The survival of the fastest

Former champions Evan Hutchison and Danie Stassen (Motorite BAT Viper) head for the penultimate round of the title chase with a 17-point margin over Lance Trethewey and Geoff Minnitt in their LTE BAT Venom. The third crew still in with a mathematical shot at the title – Mark Corbett and Juan Mohr in the Century Racing CR5 – complete a trio who will resemble a cricket batsman negotiating the nervous 90s.

A maiden win in Mpumalanga for Jimmy Zahos and Zaheer Bodhanya (Cobalt Racing Stryker) came too late to keep the pair in the championship race. The victory will, however, have given the pair a massive boost in confidence, and Zahos will relish the wide open nature of what will be a typical Kalahari route.

Sarel van Biljon/Phillip Herselman (Atlas Copco BAT) will also be riding a high after a second place on the Nkomazi 450 and will be looking for another good result. So will Brett Parker/VZ van Zyl in the Sizanani Plastics Jimco, Coetzee Labuscagne and daughter, Sandra (ChemSystems Porter), Andre Fourie/Hendrik Pienaar (BAT) and Stefan van Pletzen/Jaco Pieterse (Aceco).

Two Botswana-based drivers, Keith du Toit and Xander Mare, will be out in a BAT, with Mogrey Mabille/AN Other, out in a Porter. The Class P championship is developing into a battle between John Thomson/Maurice Zermatten, (Zarco Magnum) and Colin Matthews/Rodney Burke (Century Racing CR3).

Nic Goslar will return to action after injury and rejoins Andrew Massy in the SA Clinics Zarco. Other crews with hopes of top 10 placings will include Andrew Makenete/Ntaote Bereng (Zarco Magnum), Gene Boshoff/Lotter Klein (Century Racing CR-T) and Ian Boshoff/Mia van Wyk (Century Racing CR-T).

Also in the Class P line-up will be Sean Reitz and Riaan Greyling, who usually campaign in the Production Vehicle category. Their Regent Racing Nissan Navara is being prepared for Dakar Rally duty and the pair will keep their hand in with an outing in the team’s Jimco.