The fourth and fifth rounds of the South African Rally-Raid Championship that takes place on 30 September and 1 October at NAMPO PARK, will form the penultimate rounds of the 2022 season and with only two rounds remaining, those in the lead will feel the pressure as a mistake could cost them dearly.
The events takes place in the Bothaville area of the Free State, and have two full helpings of points up for grabs, and those teams who can keep it together during the 10 kilometre Pirelli Qualifying Race followed by two loops of 166 kilometres on Friday and another 10 kilometre qualifying race and two loops of 172 kilometres on Saturday, will be smiling all the way to the final events.
The field in the Special Vehicle Category might look somewhat compact, but the battles have been brewing during the season and will continue in the Free State. Former overall and Class A champions, Tim Howes/Gary Campbell (Timdrew Property Development BAT Spec 4) have won the last two events and a hat-trick is on the cards for them, but as the saying goes - they first have to finish to finish first.
Like the leaders, Lood du Preez/Chris Visser Jnr (Farmers Meat Stryker) have also completed and scored at each event so far this season and are within striking range of the leaders who dare not put a wheel wrong. Trace Price Moore/Shaun Braithwaite (BAT Venom) missed the Bronkhorstspruit event, but will be back in action and they are also close enough to make a move on the scoreboard.
LC de Jager/Rikus Hattingh (Porter) will also be in the mix and will aim to put their first points on the scoreboard.
The lead in Class G for Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles, where teams are competing with Can-Am Maverick vehicles, has been changing during the season with Geoff Minnitt/Gerhard Snyman (Hydro Power Equipment Can-Am Maverick) again taking the lead after their victory at the recent #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit. They are also lying second overall, but this can all change if the Mostert family has anything to do with it.
Werner Mostert and his son, Ian (Moto-Netix Racing Can-Am Maverick) were leading the Class G championship and were second in the overall standings, but dropped back after the Bronkhorstspruit event. They will again aim for victory to add to their list of two so far this season and a good result might just push them up the leaderboard again. This will be a battle to keep an eye on.
The leading two teams have opened up a gap to the rest of the Class G field with the Mostert’s team-mates, Glen Theron/Craig Galvin currently filling the third place after missing the season opener. Peter Walter/Pierre Jordaan as well as the defending champions, Cecil and Elardus Larney, are also back for more after successful Bronkhorstspruit outings. Francois de Wit/Ewald van Rensburg will attempt their second event of the season while the Rutherford family will have their first outing of the season.
Justin Rutherford will get behind the wheel for the fourth round on Friday with dad Archie reading the notes and for round five, he will move over and will read the notes for brother, Kent, who will be doing the driving.
In Class P, Quintin Lessing/Noel Acton (Century CR-T), who are leading the class championship, have been the only entrants.
All the action will be happening from Nampo Park where the Race Headquarters, the Start/Finish as well as the Designated Service Park (DSP) will be situated. For both rounds four and five, teams will do a short 10km Pirelli Qualifying Race at 07:30. The results will determine the starting positions for the race that starts at 09:30 on both days.
The top 10 qualifiers will draw their starting positions on each day. On Friday, a 166 kilometre loop awaits them and has to be completed twice while a 172 kilometre loop on Saturday will be the challenge. Teams will adhere to a compulsory 30 minute service break between the two loops on each day.
As the event forms part of the NAMPO ALFA Expo and spectators are welcome. Public parking and access to the venue will be via the northern entrance and subject to the Expo admission fee which includes access to all exhibits and the DSP area.
The event can also be followed on the RallySafe App, which can be downloaded free from the iStore and Google PlayStore.

