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Rally-Raid title down to the wire after Ford’s Free State win
Penultimate round of this year's championship took a massive toll on some fancied crews with several high profile retirements.
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+) won the race overall to strengthen their lead in the season’s overall Production Vehicle Category. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
The fight for this year’s South African Rally-Raid Championship will go down to the wire between teams from Ford and Toyota.
That was established last weekend during the Renergen 400, the sixth and penultimate round of the series that took place around Odendaalsrus in the Free State.
Production vehicles
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+) won the race overall to strengthen their lead in the season’s overall Production Vehicle Category.
Second overall in the race and, consequently, the championship, were Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle (Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux T1+).
Both the Toyota and Ford crews enjoyed basically trouble-free runs throughout the two-day event. Other top title contenders did not, leading to the current title chase situation.
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Current title defenders Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux T1+) rolled their bakkie close to the race finish and Lategan injured his shoulder, putting him out for the year.
Lance Woolridge/Kenny Gilbert (NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+) were running in second place when they hit a ditch and retired with suspension damage on the final loop.
Finally, Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy hit a huge hole ditch during the first of the two loops to severely damage their Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux T1+ and drop them down the field.
That left youngster Saood Variawa with navigator, Danie Stassen (Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux T1+) on the final podium step
Fourth was the brand new four-wheel-drive twin-turbo Century Racing CR7 of Brian Baragwanath/Leonard Cremer, three minutes ahead of Gary Bertholdt/Henry Köhne (Renergen Toyota Hilux T1+)
The FIA T1 battle was won by Eben Basson/Leander Pienaar (Toyota #TeamHilux T1) who finished sixth overall.
Johan and Werner Horn sorted navigation problems with their Hilux DKR T1+ to finish seventh while Fouché and Bertus Blignaut brought their Hilux DKR T1+ home in eighth place albeit with altered appearance as they rolled during the first of the two loops on the last day.
Wors Prinsloo/André Vermeulen (Ford Ranger T1+) finished just 34 seconds behind the Blignaut brothers.
A finish and a victory in Class T for Schalk Burger/Henk Janse van Vuuren (King Price Xtreme Volkswagen Amarok) put them in the lead of the class championship.
Special vehicles
In the Special Vehicle Category, defending overall and Class A champions, Tim Howes/Gary Campbell (BAT Spec 4) won for the fourth time this season.
Behind them in Class G Ian/Werner Mostert (Moto-Netix Can-Am Maverick) beat their team-mates, Glen Theron/Craig Galvin as well as Geoff Minnitt/Rodney Burke (Hydro Power Equipment Can-Am Maverick).
Next round
Teams now have five weeks to prepare for the seventh and final round of the 2023 SARRC when they will meet again at the Waterberg 400 in Limpopo on 10 and 11 November.
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