Nissan Spirit of Africa shows how competition 4×4-ing should be

Off-roading, whether as a passenger or behind the wheel, has been part of my life for more than 25 years.

Having spent a great deal of my formative years, post-2000, in the back of a single cab Isuzu KB, two double cab Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo V6s and a Nissan Pathfinder with my father, late mother and brother criss-crossing Southern Africa from Swaziland to the Caprivi strip, the passion and appreciation for what these vehicles can do remains undiminished to this day.

Not the best memory

An invite nine years ago to attend an off-road jamboree in a fully kitted-out short wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero came with the same then enthusiasm, but ended in complete dismay.

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Being a competition environment, the event was anything but enjoyable and ultimately descended into an ego trip filled with unsavoury post-results behaviour and remarks.  

I was, therefore, apprehensive to say “yes” to the annual Spirit of Africa media event this week, as the competition aspect of off-roading has left a resounding bitter taste in my mouth.

Celebrating a milestone

Marking its 21^st anniversary this year, and the third to be sponsored by Nissan, I decided to tick the “yes” box as, unlike last time, I was to compete with my colleagues and not self-image driven individuals keener to belittle others than enjoying what had been set up.

The brainchild of 11-time South African rally champion and motorsport legend Sarel van der Merwe, the event this year took place at the Sandwani Game Lodge outside Cullinan, and saw the media and Nissan representatives use the newly launched Navara Pro-4X Warrior on 16 stages varying from high speed to slow and technical.

Supposed to be as testing as possible, but within each driver and the car’s limits, the 15 competing Navara Pro-4X Warriors made for an evocative sight standing next to each other.

Spirit of Africa yes’ and no’s

Confidence was something I had nothing of. Unlike some of my colleagues who were taking part in their third or fifth event, I was the rookie and under no illusion that this wouldn’t be easy the first time out.

The Spirit of Africa fundamentals are, in fact, easy: each team starts out with 100 points and loses points for reversing (30), hitting the marker poles (10), the red flag indicators (30) and for every second over the stipulated time each stage would normally take.

What’s more, warnings and being disqualified for being unnecessarily silly – speeding in between stages for example – are also applicable, with the very real outcome of being thrown-out completely if damage to the car is recorded.

Gaining points though comes via the speed sections, completing the stage within or faster than the mandated time, and not hitting any of the mentioned poles.

Welcome Pro-4X Warrior

There was the topic of the Australian-developed Navara Pro-4X Warrior would perform first time around.

The work of Melbourne-based engineering firm Premcar, the Pro-4X Warrior, as its name points out, uses the “normal” Pro-4X as a base, but receives a redesigned front bumper with a steel bashplate, wider front and rear tracks, uprated springs and dampers, and a lift-kit that raises ground clearance from 221 mm to 232 mm.

Completing the upgrades are 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tyres, side-steps, “riveted” wheel arch cladding, red accents, Pro-4X Warrior decals on the side of the loadbox, black mirror caps and a black grille with a red Nissan badge.

Besides red Warrior embroidery work on the headrests of the front seats, the interior is otherwise identical to the Pro-4X, with the same applying to the standard features sheet.

Underneath its bonnet, the stalwart YD25DDTI 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine has not undergone any changes and, as such, delivers 140kW/450Nm to the rear or all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

Action commences

Pre-event rule briefing over, I decided to sideline the happenings of almost a decade ago and try to enjoy my time with the Pro-4X Warrior rather than worrying about the scorecard.

But, as my colleague Willem van de Putte famously put it, once behind the wheel and into the stage, the competitive aspect takes over as simply having fun turns into a desire to win, not being silly and completing the stage with one’s race-face on.

The first stage involved a simple speed test, but through a tunnel of poles and flags on either side.

My driving partner, Naresh Maharaj, acquitted himself brilliantly, and we finished it relatively trouble-free.

Knowing that the slow and technical sections tend to suit me better, I took the wheel for the second stage, which soon became a disaster.

Tight and twisty it was, precision was the key and, unfortunately, a few poles got touched – some disappearing underneath the Pro-4X Warrior – as I simply struggled to get into a rhythm with the clock ticking.

As disappointed as I was, the driver swap for the next speed section went according to plan with a clean run.

Stage four, named Blood, Sweat and Gears, had everything I loved about off-roading; rocky outcrops, tight corners, a few downhill sections, blind crests and a steep descent at the end.

Again, a few wrong lines saw poles being touched, yet I was starting to get into the swing of things and, admittedly, taking it very seriously.

Another well executed speed section later, the second section of the event, a slalom and then an uphill park in reverse, went completely awry as both Naresh and I copped a “DQ” for different infringements that had departed our minds in the heat of battle.

Admittedly, this resulted in memories of the past event flaring back up. However, I knew I couldn’t let it keep me downhearted as I made peace with the fact that our #10 Navara Pro-4X Warrior had probably dropped to the back of the field.

The final technical and twisty section, despite appearing anything but difficult, proved to be the most enjoyable.

Again, all about being precise, smooth and accurate, it also included a river crossing and a tight uphill turn to the left and the right.

Dropping downhill at the finish, fewer poles were clipped and more points gained, though we still had no idea where we ranked overall.

For the final pair of speed tests, Sandwani’s version of the Mulsanne straight had been laid out.

But, unlike the famous stretch of public French road that forms part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there would be slipstreaming. Instead, the stage was a side-by-side drag race on gravel.

Having kept the Navara in high range four-wheel-drive (4L) throughout the event, thoughts of possibly switching back to the default 2H came up for discussion as we prepared to blast off.

Concerns, however, of traction being lost settled the argument and instead, an impromptu launch control method was settled upon.

With 4L still selected, dabbing the throttle while keeping my left foot on the brake saw the Pro-4X Warrior accelerate quicker than I had expected when the “go” call crackled over the handheld radio.

Feeling stable and undramatic, we crossed the line well ahead of our competition and at close to 120 km/h.

The second run was just as faultless and once again, Naresh and I won our battle, albeit with a slightly narrower margin than before.

While supposed to have taken place over the mentioned 16 stages, time constraints meant only 12 could be completed, the final being a figure-of-eight with each car starting at the opposite end based on their number.

A stage that balances speed with smoothness into the corners, I knew I had to do well after what had been a much better second half of the event than the first.

Badly cut-up in places by the time we arrived, the stage was testing but fun, and while two poles we touched, I exited with a smile in complete contrast to how it started a few hours before.

Top 10 finish

At the end of it all, we didn’t place 15^th, but rather scored a top 10 finish, aptly in 10^th place as per our vehicle number.

An event that ended on a high despite my pre-conceived notions, no egos arose and became thoroughly enjoyable as a discipline of this type should be.

What’s more, it also showcased the capability of the Navara Pro-4X Warrior as no vehicle developed issues or sustained damage throughout the day.

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