Two days and two consecutive rounds of the 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) await competitors when they travel to the northern part of the Free State to participate in the Parys 400, which takes place this weekend, Friday18 and Saturday 19 August. If the first three rounds of the season are anything to go by, rounds four and five will again produce riveting racing action.

Rounds four and five of the SARRC will be one-day events, starting with a short Pirelli Qualifying Race at 07:30 to determine the starting order for the big race that follows soon after. Teams will have to race with precision to keep their noses clean while aiming for the highest possible position and bagging the most points towards the Overall Production Vehicle Championship and the various class championships.

After the dust had settled at the recent marathon event in the Botswana desert, the standings looked somewhat shuffled, with desert race winners Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Castrol T1+ Ranger) taking the overall lead and the lead in FIA T1+.

The team were also victorious at an extremely wet and muddy Parys 400 last year and, brimming with confidence, will hope for a repeat of this result.

They will have support from their teammates, Lance Woolridge/Kenny Gilbert, who had a disappointing start to the season but clawed their way into the top five after earning good points at the TGR 1000 Desert Race in Botswana.
FIA T1+ is loaded with entries as various teams have moved from T1, and international teams are back from more racing in South Africa. Fourteen very competent teams have entered the Parys 400 double-header, predicting loads of action and fierce rivalry.

Toyota Gazoo Racing will have its four Toyota DKR Hilux T1+ teams in the field, three of which will push hard for the titles.

The Parys 400 Round Four starts at the Parys Afridome at 07:30 on Friday, 18 August, with a short Pirelli Qualifying Race to determine the starting order for the main race at 09:30. Competitors will then have to complete a 173-kilometre loop twice with the Start/Finish, the Designated Service Point (DSP) and rally headquarters situated at the Afridome, where the podium ceremony will also take place.

On Saturday, 19 August, a new qualifying route and a different 190-kilometre loop await the teams for Round Five of the SARRC, with the action again starting at 07:30. The flag will drop for the main race at 09:30.
The Parys 400 can be followed on the RallySafe App available for download at no charge.