Horns race to fifth place in muddy Mpumalanga 400
Instead of the expected dry and dusty tracks, rally drivers had to concentrate intensely to survive the wet and misty weather during the weekend's Mpumalanga 400.
DULLSTROOM – Local rally stars, Johan and Werner Horn sped their way to an overall fifth place in the Malalane Toyota Hilux during the Mpumalanga 400 on Saturday. They were just 13 seconds behind Mark Corbett and Rodney Burke in the Century Racing CR6.
The newest addition to, and first race of the SA Cross Country Series, gave locals their first taste of the adrenaline-packed sport in two years. The previous Mpumalanga-based event was the Nkomazi 450, which took place in Malalane in 2016.
READ MORE: T Class glory for Johan and Werner Horn at Nkomazi 450
The Mpumalanga 400 was driven by Malalane Toyota, Longtom Nissan, Lydenburg Toyota and McGee Ford and turned the normally tranquil Dullstroom into a hub of activity.
The atmosphere was buzzing, with restaurants and other businesses continually packed and spectators eagerly crowding the assigned viewing points.
As part of the event, Malalane Toyota donated 200 pairs of shoes to the Dullstroom Learning Centre and the Sakhelwe community.
The Mpumalanga 400 was officially started on Friday afternoon, when rally drivers from across the country fought for a good grid position over a 45km route. On Saturday, the race consisted of two 170km loops, winding through open forests, veld, vlei and rocky sections around Dullstroom.
Due to the wet conditions, the first loop took about an hour and half longer to be completed and the second loop had to be shortened to ensure participants could finish it in daylight.
The well-known Giniel de Villiers and Rob Howie took the top podium spot in their Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux, after finishing second in Friday’s qualifying race. De Villiers noted that it was one of the trickiest races he’d competed in due to the slippery conditions.
Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable, in the Ford NWN Ranger, took second place, ahead of former SA champion Chris Visser and Philip Herselman, in the Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux.
The latter did very well, as they had to start near the back of the field after breaking a side shaft during Friday’s race.
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer, also in a Ford NWM Ranger, won the qualifying race but struggled a bit during the first loop. They lost communication between the driver and co-driver for a portion of the race, but said “it was good fun and we had a clean second loop”.
The next two places went to former T-Class competitors who moved up to FIA Class. Henk Lategan and Dennis Murphy in the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux came sixth, followed closely by former Class T champ Jason Venter and Jaco van Aardt in the 4×4 Mega World ARB Toyota Hilux.
Several drivers ran into problems such as losing all electronics, broken gearshifts and power steering problems and while some could recover, several had to retire from the race.
The next event in the SA Cross Country Series is the Battlefields 400, which will take place in Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal on May 4 and 5.
