01 Jul 2014

Finally the date had arrived and the stage was set. Hundreds of motor enthusiasts braced the chilly morning of Saturday June 28 and thronged the Jwaneng golf course to witness the start of one of the biggest events in the motor sport calendar.

As the first car was flagged off to officially mark the beginning of the first loop of the much awaited 1 000 km Toyota Desert Race, they cheered in excitement for their favourite vehicles.

Nonetheless, more energy was felt outside Jwaneng, where the 250km track passed, twirling between trees and shrubs to make the race more interesting.

Spectators divided themselves among the 19 designated spectator points to have a view of the cars as they journeyed through the bush. The race was exciting, especially to the residents of Jwaneng and its peripheries.

“We are so excited that our region is hosting this race because it has attracted a lot of people to this side, it is the first time for us to host such large numbers of people, especially foreigners. Apart from the race, they will get to know more about our rural villages and put us on the international map,” said an elated Dinaanyane Raelaga of Lefoko village, 30km south of Jwaneng.

She said since the race will be hosted by Jwaneng and Mabutsane Sub-district in the next three years, the influx of people in their villages would hopefully influence the tarring of the Jwaneng/Lefoko road, which she said was in a bad state.

She however regretted the fact that they were not aware of business prospects associated with the race and therefore had missed out on such a great opportunity.  “Since this was a first experience, we will learn and prepare well next year so that we can benefit from the race as well,” she noted.

True to her word, there were no vendors at both spectator points situated in Lefoko, except for one resident of Sesung who was selling a few items from the back of a van.

For Irene Mogotsi, when it was announced that the desert race would take place around the Jwaneng region, she wanted to be the earliest bird to catch the fattest worm.

Mogotsi said she knew that “the more the people the fatter the worm” hence she decided to travel all the way from Sesung to try her luck at one of the spectator points in Lefoko.

In Mokhomma, about 20km south west of Jwaneng, spectators formed a horse shoe shape around the crossing of the race cars. A larger crowd gathered as the police kept order so that all were safe.

In Sese, spectators gathered around the sharp turn that the racing vehicles took. It was here that most people gathered for the last two loops of the race that would determine the final results of the two day event.

The village elders, among them area councillor Kgopolo Ramosesane formed part of the crowd that changed the landscape of Sese.

He was elated because the race had not only brought entertainment to the residents, but also business opportunities that are rare to find. “The people are obviously excited because some of them are taking advantage of the business boom for this weekend. ENDS