racing Championship presented by Absa.

-msaorcr-