Source SARRC
Images by Andre Schoeman

Round four and five of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship that take place on 30 September and 1 October at NAMPO PARK on the outskirts of Bothaville in the Free State, will be a tough and challenging double bill for competitors and teams as there will be no time to sit back and relax.
With two rounds of the SARRC taking place over two consecutive days and only one event (another two rounds) remaining for the season, lots of points and national titles are at stake, and putting a wheel wrong could result in disappointment with not much time remaining to make up for lost ground.
In the extremely competitive Production Vehicle Category, the battle at the front will continue between the defending and former champions and Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team-mates, Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings and Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy in identical Toyota DKR Hilux T1+ vehicles, and a second victory this season for De Villiers/Murphy will put them on par with their rivals. And with team-mates, Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle and Shameer Variawa/Danie Stassen, currently also on the overall and FIA T1+ podiums, the Free State event is sure to produce a battle to the bitter end.
There are, however, various teams that have proved they can be a gnarly thorn in the side and it might be sensible for teams aiming for titles, to keep an eye on these players. In FIA T1+ the Horn brothers, Johan and Werner (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid) have come to grips with their Toyota DKR Hilux T1+, while Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Castrol T1+ Ranger) have shown their pace during the season. Brother Lance and Elvéne Vonk, in an identical Ranger have been plagued by mechanical maladies and a finish for them will get the monkey off their backs and mean the first points on the scoreboard.
Consistency, speed and reliability has been the name of the game for FIA T1 teams who find themselves between the frontrunners in the overall championship. Eben Basson/Leander Pienaar (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid Toyota Hilux) are the team to beat in FIA T1 and another victory – or two – will strengthen their lead in the championship. The German father and son, in command of two Nissan Navaras, Daniel Schröder and navigator, Ryan Bland as well as dad, Jürgen and motorbike specialist, Stuart Gregory, will again be in action with Daniel/Ryan fighting for top honours from their second place in the class while keeping the rest of the teams at bay.
The rest of the chasing contingent include the four Red-Lined Motorsport teams of Philip Botha/Roelof Janse van Vuren and Johan de Bruyn/Gerhard Schutte in VK56 vehicles as well as Chris Visser/Albertus Venter and Dubai visitor, Thomas Bell together with Wade Harris in REVO machines. Gary Bertholdt/Juan Möhr (Toyota Hilux) will hope for less bad luck and more points while another good finish will also go down well for Nicholas Pienaar/Carl Swanepoel (Super Energi Race Fuels Red-Lined VK50); Schalk Burger/Henk Janse van Vuuren (King Price Xtreme Mercedes Benz) as well as Richard Leeke/Zaheer Bodhanya (Leeke Motorsport). The Blignaut brothers, Fouche and Bertus (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid Toyota) will also be back in action after a disappointing outing on the recent #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit.
The new FIA T1.2 Class for 2-wheel drive vehicles sees two teams on identical points in the lead, with Lance Trethewey/Leonard Cremer (King Price Xtreme CR6) standing a chance to extend their lead over Brian Baragwanath/Rodney Burke as the names of the latter do not appear on the entry list yet. And another good result after a class victory at the recent #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit for Ernest Roberts/Henry Köhne (JCP Steel Supplies CR6), could see the pair move up a notch or two.
Their team-mates, Malcolm and Frans Kock (JCP Steel Supplies CR6) will again be back in action as will Dewald van Breda with stand-in navigator Adriaan Roets (CR6), while the adventure athlete Simon Murray, now sharing the WCT HT2 Toyota Hilux Turbo cockpit with Achim Bergman, will have his eye set on another helping of points in only his second outing of the season.
Four Class T teams have entered, with youngster Jayden Els and navigator Armand du Toit (King Price Xtreme Renault Duster) aiming for a hat-trick of victories to extend their championship lead. They will be hard chased by the current runner-up, Christo Rose (Neil Woolridge Motorsport Ford Ranger) who teams up with Tiaan Swart after his regular navigator, Arno Olivier, was injured when he fell off a roof. Veteran Johan van Staden and his son, Sean (KEC Racing Renault Duster) will be joined by newcomers to the SA Rally-Raid Championship, Hendrik and Heinrich du Plessis in the championship winning ex Kock Ford Ranger.
The action on both days takes place from NAMPO PARK where the Race Headquarters, the Start/Finish as well as the Designated Service Park (DSP) will be situated. On both days, competitors will take on the short Pirelli Qualifying Race at 07:30 to determine the starting order for the race that will start at 09:30. For both events, the op 10 qualifiers will draw their starting positions for races that will consist of a 166 kilometre loop and a 172 kilometre loop on Friday and Saturday respectively to be completed twice separated by a compulsory 30 minute service break on each day.
The SA Rally-Raid Championship shares the stage with the NAMPO ALFA Expo over the weekend. Spectators are welcome with public parking and access to the venue via the northern entrance and subject to the Expo admission fee, which includes access to all exhibits including the DSP area.
The event can also be followed on the RallySafe App, which can be downloaded free from the iStore and Google PlayStore.

