05/12/2006
NEWS STORY
Tickets for the A1GP Durban, KwaZulu Natal on February 25 went on sale at the weekend. They are available from Computicket for individual days including Friday (official practice), Saturday (qualifying) and Sunday (races) or as a weekend pass covering all three days.
General admission prices are R100 on Friday and Saturday, R160 on Sunday and R220 for a weekend pass covering Saturday and Sunday. Silver, gold and platinum grand stand tickets range from R100 to R200 on Friday, R250 to R350 on Saturday, R450 to R850 on Sunday and R550 to R1 000 for a weekend pass covering all three days. Platinum grand stand seats are bucket-type. Tickets do not include access to the pit or paddock areas.
The introduction of the weekend pass allows fans to save money by buying tickets for all three days (in the case of grandstand tickets) and for both Saturday and Sunday (general admission).
There will be four 20-minute pit walks for members of the public on Friday and Saturday at a cost of R250 per person per walk.
General admission ticket holders (no seats provided) will be accommodated in a dedicated area bordered by NMR Avenue, Battery Beach Road and Suncoast Boulevard and will have a single point access from Battery Beach Road at gate 7.
Disabled fans have again been provided for in designated viewing areas and tickets allow for one minder per patron. Wheelchair access tickets cost R100 on Friday, R250 on Saturday and R450 on Sunday, with a weekend pass costing R550.
There are a number of changes for the second Durban street race in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and according to Dana Cooper, CEO of A1 Team South Africa, these have been made to ensure that paying spectators get their money's worth in a safe and secure environment.
"Last year's race was a great success, but it was our first attempt at staging an international street race in Durban and we learnt a great deal," said Ms Cooper. "For the second race in February we aim to ensure that everyone who buys a ticket gets what they paid for. Grand stand seats will be numbered and there will be greater control over accessing these seats.
"We will be using ticket readers which will prevent the same ticket being used by different people to gain entry to the same grand stand. We will be able to ensure that the right person gains access to the seat they paid for.
"Access to each grand stand will be via the gate indicated on the ticket only. The ticket reader system will ensure that the legitimate holder of the ticket retains it throughout the day, allowing the holder to move around without fear of losing the seat. The ticket will be read each time the holder enters or leaves the designated grand stand are and will thus serve as the passout.
"We've also taken steps to ensure that crowd control will be more efficient. With global television coverage, start times have to be strictly observed and we cannot have a repeat of last year's delayed start, which was as a result of some spectators being in a restricted area that compromised their safety as well as the safety of the drivers and race officials.
"We had a sell-out crowd last year and I would like to say a sincere 'thank you' to all the spectators who helped make our race the most popular in the entire inaugural A1GP series, as voted for by the team priincipals from 23 different countries. Thank you for your support and patience at our historic first event. We promise you an even bigger and better experience in February 207," Cooper added.
Giant television screens will again be strategically placed around the circuit, for maximum viewing enjoyment.