Registration and Race Briefing

Registration

• When: Thursday 5 December 2024
• Time:  15h00 until 18h00
• Where: The Grove Mall – In the Middle Level Parking area
  • Corner of Chasie and Frankie Fredericks roads – Kleine Kuppe
  • The Grove Mall Contact

 

Race Briefing 

• Digital Race Briefing will be available by latest Wednesday 4th of December 2024. 
• Lucky Draws and handing over of Hardegat Trophy Winners will be done at 18h00. No attandance required. Winners will be contacted. Hardegat Trophy recipients will be contacted prior.  

Registration Procedure

• Bring along any document to identify yourself.
• Race packs can be picked up by anybody - does not need to be a Team Rider or backup driver. It is however imperative that signed indemnity forms for all riders and support drivers are presented by the person collecting the race packs.   
• Go to the designated station for Solo, Two Person and Tandem or 4 Person registrations.
• Completion of the indemnity document must be done in advance or at the registration venue but not at the registration official desk. (Indemnity forms are available on the website to download as well as at the registration venue)
• Go to your designated registration table which will clearly be marked Solo, 2-Person (tandems) and 4 -Person
• Sign and Collect 1 x A4 envelope with all race numbers, race booklet and support vehicle stickers. 
• Collect Goodie bags.
• Make sure the correct numbers are in the envelope as well as meal and drink tickets.
• Proceed to the T-Shirt station for Solo, 2 Person or 4 Person collections
• ONLY riders will receive special dash gift.
• Any further enquiries must be done at the Enquiries Desk and not at the registration Official.

Age Restriction

• Solo: 19 years of age or older on day of race.
• 2P: 19 years of age or older on day of race.
• 4P: 16 years of age or older on day of race.

Race Number / Rider Identification

• All bikes must have the rider's race number board attached to the front of the bike.
• The race number on the board must be visible from the front and free from obstructions like cables or other items.
• Riders on bikes without a race number board at the front will not be allowed into the Start Zone to start.
• The race number board must be fitted securely and stay there for the duration of the event.
• The race number board must not be modified in any way, including cutting, folding or adding/removing stickers.
• On the back of each number is a RFiD Time keeping tag – Please DO NOT REMOVE or damage the tag. 
• It is each rider's responsibility to check that he/she has the correct number attached to the bike as the back of the race number displays personal info specific to the rider.

Helmets

• Helmets must comply to international safety standards as specified by 'ANSI' or 'SNELL'.
• Riders found riding without a helmet at any time during the event will be disqualified immediately.
• Riders should wear a helmet that's properly fastened whenever he/she is riding.

 

Bikes

• Be sure your bike is in good mechanical order.
• Riders must start and finish the event on the same bike.
• No Time Trial/Aero bars will be allowed.

Earphones

• No earphones allowed on stages 1 and 5
• Earphones will be allowed but not recommended on stages 2-4, however, for your own safety you will only be allowed 1 x earphone in your left ear.

Towing

• Riders are not allowed to attach any device like straps or ropes to their bikes in a effort to assist another rider. 

 

Rear light

• All riders must have a red rear light fixed to either the bike or rider.
• This rear light must be visible to a vehicle traveling behind the rider.
• This light must be switched on at sunset and stay on until sunrise.
• No part of the rider or bike should obscure the visibility of this light when viewed from behind the rider or bike.

 

Starting Times at Grove Mall lower Parking

• Solo Riders 14h30
• 2 Person Team Rider 15h00
• 4 Person Team Rider 15h30
• Please ensure that you are in your chute, 30min before your respective start.

 

Starting Time at Hollard Checkpoint / Halfway for Half Dash.

• All Riders (Solo and 2 Person Teams) start at midnight 24h00 Friday night.
• Cut off for at Platz am Meer is 14h30

 

Rules of the Road

• The route utilizes national and public roads of Namibia therefore Namibian Rules of the road apply
• All riders and drivers must adhere to the rules of the road at all times
• No exceptions, privileges or leniency to the rules of the road are granted to any rider or driver.
• Riders and drivers should keep to the left side of the road.
• All drivers of support vehicles are to drive at the event speed limits with regards to safety and the minimizing of dust, flying stones etc.

