Horn brothers prove victorious in opening round of SA Cross Country Series
A positive outlook helped Johan and Werner Horn to victory in the opening round of the South African Cross Country Series, the Lichtenburg 400, last weekend.
The Horn brothers won Class T in the production vehicle category at the Lichtenburg 400 last weekend after a shaky start, adding to their hometown win at the Nkomazi 450 last year.
READ: T Class glory for Johan and Werner Horn at Nkomazi 450
Despite having the latest specification V8 engine in the Malalane Toyota Hilux, the brothers were in 11th position after the 50-kilometre sprint to determine grid positions on Friday.
“We had an electrical problem and every time we engaged sixth gear the car would cut out,” Werner said. “It led to a stop-and-go qualifying race but it could have been worse. Had the qualifying race been over a longer distance we might have been in trouble but, as it was, we were only two minutes and two seconds behind the leading car.”
After the service crew sorted out the electrical problem, the brothers decided that maximum attack was their best option. “We had nothing to lose.”
Two minutes in a 340-kilometre cross-country race is negligible, and we decided to push as hard as the conditions would allow us.
“At the same time we were conscious of the fact that we could not afford mistakes on the extremely rocky, tight and tricky route that had a little bit of everything,” Johan explained.
The only problem the Horns encountered on the first of the 170-kilometre loops was being stuck in dust behind a Special Vehicle competitor.
“It was frustrating,” said Werner. “It is part and parcel of cross-country racing, but on a route that did not produce many overtaking opportunities it could have compromised our race. We understand that the Special Vehicle crews are in a race of their own, but the incident cost us valuable time.”
The second loop went smoothly, with the Horn brothers finishing just over three minutes behind Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie in a FIA Class car, and around five minutes clear of Class T runners-up Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer in the Ford NWM Puma Lubricants Ranger.
“It was the perfect end to the weekend and a positive outlook played a major part in our win,” said Johan. “It was a demanding event but we are up and running in the Class T championship, although there is an awful long way to go and Class T is hugely competitive. But, on another positive note, we can now go into the next race on a high but consistency is going to play a role in the championship.”
The next race on the SACCS calendar is the Battlefields 400 in KwaZulu-Natal on May 12 and 13.
