Biggest Ever Bull Charging Ahead
News Release / 11.03.2008
With entries all but closed, race organisers Hano and Sonja Otto of ACE (Adventure Centre of Excellence) yesterday released a list of confirmed teams for this international event set to run from 9-16 August, 2008. “As part of the prestigious Adventure Racing World Series, Bull of Africa is rated as a must-do event by some of the best adventure racers in the worldâ€, says Race Director Hano Otto. “The teams lining up at the start include top extreme athletes from Brazil, Russia, Finland, Australia, Guatemala, France and the USA, to name but a few of the many nationalities involvedâ€.
At last count, a record 53 teams from around the globe are confirmed starters for the gruelling expedition-style race. South Africa’s 24 teams may feel they have home-ground advantage, but they will have their work cut out against what promises to be a top drawer international contingent. Leading the local charge will be the experienced Team Land Rover Experience, with Martin ‘The Machine’ Dreyer and John Collins at the core of this tough team. Cyanosis, under the gritty leadership of Nicholas Mulder, claimed a 5th at XPD Portugal last year, and they will also gun for a Top 3 finish.
International teams expected to do well at Bull of Africa include Team ERtips from France (they have won the RAID twice, and have lost count of their numerous podium finishes); the Swedish unit team Bjurfors, who came in 3rd at BOA Richtersveld in 2005; and the unrelenting Aussie Stingers from Down Under. They placed a solid 2nd at XPD Australia, and boast both the Australian MTB Champ as well as the World Rogaining Champs Pairs Winners as part of their formidable team. Buff Coolmax from Spain need no introduction, and early indications are that they will be the team to beat.
An interesting duel will unfold amongst the all-women teams, of which there are four at this stage. Team Dew Point from South Africa will face off in a tough test against Team Haglofs (Finland), Team Girls-on-top (New Zealand) and the world-beating Team Arena from Russia. The latter foursome finished Top 10 in XPD Portugal, and will certainly aim to emulate their performance at The Bull of Africa later this year.
Dawn-to-dusk racing will see the teams traverse the southern part of the Wild Coast, a remote and unspoilt wilderness area along the Eastern Cape coast. Hano Otto has only just returned from scouting sections of the route, and we will be posting additional information and photos in due course. Competitors can however expect an exhilarating blend of indigenous forests, muddy swamps, wild rivers, pristine estuaries, savannah plains and a daunting coastline as part of the planned 570km route.
Sponsors BUNKER CAPITAL has come to the party with an astonishing R300 000 in total prize money, making the Bull of Africa the richest ever expedition race here on African soil. Other major sponsors include the Kat Leisure Group, a leading SA hotel group based here in the unspoilt Eastern Cape.
The Bull of Africa will be a qualifier for the Adventure Racing World Championships to be held in Brazil in October 2008. This will be the final event in the Adventure Racing World Series, a circuit of premier AR events representing 10 countries hosting professional events around the globe over a 12 month period. The official site for the series is www.sleepmonsters.com while Casio Pro-trek will be the official watch sponsor. In SA, the web sites www.ar.co.za and www.ndorfin.co.za will be official partners of The Bull of Africa.
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