Members of the South African public can be part of the dream of multiple SA motorsport champion, Mark Cronje, when he drives a 600 horsepower Peugeot 208 in the Gumtree World Rallycross Championship at the Killarney circuit on November 11-12.
Cronje returned recently from racing this car in a round of the French WRX championship at Lessay where he competed in a field of 20 supercars and won two heats, so is all fired up to make an impactful world championship debut in the shadow of Table Mountain next month.
How can you be part of Mark’s dream? Buy one of a very limited number of advertising spaces on Mark’s car for R17 000. The sponsor can use the space to promote a company or the products it sells. This is an opportunity for a sponsor to get his or her message out there in an adrenaline-charged, high octane environment.
Each “space” gives the sponsor a unique experience to be part of his team at the event in Cape Town.
The R17 000 gets the sponsor:
– 2 VIP tickets at the event, including hospitality
– Exclusive “goodies pack” with limited edition merchandise
– A signed framed photo of the sponsor standing next to his or her space on the car.
– Meet and great with Mark during the event.
Mark also has two Super VIP experiences on offer for R 30 000 each. This entitles the buyer to be a team member for the whole weekend as well as getting the above; you will blend in with the team as a special guest in the pit-box throughout the weekend. This is most certainly the best ticket for the event; an experience of a life time.
For more information about being involved as a sponsor of Mark’s dream contact: info@markcronje.co.za
Two South Africans competing
Mark Cronje will be one of two South Africans competing in the Gumtree-sponsored round of the World Rallycross Championship at the Killarney circuit in Cape Town. The other South African will be Ashley Haigh-Smith, a young rally driver from Cape Town.
Mark’s extensive experience in all aspects of motorsport, from karting to circuit racing, off-road racing and rallying will be an excellent foundation for rallycross, which is basically a mix of rallying and circuit racing.
Besides winning championships in all these branches of motorsport, Mark has also gained valuable experience from attending a course at John Haugland’s Winter Rally School in Norway. The nature of rallycross and the brand new 60/40 split of gravel and tarmac circuit should suit Mark’s flowing driving style.
He heads to the event with limited knowledge of the new Killarney rallycross track, which is located within sight of the magnificent Table Mountain. He joined series regular Petter Solberg at the pre-season launch, and drove an RX2 car for a couple of laps of the 1.07km track, but doesn’t believe that will necessarily give him the edge.
Making a return to circuit action for the first time since he won the Rotax Max World Final, Mark’s karting pedigree should also help as he acclimatises to competing against other 600 horsepower Supercars. But against a strong world championship line-up that includes defending champion Mattias Ekstrom, Hoonigan Racing’s Ken Block, and nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, Mark has set his sights on reaching the semi-finals.
Andy Scott, Team Principal Albatec Racing:
“I’m delighted to welcome Mark to the Albatec team. His championship-winning rally experience will I’m sure, allow him to get up to speed quickly with the Peugeot 208 and rallycross, while his karting and circuit racing knowledge will help him adapt to racing with other cars around him.
“Mark has a huge following in South Africa, and the interest in the event means it should be an interesting and incredibly busy weekend. The organisers look to have done a great job with the track, so I’m sure the event will be a sell-out success.”
Mark Cronjé, Driver Albatec Racing:
“I’m really looking forward to racing in World RX, and love the fact that will be in front of all my supporters. I have been competing in motor sport for 27 years and previously won the Rotax Max World Final in front of my home fans in 2003, and it was unbelievable. I have no rallycross experience, just a very kind sponsor who enjoys throwing me in at the deep end!
“Albatec Racing comes highly recommended by a number of engineers and organisers. It’s going to be very different as we will be rubbing door handles with other competitors, and it’s going to bring back some great memories of when I competed on tarmac. I’ve done some circuit racing, it’s where I cut my teeth, and I have a few karting championships, and the World Final to my name, so I’m very excited about racing against other people again.
“There has been a lot of interest in South Africa ahead of the first World RX event as we’re starved of International motorsport, and I’m sure the event will be a sell-out. As a first time run it was enjoyable but I believe the track will change before the event, it’s new and requires some small tweaks, however they have done a tremendous job. I’d like to mix it with some of the best in the world, and getting to the semi-finals would be awesome! The biggest challenge will be getting to the end of a race with the 208 in one piece!”