Changes to calendar, event format and points allocations This year’s Donaldson Cross Country Championship will open with the RFS Endurance Race in Harrismith on March 27 and 28, and will herald in exciting changes to the national series.
The changes include a reduced calendar and revamped event formats and points allocations. The changes, put forward by SANORA during the off season, are aimed at cutting costs and streamlining the series.
In this respect the most significant change is to the calendar. The number of events counting towards the national championship has been cut from eight to six.
“We are duty bound to protect the interests of the Donaldson Cross Country championship, and the changes are aimed at reducing costs for stakeholders, event organisation and competitors,” said SANORA chief executive officer Richard Schilling. “The changes implemented pave the way for the future growth of cross country racing at regional and national championship level.”
The championship will be made up of three sprint events, two endurance events and a marathon event. Sprint events will be 450 kilometres in length, endurance races will run over 650 to 700 kilometres and the lone marathon event, the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1 000 Desert Race, will be run over 1 000 kilometres.
All events will be run over a minimum of two loops, with a compulsory 20 minute service halt after the first loop. Qualifying races to determine grid positions for sprint and marathon events will be run over 100 kilometres, with the qualifier for the endurance events over 200 kilometres.
While there are no changes to classes in the Production and Special Vehicle categories, the scoring of events and the allocation of points counting towards the Donaldson Cross Country Championship has also received a facelift. Sprint and endurance events will score single points, with single points also allocated to each of the two heats that will make up the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race.
Points awarded to competitors in the Production and Special Vehicle categories, as well as the various classes, have been amended with 30 points now on offer for race winners. The practise of competitors dropping one score at the end of the season has also been scrapped, and all races will count towards overall and class results.
The 2016 race calendar is as follows:
DATE FORMAT VENUE
27 & 28 March Endurance Race RFS Endurance – Harrismith
8 & 9 May Sprint Race Toyota Dealer 450 – Eston
26 – 28 June Marathon Race Toyota 1000 Desert Race
7 & 8 August Sprint Race Nkomazi 450 – Malalane
11 & 12 September Endurance Race Vryburg Endurance – Vryburg
30 & 31 October Sprint Race Atlas Copco Gold 450 – Westonaria