BMW Car Club invites drivers to face-off
On Sunday, SA's fastest cars are invited to Tarlton International Raceway by the BMW Car Club of Gauteng to see who has what it takes to tackle the cones at their annual Bridgestone Speed & Sound Tarlton Tar Gymkhana event.
It will be an action packed Sunday at the Bridgestone Speed and Sound event. Picture: Supplied.
This ever-popular and high speed event is made up of many left and right turns through the pit complex of Tarlton and ends with a long, fast sprint down the quarter mile drag strip against the clock. It is not just about straight line speed but also the handling of your car and level of driver skill to keep within the cones at pace. If last year’s event is anything to go by, then this year we will be treated to a spectacular show of all kinds of vehicles being thrown around the tarmac as the drivers negotiate their cars between the hundreds of cones placed around the track.
Although the event is hosted by the BMW Car Club of Gauteng, this does not mean only BMWs can compete – all makes of road cars and race cars are welcome to enter the challenge, and this means you will see the likes of Porsches, Subarus, GT-Rs, Lamborghinis and Lotuses, to mention but a few, all competing for the title of the fastest.
The format for the day is as follows: registration is from 7am, drivers’ briefing will be at 8am, with the runs starting straight after that – and no late entries will be accepted after 8am due to safety issues. Drivers will be given the chance to drive the course in a slow convoy and thereafter will be given three timed runs against the clock, with all three counting for overall average and winning time. Once all the runs are complete, the results will be calculated and prize-giving will commence, with the event closing at 5pm.
The cost to enter this event is R400 for club members and R500 for none club members, and there is no charge for spectators. Tarlton will have canteen facilities open on the day for food and drinks. Since this is a Motorsport South Africa (MSA) event, an MSA licence will be required. If you don’t have one, it can be purchased on the day – the licence costs R290. In addition, a helmet needs to be worn, as well as long sleeve shirts, long pants and closed shoes. Should you not have a helmet, the BMW Car Club has a few helmets that can be hired on the day.