Source SARRC
Images: Andre Schoeman

After three editions designed by David Castera and his team starting from Fez and Zagora, it is now Agadir's turn to host the Rallye du Maroc, from October 1st to 6th. A route along the Atlantic coast, wilder than the previous years, punctuated by four bivouacs, where sand and navigation will be the main themes of this dress rehearsal for the next Dakar. An opportunity that both amateur and professional competitors have seized with both hands. The expected field exceeds the record set last year with all the stars present and correct.

ON TRACK: Back to the roots of rally-raid

After two years of global pandemic, David Castera has finally been able to give free rein to his creativity designing the 22nd edition of the Rallye du Maroc. Driven by the desire, shared with Morocco, to take the competitors towards ever more adventure, they have deliberately chosen to move away from the Kingdom’s classic desert territories to turn this year to those of its Atlantic facade and its wilder immensities.

2 316 kilometres are waiting for the candidates of this giant loop, with the departure and finish in Agadir. 741 kilometres of liaison and 1 575 kilometres of special stage divided into five stages and punctuated by four nights in bivouac. A first night in Tan Tan – a historical stage on the Dakar where the rally went in 2007 on the last African edition - two consecutive nights in Laâyoune, before returning to the first bivouac in Tan Tan and then to the finish along the ocean.

More sand on the track than usual, dunes around Laayoune that are maybe not so well known but are no less demanding than those of Ergs Chebbi and Chegaga and four consecutive nights shared in bivouac, ingredients similar to those awaiting the competitors of the 2023 Dakar. Clearly no coincidence, given that David Castera is the architect of both events: "The Kingdom of Morocco has some of the most varied a territory in the world, where we can find almost all the elements of the Dakar. When I designed the route here, I also had in mind what awaits the competitors a few weeks later and I want to prepare them for it. Navigation and sand will be big parts this edition which will take place in wilder territories, on tracks often much less marked than those that competitors have encountered on previous editions. They will be similar to those of Saudi Arabia and will give this edition the profile of a small Dakar 2023.”

Entries on the rise!

With 140 motorcycles, 100 cars (+25%) and 9 trucks, the rally-raid community has confirmed its growing attachment to the Moroccan event. The record number of entries set in 2021 has been maintained for the motorcycle category and exceeded in the other categories. Nearly 250 vehicles are expected to go through administrative and technical scrutineering at the Agadir Stadium on September 30 and the morning October 1 (see Programme).

The entry is not just big, it is also top level, with almost all of the stars of the discipline present. In the motorcycle category, 14 out of the 16 factory riders will be at the start of the third W2RC round. Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy Honda), title holder and second on both the Dakar and in the provisional World Championship standings, will be accompanied for the first time in a race by his new teammate Adrien Van Beveren. Sam Sunderland (GasGas Factory Racing), winner of the first two rounds of the W2RC (Dakar and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge) will be attempting to win three in a row. Toby Price and Kevin Benavides will represent the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, while Hero Motosports, Husqvarna and Sherco will have their full squads. In the quad category, Alexandre Giroud, winner in Jeddah last January, will make his return to competition against a dozen contenders, including the likes of Manuel Andujar, winner of the 2021 Dakar.

In the cars, the spotlight will be on two big battles: that of the returning Audi team against their rivals and also that of the two tenors of the category, Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) and Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing), neck and neck in the 2022 World Champion title race.