 

Support vehicles

To ensure the safety of all participants, strict rules apply to this aspect of the event.

• Only ONE support vehicle per team will be allowed. 
• Duplication of vehicle support stickers are not allowed and will result in immediate disqualification.
• Vehicle's over a maximum weight of 5500Kg ar not allowed, NO TRUCKS, applies to 4 Person Teams Only 
• One support vehicle may support more than one team, however, a 4 person support vehicle may not support a 2 person team or a solo rider.  
• 2 person or solo support vehicle may not support a 4 person team.
• Towing of trailers by support vehicles is allowed.
• All registered support vehicles will depart from the Start Zone at the latest 45 minutes prior to the 14h30 start of the race.
• 4 Person team support vehicles will proceed to the 1st Checkpoint and await their riders.
• Solo and 2 Person support vehicles must take the designated route directly to checkpoint 2 and are not allowed to use the route via checkpoint 1.
• No vehicles will be permitted to travel back against the direction of the route.
• Once the team rider has departed on a stage, the support vehicle will leave the Checkpoint and travel without stopping until the next Checkpoint.
• Support vehicles are not permitted to stop anywhere between checkpoints along the route, unless special permission has been granted. Such vehicles will have an OFFICIAL or MEDIA sticker on. Medical vehicles are allowed to stop in order to provide medical assistance.
• Support vehicles are not permitted to render any assistance to any riders on a stage (unless deemed an emergency situation).
• Support vehicles are not permitted to drive behind, next to or in front of their team rider/s in an effort to offer assistance of any form (eg: additional lighting).
• Speeds of support vehicles are to be kept to a maximum of 40km/hr when passing riders
• Always be aware of riders coming from behind on a descend.
• Speeds of support vehicles are to be kept to a maximum of 80km/hr when traveling on 'clear' roads.
• Support vehicles which are breaking the above rules will result in the disqualification of their teams.
• Public vehicles, traced to a specific team/s, will result in the disqualification of those team/s.
• All team litter and refuse is to be removed by the support vehicle responsible for that team.
• No flashing or strobe lights allowed on support vehicles.

 

Support Vehicle Identification

• The A4 envelope will contain 2 stickers (1 x A4 and 1 x A5) with the team number printed on both. These stickers needs to be displayed on the support vehicle as follows: 
  The small one (A5 size) in top left corner of the front windscreen (passenger side) and the larger A4 in the top left corner of the rear window. If the support vehicle is shared by more than one team, all the team number stickers must be displayed.
• Duplicated support vehicle stickers used on more than one vehicle will result in immediate disqualification.

Emergencies

• Should the support driver encounter a rider requiring medical attention, it is deemed an emergency and you are allowed to stop to provide assistance. You should then phone one of the emergency numbers that will be handed out at race briefing. If the rider is in serious trouble do not leave the rider until medical personnel arrive.

Overtaking

• Support vehicles are not allowed to overtake riders on descends. Should you happen to be behind a rider on a descend you need to stay a safe distance behind the rider until the road flattens out or on an uphill. Make sure it is safe before you overtake the rider. 

Speed limits

• Maximum speed for the duration of the route is 80km/hr
• Maximum speed when overtaking riders is 40km/hr
• Support drivers who exceed the speed limit or drive recklessly risk the disqualification of their riders.

Fires

• No open fires are allowed anywhere along the route. This time of the year the grass is dry and even a small spark presents a major fire hazard.
  You are allowed to use gas or liquid fuel stoves but make sure it's not close to anything combustible and do not leave it unattended.
  Just use your normal camping awareness to prevent any accidents. 

Stages and rider participation

• Solo Riders: All Stages
• Two Person Teams: Stage 1 and 2 are done by the first Rider. Stage 3 and 4 are done by the second Team Rider. Stages 5 must be done by both team riders
• Four Person Team: Stage 1 must be done by the First Rider. Stages 2 - 4, each team rider must do one of the four stages and stage 5 must be done by the full team.
• All riders have to follow the official race route. Any deviation from the route will lead to disqualification.
• No rider may ride more than their designated stages, ie; a rider may NOT continue riding onto the next stage. Doing so will result in that rider being disqualified.

