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What an event to look forward to this weekend! The Atlas Copco Battlefields 400 Dundee Race on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 May that begins and ends at the Battlefields Country Lodge just outside the historic little town in KwaZulu-Natal will represent round three of the ABSA Off-Road Championship with the route taking the form of a figure of eight.

Tearing up the dirt in their V6s and V8s just down the drag from where the Battles of Blood River, Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana were fought in the 1800s, some 100 competitors will vie for starting-grid positions by way of the hour-long Donaldson Prologue beginning at noon on 20 May and covering 68km of bushveld including rocky outcrops. The cars will then be subjected to a second, more demanding loop of 96km that includes a river crossing.

Contestants will need to complete both courses twice in respect of the national event and a shorter version of the route if competing in the KZN Regional Championship… Spectator-friendly, the event is expected to attract a crowd of 1000-plus to an area seldom used for motorsport – there is no admission fee and enthusiasts are welcome to get close to the teams, most of whom will be happy to chat between races.

Among the pre-race favourites, entering the Atlas Copco 400 for the second time, are Christiaan du Plooy and Henk Janse van Vuuren of Pretoria who will driving a V8 RFS BMW X3 – easily identifiable in its orange and black paintwork.

For more information visit www.motorsport.co.za or www.saoffroadracing.co.za. Full television coverage is expected on M-Net Supersport.