Because You Can

 Because You CanPRESTIGE OYSTER FESTIVAL EVENT GETS NEW SPONSOR, POTENTIALLY CONTROVERSIAL NEW GENDER-BASED TIMING SYSTEM KNYSNA, 25 MAY 2006.  New innovations and a new sponsor will ensure that this year’s Land Rover G4 Waterfront Rush brought to you by Men’s Health Magazine will be bigger, better and more exciting than ever.  “To be held on 7, 8 and 9 July during the Pick ‘n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival, the Rush is one of the few events that Land Rover South Africa will sponsor this year - because it’s one of the few sports that comply with their brand vision,” says race director Mark Collins of event organisers Magnetic South Land Rover Brand Manager Dewald van Bergen explains that: “Land Rover aims to be the World’s leading brand at inspiring, creating and delivering a spirit of adventure. Our participation in events like the G4 Global Challenge, G4 Spirit of Adventure Race and the G4 Waterfront Rush brings life to this vision.” An explosive Multi-Sport Challenge that demands skill, speed and strength, the Waterfront Rush is adventure racing’s equivalent of the 100-metre sprint or Cricket’s Pro 20 Series: great entertainment that’s tough on competitors.   “The Waterfront at the Knysna Quays is the ideal venue for the Rush,” says course designer John Collins. “There’s plenty of room for a large crowd and more than enough space for the different disciplines: sprint kayaking, Hydro-bronking, the ropes course and the climbing wall.” And this year, he says, he hopes to see as many women as men in the final.  “Men and women will race against each other under the electronically- controlled G-BAT (Gender-Based Adjustment for Time) system.” This will be the first time this System is used in South Africa and it’s expected to cause a stir.  “Basically, it means taking a predetermined percentage off every woman’s time so that we can compare them equally with those of the men to achieve a final result,” says John.  New innovations this year will include a new look kayak launch ramp - which will also be higher than before - and course changes to accommodate the G-BAT System during the knock-out semi-final and final rounds. “With our new sponsors and this new scoring system it’s quite possible that a woman could take home the first prize,” says Mark.  “With R10,000 on offer for podium finishers the Land Rover G4 Waterfront Rush is the richest course per metre of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and we encourage all multi-sports enthusiasts to enter online at www.magneticsouth.net - because it’s going to be a great race. And Because You Can.” ENDS 432 WORDS