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John Harvey
The late withdrawal of main sponsor Renault has forced the cancellation of the popular Knysna Speed Festival, which was due to be held from May 17 to 19.
The festival, which attracted more than 9000 spectators over the two days it was held in each of the past four years, had become a major event on the South African motorsport calendar.
Organiser Ian Shrosbree said yesterday they had been told in late November that Renault was making budget cuts in Europe and these had impacted on sponsorship in South Africa.
“We had been trying to secure a main sponsor since then, but unfortunately with so many businesses shutting down over December and January it was difficult to attract a sponsor in time,” he said.
“At the end of February we saw that we were not going to get someone on board, and were forced to cancel the event. As the event has grown so much in recent years, and the cars have become faster, we could not compromise on competitor or spectator safety and infrastructure, hence we had to make the hard decision to cancel the event. It really is a shame, but that is the reality.”
All events in the Speed Festival have been cancelled with the exception of the Knysna Motor Show, which is a stand-alone event and will be held on May 4.
“We are aware that a number of competitors and spectators have already booked accommodation, and made travel and leave arrangements to attend the Hillclimb."
"We would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of having to cancel at this late stage. Ideally, we would have preferred to make the announcement earlier, but while there was a chance of saving the event we believed that we had to pursue all options.”
Shrosbree said it was hoped the event would be revived next year.
