Off-road Racing

The 2023 Knock Out the King offroad event will be held on July 29-30 in Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu Province. Photos of organisers

HÀ NỘI — The fifth off-road racing Petrolimex Knock Out the King (KoK) will be held on July 29-30 at the NovaWorld Hồ Tràm's Tropicana Park in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province.

Athletes from more than 30 teams will compete in the two-day event. They will compete head-to-head to vie for berths in the finals.

The competing time in the final round will be 20 minutes, giving drivers opportunities to show off their talents and also creating challenges for them both in terms of endurance and technique.

The tournament's play-off rule will allow teams to correct their mistakes in the qualification. The winner of the play-off will advance to the finals where they can knock out the king.

“As a racer and organiser since the first year of the tournament, I expect the KoK will be an ideal playing ground for motorsport lovers where they find the intense racing," said the head of the organising board Nguyễn Thanh Hải.

Hải said in the KOK23, racers will drive in a selected area with racing tracks designed to have more difficulties.

Athletes will have to race in challenging terrain at the two-day tournament.

In the qualification, athletes will have different races so the more they drive the better result they can hope to get. It will help them show their skills and push up their speed to the highest to earn berths in the finals, Hải said.

There is also a category for Enduro racing at the Petrolimex KoK23 with the participation of more than 50 competitors.

"The competition aims to get racers familiar with professional events and gradually access regional and international rally events," said Hải.

"After years, I have to confirm that our drivers' technique has been improved and I believe that spectators at the KoK23 will be satisfied over two days of the event."

A timekeeping system with an accuracy of up to 1/1000s will be used to ensure the accuracy of race results.

Head of the organising board Nguyễn Thanh Hải speaks at a press conference announcing the KoK23 in HCM City on July 20.

Teams will vie for a total prize pool of VNĐ300 million (US$12,700) in which the winner will enjoy VNĐ70 million along with other gifts.

"This year, we will race on a sandy track which is a tough terrain for every racer and a test for our vehicle's endurance," said veteran driver Vũ Ngọc Cường.

In addition to the races, spectators will have a chance to enjoy the performance of the professional rally team AKA Racing and a night of music by rock band Bức Tường. VNS