Sun City circuit 'something special'.

Preparations for South Africa's first Motocross Grand Prix in 18 years are reaching top gear: Sun City has built a world class track adjacent to the visitors car park, with hundreds of tones of special soil mixtures have been brought in for the construction of this permanent facility.

Hydroseeded natural veld grass and trees are being planted to give the area a more natural look as well as reducing the chance of dust ruining the spectator views. Man made lakes have also been constructed in the centre of the track, and are being stocked with fish and water lilies to create an aesthetically pleasing circuit.

But most significantly for the competitors, the FIM track designer, Greg Atkins, has put in a huge amount of work to design a circuit (pictured) that will provide spectacular racing.

"We have tried to go for something completely different with the Sun City track," he explained. "The FIM MXGPs are about differing styles of circuits in different countries. Some tracks will favour some riders and others will not.

"The track at Sun City will be fast as well as technical, offering different racing lines through certain sections. It is something new we are trying here and we are confident that it will be well received by the competitors."

"The track is superb. As well as being fast, it is very wide so lots of racing lines can be created," added Ryan Hunt, former SA National Motocross Champion, after completing a testing session. "It is a little different to the tracks the guys are used to, but will provide an interesting day's racing. The guys have really created something special here."

Bret Hoppe, General Manager of events and incentives for Sun City, is in charge of the logistics for the event and has been hard at work putting the finishing touches to the circuit.

"We are close to completion of the track," confirmed Hoppe. "The grass and trees have been planted, and the stands are nearing completion. Our watering system is in place and we can give the track a thorough watering in half an hour.

"The electricity cables are laid, the pit and paddock areas are complete and the medical area is finished," he continued. "We have had a few test rides on the track and are busy putting the finishing touches to it at the moment. Greg Atkins will be here in two weeks to help with the final sculpting the track."

The Motocross Grand Prix of South Africa, the final round of the 2004 world championships, will take place at Sun City from 24-26 September. Over 5500 tickets have already been sold for the event.