Parys beckons for South African Cross-Country series’ final battleground

The sixth and final round of the 2019 South African Cross-Country Series will take place in and around Parys this weekend, with a large number of competitors facing the starter. The overall and Production Vehicle category winning favourites must be already crowned champions Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (Gazoo Toyota Hilux), plus team-mates Giniel de Villiers/ Alex Haro in an identical Hilux.

Others fighting for overall podium places at the Parys 400 must include Shameer Variawa/ Juan Möhr (Toyota Gazoo Hilux) and Chris Visser/Danie Stassen (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux) Rounding out the premier FIA class will be three Red-Lined Nissan Navara entries, manned by Ernest Roberts/Henry Kohne, Terence Marsh/Letshego Zulu and Thomas Bell/Patrick McMurren, plus Johan van Staden/Mike Lawrenson (Elf Renault Duster), Clint Weston/Elvene Vonk (King Price Extreme Nissan Navara) and Daniel Schroeder/Ryan Bland (PS Laser Nissan Navara).

Heading up Class T will be already crowned 2019 champions Lance Woolridge/Ward Huxtable (Ford Castrol Cross Country Ranger). They will face off against teams like Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (Ford Castrol Cross Country Ranger), Johan Horn /Leander Pienaar (Malalane Toyota Hilux), Jacques van Tonder/Nico Swartz (Ford Ranger), Gary Bertholdt/Geoff Minnitt (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux), Wors Prinsloo/ André Vermeulen (Ford Ranger) and Dylan Venter/Donavan Lubbe (4×4 Mega World ARB Toyota Hilux). In Class S David Huddy/ Gerhard Schutte (Nissan Navara) will hope to round out the season with a perfect finishing score.

BROTHERLY CHARGE. The Moosajee brothers,
Taahir and Talha (Dunlop Zone Stryker) should be frontrunners in Class A of the Special Vehicle race. Pictures: Nadia Jordaan

In the Special Vehicle class, the overall victory favourites are already-crowned Class A champions Lance Trethewey/Adriaan Roets (LT Earthmovers BAT Venom), challenged by the Moosajee brothers, Taahir and Taha (Dunlop Zone Stryker), John Thomson/Maurice Zermatten (Mormond Zarco Challenger), the Voigts brothers, Ralph and André (Voigts Group BAT Venom) and Sandra Labuschagne-Jonck/Jaco Jonck (Total Agri Porter).

In Class P, frontrunners must include Julio Ferreira/ Mohamed Moulson (Aceco), Keith and Andrew Makenete (BAT Spec 2) and Trace Price Moor/ Shaun Braithwaite (BAT). Brothers Werner and Leon Mostert (CanAm Maverick) have already clinched the year’s Side by Side title. They will hope to finish the season with another victory, challenged by Christo Rose/Dirk Swart (CanAm Maverick), Wickus Haasbroek/Jurgens Smith (CanAm Maverick), Dewald van Breda/ Johann du Toit (CanAm Maverick) and Pieter Walter/Shaun de Villiers (CanAm Maverick).

The Parys airfield will host race headquarters and the designated service park, plus a spectator stage. Teams will complete documentation and vehicle scrutiny on Friday morning, with the 45 km qualifying race starting at 1 pm. Starting at 8 am on Saturday, a 170 km loop will await competitors who will have to complete it twice. There will be a compulsory 30 minute service halt at the airfield after the first loop and the race will restart at noon.

Spectators can enjoy the racing action at the Stadium Stage and various vantage points along the route. Cross country enthusiasts can also follow the action on their mobile devices by downloading the RallySafe App, that will contain route information, daily results and news during the event.

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