Rally-Raid series set for mouthwatering conclusion in Thabazimbi

The 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championship will be concluded in the Thabazimbi area of Limpopo this weekend, with the Waterberg 400 to determine the year’s overall and various class titles.

An exciting season will be rounded off with two days of racing action where teams in both the Production and Special Vehicle Categories will have to complete a total of 415 kilometres, after which the 2023 national champions will be crowned.

Production vehicles

In the Production Vehicle Category, all eyes will be at the front of the field, where the championship leading NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+ of Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dryer, will go for gold.

They will feel the pressure from the rest of the field, especially from the Toyota Gazoo Racing squad with former multiple rally, Guy Botterill in with a chance for the divers’ championship title.

Botterill, who won round five, the Parys 400, and navigator Simon Vacy-Lyle, could lay claim to the overall and FIA T1+ Drivers’ Championship titles.

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The Toyota Gazoo Racing arsenal will also include former champions, Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy also have a chance to secure a worthy podium result for the team, while the young Saood Variawa will pair up with French navigator, Francois Cazalet, for the first time.

Other teams to be watched at the front end should include Lance Woolridge/Kenny Gilbert (NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+), visiting Spaniards, Daniel Alonso/Alejandro Lopez (NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+), the two sets of brothers in Toyota #TeamHilux DKR T1+ entries, Johan/ Werner Horn and Fouché/Bertus Blignaut, plus Gary Bertholdt/Henry Köhne (Toyota Hilux T1+).

Brian Baragwanath/Leonard Cremer (Century Racing CR7) could take on the works Toyotas and Fords for overall victory.

They could, in turn, be challenged by the three Century Racing CR6 crews of Lance Trethewey/Adriaan Roets (King Price Xtreme), Lood du Preez/Junior Vardy, and Eugene Bierman/Marius Lombard in Farmers Meat Abattoirs colours.

Red-Lined Motorsport will enter two Revo T1+ models for international teams in the FIA T1+ class, with the Dutch pairing of Dave Klaassen/Tessa Rooth and the Australian duo of Adam Kaplan and Dale Moscatt.

Two more Red-Lined Motorsport contenders will support their teammates in the Heinlein’s, Gerhard and Rudi (Nissan Navara), plus Philip Botha/Roedolf Janse van Vuren (Nissan Navara).

Johan and Sean van Staden (Renault Duster) plus German veteran, Jϋrgen Schröder and Ryan Bland (Nissan Navara) will fight for the third place in the category.

Schalk Burger/Henk Janse van Vuuren (King Price Xtreme Volkswagen Amarok) are the lonely entry in Class T and have already clinched the title.

Special Vehicles

In the Special Vehicle Category, the overall and Class A titles have been secured by Tim Howes/Gary Campbell (BAT Spec 4), chased by the Makenete brothers, Keith and Andrew (BAT).

In Class G, the Can-Am Maverick teams of Geoff and Werner Minnitt, Ian Mostert/Rodney Burke and Glen Theron/Craig Galvin will fight for the title, with Ewald van Rensburg/Johan Scheepers and Francois/Neil de Wit, in similar vehicles as the rest of the teams, having secured their fourth and fifth places in the standings.

Starting times

The action starts on Friday at 12.30 with the 59 km Pirelli Qualifying Race that will determine the starting order for the main race on Saturday, when two loops of 178 km each will await competitors.

The start/finish, as well as the race headquarters and the Designated Service Point (DSP), will be situated at the Koedoeskop Laerskool.

Spectators can look forward to experiencing the racing action from various vantage points along the route and route maps will be available on https://web.facebook.com/saccsauto and the RallySafe App available for Apple and Android devices.

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