In the Audi clan, Peterhansel, Sainz and Ekström will not only be in full formation for the first time since last January, but also at the controls of the new RS Q e-tron Evo 2. The latest generation Audi will reveal the German brand’s capabilities to achieve their stated goal of winning the next Dakar. The two leaders of the W2RC, separated by just a single point in favour of Loeb, will enter the second half of the championship before the final round in Andalusia two weeks later. The Frenchman is aiming for a tenth world title while the Qatari, a six-time winner and Rallye du Maroc record holder, will be trying to claim his seventh crown in Agadir. But they will have to stay focused on their objectives in the face of the attacks from contenders such as Yazeed Al Rajhi and Erik Van Loon (Hilux Overdrive Racing), Orlando Terranova (Hunter Prodrive), Jakub Przygonski and Sebastian Halpern (Buggy X-Raid Mini JCW), Martin Prokop (Raptor RS Cross Country) or the returning Guerlain Chicherit who will make his debut in the same car as Loeb (Hunter Prodrive). So many great names and vehicles in the final stages of preparation for the Dakar that will undoubtedly give the race an exceptional flavour.

In T3, the big names will all be there, including "Chaleco" Lopez (Can-Am Factory South Racing), winner of the 2022 Dakar, and the entire Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team. In the T4 category, the South Racing tribe will also have its best representatives present, including Austin Jones, Marek Goczal, Rokas Baciuska, Rodrigo Luppi, second last year, and Lucas Del Rio. Among the ten or so trucks, we will have to keep an eye on the two lveco Powerstar leaders of the W2RC driven by Kees Koolen (Project 2030 B.V.) and Martin Macik (MM Technology).

RADIO BIVOUAC

A free concert will be held on Saturday, October 1 from 18.00 at the Place Al Amal in Agadir. Organized by Africa Event and TC Euro Afrique with the support of loyal partners Afriquia, OCP and Maroc Telecom, the festival will feature two international headliners. The most listened to French-speaking singer in the world, Aya Nakamura, will be joined by French Montana, the American hip hop star born in Casablanca. On the bill, no less than eight other artists: Dadju, El Grande Toto, Aminux, Grini, Dada, DJ Van and DJ Aymoune.

Before the opening of the festival the public will be able to check out the vehicles and their crews in the heart of the city on the Corniche, to watch a parade at the arrival of the Qualifying Special from 14.30 onwards.

STAT OF THE WEEK: 1 000

For the first time in its history, the caravan of the 22nd edition of the Rallye du Maroc will be composed of more than 1000 people! An increase of 25% compared to last year, which can be explained by the entry of the competitors and assistance crews of about twenty extra cars and seven additional trucks, but also by the increased number of media, drawn by the presence of the most prestigious professional competitors in the world. In all, over a hundred press accreditations will be issued.

DECLARATION

David Castera: "With the return to an almost totally normal sanitary situation we have been once again been able to emphasis rally-raid’s original DNA: distance, bivouacs and heading south. That is exactly what we are going to offer competitors this year, on the scale of Morocco, with extraordinary landscapes and the joy of racing alongside the ocean, but also with that feeling of venturing into more remote areas, on less frequented tracks, towards more adventure."

Source Rallye du Maroc
Photo DPPI / Rallye du Maroc

RALLYE DU MAROC 2022 - FIA ENTRY LIST

RALLYE DU MAROC 2022 - FIM ENTRY LIST

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer currently fifth in Class FIA T1+ in the Neil Woolridge Motorsport Ford Castrol Ranger EcoBoost V6
Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk aim for strong performance as they continue durability testing of the NWM Ford Castrol T1+ Ranger
NWM-supported Ford Ranger V8 privateer team of Christo Rose and Arno Olivier second in Class T

The upcoming fourth and fifth rounds of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) are guaranteed to deliver a double dose of exciting racing, and will provide a crucial opportunity for the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol team of Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#277) to score vital points to move up the championship table.

