The move comes after the annual 1000km Toyota Desert Race (TDR) popularly known as Matshwabisi moved to South Africa. The first instalment of the BORRC will be a one-day event, the Jwaneng Desert Challenge, and will feature at least 13 vehicles racing over a distance of 300km. Speaking to MmegiSport yesterday, Moin Ahmad, Cyro Motorsport Group's race director, said they had noticed a gap and a need for a home-grown off-road racing championship dedicated exclusively to off-road racing cars in Botswana and neighbouring countries. He said this will help reduce overreliance on South Africa.
He said the organisers are planning to build on the 300km distance event with hopes to increase to 1 000km over two days in the next year. "This is basically a championship, where competitors would compete over a number of rounds and earn points. The ones with the most points would be winners upon the completion of the championship," he said. "We will be starting with the 300km race with the Jwaneng Desert Challenge; this is an event we are looking to grow into a two-day event with 1 000km. For our first edition, the issue we had was the few number of competitors. We need 25 cars to host a two-day event, so will be starting with 300km and maybe increasing to 500km in the next year. It is even possible to have a 1 000km race next year if we have the required number of cars," said Ahmad.
He added that the Jwaneng Desert Challenge will be the longest race in the newly established BORRC with three more races of 250km to be held on September 21, November 16, and December 7. Ahmad also revealed that the Jwaneng Desert Challenge has three entries from South Africa in two Ford competitors and a special vehicle while the rest of the competitors are local. Botswana has over 20 competitors in off-road car racing and entries for round one are set to increase before the registration deadline on June 21. "A well-organised and competitive championship will energise local competitors, providing them with more frequent opportunities to compete and develop their skills. Botswana's challenging terrains and passionate spectators make it an ideal training ground for international competition, as demonstrated by local talent like Ross Branch. With Botswana's offerings, we are confident we will attract competitors from neighbouring countries," Ahmad added.
