Pride the main driving force

For the first time in years the overall and premier Class SP titles have failed to go all the way to the wire.

Team Castrol Toyota’s Anthony Taylor and Dennis Murphy clinched both championships on the recent Ford Dealer 400 in Thaba ‘Nchu.

That shifts the focus to the minor placings.

The factory Ford pair of Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst, plus Toyota’s Duncan Vos and Rob Howie in the second works Castrol Toyota Hilux, will fight for second and third in the overall and SP Class.

Meanwhile, team-mates Gary Bertholdt and Siegfried Rousseau (Atlas Copco Nissan Navara) and Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux) will scrap for top place among the privateers.

A little further down, only seven points separate Malcolm Kock and Johan Burger (Kock and Son Toyota Hilux), Mike Whitehouse and Matthew Carlson (Regent Nissan Navara), Louw de Bruin and Riaan Greyling (Ruwacon Ford Ranger) and Hugo de Bruyn and Henri Hugo (Micaren Exel Toyota Hilux).

With a 17-point lead over Johan and Werner Horn (Malalane Hilux) in Class D, Jason Venter and Vincent van Allemann (Trysome Hilux) have one hand on the championship trophy. The two crews have produced stirring battles in recent races and another thriller is on the cards.

Douglas Fear and Kurt de Villiers will be heavy favourites for a fourth Class E win in their Brytons Hilux. Opposition comes from Johan Pretorius and Gesina Dauth (Toyota Hilux) and Jannie Greef and Robbie Roos (Nissan Hardbody).

The final round of the Northern Regions championship will be run in conjunction with the national event with race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service park all located at the Kloof Country

Club in Glenharvie. Public access to these areas and spectator points along the route is free of charge.