The double-header will be based at NAMPO Park, near Bothaville in the Free State, with two separate races of approximately 350km each to be held on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October 2022, respectively.

Gareth and Boyd are currently fifth in Class FIA T1+ in their EcoBoost V6-powered NWM Ford Ranger on 69 points, with 26 points separating the top five competitors. Notably, there’s a gap of just 13 points to the second-place Toyota crew of Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy Lyle, so the team is aiming to maximise its opportunities at the NAMPO event.

The young duo proved that they are undoubtedly in contention for a top result by winning the qualifying sprint at the previous round in Bronkhorstspruit, but the session was later cancelled. Driveshaft issues ultimately hampered their race and they ended fifth. However, with the recent upgrades introduced on the T1+ Ranger by the NWM team, Gareth and Boyd should be in the thick of the action throughout the weekend.

Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (#234) are hoping to turn their challenging season around in the second NWM Ford Castrol T1+ Ranger. They have set the pace on several occasions this year, but have yet to finish a race. Accordingly, they are using the second half of the season to conduct durability and high mileage testing of key components on the T1+ Ranger as part of its development programme. With nothing to lose, there’s no doubt that they will be pushing hard from the moment the flag drops.

“We are hoping for a good performance at the back-to-back NAMPO races that will show the true potential of our T1+ NWM Ranger,” says team principal Neil Woolridge. “The team has been hard at work after the last race sorting out the driveshaft niggles, and we have done several test sessions with these changes and some further upgrades, with no issues. I’m confident that we will be able to take the fight to our rivals at the NAMPO event which suits our vehicle, as we proved last year with Gareth and Boyd finishing on the podium on the Friday, and Lance and Elvéne winning the Saturday race,” Neil says.

In Class T, Christo Rose and Arno Olivier (#T58) are the leading NWM-supported privateers in their V8-powered Ford Ranger. They are currently second in class with 61 points, just 10 points behind Jayden Els/Armand du Toit (Renault).

Race programme

According to the SARRC, the NAMPO race routes are similar to last year but run in the opposite direction, with the varied terrain including fast open sections with a good mix of technical areas around an old pan, an unused coal power station and old grass-covered mine dumps. There’s also extensive use of surrounding farmlands that are a key feature of the landscape in this area, with loops around the familiar irrigation pivots and tricky soft sand sections to challenge the crews.

There’s a common 10km Pirelli qualifying loop on both days, with the 10 top competitors drawing their starting positions in reverse order from slowest to fastest – an important strategy, as it’s never ideal to be the first vehicle to open the road. The qualifying race starts at 07:30 each day, followed by the main race at 09:30.

Friday’s route covers approximately 166km to the east of NAMPO Park, while Saturday’s route heads west and covers approximately 172km. On each day, the respective routes are repeated twice, separated by a 30-minute compulsory service stop at the designated service park (DSP) at the NAMPO grounds. Access to the DSP is free, and the race route provides numerous easily accessible spectator points.

Follow all the action and track the position of the crews throughout each of the 2022 season’s races using the RallySafe app which can be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android devices.

Source NWM Ford Castrol Team

In the truck category, we will be looking forward to the armada of Petronas-De Rooy.
This top team, which has been at the start of the MDC in the past with Ton Van Genugten, will be going full steam ahead again next April. The pilots’ names are not yet announced, but De Rooy has already confirmed the registration of no less than 3 race trucks.
This brings the number of participants in the truck category to 16; a promising number 7 months before the start.

Source MDC

On September 1st, only 4 weeks after opening the registrations, the Morocco Desert Challenge 2023 is almost fully booked.
-Motorbikes & quads: 90 registered, so ... FULL
-Side-by-sides: 124 vehicles registered, so ... FULL
-Race Cars (4x4 and 4x2): 72 cars registered so .... 8 more seats left
-Cars (Raid): 19 registrations so ... 1 more seat left
-Race trucks: 16 registered, so 9 seats left

Those numbers, and the speed with which the registrations came in, prove once again that the Morocco Desert Challenge is more than just another rally-raid on the calendar. The perfect road books, the best entourage, the tastiest catering and a complete overall experience make the limited remaining number of seats even more wanted.

