Sun city 2004, 2005, 2006
Having already worked on a GP in the 2004 season I was asked if I would consider going to South Africa, to help pull the track together before the final GP of the year at Sun City. It seemed like a fantastic opportunity and I flew out two weeks ahead of the race. Curiously we were all given rooms at the main Hotel. It was an enormous faux palace, that had been built in the 1970's and was in fact the largest hotel in Southern Africa. Whilst it was nice to enjoy such lavish surroundings I have to say I was a little uncomfortable. Each night I would return in scruffy jeans and a T shirt, dragging dust from my work boots across the marble floors, only to find myself sharing a lift with people in tuxedos. On entering the room each evening, a trail of rose petals would make its way from the door to the enormous double bed and then through the sliding hardwood doors to the bathroom. It all seemed a bit excessive for a track builder! When the rest of the event workers flew in we relocated to one of the 'smaller' hotels wich being part of Sun City was still a 5 star.
Sun City was an incredible place. About 2 hours north west of Johannesburg it was based around an extinct volcano. Built by a hotel magnate in the 1970's the resort consisted of 4 main hotels, a wildlife park, a massive water park, and a Gary Player designed golf course. Famous as a gambling hotspot the casinos were full every single night. Perhaps the least impressive part of Sun City however, was the partially constructed track we had to work on.
I have to confess I was a little crestfallen seeing it for the first time. Left of the main entrance to the resort was a large tarmac car park for the monorail that ran up through the campus. To the left of that lay an area of more or less flat ground that had been the construction site during the building of the resort. This was the area that the new track was being constructed on. The layout was more or less in position but was very rough. The soil was was not good and it seemed that the obstacles had been built from rubble. With just two weeks to get it ready a real sense of panic began to descend. With machinery that wasn't really up to scratch we just set about shaping things as best we could.
It was clear that the rest of the event organisation was moving at pace. The grandstands that Sun City use to serve the Million Dollar Golf Challenge were being brought down to the mx site and assembled. Large marquees were being put in place along with services to the site. An underground watering system had been installed that took the grey water from the campus and used it to water the track. It was clear that the organiser was extremely capable in every aspect of its work, they just didn't have the experience to build a track.
During the course of the two weeks we worked every hour of daylight and more. When the race finally ran it was far from perfect. The surface was poor. The natural clay was stony and dry, but in large areas imported soil that looked like dark grey plasticine had been laid. A sand pit section was made and filled with a coarse rock sand. It had not been screened so labourers had to try and remove the worst of the rocks by hand. The dry African soil was more than a match for a sprinkler system that only partially worked, and as a result the grip levels throughout the track were inconsistent. The attention to detail on the jump faces and obstacles ensured that it was both safe and spectacular but the 2004 GP track had the look of one that had been rushed.
For the 2005 GP Sun City were determined that the problems of 2004 would be fixed so this time I flew out a full month before the race. The main task was to try and change the soil. The layout designed by Greg Atkins was good and the jumps were also well constructed, but the poor soil had a huge effect on the riders perceptions of the track. After searching the surrounding area, better soil was found. With the help of Quarry machinery supplied by Barloworld in Johannesburg we set about transporting the reddy brown soil to the circuit. There was very little stone in the new soil, but any excess was hand picked by the massive labour force on site. Around 400 cubic meters of saw dust was delivered to the track and spread over the straights. This was to help soften the dirt and help it retain moisture, it worked very well. The problem areas for passing in 2004 were fixed and the entire sand pit section was lifted and screened before being reinstated.
The 2005 event was very impressive and Sun City spent a massive figure on running the event. The track was a huge improvement and one which the riders appreciated, but again the most impressive thing about the GP was the professionalism of the organiser. Double story glass fronted marquees were built, giant television screens were erected and once again, the entire track was surrounded with immaculately presented grandstands. The press centre was erected on scaffolding so the working journalists had a clear view of the whole track and even the public toilets had permanent attendants.
For 2006 there were only minor changes to the track however, it was now 3 years old and had a far more natural feel to it. The areas that were exposed dirt in 2004 were now covered in thick bushy grass. The ponds that had been built were overgrown with rushes and they now teemed with the colonies of tiny nesting birds. the most significant change to the track itself was the addition of 1000 cubic meters of saw dust. This was an incredible luxury to have and it had the effect of turning the hard clay soil into something that looked more like cotton wool. The race was easily the most professional I have been involved with and whilst the track itself lacked a strong landscape it was still considered by the riders as one of the best of the 2006 season. Sun City really was an exercise in building something from nothing. When I think back to the site that I saw when I first arrived in 2004 it was an incredible transformation. It was a joy working in South Africa and something I miss very much. |
