Parkrand racer and his navigator off to the Dakar
Going to the Dakar Rally is a dream come true.
Parkrand cross-country racer Jayden Els (18) and his navigator, Elvène Vonk, punched their tickets to next year’s Dakar Rally.
They won the coveted Road to Dakar Challenge during the TGRSA 1 000 Desert Race in round three of the South African Rally-Raid Championship in Botswana last month.
Driving the King Price Xtreme SVR, Els and Vonk jumped from 25th on day one to 13th on the second day. Despite mechanical issues, they finished seventh in the competition while winning the Dakar Challenge.
“My ultimate dream since I was young was to go to the Dakar Rally. It is amazing to go there at my age; it is a dream come true,” he said.
Els beat 11 other competitors in the 1 000km gruelling course in the Kalahari to win the Dakar Challenge, which was only open to privateers who had never competed in the Dakar Rally.
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“During qualifying, the drive shaft and CV joints broke down, which resulted in the car losing the four-wheel drive.
We lost so much time because we could not go as fast or accelerate fast out of corners.
“On day two, the race was tight. Navigation was key because of the thick sand and trees. The car took a hammering. We had trouble at the end of the loops but made up time to finish on the 13th.
“On day three, the car ran 100%; that is why we moved from 13th to seventh and won the Dakar Challenge,” he said.
He said he could not wait to line up alongside Dakar Rally stalwarts like compatriot Giniel de Villiers, against whom he has raced locally.
“To be at the start alongside them and race against them would be surreal. It is unimaginable,” Els said. “This is what my parents and I have been working towards. They, and King Price, that has supported me for the past six years had my back.”
‘It is a team sport; you cannot do it alone’
Els teamed up with Vonk earlier this year after asking the veteran navigator to help him achieve his dream. They met 20 years earlier when Vonk was a navigator to multiple national champion Leeroy Poulter.
“I met Jayden years ago. He was always present during races, and we became friends.
“Experience counts for everything. When you have that high level of achievement, I know what can be achieved. I know Jayden’s potential. My goal is to help him get there. It is a team sport; you cannot do it alone,” said Vonk.
Despite contrasting fortunes in the national rally-raid championship, where he races in the T1 class, Els said he was thankful to Vonk and his father Jean, responsible for maintaining his race car, for his progress in the competition.
After three rounds, he is at 10th on the overall drivers’ standings and fourth in T1, while Vonk is 12th on the navigation log and fourth in T1.
“The goal was to win the Dakar Challenge. We are too far behind in the championship. The most important thing is to fight to finish higher on the standings. We will give it a 100% in the remaining races,” Els said.
‘It is in the family’
Els, a University of Pretoria student, comes from a motorsport-loving family. His grandfather was a rally driver, while his father built cross-country cars and competed in rallying at some point.
He started with go-karting in July 2011 on his seventh birthday, where he won different class titles in the Northern Regions Championships between 2012 and 2015.
In 2015 he was third in the national Mini Rok 60cc class championship. He achieved international stardom after winning the Mini Max 125cc world title in Italy in 2017, at the age of 13, when he clinched the junior max national title.
From karting, he transitioned into rallying because gravel is more interesting.
He debuted in the VW National Polo Cup, where he finished 10th overall in 2020. The following year, he was fifth overall.
In 2020 he also won the National Rally Championship NRC3 class championship and in 2021 clinched the NRC2 class title while finishing second in the championship.
Last year, he made his debut in the rally-raid championship, where he won the T-class title.
“For the Dakar”, he said, “Finishing is a goal, but winning or a top 10 finish would be a bonus.”
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