Also in 2023 our primary focus will be on customer satisfaction & customer experience. Gert Duson, organizer of the MDC explains: "To know the level of customer satisfaction, we ask participants, after every rally, to fill out an extensive survey and to provide additional feedback on each item. Especially the latter interests us the most. As soon as more than 2 participants mention the same item where there is room for improvement, we take care of it. The result is immediately visible in the next rally, and this is greatly appreciated."

High Customer Experience levels: "Participating in the MDC is more than just racing. Rally-raid is not an average hobby and often costs a lot of money. We therefore believe that our participants are entitled to a high-level total experience and not just a race. In the preparation towards the rally, our core team is available or reachable 7/7 for questions; we arrange the ferry for everyone and organize charter flights and visitor trips for partners, friends and sponsors. During the event we turn our bivouacs into a pleasant oasis in the desert. Top catering and a cozy bar play an important part. This is where everyone comes together in the evening for an aperitif and to share their adventures. Guest DJs provide a great vibe. But our most important USP is the spontaneous and constant smile on the face of my 250-strong crew, it's what makes us unique! We have many new things in mind for the 2023 edition to enhance the "customer experience" to unseen levels, but more on that later. Just a matter of not spoiling the surprise!" said Gert.

Source MDC

Only a few days after the registration closing of the Africa Eco Race 14th edition, Jean-Louis SCHLESSER announces the dates of the 15th edition taking place in March 2023.
The official start will take place on the 11th of March 2023 with a Lac Rose arrival ceremony on the 26th of March 2023.
Stay tuned for more details about the 2023 edition.
In the meantime, follow the 2022 race taking place from the 15th to the 30th of October.

Source Africa Eco Race

Round Four and Five of the South African Rally-Raid Championship, the penultimate event of the 2022 season, will again be located at the home of the biggest agricultural expo in the Southern Hemisphere, NAMPO PARK in the Bothaville area of the Free State on Friday, 30 September and Saturday, 1 October.
This year the event also forms part of the inaugural NAMPO ALFA Livestock, Hunting and Outdoor Expo and is sure to attract attention to our sport, our stakeholders, sponsors and the magnitude of our spectacle.
Despite the area being renowned as the Maize Capital of South Africa, the terrain on offer includes diverse and versatile race routes, which include fast open sections with a good mix of technical areas around an old pan, an unused coal power station and old grass covered mine dumps. The route heading towards the mighty Vaal River offers a good combination for skilful race-craft through a field of irrigation pivots, a healthy mix of bush, soft sand and open sections that promise to excite the experienced and not so experienced in their quest for victory.
Round Four on Friday and Round Five on Saturday share a common 10 kilometre, dash-for-supremacy, Pirelli Qualifying race before branching off to the east and west of NAMPO PARK on Friday and Saturday respectively.
On both days of the weekend, the top-ten competitors in the individual Pirelli Qualifying Races draw for their starting positions, and pending prevailing conditions, could influence race strategies and end of day results.
The compact race programme on the weekend calls for an early start, with the leading competitor out of the blocks for the start of the qualifying race at 07:30. The main race on both days starts at 09:30
The route on Friday, 30 September will comprise a 10 kilometre Pirelli Qualifying race followed by a loop of approximately 166 kilometres, to be completed twice, to the east of NAMPO PARK while the route on Saturday, 1 October will again consist of the short Pirelli Qualifying Race followed by a loop of approximately 172 kilometres to the west of the park, also to be completed twice.
A 30-minute compulsory service break will be implemented between loops one and two on both days at the designated service park (DSP) situated at NAMPO PARK where competitors will have the opportunity to attend to personal and technical matters before heading out on the final racing section of the day.
“Barring for some minor changes to the 2021 routes, competitors will be traversing familiar terrain albeit in the opposite direction. The one major change we are all hoping for, is a change in the weather, and that the icy cold, wet, slippery and windy conditions of last year envelop us with sunny spring conditions”, said Route Director Rudi Muller.
Spectating along the route is welcome and free of charge. Public entry to the NAMPO ALFA Expo and DSP will be controlled by the event organisers with public parking and pedestrian entry via the north entrance to the park, subject to an admission fee.
Public amenities will be well catered for and spectators will have access to all event activities including access to the DSP area.

