It is now less than a month before the fourth Race of Champions air race will take off in the heart of Zululand to find the pilot who flies the fastest and smartest across the province.
The popular air race continues to establish itself as the ultimate event for pilots to come and fly their planes to the limit in order to be crowned champion pilot. To add to the excitement around this year’s air race, Ulundi’s Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Airport will play host for the first time to such an event.
This comes hot on the heels of the second consecutive and hugely successful Zululand airshow as part of the KZN Winter Air Tour that took place in June, where thousands of people showed up to enjoy hours of thrilling aerobatics and sleek warplanes. The free airshow brought aviation to the people of Zululand, and this coming August, top pilots from across the country will come together in the heart of Zululand for the Race of Champions.
This year’s race has the biggest air sport sponsorship value in the history of South Africa and it is also the first time that the Race of Champions will be held in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
According to organiser Chris Briers, who entertained spectators in his P750 aircraft at the recent Durban airshow, Ulundi has a wealth of natural beauty and with very little air traffic on the country side, the region will provide participating pilots with the challenge of flying while using a provided map only and relying on the word of their navigator.
The Ulundi airport was built as an international gateway to the Zulu Kingdom and the main runway can accommodate 737 jet airliners. The world-class airport also has extensive terminal facilities, hangar space and a fuel depot, which make it the ideal pit stop for the Race of Champions event.
The Race of Champions will take place from 9 August to11 August and it looks set to put the Ulundi airport on the map as the town can look forward to another fantastic air display this winter.