SA's Cannonball Run

They might not boast the moustache Burt Reynolds had in The Cannonball Run, but 50 of South Africa's richest petrolheads are hellbent on outshining his stunt drivers at the first Rogue Rally.

In Sandton on Sunday, the men and women participants will push their supercars to the limit, using them for "what they're designed for" on a 2500km journey on South Africa's best roads.

"The rally is loosely based on the Gumball 3000 [an annual British 4800km international road rally that takes place on public roads] but it is not a race," said Rogue Rally spokesman Jacques van den Bergh.

The entry requirements are simple.

"You have to pay the entry fee [of just under R50000] and own a supercar," said Van den Berg.

The drivers will head first to the Phakisa racetrack in Welkom, where they will face off on both the track and the oval .

From there they will drive to Kimberley, where they will try to get the best times over a quarter-mile strip in drag races.

After overnighting, the roadtrippers will head to Bloemfontein, Dullstroom and Hazyview, in Mpumalanga, where a 14km twisting road will be closed off for the racers to do hill climbs.

The trip is expected to end at the Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge in North West.

Throughout the trip, the drivers will be entertained, watching a drifting display from the Monster Mob, trying their hands at high-performance radio-controlled car racing and getting driver training from professional racing car drivers Jaki and Ian Scheckter (nephew and brother of former F1 champion Jody Scheckter), among other things.

Even with its steep entry fee - and with drivers paying for their own petrol - the rally's organisers had no problem finding willing participants.

Among the entrants are Justin Divaris, owner of the Daytona Group and importer of exclusive racing cars into South Africa; IT entrepreneur Marius Cilliers, and risk financier Esther Lamprecht.

The line-up of cars is even more impressive.

"We've got at least three Ferrari 458s, a Mercedes SLS, Lamborghinis, McLarens and a Rolls-Royce Phantom that costs about R10-million," said Van den Bergh. The Ferraris, McLarens and Lamborghinis cost about R4-million each.