Source: SA Rally Raid Championship
Images: Andre Schoeman

With two events and four rounds of the SA Rally Raid Championship still to be run, positions in the Production Vehicle category have taken on an interesting look.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux FIA T1+ squad occupy the top four slots in the Overall Production Vehicle category, with Dakar stalwart Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy a slender 15 points clear of second placed Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle - 61 points, in their first season of the competitive SA Rally-Raid Championship. Behind them team-mates Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings and Shameer Variawa/Danie Stassen are separated by a single point. Variawa/Stassen were one point ahead of current leaders De Villiers/Murphy going into the #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit, but a tough time in loop one on Friday saw the pair starting from the back of the grid on Saturday.
#TeamHilux Rally-Raid associates, Eben Basson/Leander Pienaar Class FIA T1 Hilux, and bothers Johan and Werner Horn DKR Hilux FIA T1+, who missed the opening round of the championship, are fifth and sixth with 45 and 42 points respectively, while Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Castrol FIA T1+ Ranger) are within striking distance on a tally of 40.
The top ten in the SA Rally-Raid Championship Overall Production Vehicle standings are rounded out by Brain Baragwanath/Leonard Cremer (Century Racing CR6) 27 points, Daniel Schröder/Ryan Bland (WCT Engineering prepared FIA T1 Nissan Navara) 24 points and Gary Bertholdt (FIA T1 Renergen Toyota Hilux) 21 points. Rodney Burke who accompanied Lance Trethewey in the King Price Xtreme CR 6 at the TGRSA in June, is 10th in the navigators’ standings with 20 points.
In the Class championships maters look a little different, courtesy of the five points earned for starting an event.
Toyota Gazoo Racing also dominate the top four position in Class FIA T1+ with De Villiers/Murphy, who won the TGRSA marathon event in Upington on 95 points, followed by Botterill/Vacy Lyle after three solid performance so far this season only 13 points adrift. Variawa/Stassen who started their season off with an exemplary second place at the Mpumalanga 400 in March are third on 79 points with Lategan/Cummings who won the opening round in March and the #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit, close on their heels with 75 points.
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer have shown excellent pace this season in their all new NWM Castrol EcoBoost-powered Ford Ranger, but had their chances scuppered by mechanical maladies, after comfortably defending third place until 10km from the end of the popular Bronkhorstspruit event, are fifth with 69 point.
The Horn siblings from Malalane, in only their second outing in the DKR Hilux FIA T1+, on a score of 55 occupy sixth place while Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk have been plagued by mechanical problems, and are yet to open their scoreboard.
In the FIA T1 class there is also not too much room for error. The #TeamHilux Rally-Raid pair of Eben Basson, in his second season of the SA Rally-Raid Championship, and experienced Leander Pienaar top the leader board with 102 points, 24 points clear of their closest rivals, German driver Daniel Schröder and Ryan Bland in their Nissan Navara.
The ever consistent Philip Botha and Roelof Janse van Vuren in the Red-Lined VK56 are seven points adrift and a force to be reckoned with. Gary Bertholdt who was excluded from the results for a safety infringement is fourth, while new comer Johan de Bruyn (Red-Lined VK56) partnered by the versatile and experienced Gerhardt Schutte is fifth, Schutte is fourth in the navigators’ standings.
The FIA T1.2 class for 4x2 vehicles introduced at the TGRSA 1000 Desert Race in Upington and primarily populated by CR 6 machines is balanced on a knife edge with two multiple champions, Brian Baragwanath and Lance Trethewey level-pegging on 65 points. Leonard Cremer, Baragwanath’s initial navigator heads the scoreboard in the navigators’ standing with a tally of 73 followed by Rodney Burke who did duty for Trethewey at Bronkhorstspruit.
Jerome Galpin (Century Racing CR 6) adorns the third step of the podium with 46 points.
Following a superb win on the #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit Ernest Roberts/Henry Köhne (JCP Steel Supplies CR 6) with 40 points to their credit are respectively fourth and third in the drivers’ and navigators’ standings. The French couple, Yannick and Valerie Panagiotis (Century Racing CR6) round out the top five in the FIA T1.2 standings.
In Class T, young Jaden Els and experienced navigator Armand du Toit (King Price Xtreme Renault Duster) are at the top of the leader board 10 points ahead of Vryburg businessmen Christo Rose/Arno Olivier with father and son, Johan and Sean van Staden on the third step of the podium.
Championship standings will undoubtedly be top of mind when teams head for round four and five of the SA Rally-Raid Championship at NAMPO PARK on the weekend of 30 September and 1 October.

