A SANY excavator has played a key role in assisting UK MTB star and course builder Sam Reynolds design and construct the biggest jumps yet for DarkFEST 2020 from 7 to 8 February in Stellenbosch.
Now in its fourth year, work on the course started in January, with Reynolds’ build team including Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela. “It’s the longest course in DarkFEST history, and I think in Fest Series history, too.”
Monster Energy Marketing Manager Ryan Franklin, a headline sponsor of the event, explains that the Goscor Group’s Christo Swart approached the event organisers at the end of 2019. “He expressed an interest to come on-board with the 2020 event, and obviously we were very excited to partner with him.”
Swart was undaunted by the fact that DarkFEST 2020 aimed to build the best jumps of all time, confident in the capability of the SANY excavator to undertake this project safely, quickly, and cost-effectively. He oversaw the logistics of sourcing the SANY SY210 from its Cape Town branch, which had to be transported to Stellenbosch.
The excavator played a key role in stacking and shaping the large quantities of dirt required to build the jumps comprising the course. It was operated by the expert DarkFEST builders, who “loved the machine,” Franklin comments.
Creating these never-before-seen jumps, which are believed to have been some of the most gravity-defying in the world, required a high level of creative conceptualisation, which translated into long hours in the excavator.
“We only had three weeks, and the excavator was critical for the build. We were very happy with the machine, which operated perfectly, with no breakdowns and amazing fuel efficiency,” Franklin highlights. “Thank you so much to Christo and the team for making the DarkFEST 2020 build a reality!” he concludes.