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Hennie De Klerk presents new TreasuryOne T1+ Hilux
HILUX Former rookie winner de Klerk unveils his next Dakar weapon
2018 Dakar Rookie Winner Hennie de Klerk pulled the covers off his much anticipated all new WCT Engineering-run TreasuryONE Toyota Hilux T1+ at a function in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Not to be confused with Hallspeed’s Dakar-winning Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux DKR T1+, TreasuryONE and WCT came together to develop this different longer travel suspension, bigger wheel top class FIA T1+ car, one geared more toward the privateer than works teams.
“We are delighted to present our TreasuryONE Toyota Hilux T1+,” Hennie de Klerk confirmed. “The first WCT Engineering developed Hilux is somewhat different to the Dakar winning machines built just around the corner. “Our WCT package was designed from the outset to be the best option for the privateer or gentleman racer.
Our WCT Hilux is intended to be more durable over a longer race distance, easier to maintain and less expensive to run. “The Hallspeed Hilux is designed and built for factory and professional teams and is far more specialised. “It requires significantly more in-race maintenance and quicker replacement of sophisticated shorter-life components.”
WCT Engineering guru Stuart Thompson adds: “Our WCT T1+ runs a V8 engine, instead of the factory car’s turbocharged V6. “The V8s are allowed 30 kW more power over the sophisticated turbocharged V6s, which make the power quicker but are also more complex and difficult to tune and run for a privateer. We also use more reliable double damper suspension versus the Hallspeed car’s single units, which is also more privateer friendly. “The rest of our Hilux is much the same as the Hallspeed car, albeit a fairly major development of our existing T1 small wheel car. “We hope that the WCT Hilux T1+ will prove reliable and relatively easy for a small team to run.”
“Special thanks to WCT Engineering for its efforts on the first of hopefully many Hilux T1+s, and our Prep Shop chief technician Tjaart van der Walt,” Hennie de Klerk concluded. “Tjaart spent many a long night and weekend at the WCT shop to take the car from frame to final product, designing and creating many of the components as he went.”
Hennie de Klerk, navigator Adriaan Roets, and the TreasuryONE team will take advantage of the opening round TIORC Weiveld 300 being delayed, to allow the Highveld to dry out a little after the recent rains. The team will test the new machine over the weekend, before debuting the TreasuryONE Hilux at the Weiveld on the 25th of February.
De Klerk and Roets will go on to race the rest TIORC Inland Off Road Championship, alongside some Namibian dune training, to fettle and prepare the new TreasuryONE Hilux for the 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January.
Source TreasuryONE Motorsport
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