Source: SA Rally Raid Championship
Images: Andre Schoeman

Icy cold weather, clouds of dust and a huge spectator turnout was the hallmark of round three of the Special Vehicle category at the recent #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Bronkhorstspruit.
Despite the small entry and a few late withdrawals, the action was fierce and the jostling for positions in the Overall and Class championships was a hard fought affair
Topping the Overall Special Vehicle championships are former champions Tim Howes and Gary Campbell (Timdrew Property Development BAT Spec 4) with a healthy 41 point lead over the rest of the pack, and only a single point separating Geoff Minnitt/Gerhard Snyman (Hydro Power Equipment Can-Am Maverick) from third placed Werner and Ian Mostert (Moto-Netix Can-Am Maverick).
Trace Price Moor and Shaun Braithwaite have slipped to fourth, having missed the event due to business commitments and now trail the Mostert’s by one point. Lood du Preez and Chris Visser junior (Farmers Meat Stryker) have moved up one spot to fifth place while new comers Glen Theron and Craig Galvin (Moto-Netix Racing) are in sixth with a score of 33, they are only six points in areas of du Preez/Visser.
Ernest Roberts and Henry Köhne, who competed in the Special Vehicle category at the Mpumalanga 400 are in seventh with the top ten in the Special Vehicle Overall standings concluded by Quentin Lessing/Noel Acton (CR-T) and Peter Walter/Pierre Jordaan, level pegging on 18 points, with wife and husband team Sandra Labuscagne-Jonck and Jaco Jonck (KEC Racing BAT Viper) three points adrift with a score of 15.
In Class A the top three steps of the podium belong to Howes/Campbell 101 points, du Preez/Visser jnr. 71 points and Price Moor/ Braithwaite (TipTop Milk BAT Venom) with a tally of 65.
In Class P the Eastern Cape businessmen, Quentin Lessing/Noel Acton lead the championship by 15 points from brothers, Keith and Andrew Makenete who have progressed to Class A and Guy Henley/Bryan Schwim who earned five points for starting the event.
In Class G the musical chairs scenario between current Class leaders Geoff Minnitt/Gerhard Snyman and Werner and Ian Mostert respectively on 94 and 93 points is sure to continue.
Glen Theron/Craig Galvin fill the number three spot on 49 points with Peter Walter/Pierre Jordaan, who have only competed in one event this year occupying fourth, 21 points in areas of Theron/Galvin. Himmel who puts in sporadic performances is on equal points with reigning champions Cecil and Elardus Larney and holds down the fifth and sixth spots in the championship.
New comers Francois de Witt and Ewald van Rensburg are in seventh position.
Those who earned valuable points so far this season will view round four and five of the SA Rally-Raid Championship at NAMPO PARK on 30 September and 1 October as the ideal opportunity to consolidate and grow their standings, while those lagging behind will have their sights firmly set on accumulating good points and possibly up setting an apple-cart or two.

Source: SARRC
Images: Andre Schoeman