Checkpoint Procedures.

Stage 1

• First Rider of Teams and Solo riders must do this Stage. 
• Only when the first team rider arrives at checkpoint 1 will the next rider be allowed to start.
• A Marshal will re-direct all team riders not starting the next stage away from the scanning chutes.
• Solo riders to receive a start scan only when departing on stage 2.

Stages 1 – 4

• Once the team riders, tandem and solo rides arrive at the stage end, he/she must be scanned to register the end of the stage.
• Solo riders must register a finish and start scan at checkpoints 1-4.
• 2 Person riders must register a finish and start scan at checkpoints 1- 4.
• 4 Person riders must register a finish and start scan at checkpoints 1 -4. 
• No Start and Finish scans will result in a DNF.
• You are not allowed to be scanned a stage start before the previous stage finish scan is recorded.

 

Stage 5 

• The rider completing stage 4 must register a finish and a start scan for stage 5.
• Team riders joining must register a start scan to start stage 5.
• The complete team must ride the last and final stage together.
• Numbers boards of incomplete teams starting stage 5 will be cut and will not receive finishers medals.

 

DNF’s

All DNF’s (Did Not Finish) must be reported at the checkpoint of the stage which was not completed by the rider.

Control Point Stickers

• ALL riders must make sure to get 1 coloured stickers at one control point on stage 5.

Water points

• Water points will be set up at around the half-way marks between each stage location for stages 1 - 5.
• Water, jelly sweets, fruit and juices will be available at these water points.
• The event does not cater for personal choices of energy drinks, bars or foods. These should be carried by the riders themselves.
• NO team support vehicles are allowed to stop and wait for their respective riders at these water points.
• Support vehicles must proceed to the next Checkpoint location.
• Rider change-overs may not take place at the water points.
• Exclusive water and refresh points for Solo riders and 2 Person Rider only will be set-up at Checkpoints 1 (Kuiseb).
• Please take note that riders must rely on their support vehicles for water and food at checkpoint 2, 3 and 4.
• Food and drinks will be for sale at checkpoint 2 and 4.
• Any rider without his /her own support are doing it on own risk.

 

Cut-off times

• Start to Checkpoint 1 - Kuiseb (100kms): riders to arrive no later than 23h00.
• Checkpoint 3 - Bloed Kopje : rider to arrive no later than 09h00 on Saturday morning.
• Checkpoint 4 - Goanikontes : Solo Rider cutoff 10h30, 2 Person Team cutoff 11h00, 4 Person Team cutoff 11h30
• The event cut-off is at 14h30 for Solo Rider, 15h00 for 2 Person Teams, 15h30 for 4 Person Teams on Saturday afternoon.
• Teams or riders arriving after the above time restrictions must be transported to the next Checkpoint by their support vehicle or sweep vehicle if at Checkpoint 1. (Solo and 2 Person riders)
• Any team rider reaching Check Point #3 outside of the cut-off time either as a result of physical performance, bicycle mechanical failure or the like, will result in their total team being transported to Check Point #4 by their support vehicle.
• The full team will then be allowed to continue riding from Check Point #4 to the Finish Zone in Swakopmund but will not receive a finishing position or finishers medals.

Protests

• Any rider protests must be submitted in writing together with a payment of N$500 to an official at the Finish Zone timing point within 20 minutes of the rider crossing the finish line.
• Should your protest be found valid by the race committee, your N$500 will be refunded.

Prize Money / Giving

• There need to be minimum 3 participants (starters) for us to pay 1st position.
• There need to be minimum 4 participants (starters) for us to pay 1st and 2nd position.
• There need to be minimum 5 participants (starters) for us to pay 1st, 2nd and 3rd position.
  
• Race category winners are eligible for prizes provided that no rules of the event have been contravened and no protests have been lodged against the winners.
• Final Prize Giving Solo Riders 16h00 at Platz am Meer.